What do you consider to be a "good hourly wage"? (employed, degree)
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$20/hour in NYC is "poor" if you have a family but if you're alone and don't live in Manhattan you would get by. It would be a struggle but I wouldn't say you'd starve.
$20/hour in NYC is "poor" if you have a family but if you're alone and don't live in Manhattan you would get by. It would be a struggle but I wouldn't say you'd starve.
I've lived in the California bay area, Michigan Ohio Indiana corner and in the deep south.
You could enjoy a higher standard of living in the deep south on $20 than you would in South Michigan for $28 and $35 an hour in San Francisco so expect answers to vary with region.
a good hourly wage depends on a number of things, such as one's region, the type of job, one's experience in that job, one's qualifications, etc.
it also includes one's financial situation/circumstance as well, whether one has any kids, mortgage, etc.
Thus, a good wage for a single person, with a post-grad degree, living in an apartment on his/her own, would be different to a family of five living in a 4 bedroom-house, with a mortgage, and both parents on minimum wage jobs.
Anything less than $20/hr qualifies an individual for housing assistance and food stamps in my city. So I would say at least $25/hr is a decent wage.
Sadly, when a new restaurant announced it was opening in my neighborhood and was hiring staff @ $10/hr, the neighbors complained that such a 'high' wage made the restaurant prices too high (plates starting at a mere $8/hr). But what this very poor neighborhood in this expensive city needs is not lower wages but higher wages! And the people complaining of course are earning heaps more--so much they've probably never actually stopped to calculate what it is in hourly terms.
Sacramento, CA: $13-14 is enough to get by living by yourself, single and save a few $$ if you are good with your money. $18, you should be able to save and buy a car if you budget well. Above that, things become comfortable. Of course, if you drink, smoke, have a $100 a month cable TV bill, you aren't going to think this is enough.
Computer/desktop support with hardware repair, vendor certified to do warranty work.
Up till recently, about $14-15 entry-level, no certifications. With an A+, $16-18. Experienced, $20 up to about $25. Many of these positions had benefits.
That has all changed with the economy. Those earning more than about $15 are being laid off and replaced with people willing to do it for $10-13, no benefits.
The economic situation is important to take note of. There are a lot of people losing their jobs simply because it is easy to replace them with someone who doesn't have a clue how much they should be earning.
The economic situation is important to take note of. There are a lot of people losing their jobs simply because it is easy to replace them with someone who doesn't have a clue how much they should be earning.
Yep, my employer laid off a dozen. They haven't replaced us all, but they have hired two or three interns and new graduates to replace some people. I assume the new graduates get insurance and benefits but the interns don't, and their salary is certainly much less than we were earning.
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