Letters: Readers respond to an article about quitting the rat race, with some saying their generation was handed an untenable position and others saying the struggle is nothing new
I, at 37, am reaching my first professional opportunity to manage a support resource I’ve needed for 5 years, to maintain the data infrastructure I have built that has cut and dry made my company at least 40 million dollars in the past 2 years, but arguably has also saved the company at least 250k in manpower hours each year.
That resource is an outsourced individual from a firm in India who is making a slave wage.
Best thing I ever did was quit the job I went to school for to sell drugs. I would say my only regret is not starting a business and going to collage 15 years ago.
The amount of sacrifice we make for the places we work for is not fully appreciated.
Honestly, just a lot of paperwork and time. I am now a big proponent of starting your own business, risks be damned. Most people do better work then what they are paid for, may as well have something to show for it.
I’d argue it depends on context. When it comes to corporate budgeting, ‘resource’ is appropriate, as it could be a contracted company, a tool, or an individual. When it comes to actual manpower, I think referring by title is reasonable.
But in the context of hiring and HR, “resource” is the only term they understand, especially if there is trouble making the ROI clear
Many millennials are reaching their “peak earning potential” years. They’re special because it’s often around this time that people make choices around having children, how to sustain families while working, etc.
Many millennials can barely afford rent, are struggling to own anywhere where there are any jobs, and have nothing saved for retirement - something that should be coming for some them in twenty years time.
Economies take a long time to recover and rebuild. We’re reaching a point where it’s likely that many millennials will retire without ever seeing a strong economy. Even if we all decided to rise up and eat Bezos, Gates, Musk, Zuck, and co, by the time that wealth trickles down to us, we’ll be too old to get any of it. That’s why millennials are special.
Millennials are the youngest generation that’s left their college years behind, outside of people attending at later points in their lives, so they make the best example in this case.
You could be Gen Z and working a decent job without a degree, or just working a minimum wage job, but discussing the latest generations batch of university graduates struggling to keep up with cost of living makes more of a statement.
Older Gen Z are, but not all of them are at that point yet. It’s easier to make blanket statements regarding Millennials since you still have half of Gen Z in their teen years.
I paid all my bills this week and only had $500 left over for 2 weeks for a family of 4 lol idk how we will make it without using a credit card since food will cost us more than that. I make a very high salary too. We were comfortable for so long then the prices just got insane. We have cut back a lot too but can’t escape this pay check to pay check cycle. I feel trapped now
Barring the specific mention of Milennials, it’s kind of funny that this is probably the most common headline in history.
Like you can look at Ben Franklins newspaper from 1742 and find essentially the exact same line. I’m guessing if we had enough cuneiform to translate it’d be there too
Apologies for the confusion. I am not literally quoting a specific year in which Benjamin Franklins newspaper said this exact line. Just, as someone who has read several biographies on the man, a recurring theme of his writings (both personal and professional, including quips in the almanac) essentially boil down to pithy remarks of “everyone is working harder now and getting less for it”.
It’s just kind of a universal experience that essentially every generation has felt.
If you think that by working more hours, your salary would increase overall, you’re wrong. Have some basic understanding of game theory, microeconomics and worker solidarity.
I, at 37, am reaching my first professional opportunity to manage a support resource I’ve needed for 5 years, to maintain the data infrastructure I have built that has cut and dry made my company at least 40 million dollars in the past 2 years, but arguably has also saved the company at least 250k in manpower hours each year.
That resource is an outsourced individual from a firm in India who is making a slave wage.
I am also still severely undercompensated.
I wanna flip the monopoly board.
Best thing I ever did was quit the job I went to school for to sell drugs. I would say my only regret is not starting a business and going to collage 15 years ago.
The amount of sacrifice we make for the places we work for is not fully appreciated.
I mean… ever consider opening a dispensary?
I can’t stand sales, but it sounds like it would be a solid move for you.
Ha, I have two stores right now that sell recreational cannabis. We don’t get to call them dispensaries. I am a legal drug dealer thank you very much.
I would read your yet to be published book on the experience of getting those stores started. I have often wondered about the process.
