Why Are Minimum Wage Jobs Advertised As A Career?

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
Would you prefer them asking you if you want a dead end job with no possible future advancement?
Those jobs are so bad that they need to sell them to people.

Actually, those job do have advancement for those willing to go for it. Pretty much every store or regional manager for McD's started out as a minimum wage burger flipper.

originally posted by: NavyDoc

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
Would you prefer them asking you if you want a dead end job with no possible future advancement?
Those jobs are so bad that they need to sell them to people.

Actually, those job do have advancement for those willing to go for it. Pretty much every store or regional manager for McD's started out as a minimum wage burger flipper.

To be fair that is kinda true.

I got promoted to supervisor in 3 months but in my burger flipper days as a uni student.
Wasn't hard to earn the 10% pay rise, just had to actually do the job I signed up for. By the end of the 3 years I worked there I was offered a higher management job, but by that point I was off to bigger better things in pharmaceuticals.

Still it was not a career. Just a job to get me by for a few years. But if I was not capable of any other job I could have been on a half decent wage in middle management there.

As a supervisor I can tell you what most employees were like:
Late to work.
rude
Stole form stock and tills
Could not conform to dress code
always took smoke breaks.

The few that were not ended up like me promoted fast.

originally posted by: Toadmund

originally posted by: Edumakated

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: Edumakated

What world are you living in the 1950's or 2015?

Theres no upward mobility anymore give me a break.

There is plenty of upward mobility for those that are willing to work hard. There is no upward mobility for the weak, lazy, and stupid. If you can't run with the big dogs, get off the porch.

Some of us don't live to work, we work to live.

We should be able to live, why must we run with 'those' dogs.

ANY job should be a job that people can live off of, YOU are selling your labour, for your benefit.
Unfortunately it's not usually beneficial for you, but mostly for them.
Parasites of society, the banks, corporations etc. They suck our life blood and they want us to play THEIR game?!

(Insert bad word) THEM!

Right, you are selling your labor and, like any other commodity, your labor is worth the value it brings--no more, no less. It is all well and good if you don't want to "run with the big dogs"--that certainly is your choice, but then you shouldn't complain when your lack of effort gives you the lack of results. So many people want A without being willing to put in A level work.

Another tip that got me fast promotion in fast food is find a niche skill.

Mine was finding cash and stock discrepancy and working out who was stealing.

As such I was favored for roles supervising burger stands were they suspected foul play.

My friend who also went up fast was good at fixing kitchen equipment on the fly.

a reply to: TycoonBarnaby

No. But the taxes they pay should not save the earning power of those with the ability to influence political governance ; 2007/8 TARP, Bank bailouts etc. If you favour a MERITOCRACY, and you obviously do then its obvious the earning power of the lower paid is affected by this undeniable duopoly type economy we operate in.

Frankly your right and wrong at the same time supporting a market price for labour or trade but ignoring that certain people are protected from such.

At this moment the person careering in McDonalds is not receiving their correct worth because their choices of alternative has been destroyed unknowingly to them, that is, lost economic opportunities and their wage bargaining repercussions ,by the same economic/govt system that tries to help them by making livable their precarious economic situation but ultimately protecting themselves the 'connected' from the same economic market forces.

a reply to: crazyewok

Quick question...

What is so undignified about flipping burgers? When did it become a shameful thing?

Just curious.

a reply to: seagull

Since society decided success is being a brownnoser with a BMW, a house in the Hamptons and a woman who has more plastic on her than a Walmart shopping cart.

Also, tons of people are graduating these days and facing an economy that doesn't have enough opportunities for everybody. Years ago Phd meant success, financial security and the confidence one needs in the job market. Now a Phd means flipping burgers, working at Walmart.

Society tells us what "success" is, millions fall for it, get in way over their heads with debt and responsibilities, all to look "successful" and comfortable.

a reply to: Aazadan

Another point I think you miss here is that it takes very basic chops in today's world to elevate yourself in a basic work environment.

