Entry Level Pay

I just got my first paycheque for corporate communications. Um ... yeah ... I might be a sellout now but at least I can pay the bills, the rent, eat and spend frivolously all at once.

 

I made $19,700 at my first gig. Of course, I lived with my parents for five months saving most of what I brought home, so that helped.

Seven years and three stops later I've almost doubled it. I'm pretty happy with that all things considered. And then yesterday my friend goes and tells me about entry level $50,000 jobs in his field. Must be nice.

 

I made $10,000 a year at my first job in the California Central Valley and, swear to God, was able to save money.

Of course, that was 1982 and gas was well under a buck a gallon.

Damn I'm old.

 

God smiled upon me today. I got a six-percent bump in pay. The entire newsroom gets something this week, but not all the same rate. The story told to me is that the obscene turnover rate at the paper and employee surveys that were quite candid freaked the publisher out. So, the raises are to encourage retention and acknowledge that we deserve liveable wages.

Also, I got my annual review wrapped up today, so I get another three percent starting in July. All in all, I just made $1.15 extra per hour today, and I'm feeling like I could stick this out another two years to pay off some debt.

 

"At-will employment." Good ole unfettered Free-Market Capitalism. The Miracle of the Marketplace. They can fire you for any old reason they want to (except race, religion, ethnic background, etc etc., and if they do, you have to prove it).

 

I'm now 2.5 years in to this profession and I'm about to take a new job (finally), essentially giving me a raise of $1 per hour with the chance to bump up after the first 6 months, so I'll be at about 24-25k per year range and finally covering some college sports.

I started as an SE in a rural area at with a 6k daily circulation covering multiple (more than 5) high schools and a ratty community college for $20k a year with one stringer. Worst job ever.

 

Top work by you, ML. Congrats.

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North, worse than crack whore assistant?

 

My wife and I both graduated two years ago. She's a HS French teacher. She's about $500 a year short of making exactly twice what I make.

 

A tennis buddy of mine is a HS English and Journalism teacher and also coaches soccer and tennis.

What he makes now I made 16 years ago.

All situations are different.

 

Some days, yes. After all, it was/is a Boone newspaper.

 

Agreed. I was a teacher before I became a journalist. They can have better pay in many cases and their summers off. I have the better job.

 

Someone remember this thread the next time we have the periodic debate about unions outliving their usefulness...