How do people survive on wages close to minimum wage?

Sunny Disposition

Good luck to the OP with college etc but a bit more perspective will come with age I'd bet. The most unlikely people can become well off, it happened many people during the construction boom here. Then very capable people can also end up in v poor financial straits, technology can make skills redundant (another wave of this is coming), unfortunate investments can be made. I suppose my point is luck is a massive factor, perhaps the biggest factor when it comes to people's financial situation.
Also, in the long run there are more important things than education or even money, especially health. It can take a long time before your eyes are really opened to this.

infogiver

if your on minimum wage with kids living with you, you should be qualifying for FIS.

Hollister11

Stars and Stripes wrote: »

In a few years time you'll be the one on 400 quid a week working in a supermarket or maybe an illegal in an Irish bar in the US working 60 hours a week for less than the minimum wage.

Sure if I was in a bar in the US I would be doing well.

My cousin is a waiter on Queens, New York and makes $1000 a week. In fact 1k would be on the low end.

Hollister11

Sofiztikated wrote: »

I'd nearly bet the house that Hollister11 is funded by the Bank of Mum and Dad, and has never had to work.

There's 2 people in this house, myself and my wife, and our largest combined wage has been 37/38k.

With that, we have:
Gotten married, with 130 guests.
Had a car each. Currently 1, as 2 aren't needed.
Bought a house, currently 6 years into a 30 year mortgage.
Recently back from a 3 month trip around Europe.
No massive debt, mortgage not included.

My college experience consists of a Certificate. My wife has a degree in one field, and a diploma in another, and until recently, I was the higher earner of the 2 of us.

It's not always easy, but we've done it. A touch of hard work might go towards knocking the nose of yours out of the sky, and your head out of your arse.

(And take ownership of your mistakes, grammar and spelling, your phone has a full keyboard, just like everyone else using their phone. Don't blame laziness and oversight on the tools, you're the one pushing the buttons. And you might want to make sure you are pushing the right buttons, or you're going to spend even more hours debugging code.)

I have already admitted that my parents fund me. As for not working I have worked for 3 shops in 4 years and currently work construction on Saturday and sunmer.

Exeggcute

Hollister11 wrote: »

I agree. I'm not exactly helping my case with my grammer. I'm on my phone though tbh.

Engineer some software there so your phone has spellcheck

Or just get a modern cheap smartphone, they all have it.

wakka12

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

Good luck to the OP with college etc but a bit more perspective will come with age I'd bet. The most unlikely people can become well off, it happened many people during the construction boom here. Then very capable people can also end up in v poor financial straits, technology can make skills redundant (another wave of this is coming), unfortunate investments can be made. I suppose my point is luck is a massive factor, perhaps the biggest factor when it comes to people's financial situation.
Also, in the long run there are more important things than education or even money, especially health. It can take a long time before your eyes are really opened to this.

Having good connections with lots of different people is also key to being successful. You need to be likeable and you have to come across as competent even if you're not. I guarantee you a confident, extroverted,well spoken person with not so great qualifications will get a lot more jobs than a quiet or more unlikeable character with better qualifications

whoopsadoodles

The IT sector is absolutely flooded with computer science degrees at the moment. What it is not flooded with, is great IT staff with experience and technical qualifications and certifications.

GT_TDI_150

Having read pages 1-4, i skipped to the last page to say... with that username im not surprised the OP is concerned about surviving on 400 a week...

Fecking t-shirts are a rip off.

Anyway...different people want, need, like different things...

I like going karting once a month for €30-50 rather than blowing €80-100 on booze each weekend... see ive saved €350 for myself there and still do what i love rather than what i feel i need to do to have/keep friends...

Unless you're an absolute prick you'll have friends.... if you feel u need money to keep up with or better their house/car/kids/social life/holidays then imho you are gonna turn into a shallow individual.

Elemonator

I posted something similar in another thread. I don't think its there to support families. Wages always reflect the skill level, not workload. The minimum wage only really applies to unskilled jobs. Anyone can do the job and there will be always be someone there willing to work for that money.

In my opinion, with the amount of opportunity there is in this country, hardly anyone bar students or part time workers should be working for the minimum wage anyway. You don't even have to go to college. You could enrol yourself in a FAS course if you can't afford college. Skill acquisition and working hard makes anyone get to the top. I know it seems naive of me, but I have experienced this myself. Every situation is different OP, but I'm taking a general view.

As someone put it above, you will always think it should be more when you are getting it. People will always think they are worth more, its the human condition.

I actually think 80k after 5 years is difficult, but achievable if you are brilliant. I know one or two who got there. I know when I graduate, nearly all jobs I will be going for will start on 35k and some as high as 50k (only because we spend so bloody long qualifying :P ).

morninwood

the wife is pretty much on minimum wage and i have to admit living off it is tough but doable. you just got to be smart with your money and what you spend it on.
she can afford rent, bills and day to day expenses and generally refuses to accept money from me if i want to assist her with her finances. we go on three holidays abroad per year and enjoy going for a pint in our local at least once a week.
sure, you can't always have the latest smart phone or slickest flat screen tv but that is not what happiness or a full life is about in my book.

callaway92

Another classic Hollister11 thread. This guy is the biggest wind-up on Boards.