Pretty much all you have to do is consistently show up on time, work hard and efficiently, work willingly and put in the extra time when it's needed.

So many people have the attitude that the basic jobs are crap that they don't hardly even try. They slack, show up late, blow off shifts, etc. It's not unusual for the mentally disabled to do a better job than the perfectly well abled person who has a chip on their shoulder over having to do work they consider "beneath themselves."

So before you worry about someone finishing last, you should consider that often who finishes last is a decision they actively make and it has nothing to do with who absolutely can or cannot make the grade.

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: crazyewok

Quick question...

What is so undignified about flipping burgers? When did it become a shameful thing?

Just curious.

It's because we equate it to McDonalds, which is a very crappy corporation and then we have older and older workers working there. McDonalds and those jobs like it should be stepping stone jobs.

a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

If you, you in the general sense, judge success by what your neighbors think, than you've more issues than I can help with...

As someone, I believe it was Crazyewok, pointed out earlier, the trap all too many of us fall into is the debt trap...I did, and it took nearly a decade plus, not to mention selling my house, to dig out of it.

Now? I'm amazed at how much I'm actually able to save.

Stay out of that debt trap, it's amazing how much better that weekly check will look, even at minimum wage...

But that's the trick, staying out of debt, or at least keeping it at manageable levels.

I will never, ever buy another thing on credit. Ever. Lesson most painfully learned.

a reply to: amazing

Of course they should be stepping stone jobs.

But there's nothing intrinsically shameful about making other peoples quarter pounders w/cheese. Or in my case, bagging their eggs, and bread.

They aren't the end, they should be the means to an end.

originally posted by: TycoonBarnaby
The reality is most US citizens cannot compete on the global scale. Adapt or face the consequences.

Global workforce: people working for slave wages in India. Yes, we need to compete.

You're right we cannot compete since it costs more to live in any US state.

Making a 'competitive' income so American corps selling to American money will keep jobs here rather than there is not workable as a result.

This is less about a global economy and more about what our country chooses to allow corporations to do. When they make their money here but have most of their employment there, they are essentially parasites.

a reply to: seagull

I don't do that. But millions do, that's the problem.

"Bruce got a new Mustang. I I have to have it....."

"Success" is a neverending circle. You get some, you want more, you get a lot, you want it all. Success is the ultimate distraction, keeping people enslaved by money (even if they're richer than we can imagine) so they don't strive for other things such as spiritual sophistication. The people who run this world know that, they enslave even the super rich with money and the "success system" distraction.

This is why I always say the true PTB could care less about money, they just use it as a convenient and very useful component of slavery.

This is why the poor will rise up and the "rich" will fall. They'll be allowed to fall, only to bring in the next step of tyranny.

originally posted by: SearchLightsInc
And just to throw a fact into this, Apple just announced record breaking profits, they pay their Chinese workers about £4 a week.

Those factory worker's have career's right?

It costs Apple 200 bucks to make Iphones and they triple the price and sell it to Americans so that Executives and Share holders can splurge on other peoples money.

Then instead of investing those profits in America, they invest it in overseas markets.

originally posted by: Yeahkeepwatchingme
a reply to: seagull

Since society decided success is being a brownnoser with a BMW, a house in the Hamptons and a woman who has more plastic on her than a Walmart shopping cart.

Also, tons of people are graduating these days and facing an economy that doesn't have enough opportunities for everybody. Years ago Phd meant success, financial security and the confidence one needs in the job market. Now a Phd means flipping burgers, working at Walmart.

Society tells us what "success" is, millions fall for it, get in way over their heads with debt and responsibilities, all to look "successful" and comfortable.

Best post in this thread IMHO. Exactly, I have had the dream house, built it myself, cars trips whatever.
I am the poorest I have ever been but I am the happiest I have ever been.
Chasing all the BS to be successful is not a mark of success.

