Working in the USA

[noremac 3]

I would have to say the most depressing thing about working in this country(U.S.A) is the extremely low wages. For a job that I was getting paid $90,000 per year +OT for, employers here want to pay about $40,000 flat per year. Its slightly heart breaking, has anyone got any suggestions on how to deal with this? I am completely happy with every other aspect of my life here except for that one thing. It is really getting me down which affects everyone around me, I neeed to find a way to deal with it.

thanks

[easydoesit 6]

What field of work are you in? I know that wages in healthcare for instance vary greatly depending on which region of the counry you are in.

[Thomas&Cleofe 358]

So, can I ask...??? why on earth are you living here? Why not live where your income is MUCH higher?

[JohnR! 5,495]

I would have to say the most depressing thing about working in this country(U.S.A) is the extremely low wages. For a job that I was getting paid $90,000 per year +OT for, employers here want to pay about $40,000 flat per year. Its slightly heart breaking, has anyone got any suggestions on how to deal with this? I am completely happy with every other aspect of my life here except for that one thing. It is really getting me down which affects everyone around me, I need to find a way to deal with it.

thanks

I think that the short answer would be to adjust to your new salary and you will feel better. I know it sounds rude, but I mean it in a matter of fact and pragmatic way. Please take no exception to my words.

Secondly keep looking for other jobs in other places. When it comes to salaries, there is no fair market value per se, so you need to negotiate your salary when you are in the process of being hired. It really does not matter how much they want to pay you. What matters is how much you can convince them you're worth. If they want to pay $40K pa it is up to you to convince them you're worth more than that.

Last but not least, are you comparing gross income or take-home pay. At the end of the day what really matters is how much money you end up with for each paycheck. Also do some cost of living comparison so you can learn if there is a differential from your previous hometown to the current one. I hope that can help narrow the gap and make you feel better.

And yes, It sucks everywhere and the best thing to do is to roll with the punches. I can only hope you can make peace with it while looking for better opportunities.

[Harsh_77 716]

What field are you in and it can also be supply and demand.

In your home country it is possible they cannot find ppl that can do work you are doing and hence they are paying more to get ppl with skill, in region where you are now has plenty of resource who can do same thing as you are doing and low salary.

[del-2-5-2014 1,339]

One of the things I enjoy on these forums is comparing comments from people from first and third world countries

[Thomas&Cleofe 358]

One of the things I enjoy on these forums is comparing comments from people from first and third world countries

Ahhhhhh....yes.

My wife's salary is equal to annual gross income of only $3,000.

[noremac 3]

One of the things I enjoy on these forums is comparing comments from people from first and third world countries

Your saying it's wrong for me to be paid what I'm worth? I really am trying to find a way to overcome this issue in my mind, looking for advice on how others have done it.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Your saying it's wrong for me to be paid what I'm worth? I really am trying to find a way to overcome this issue in my mind, looking for advice on how others have done it.

You're not going to get much advice on this forum unfortunately. I will PM you because any slightly negative comment about the US tends to end with "You hate the US so get out" posts :S

[SweetDelish 38]

I would have to say the most depressing thing about working in this country(U.S.A) is the extremely low wages. For a job that I was getting paid $90,000 per year +OT for, employers here want to pay about $40,000 flat per year. Its slightly heart breaking, has anyone got any suggestions on how to deal with this? I am completely happy with every other aspect of my life here except for that one thing. It is really getting me down which affects everyone around me, I neeed to find a way to deal with it.

thanks

I can relate to this, I'm in the phase of acceptance before I move and this is how I've wrapped my head around it. I know not to expect the wages I'm getting now.

1, I'm moving to Hawaii, not exactly the financial hub of the USA, so the job availability for my skill set and target sector will be limited.