Sunny Disposition

wakka12 wrote: »

Having good connections with lots of different people is also key to being successful. You need to be likeable and you have to come across as competent even if you're not. I guarantee you a confident, extroverted,well spoken person with not so great qualifications will get a lot more jobs than a quiet or more unlikeable character with better qualifications

Definitely true, connections are very important in Ireland. I wouldn't think I have great connections by any means but only last week a former colleague called me out of the blue and asked if I'd be interested in a new job where he is, literally no effort made on my part. I'm sure they could find other people for this job with a bit of effort too, but why would they make any when they can find someone they already know.
I don't know if being extroverted necessarily trumps being quiet though, that's a slightly different thing I think. Lot of people are more comfortable with quieter people rather than louder people. Being able to get on well with people is hugely important though, if you have that and a reasonable amount of intelligence and willingness to work you'll be able to turn your hand to a few things over the course of time.

illdoit2morrow

IT guy here who graduated almost 20 years ago.

The IT industry does have opportunities to make a descent salary if you get into the right area, but these area tend to have a life span so you need to keep 'finding the next big thing' to keep up the descent salary. Technologies are evolving quicker than ever these days which means it'll take hard work to be the 'in demand' person.

Storage was big 5-6 years ago, salaries nothing like they used to be in that arena nowadays. Big Data/data analytics seems to be the 'thing' at the moment, it'll be something else in a few years.

Contracting V permanent work is also a big factor when it comes to what you can earn, with obvious positives and negatives associated with both.

Best of luck OP.

Hollister11

callaway92 wrote: »

Another classic Hollister11 thread. This guy is the biggest wind-up on Boards.

Seriously.

nelly17

illdoit2morrow wrote: »

IT guy here who graduated almost 20 years ago.

The IT industry does have opportunities to make a descent salary if you get into the right area, but these area tend to have a life span so you need to keep 'finding the next big thing' to keep up the descent salary. Technologies are evolving quicker than ever these days which means it'll take hard work to be the 'in demand' person.

Storage was big 5-6 years ago, salaries nothing like they used to be in that arena nowadays. Big Data/data analytics seems to be the 'thing' at the moment, it'll be something else in a few years.

Contracting V permanent work is also a big factor when it comes to what you can earn, with obvious positives and negatives associated with both.

Best of luck OP.

Networking tends to be steady enough but you need to be up on emerging technologies Ethernet and DWDM and a bit of GPON are a thing now where as previously it was TDM. but the money is less than that of SW development. Of course the more certifications you get the better positioned you will be. Also the days of the Telco are coming to an end the big players tend to look for their own engineers and build their own networks.

As for 80K in 5 years - try 10+ years if you're lucky or a CCIE

bluewizard

Hollister11 wrote: »

Computer Science, I'm specialising in softwared development.

80k isn't as much as some people would have thought. You also get hammered with USC and various taxes. Unless you are thinking of daily-rate contracts; you'd be looking at 120-200k a year depending on a countr or region. Having said that, no one gives you a responsible, well paid job just because you happen to have a degree. You must be really good at what you are doing and have a lot of experience - market takes care of the rest. A degree isn't a golden pass to earning +80k€ and also lack of isn't a problem when you know what you're doing. I'm speaking from my own experience.

skankkuvhima

nelly17 wrote: »

Networking tends to be steady enough but you need to be up on emerging technologies Ethernet and DWDM and a bit of GPON are a thing now where as previously it was TDM. but the money is less than that of SW development. Of course the more certifications you get the better positioned you will be. Also the days of the Telco are coming to an end the big players tend to look for their own engineers and build their own networks.

As for 80K in 5 years - try 10+ years if you're lucky or a CCIE

It must be just networking that these certs are important? I'm in development and I have no certs.

cloudatlas

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Don't judge the happiness of your life by the money in your pocket

Enjoy your youth revel in it

It passes in a flash

True in a sense but....
I have recently changed jobs and it has made a difference to my bank account, I used to go to the supermarket and I would scan the shelves and be like 'nope, nope, nope, can't have', now my diet has improved since my wallet is larger and it has helped me with my exercise regime hence I feel better. Before when I was on a budget I used to walk in the driving rain instead of taking the bus to save money, I would take whatever overtime work was going at the weekend and in the evening to make up for my ****ty pay so I was perpetually tired and had little social life. I lived in a ****ty cheap apartment with people who worked minimum wage or had just arrived on working holiday visas and wanted to party all the time hence I would be woken up at stupid o'clock in the morning by their antics. Now I can afford a nice quiet flat sharing with another professional. Am I happier now? Yes, yes I am.

wakka12

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

Definitely true, connections are very important in Ireland. I wouldn't think I have great connections by any means but only last week a former colleague called me out of the blue and asked if I'd be interested in a new job where he is, literally no effort made on my part. I'm sure they could find other people for this job with a bit of effort too, but why would they make any when they can find someone they already know.
I don't know if being extroverted necessarily trumps being quiet though, that's a slightly different thing I think. Lot of people are more comfortable with quieter people rather than louder people. Being able to get on well with people is hugely important though, if you have that and a reasonable amount of intelligence and willingness to work you'll be able to turn your hand to a few things over the course of time.

