Is it worth working?

[vetran]

I've always wondered about this. There are only a certain number of people of are capable of this due to time, intelligence, personal situation and the like. If you can't then, in the UK at least, it looks as if you're in big trouble. How can you compete with (pretty much) unlimited numbers of similar workers who can undercut your wages and living conditions? When does this section of society take to the streets?

Indeed a mate of mine is a Bus Driver on shifts he barely survives on what he can earn, scarily he is paid not to work as he gets more benefits if he doesn't do overtime (he hates that though).

[unemployed]

he doesn't know much about support as most of his support team are afraid to go near him in case he kicks off last thing they want is to be bent over a desk by MF.

UK wage growth | Economics Help

After 20 years however you would expect someone to have risen up the ranks a little, the wages that go with being the IT manager while not great are better than the £14k you can now earn stacking shelves.

I still do it as a side project because no one else knows how to fix some things but I keep trying to escape.

Sounds like a good reason to go it alone to me , i did some property development which did provide 5 years wages in 6 months , but those opportunities are few and far between now.

[seanraaron]

Is that what Savile had to prevent him from being arrested?

In all seriousness, I agree, twunty has a point. Cost of living rises used to be the norm but mid-2000s onwards, it seem that you had to move jobs to get a pay rise. Same things seems to happen in contracting, but at least when the agent is on a percentage rather than a budget, they're on your side to get you more rather than hammer you.

I've always had to move jobs to get any serious pay increase. I doubt there's been any reward for corporate loyalty since the 70s - certainly not in America. I stayed in my first sysadmin job for a year before leaving to work with the managed service company the contractor who trained me worked for. My boss was very unhappy, but I knew on the salary they were giving me it would take more than a decade to make what I was getting by jumping ship.

I nearly doubled my pay here by jumping through a series of jobs. Wasn't even any upskilling involved really, just more years to put against the job in the CV and a better economy to allow me to do it.

[FatLazyContractor]

Yes, currently not working, but not rotting on a sofa, watching JK, or claiming JSA.

Far better than AtW, who is still waiting for a delivery

[d000hg]

Having been in 2nd line support off and on from 1998 onwards I am finding it hard to believe that contract rates aren't any higher than year 2000 and permanent is no higher either. Having been offered a support role for 30k in 2001 I am astounded that simple inflation has not increased these same jobs to around the 45k mark. I regularly get emails and calls for the same 30k figure or less. Funny that putting a roof over your head in 2000 would cost you 150k but now it's 500k. Where does it give???

You're seriously asking if it's worth working for 'only' 30k? Have you worked out what you can get on benefits under your local council?

[unemployed]

You're seriously asking if it's worth working for 'only' 30k? Have you worked out what you can get on benefits under your local council?

its not much though is it , minimum wage in london really needs to be around this figure

i don`t claim benefits never have

[NibblyPig]

I've always had to move jobs to get any serious pay increase. I doubt there's been any reward for corporate loyalty since the 70s - certainly not in America. I stayed in my first sysadmin job for a year before leaving to work with the managed service company the contractor who trained me worked for. My boss was very unhappy, but I knew on the salary they were giving me it would take more than a decade to make what I was getting by jumping ship.

I nearly doubled my pay here by jumping through a series of jobs. Wasn't even any upskilling involved really, just more years to put against the job in the CV and a better economy to allow me to do it.

I did the same, my career is something like 6 mo, 5mo 1yr, 1yr, 6mo, 2yr, contracting. Each job was a healthy salary increase. I still have a mate working at the first gig, his salary over the past 6 years went from something like 16k to 25k.

[d000hg]

its not much though is it , minimum wage in london really needs to be around this figure

i don`t claim benefits never have

It's hardly affluent but food on the table and a roof over your head is nice... maybe move away from London?

[unemployed]

It's hardly affluent but food on the table and a roof over your head is nice... maybe move away from London?

great we found the answer

[seanraaron]

I did the same, my career is something like 6 mo, 5mo 1yr, 1yr, 6mo, 2yr, contracting. Each job was a healthy salary increase. I still have a mate working at the first gig, his salary over the past 6 years went from something like 16k to 25k.

That's a pretty impressive increase actually!