Entry Level Pay

That should be shocking. That it's not to me either means I really need to get out, or I've already seen too much of this crap.

If it helps, Cadet, I've seen this kind of crap at two of my previous shops. Stunning what idiots will do to pay "management," yet treat newsroom employees worse than anyone else ...

 

Run, Cadet, run. You're way too competent for this crap.

 

We should flat out stop taking jobs under $20,000 )which was my first job in the Northeast). At a 40,000 circ now making $28,000 and can't afford garbage (got a college beat too). I may just go work at Micky D's.

Seriously folks. At $15000, tell them to F themselves.

 

No way in hell would I work for $15K at a newspaper. I could make triple that waiting tables and most if not all would be tax free. Hope I never have to cross that road though.

 

The daily "sister" paper about an hour away has an opening for $8.50 per hour. Of course, with roughly the same cost of living, I'm getting nearly $13 with a spouse salary and we still just make it every month.

The last guy they hired made it a whole three days.

 

My first full-time job was a a three-day-a-week paper, in Podunkville, and started out at 18k. After a year though I was bumped up to 18.5k via my "raise" (see:cost of living increase).
Still, if you can survive on that kind of payscale and get your foot in the door somewhere decent, because of the clips you can build up there mighty quick, I'd say it's worth it ... even if you have to live like a pauper for that year or so. Sad to say, such is the nature of the beast in this business these days.

 

Started at 15K/year in the mid-90s.
No student loans certainly helped, and I found a dirt-cheap apartment that made the finances work.
And after almost abandoning all academics to launch a job search during the final 6 months of college and only getting one offer, I was happy to just have a job.
Sure, it was in West BFE, but it was a paying job that didn't involve an ice cream factory.

 

I made $21,840 CDN to start and that was a bump up from what they were offering. I also got some pittance for mileage. My only concern is that four years later (and a lot of inflation) later I'm at $24,440 despite taking on more responsibility, and generally improving our reputation in the community many-fold.

 

What's the cost of living? That always has to be taken into context with these matters. One cities' $30K a year is another's $18K a year. Cost of living is dirt cheap where I am, so there's no way we'd be paying $30K to a newbie.

And I don't know how student loans fits into the equation. Most employers don't give a shit, that's your problem not theirs as far as they're concerned.

 

I was making $24K at a tri-weekly, when we signed our cards and certified. It got me a $10K raise bit it created quite a divide between the sales staff (exempt) and the rest of us. I was told by one sales guy, who had Grade 10 at best, that we didn't deserve to make more moeny because we're not actually bringing in any money, the way the sales staff does.

 

Nine years ago, I earned a Ky Press Association internship. The stipend was $600 a week. Offered a full-time job halfway through the internship. Weekly salary was less than the stipend.

Thankfully, I earned a couple decent raises within six months to break $20,000.

 

I interviewed and was told a job offer was coming for a position that started out at $24K. It wasn't an expensive place to live, so I would've been happy with it. The guy was overruled, though, and I didn't get the job.

Three months later, I'm interviewing for another job (my current one) when the boss casually mentions that the position starts at $37K. For the same type of area, in terms of cost of living. I hope I kept a straight face on the outside, because on the inside, I was having a hysterical fit of nervous laughter.