How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

Recent college graduate, been working for 1 full year, full time. Seeing as I have no frame of reference as to how good or bad I have it at my job, I thought I'd post what I do here and the crap I have to put up with, and whether or not I have it good or bad according to long time working veterans.

I will answer any questions anyone may have to help them in their decision.

I am 24 y/o, and make 30k a year before taxes. I pay 325$/month rent for a large place (i'm not new in this area in terms of renting).

After a pessimistic outlook on my budget and over-compensating for bills i have ~120$ in "spending" money left over for myself.

I live 5 minutes from work on a bad day, 3 minutes average driving time. I wake up at 7:30 am each morning, M-F. I get to work by 8am, leaving my house at 7:50.

I leave work at 4pm, sometimes earlier, depends if they have me drop submittal items off @ contractor's buildings.

I am a CAD drawer for a glass & glazing company, my work duties include interpreting architectural blueprints, pulling out necessary info & redrawing it.

I put up with "jerks" (project managers) who have inflated egos, and tend to talk down to me. For the most part i'm left alone all day in my own office, no door, but a window to the fabrication shop.

I see what I've drawn be built, which gives me a sense of accomplishment I suppose, but I have received zero raises in the time i've been here.

I have full medical, dental & eye care. I am supposed to have a retirement fund, but am being given the run around.

One project manager in particular dumps some of his work onto me, which he justifies to himself as OK because i "don't do much" in his eyes, but then again he takes 2 hour lunch breaks and gets drunk.

I take a 1 hour lunch, sometimes more because I drive home, cook lunch, sometimes have sex, and drive back.




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I have been given opportunities to send in resumes @ other companies, but weighing in that i would be working longer hours and saturdays for not much more pay, even though it has to do with my major, is not something i want to be doing.

So OOT, how bad do i have it? should i be looking for a job within my major/more money???

i have a BS in comp sci.

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cliffs notes:: none.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

1) Telling us how much you make, but not where you live, makes it very difficult to judge your pay.

2) 325/month rent? Do you share or live in Costa Rica? I guess you have sex on lunch break, so gf?

3)I'm assuming you have no college loans?

4) Is there any room for progression in your job?

5) $120 in spending money is not a lot. It'll take you years just to save up enough for a decent vacation.

6) You work 8-4 with an hour break and no weekends, seems ideal.

7) What is the point of this thread? Thinly-veiled brag? Beat? Variance?

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

You'll put up with jerky managers anywhere unless you really luck out. If you can put up with this line of work, you have it decently well. If they don't start giving your raises soon, though, you'll have to start looking around more.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

About a month before I quit my last job, my manager told me it wasn't her job to set expectations for me, and that she wasn't committed to my success. She called me a first grader. She told me I should check out another role in the company cause it might work for me, and then told the hiring manager I probably wouldn't be a good fit for it.

You've got it easy.

- C -

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

If you want a raise you usually have to ask for it.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

this is absurdly awful

no retirement fund? wtf

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

You work only seven hours a day, only five days a week. That sounds like heaven to me.

Is it 2-D CAD work? $30k doesn't sound out of line for that position.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

5 minute commute? holy [censored].

How is your rent is $325 and yet you only have $120 for spending money? What are you spending the rest of your money on? Also, is that $120 for the month of per pay period?

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

Are there opportunities for advancement? Are you taking the initiative to get noticed by those in charge of said advancement?

For an entry-level job, it sounds okay. At this point in your career, you are just learning. Your focus should be on amassing KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities), not so much on salary. You want to be somewhere that allows for your development as a professional. The money will come as you become more valuable.

Oh, and you generally need to ask for a raise in order to get a raise.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
this is absurdly awful

no retirement fund? wtf

[/ QUOTE ]
Anyone can open an IRA, so this definitely isn't the worst part about this job description.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
1) Telling us how much you make, but not where you live, makes it very difficult to judge your pay.

2) 325/month rent? Do you share or live in Costa Rica? I guess you have sex on lunch break, so gf?

3)I'm assuming you have no college loans?

4) Is there any room for progression in your job?

5) $120 in spending money is not a lot. It'll take you years just to save up enough for a decent vacation.

6) You work 8-4 with an hour break and no weekends, seems ideal.

7) What is the point of this thread? Thinly-veiled brag? Beat? Variance?

[/ QUOTE ]


1. i live in buffalo, ny in the city.

2. in the city. the guy renting the place isn't a very good business man (he could get a lot more. hardwood floors, 2 stoves, 3 bedrooms, washer/dryer on site, dishwasher...) gf.