Give me a happy burger flipper any day over a miserable, stressed out, sold out CEO.

originally posted by: Yeahkeepwatchingme
a reply to: seagull

I don't do that. But millions do, that's the problem.

"Bruce got a new Mustang. I I have to have it....."

"Success" is a neverending circle. You get some, you want more, you get a lot, you want it all. Success is the ultimate distraction, keeping people enslaved by money (even if they're richer than we can imagine) so they don't strive for other things such as spiritual sophistication. The people who run this world know that, they enslave even the super rich with money and the "success system" distraction.

This is why I always say the true PTB could care less about money, they just use it as a convenient and very useful component of slavery.

This is why the poor will rise up and the "rich" will fall. They'll be allowed to fall, only to bring in the next step of tyranny.

OK, after reading this one it is a toss up which is better. to you Yeahkeepwatchingme

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: crazyewok

Quick question...

What is so undignified about flipping burgers? When did it become a shameful thing?

Just curious.

Well it it don't exactly require brains or much skill.

Nor are you making a mark in society.

There are bigger better things out there.

If you still flipping burgers at 30 and unable to get into a mangers job at the very least one must have major issues in there life or live in a really really crap place.

I am baffled by all the references to poor people having huge TVs and iPhones and so on.

The people I know who are struggling for money -- often through longer term unemployment or "underemployment" in minimum jobs, and sometimes this has been me when I was fully and decently employed but expenses can surprise you at times -- are lucky to buy food that doesn't screw up their health, use pay-by-minute cheap walmart cels and are constantly 'out of minutes', and if they have a flat TV it's something that was a black Friday monster discount they waited in line and sprinted for and it was a huge thing for them. Many of them are or have been carless longterm because they can't afford repair so they're lucky to go anywhere, and that further impacts income/options. The power bills in winter/summer for even insufficient climate control eat every dollar they have and still sometimes leave them sobbing in the power co. office trying to get it turned back on. They have no real credit and sometimes even what money they have is eaten by the insane rates of paycheck loans and rent to owns because they haven't enough cash to actually spend vastly less and keep their power on or just buy a bed for the kid at a normal place, and every late payment has a big fee that just makes it worse, and so on.

Are they Haiti-poor? No. Actually are they even 1940s Oklahoma poor like my dad grew up, which is just barely better? No. But when everyone is poor, it is a drastically different world than what we have. How people adapt, psychologically as well as literally, is pretty different. It is difficult to be even slightly poor in a huge consumerism environment.

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

If you, you in the general sense, judge success by what your neighbors think, than you've more issues than I can help with...

As someone, I believe it was Crazyewok, pointed out earlier, the trap all too many of us fall into is the debt trap...I did, and it took nearly a decade plus, not to mention selling my house, to dig out of it.

Now? I'm amazed at how much I'm actually able to save.

Stay out of that debt trap, it's amazing how much better that weekly check will look, even at minimum wage...

But that's the trick, staying out of debt, or at least keeping it at manageable levels.

I will never, ever buy another thing on credit. Ever. Lesson most painfully learned.

You and me both. It is a hard lesson. Debt just kind of slowly creeps up on you and before you know it I was doing nothing but living at the plant, wondering wtf happened to my life. I have all the 'stuff' like the neighbors, that I never see them use either, but life sucks.
Never again. But for me it helped me appreciate what I DO have. My wife, son, family. We read a ancient text TOGETHER every day. Life is what you make of it. Not what you think it should be because of watching TV.

ETA: Jamie got banned? I found her oddly annoying but still enjoyed her posts.

a reply to: crazyewok

If you still flipping burgers at 30 and unable to get into a mangers job at the very least one must have major issues in there life or live in a really really crap place.

OK. On this we can agree, and do. But as a start for a young person? There's really nothing wrong with it. You, yourself, said you started out there. I certainly did the equivalent in the grocery industry.

A little gumption, and keeping your eyes and ears open, and doors do open. Or, you can kick 'em open by keeping those eyes and ears open. ...and you have to be willing to put in the time and effort.