Maybe extroverted was the wrong word, because we automatically think of a person full of hot air who wont shut up. I meant a person with a strong authoritative voice and a presence, I think that helps in employment

If you want to progress in many sectors including IT moving away from very technical roles towards project management, process development roles etc is a much better route for your average person than trying stick to say being a developer. There is far fewer top developer jobs paying big wages than there are various different management type roles so its more likely to be sucessful.

I don't know many developers on 80k but I know plenty of people who started out as developers but directed their career as above and are not on that sort of money and it took no where near 20 years.

Hollister11

Lacey Helpful Sifter wrote: »

If you want to progress in many sectors including IT moving away from very technical roles towards project management, process development roles etc is a much better route for your average person than trying stick to say being a developer. There is far fewer top developer jobs paying big wages than there are various different management type roles so its more likely to be sucessful.

I don't know many developers on 80k but I know plenty of people who started out as developers but directed their career as above and are not on that sort of money and it took no where near 20 years.

How long could it take potentially to transition from a developer to manager.

Hollister11

Hollister11 wrote: »

How long could it take potentially to transition from a developer to manager.

I don't work in IT myself so wouldn't know exactly but within 10 years would be very doable with moving up the pay scale as you go. When I say project manager etc you are not necessarily a manager in the traditional sense (as in managing people, being their boss etc). You need the skills though to be good at these jobs too and they often won't suit less outgoing people as you need to be able to communicate very well etc.

tastyt

Some people are just obsessed with money and numbers. When I was in college the last thing on my mind was how many K id be on 5 yrs down the line.

OP is obviously in a decent course with good prospects, you will have a very good paying job at the end compared to the majority of the population by the looks of it.

So stop comparing yourself and looking down on other people who are just trying to make a living and look after their families, you will never be happy with an attitude like that.

Oh ya, one more thing, your in college, forget about work for a couple of years and enjoy yourself. You could be working for the next 45 years

Murrisk

Lacey Helpful Sifter wrote: »

It's hard to describe how pathetic posters are who stalk post history looking for information. They are too dim to understand how people's jobs, situation, outlook, plans etc change over the years and how different the current reality is compared to some random post years back.

That said post is only about two weeks old. No stalking required in that case, it was probably fresh in the memory and reading it, I can see why! Someone's outlook changed in a couple of weeks?

Strong Life in Dublin

Hollister11 wrote: »

Computer Science, I'm specialising in softwared development.

Lol you won't be making 80k after 5 years, I also study cs

Ush1

Contracting you can make 80k easy if you're a good programmer.

Go out on your own though and develop your own software intellectual property, that's where the real money is.

Game Face MCGee

Hollister11 wrote: »

georgiecasey wrote: »

i hate this attitude. college isn't for everyone and you're not guaranteed a good job afterwards at all these days. everyone has a degree now.

So you hate ambitious people? Unless you get a degree, or a trade your not building a career for yourself.

lol, I think Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, James Dyson etc... would strongly disagree

Hollister11

tastyt wrote: »

Some people are just obsessed with money and numbers. When I was in college the last thing on my mind was how many K id be on 5 yrs down the line.

OP is obviously in a decent course with good prospects, you will have a very good paying job at the end compared to the majority of the population by the looks of it.

So stop comparing yourself and looking down on other people who are just trying to make a living and look after their families, you will never be happy with an attitude like that.

Oh ya, one more thing, your in college, forget about work for a couple of years and enjoy yourself. You could be working for the next 45 years

I wish people would stop saying this. I'M NOT LOOKING DOWN ON PEOPLE.

Hollister11

tastyt wrote: »

Some people are just obsessed with money and numbers. When I was in college the last thing on my mind was how many K id be on 5 yrs down the line.

OP is obviously in a decent course with good prospects, you will have a very good paying job at the end compared to the majority of the population by the looks of it.

So stop comparing yourself and looking down on other people who are just trying to make a living and look after their families, you will never be happy with an attitude like that.

Oh ya, one more thing, your in college, forget about work for a couple of years and enjoy yourself. You could be working for the next 45 years

I wish people would stop saying this. I'M NOT LOOKING DOWN ON PEOPLE.

freshpopcorn

I remember when I was in 5th/6th year their we used be researching courses and looking at various prospectuses. I remember some of the courses had what you should expect to be earning and it was always at the upper end of things.
This is just based people I know who were earning great money after graduating generally were superb at exams/assignments/projects/placements at college. They were generally in the top % of people in their class. Either via placement or just working. They worked in their related field in some shape or forum. (Some were trusted to do stuff by bosses which long term employees weren't trusted to do). They generally got a job fairly easy even during hard times after graduating. These are the people who I experienced to be on a good take home pay after a few years of college!