(Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents: Just Being Middle Class Is Becoming out of Reach

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

BTW if not for financial aid, I would not have been able to go to college unless I could pay for it all with a little help(I mean little) from my parents. Thank God for financial aid!

[Dr. Obvious 49]

"Recent Graduates can Earn $24,000 to $35,000 when Hired."

I was in shock!!!

Depends on what they graduated with. If it is your standard, run of the mill, Liberal Arts degree, that seems about right. I make the middle of that with my BA. I guess when you add in everything, it is more like 38k, though. Probably will max out around 48k. Still not big money, but fine.

My point is that with my education and experience I could be making twice what I make now in a different field. With the degrees that each of those people have, you'd think they'd be doing better.

True. My brother will probably make 48-55k out the gate with the BS in Mechanical Engineering he is getting next Spring, but that's life.

It's actually Virginia (Washington DC Metro area) I went to check online how much would we pay for a day care.

Daycare is terrible. It is one of the reasons we really can't consider more children. Right now, I have a decent offer for $100 or so a week for my daughter, but that is in-home. In chain centers, it can be around $180 or more a week. Working isn't cheap.

[Heracles 417]

These guys should just move to Australia or Canada.

I know they would be accepted into Australia immediately with those credentials and would have a salary of at least $130K between them. Plus no out of pocket healthcare costs.

[Heracles 417]

My wife is wrapping up her first year of teaching. Her salary sucks.

NJ publishes salaries online of all public employees, including teachers. I looked up her instructor at her masters program, she is a reading specialist with 30 years of experience at a public school... her public school salary after 30 years of time is less than 90... which is probably why she needs to moonlight at the university...

I noticed teachers in Victoria, Australia just got a pay rise. First year teachers now start on $51,500 here

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

My wife is wrapping up her first year of teaching. Her salary sucks.

NJ publishes salaries online of all public employees, including teachers. I looked up her instructor at her masters program, she is a reading specialist with 30 years of experience at a public school... her public school salary after 30 years of time is less than 90... which is probably why she needs to moonlight at the university...

I noticed teachers in Victoria, Australia just got a pay rise. First year teachers now start on $51,500 here

That's awesome.

[Heracles 417]

This is country of opportunities but if you work hard you shouldn't be poor if you have a job.

In America we call those people 'the working poor'. It's a new class of citizenry. Lots of Americans like to pretend they don't exist.

There sure is a hell of a lot of them here.

[Amby 490]

I think I'm just going to be a hippie and live off the land

[jundp 191]

My wife is wrapping up her first year of teaching. Her salary sucks.

NJ publishes salaries online of all public employees, including teachers. I looked up her instructor at her masters program, she is a reading specialist with 30 years of experience at a public school... her public school salary after 30 years of time is less than 90... which is probably why she needs to moonlight at the university...

True story.

in my head it all sounds good but thus far nothing is coming out very well [/b]

i thought you were an english teacher?

Charles!

I can't be perfect all the time

[Dr. Obvious 49]

I think I'm just going to be a hippie and live off the land

Sell deer pelts to pay for your property taxes?

[Heracles 417]

I know a girl who works at the store for $6/hour which I guess according to some people is her own fault because she doesn’t have a degree but the point is it’s the same hourly wage as it was 10 years ago and prices of everything went up.

This is country of opportunities but if you work hard you shouldn't be poor if you have a job.

Is it really that bad... #### Minimum wage in AUS is $13.75 an hour.

BUT

There are over 20,000,000 illegal immigrants here. Most working below $6 an hour. I hate it when people fail to accept or acknowledge the effect of this on Americans and their living standard.

Edit: Until this illegal immigration problem is fixed. Say bye bye to the US's 1st world living standard.

Edited May 20, 2008 by Boo-Yah!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

There are over 20,000,000 illegal immigrants here. Most working below $6 an hour. I hate it when people fail to accept or acknowledge the effect of this on Americans and their living standard.

Edit: Until this illegal immigration problem is fixed. Say bye bye to the US's 1st world living standard.

Fukcin Mezikans......

Edited May 20, 2008 by VJ Troll

[Heracles 417]

There are over 20,000,000 illegal immigrants here. Most working below $6 an hour. I hate it when people fail to accept or acknowledge the effect of this on Americans and their living standard.

Fukcin Mezikans......

You cannot discredit the effect they have had on the country. We are not talking about 50,000 or 500,000 but 20 million here. The excessive number of unskilled workers has lowed wages. Simple as that. And that is not even factoring in the hundreds of billions spent on services for them.

Edited May 20, 2008 by Boo-Yah!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

There are over 20,000,000 illegal immigrants here. Most working below $6 an hour. I hate it when people fail to accept or acknowledge the effect of this on Americans and their living standard.

Fukcin Mezikans......

You cannot discredit the effect they have had on the country. We are not talking about 50,000 or 500,000 but 20 million here. The excessive number of unskilled workers has lowed wages. Simple as that. And that is not even factoring in the hundreds of billions spent on services for them.

They've had no effect on me. In the end, that's all that matters.

[SMOKE 1,426]

There are over 20,000,000 illegal immigrants here. Most working below $6 an hour. I hate it when people fail to accept or acknowledge the effect of this on Americans and their living standard.

Fukcin Mezikans......

You cannot discredit the effect they have had on the country. We are not talking about 50,000 or 500,000 but 20 million here. The excessive number of unskilled workers has lowed wages. Simple as that. And that is not even factoring in the hundreds of billions spent on services for them.

They've had no effect on me. In the end, that's all that matters.

finally!

you're the first one on the wrong side of the illegal immigration debate to admit it. it hasn't effected you so "f*** everyone it has."

thanks for the honesty.

[Lisax 0]

I talked to my husband, his parents and some friends about how it was before and today and they all agreed the standard of living is lower then it was.

Looking for jobs around even with a degree you’re lucky if you can get $45.000 a year. My mom makes that kind of money back in Croatia and she’s a physiotherapist.

Living in the area where monthly rent average is $1700 and average price of homes $450.000 it’s not easy. My husband makes way above average (he has a really good government job and bachelors degree) and we still need to be really careful about how we spend our money. We are not sure when we’ll be able to have kids ($1000/month day care per child!!!). We can’t afford to eat out much, we cook a lot and eat at home, and we need to be really careful about what we buy at the grocery store. If we need clothes we go to outlet stores.

I know a girl who works at the store for $6/hour which I guess according to some people is her own fault because she doesn’t have a degree but the point is it’s the same hourly wage as it was 10 years ago and prices of everything went up.

This is country of opportunities but if you work hard you shouldn't be poor if you have a job.

I will not be moving to California anytime soon or in the distant future. $1000 for day care!

It's actually Virginia (Washington DC Metro area) I went to check online how much would we pay for a day care.

Oh sorry, wow, thats still expensive!