Honestly, just a lot of paperwork and time. I am now a big proponent of starting your own business, risks be damned. Most people do better work then what they are paid for, may as well have something to show for it.
100% agree. I have two of my own.
That’s cool though, I was assuming the recreational licenses took a fair amount of
bribeslobbying to get a hold of.Work on not referring to people as resources.
Spoken like a true resource
I’m torn on how to respond to them.
5 years of pleading for a business analyst and or a jr data engineer has become “I need a support resource”.
To me a resource is a person or thing that generates value.
I dont see “support resource” as a dehumanizing or offensive phrasing.
I might live to change my tune though… if I can get some support resources in my life.
I’d argue it depends on context. When it comes to corporate budgeting, ‘resource’ is appropriate, as it could be a contracted company, a tool, or an individual. When it comes to actual manpower, I think referring by title is reasonable.
But in the context of hiring and HR, “resource” is the only term they understand, especially if there is trouble making the ROI clear
Indian employees earn anywhere between 1/8-1/16 of an American employee. And their annual raise is also paltry af.
If that employee is technically competent, he’s not going to stay for more than 2 years, if that.
My hope is that in our time together, I can teach them some stuff that elevates them out of the aforementioned slave wage.
I can’t get them a fair wage. I can’t get myself a fair wage. I can give them som on the job training though…
Keep giving interviews, ask for minimum 30% more than what you are making, ask for hybrid or WFH.
Since you have a job now, you can afford to be selective.
We all are, what’s so special about millennials?
Probably found that adding that to the title increased the number of views.
We like avocados or something.
Something, something, catchy headline…
Right? We are all slaving our lives away for barely making it, if at all.
Many millennials are reaching their “peak earning potential” years. They’re special because it’s often around this time that people make choices around having children, how to sustain families while working, etc.
Many millennials can barely afford rent, are struggling to own anywhere where there are any jobs, and have nothing saved for retirement - something that should be coming for some them in twenty years time.
Economies take a long time to recover and rebuild. We’re reaching a point where it’s likely that many millennials will retire without ever seeing a strong economy. Even if we all decided to rise up and eat Bezos, Gates, Musk, Zuck, and co, by the time that wealth trickles down to us, we’ll be too old to get any of it. That’s why millennials are special.
Millennials are the youngest generation that’s left their college years behind, outside of people attending at later points in their lives, so they make the best example in this case.
You could be Gen Z and working a decent job without a degree, or just working a minimum wage job, but discussing the latest generations batch of university graduates struggling to keep up with cost of living makes more of a statement.
Um…Gen Z IS the latest batch of graduates.
Older Gen Z are, but not all of them are at that point yet. It’s easier to make blanket statements regarding Millennials since you still have half of Gen Z in their teen years.
My dude some of the older Gen Z are approaching 30. That’s still a sizeable chunk of a generation that are legally adults (born 2006 or older).
Not what I’m pointing out. The youngest Millennials are almost all 30. You still have Gen Z that are 12 if I’m not mistaken.
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I paid all my bills this week and only had $500 left over for 2 weeks for a family of 4 lol idk how we will make it without using a credit card since food will cost us more than that. I make a very high salary too. We were comfortable for so long then the prices just got insane. We have cut back a lot too but can’t escape this pay check to pay check cycle. I feel trapped now
Barring the specific mention of Milennials, it’s kind of funny that this is probably the most common headline in history.
Like you can look at Ben Franklins newspaper from 1742 and find essentially the exact same line. I’m guessing if we had enough cuneiform to translate it’d be there too
Not sure, it might be: “people just don’t want to work anymore” instead
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Apologies for the confusion. I am not literally quoting a specific year in which Benjamin Franklins newspaper said this exact line. Just, as someone who has read several biographies on the man, a recurring theme of his writings (both personal and professional, including quips in the almanac) essentially boil down to pithy remarks of “everyone is working harder now and getting less for it”.
It’s just kind of a universal experience that essentially every generation has felt.
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Some might call it boring… if a little bit dystopic.
Stop working more you dipshits
You want even less?
If you think that by working more hours, your salary would increase overall, you’re wrong. Have some basic understanding of game theory, microeconomics and worker solidarity.
Oh it appears I dropped this… /s