2, cost of living is lower, so I'm not going to need as much $ to pay for the same things

3, The US economy is not as good as it used to be, but it is turning around, things will get better, the US will always get back to the top of the ladder

4, I am choosing to move there to be with my SO, because right now, thats the best place for us to be

5, money vs sacrifice - at the end of the day, I'll work in Walmart (no offence to those that do) if I have to, as long as I can contribute to the household in some way, I have no intention on being precious about it, if thats all I can get for awhile, then thats what I'll do until something better comes along. I could earn a huge salary in Australia or I could be with my SO. He has told me he doesn't care if thats all I do

6, I'll be a foreigner, it doesn't matter what country you go to, local knowledge has a trump card, earn the local knowledge card and you will do better. This will be the 3rd country I've lived in, both Australia and Canada was the same way with local knowledge, I needed to earn my reputation all over again. its just the way things go.

Thats just a few things, I'm setting expectations for myself before I go.

And don't forget, this is your experience, neither you nor anyone else can truly compare it to theirs, or anyone elses until they have walked the whole distance in your shoes.

Edited August 31, 2012 by SweetDelish

[noremac 3]

I can relate to this, I'm in the phase of acceptance before I move and this is how I've wrapped my head around it. I know not to expect the wages I'm getting now.

1, I'm moving to Hawaii, not exactly the financial hub of the USA, so the job availability for my skill set and target sector will be limited.

2, cost of living is lower, so I'm not going to need as much $ to pay for the same things

3, The US economy is not as good as it used to be, but it is turning around, things will get better, the US will always get back to the top of the ladder

4, I am choosing to move there to be with my SO, because right now, thats the best place for us to be

5, money vs sacrifice - at the end of the day, I'll work in Walmart (no offence to those that do) if I have to, as long as I can contribute to the household in some way, I have no intention on being precious about it, if thats all I can get for awhile, then thats what I'll do until something better comes along. I could earn a huge salary in Australia or I could be with my SO. He has told me he doesn't care if thats all I do

6, I'll be a foreigner, it doesn't matter what country you go to, local knowledge has a trump card, earn the local knowledge card and you will do better. This will be the 3rd country I've lived in, both Australia and Canada was the same way with local knowledge, I needed to earn my reputation all over again. its just the way things go.

Thats just a few things, I'm setting expectations for myself before I go.

And don't forget, this is your experience, neither you nor anyone else can truly compare it to theirs, or anyone elses until they have walked the whole distance in your shoes.

I appreciate your words of advice

[JenniferS 4]

My husband is in the same position, he is often very upset about it. His wage has been cut way more than half. In fact, he makes only slightly more than minimum wage. Only thing we can do for now is keep working the job he DOES have, it took a while for him to find the crappy one he is working, and keep looking in the meantime. Hopefully something better will come along, and hopefully the economy will start to improve. Everyday I feel guilty for us making the decision for him to move here, but for multiple reasons, it was the best choice. I guess the answer isn't always money, but it is nice to be financially stable. good luck, and if you find a solution, please share it with me =)

[G0ds1ay3r 30]

My salary coming from NZ are quite a bit lower than the average salary for my field in America but that is because New Zealand is a low paying country.

America cost of living is also MUCH cheaper than New Zealand so much so that it bumps my US salary comparatively up a lot.

[Boiler 43,730]

Probably about the same uk -us.

[travelfairy 22]

Don't give up. Accept it as part of the move, and start thinking about a longer term plan that will enable you to charge more for your services. And negotiate! Hustle! Don't just accept salaries that people offer. See if you can do any contracting or anything extra on the side. The big downside here is the lack of a good minimum wage so the more you can avoid that type of work, the better.

I had to take a pay cut as well, but the cost of living is lower, so even though I earn less, I have a better car and bigger house. Still, it would be nice if my $ were worth something back in Aus. I look at it as the cost of the experience. I did things to increase my income when I came here, and over time, it has improved, although I would still be earning a buckload more money back in Australia.

People who say "it's only money" still need to accept that money pays for healthcare, education, retirement, heating bills etc and it's important. It's not everything, but it is important. People shouldn't discount somebody's concerns about earning less.

Chin up.

Cheers,

Travelfairy