3. i have 60k in college loans, about 530~$ a month

4. not sure. there are 13 office employees, so i would like to think so, but as of yet nothing's been said to me.

5. i agree with you.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

I would think more in terms of, is your job (in terms of function) the kind of thing you want to stick with?

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
5 minute commute? holy [censored].

How is your rent is $325 and yet you only have $120 for spending money? What are you spending the rest of your money on? Also, is that $120 for the month of per pay period?

[/ QUOTE ]


omg i'm sorry. its 120$ a week

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
You work only seven hours a day, only five days a week. That sounds like heaven to me.

Is it 2-D CAD work? $30k doesn't sound out of line for that position.

[/ QUOTE ]

2d.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I would think more in terms of, is your job (in terms of function) the kind of thing you want to stick with?

[/ QUOTE ]


the issue here is the gf is still in college and has 1 more semester. i do NOT want to stay in this city, but as of right now i'm unsure how good/bad i have it at my job, so i want to try to assess my situation b4 she graduates.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

Questions:

1) Estimate Med/dental/eye premiums per month.
2) Vacation/sick time? Ease of getting time off when you need it?
3) 401k? (Is this what you were referring to when you said retirement? They are often two different things.)

Comments (1-5 scale, 3 = no better/worse than peers)

Pay (I have no knowledge of your field): 3
No raise after a year: 1
Schedule: 4.5
Proximity to work: 5
Boss: 3
Rent: 4
Benefits: TBD

What other bills do you have? Seems like you should have more than 120 leftover considering the low rent. Overall you have it pretty good. But if you don't have 401k, that's pretty horrible. I can accept slightly lower pay as a trade off for great schedule/commute. But if you can't even bank anything for retirement and get some kind of company matching, that really blows.

edit: $120/week, that's better. Yeah overall it seems like you are a 4 on the crazyeyez job satisfaction scale.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Are there opportunities for advancement? Are you taking the initiative to get noticed by those in charge of said advancement?

For an entry-level job, it sounds okay. At this point in your career, you are just learning. Your focus should be on amassing KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities), not so much on salary. You want to be somewhere that allows for your development as a professional. The money will come as you become more valuable.

Oh, and you generally need to ask for a raise in order to get a raise.

[/ QUOTE ]

well i do stuff above and beyond what i was hired to do. seeing as i have a bs in comp sci i also run their small network, fix their comps (and their home comps they bring in) as well as the new wide format printer they just purchased.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]

Oh, and you generally need to ask for a raise in order to get a raise.

[/ QUOTE ]
Two people have said this. Really? All the jobs I've had, there were semi-annual or annual reviews where raises were de facto guaranteed unless you sucked really bad. Have I been lucky?

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

at small companies you may need to ask, it really depends.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Are there opportunities for advancement? Are you taking the initiative to get noticed by those in charge of said advancement?

For an entry-level job, it sounds okay. At this point in your career, you are just learning. Your focus should be on amassing KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities), not so much on salary. You want to be somewhere that allows for your development as a professional. The money will come as you become more valuable.

Oh, and you generally need to ask for a raise in order to get a raise.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the best piece of advice so far.

Your salary pretty much blows, so you need to take advantage of your first entry level job and get as many other benefits out of it as possible.

FWIW, a friend of mine took his first serious job out of college here in DC doing autocad work for a small machine shop, and was paid $50k/yr. (of course, DC's cost of living is much more).

I think your salary should be closer to the 40k range IMO.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

what I am asking is do you want to stick with CAD drawing, or do you want to do something else? with a BS in CS you could get yourself an entry level programming job, but it's a completely different field and may or may not appeal to you. it's generally a lot more money for a lot more hours although there are plenty of exceptions, but it really depends on what you'd like to do.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

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[ QUOTE ]

Oh, and you generally need to ask for a raise in order to get a raise.

[/ QUOTE ]
Two people have said this. Really? All the jobs I've had, there were semi-annual or annual reviews where raises were de facto guaranteed unless you sucked really bad. Have I been lucky?

[/ QUOTE ]
I was going to say the same thing. I've always received raises at yearly reviews. I think it probably depends on the position, and if you're talking about a substantial raise. If you think you're doing a lot more work than your title would suggest, I suppose you could mention this to a supervisor and ask for a promotion/raise (meaning more than just cost of living).

