Education and Income

[Wendytww]

Depends on who you ask!

I am an in-home childcare provider. I have a BA in Human Behavior and Human Services and I am currently finishing an associate in Early Childhood Education. I make an AGI of 20-25K a year but the daycare pays for a large portion of my household bills as business expenses. So in reality, I have a spendable income that is higher. Hope that makes sense...

[tomfoolery]

I make 60K as a Project Manager....my photography averages 500-1,000 a month. I don't count that though, i usually re-invest it into supplies or ammo.

No degree (went to college for years but never finished). Home owner as well.

[Cannibul]

High School Graduate.

Now a Professional Blue Collar Street Walker. Made 58k doing that last year.

Made about 25k on my hobby job.

Another ~4800 from the VA.

[englandcrown]

$56K+ per year, never had a day of college, just a high school graduate. I'm the senior buyer at the 2nd largest plumbing company in Indiana. Been here for 10 years.

[RVwannaB]

Originally Posted by Boanerge

Don't forget to factor in your Basic allowance for housing and Subsistence. It definitely makes you feel better about Military benefits!!!

That counts BAH/BAS/Flight pay, the pay increase is based on a promotion I should get late this year. Lt's make good money but not that much .

[tennvol]

Me: 4 year BS, 30 years old, network centric warfare anaylst (no my degree isn't in computers), $95,000/yr
Wife: JD from a top 3 school, 25 years old, 3rd year law associate, $190,000/yr

[Bill in San Jose]

Remember it's not what you earn, it's what's left after you pay the bills each month. Some areas of the country have such different costs of living that it's hard to make a fair comparison.

And life is not fair. You don't get what you're worth- you get paid what you negotiate for.

[NewXDsupporter]

I'm 24 and last year my contract was for 58000$. This year I'm on track to make 0$. I have been unemployed since Dec 15 of last year. But hey I do have a job with Lockheed Martin once they decide to open the slot.

Education. F-15 Comm Nav Pen aids, Now a full time student at Embry Riddle for a BS in Aviation Maintenance Management with my A&P.

[Baldy]

Education: BA in Business Administration, graduated May of 2007.

I've been working for Florida state government since I graduated high school in 2000, I think 2 years part time, 6 years full time. My current salary is about $35,500. We don't get many raises (I've been job hunting outside state government). I could rant on and on about how frustrating it is to work in state government as a recent college graduate, but just know that it's frustrating, when you see what other folks your age and with the same education are making. grrr!

My wife works part time and recently started college, but will soon quit her job because of pregnancy (her job involves heavy lifted, lots of moving around, etc.). I think she made $15k last year? I'm not sure.

[eyesopened]

I'm 27 and I've been making more than my age per hour since I've been 20. If I can continue that trend, I will be a very happy guy. I have no college loans to repay because I only took 1 semester of college after graduating HS. I've been in the IT industry for 9 years and you can get far with just certifications, actual work experience and a "git er dun" mentality. There are tons of jobs in the DC Metro area and my current company is looking at getting their site clearance. Once they get a site clearance, they can submit me for one and all kinds of jobs will open up.

I feel bad for the college grads having a tough time finding jobs. My cousin just graduate from Virginia Tech and it took him a while to find a job and the pay isn't great. My highschool friend who graduated UVA also jumped around jobs until she found something that paid decent wages. It's a catch 22 for college grads. They have little to no experience and the good paying jobs want years of experience. They're stuck with the low paying jobs until they can get a few years under their belt or make a really good impression with some higher ups.

I'm planning on going back to college and get my degree, but I'll be doing it at my pace and won't be taking out loans for it. My plan for years was to get settled in the workforce and eventually go back to school for an actual degree. I am a homeonwer (Brother and I have a house together), my truck I bought new in 2004 is paid off in 1/09 and I'm looking at buying a second home to use as a rental property. Could I have accomplished that if I was stuck in school and working part time/full time at a lower paying job? HECK NO! Then when I get out of school, I'll have thousands of dollars to pay back in school loans. It'll take a while because I'll have a low paying job for the first few years. Doesn't that seem like a sucky thing to walk into? That's what I was thinking when I dropped out of college and decided to enter the workforce full time. My Parents didn't think it was a good idea, but they supported me and helped me get a loan (which I paid off) for a computer course. It's worked out so far...