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

You have an entry-level job. Everyone has had one, and they all move on when they find something better.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

dont underestimate benefits, especially good health insurance.

your job sounds like a typical grind. i think that most peolpe with similar jobs/experience would be making $35,000 a year though.

if you want to be job happy in america, you usually have to be your own boss, i.e., own your own business. that comes with a whole new set of problems and responsibilities, but it's better than doing the work for someone else who reaps the financial benefits of it.

if i were you i'd either look to create a second source of income in my spare time, or look for a better job- but be patient- and be thorough in your search.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]

I take a 1 hour lunch, sometimes more because I drive home, cook lunch, sometimes have sex, and drive back.


[/ QUOTE ]


So is "have sex" the new slang for masturbate nowadays?

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
2. in the city. the guy renting the place isn't a very good business man (he could get a lot more. hardwood floors, 2 stoves, 3 bedrooms, washer/dryer on site, dishwasher...) gf.


[/ QUOTE ]

Great deal - most places don't come gf-furnished.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

i guess my post boils down to the issue of free time vs money. at my age, is it worth it to pursue a 50-60 hour a work week job that pays maybe 20k more and have less free time, or is it more worth it to enjoy myself now while making a modest amount of money.

i know people are going to say "it depends on your priorities" but i like money. i also like free time.

so, is it worth it to put in large amounts of hours now for more free time (hypothetically) later in life?



i just don't want to be miserable, like a large majority of people i know.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Questions:

1) Estimate Med/dental/eye premiums per month.
2) Vacation/sick time? Ease of getting time off when you need it?
3) 401k? (Is this what you were referring to when you said retirement? They are often two different things.)

Comments (1-5 scale, 3 = no better/worse than peers)

Pay (I have no knowledge of your field): 3
No raise after a year: 1
Schedule: 4.5
Proximity to work: 5
Boss: 3
Rent: 4
Benefits: TBD

What other bills do you have? Seems like you should have more than 120 leftover considering the low rent. Overall you have it pretty good. But if you don't have 401k, that's pretty horrible. I can accept slightly lower pay as a trade off for great schedule/commute. But if you can't even bank anything for retirement and get some kind of company matching, that really blows.

edit: $120/week, that's better. Yeah overall it seems like you are a 4 on the crazyeyez job satisfaction scale.

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1) 25$ copay for medical, 15$ for allergy shot, 0$ copay for dental (unelss i have a filling. cleanings are free), havne't been to eye doctor yet
2) 2 weeks each year for vacation. day before notice required only
3) no, profit sharing, from what i understand. they match whatever i put in too.

other bills that i have are the following (pasted from excel spreadsheet):

these bills are MONTHLY, not WEEKLY:

Rent $650.00
Loan $541.00
Gas Vehicle $80.00
Heat $80.00
Electric $80.00
Retirement $0.00
Phone bill $60.98
Food $200.00
Internet $45.95
Car payment $0.00

most of these are divided by two (gf pays for half of utilities and such)

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
1) 25$ copay for medical, 15$ for allergy shot, 0$ copay for dental (unelss i have a filling. cleanings are free), havne't been to eye doctor yet
2) 2 weeks each year for vacation. day before notice required only
3) no, profit sharing, from what i understand. they match whatever i put in too.

other bills that i have are the following (pasted from excel spreadsheet):

these bills are MONTHLY, not WEEKLY:

Rent $650.00
Loan $541.00
Gas Vehicle $80.00
Heat $80.00
Electric $80.00
Retirement $0.00
Phone bill $60.98
Food $200.00
Internet $45.95
Car payment $0.00

most of these are divided by two (gf pays for half of utilities and such)

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't understand your retirement option. They match what you put in...into a 401k? If so, you should put in up to that match AT THE LEAST.

Your numbers provided for med/dental/eye are costs when visiting the doctors...we need what they take out of your pay every two weeks.

2 weeks vacation is standard for new employees. Paid holidays I assume as well, right?

Your education loan payment seems crazy high. Did you refinance when %'s dropped like crazy?

And your food budget seems skyhigh.

Still among all these factors, I rate your job a 8. I put a lot of weight in commute. And if you don't get regular yearly reviews with corresponding raises, you should ask for one.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

This job description is pretty much why I never got a job.

This sounds like hell to me, and I know it's not that bad as far as jobs go.

$30k/yr for a college graduate does seem kinda low to me. Maybe pursue something that uses your degree more? Programmer/tester/etc. There should be opportunities in this field that don't require many more hours than you're working now (if any).

I have a CS degree, and in my brief time job searching ~$40k seemed like about the entry point for any decent programming related jobs. This was 2-3 years ago in Indiana, and I think the job market has improved considerably since then.

I think in the corporate environment you really gotta make things happen for yourself, or they're not gonna happen in most situations. You either gotta make yourself stick out by taking the initiative with regards to your work (and have a boss who will notice), or play the damned office politics game, find an edge and push for stuff like raises, benefits and promotions.

Advancement opportunities would be very high on my list of things I'd be looking for in an employer, sooo many people are stuck in jobs like you're at for way too long. If you can't see moving up in this place anytime soon, I think looking elsewhere would be best, especially if you don't particularly like where you live.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

If you are making only $30k a year with a Computer Science degree, did you get it at ITT Tech or something? Do you work 20 hours a week? Did you have a 1.5 GPA or something? Wtf happened?

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
And your food budget seems low.

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But I like to eat well, so whatever.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Are there opportunities for advancement? Are you taking the initiative to get noticed by those in charge of said advancement?

For an entry-level job, it sounds okay. At this point in your career, you are just learning. Your focus should be on amassing KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities), not so much on salary. You want to be somewhere that allows for your development as a professional. The money will come as you become more valuable.

Oh, and you generally need to ask for a raise in order to get a raise.

[/ QUOTE ]

well i do stuff above and beyond what i was hired to do. seeing as i have a bs in comp sci i also run their small network, fix their comps (and their home comps they bring in) as well as the new wide format printer they just purchased.

[/ QUOTE ]

You have a BS in computer science and are making 30K after working for over a year?

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

If I was a CAD guy and the company had me doing bs IT stuff all the time I would demand at least 45k and ask them to change my title.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

You should be making way more than $30k a year with a BS in CS. When I graduated in 2000, I had a BS in finance and worked for a mechanical contractor making $32k a year. With 1 year experience, you should be making at least $40k.

But, to answer your initial question, no, you don't have it good. That's my opinion at least. If you're lazy then yes, you have a cake job that requires little to no effort, in return you get little to no reward. You're short changing yourself by taking such a low paying job, and the benefits associated don't match up. Sure, I'd love to have a 5 minute commute to work and take an hour or longer lunch and leave at 4. However, if I was making dick for money, then it wouldn't be worth it. A brother's gotta eat you know?

You have a year of experience using CAD, and are able to read architectural drawings. Go send your resume to larger contractors who are looking for a detailer. Most union contractors offer the same benefits for their office staff as they do the unionized field staff. Of course you will have to wake up earlier and maybe have to work 45-50 hours a week a couple times a year, but you might also qualify for a bonus and profit sharing.

So, the question to ask yourself is: Do I want to have a job where I don't work much and don't get paid much, or do I want a job that pays me what I'm worth?

Edit: You have a degree in comp science and are doing IT work instead of programming? What kind of comp science degree do you have, and from where? You really aimed low on your career choices didn't you?

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
i guess my post boils down to the issue of free time vs money. at my age, is it worth it to pursue a 50-60 hour a work week job that pays maybe 20k more and have less free time, or is it more worth it to enjoy myself now while making a modest amount of money.

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I think you should consider that neither of those things should be the issue. Instead, as turnip said, your biggest concern should be finding a field you could spend the next 20 years in. If this is the kind of thing you waant to make a career, then you should be looking for the job that has the most room for growth both through promotion and learning new things.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

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[ QUOTE ]

Oh, and you generally need to ask for a raise in order to get a raise.

[/ QUOTE ]
Two people have said this. Really? All the jobs I've had, there were semi-annual or annual reviews where raises were de facto guaranteed unless you sucked really bad. Have I been lucky?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have always worked in this environment as well. Even in that environment I ask for raises. I tell them what I want before the decisions are made. Because once the decisions are made I will have no chance of being heard.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
If I was a CAD guy and the company had me doing bs IT stuff all the time I would demand at least 45k and ask them to change my title.

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LOL title? i don't have a title. i don't even have business cards.

oh also, i am allowed to wear jeans and t-shirts to work and keep my piercings in. but i dunno if thats a perk or not.

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
i guess my post boils down to the issue of free time vs money. at my age, is it worth it to pursue a 50-60 hour a work week job that pays maybe 20k more and have less free time, or is it more worth it to enjoy myself now while making a modest amount of money.

[/ QUOTE ]


everyone would love to work 40 hours/wk (or less ;-)
everyone would love to retire at age 40 (or earlier ;-)

these are trade offs

Re: How good/bad do I have it at my job?
 

[ QUOTE ]
oh also, i am allowed to wear jeans and t-shirts to work and keep my piercings in. but i dunno if thats a perk or not.

[/ QUOTE ]

pieces of the puzzle starting to come together.