[Mr. Arenas]

It seems like a lot of people are concerned about starting salary (including me)... especially with the bad job market these days. You don't have to give specific numbers... but were you satisfied with your starting pay? Has your salary gone up a lot since starting?

[CatGoesMeow]

It seems like a lot of people are concerned about starting salary (including me)... especially with the bad job market these days. You don't have to give specific numbers... but were you satisfied with your starting pay? Has your salary gone up a lot since starting?

umm wouldnt it depend on what you do ?

[vinylswing]

umm wouldnt it depend on what you do ?

Yea, and location too.

[709394]

new college grad,
entry-level marketing position in SF
$41k/year

[whizzer's_rose]

Hi guys! I have a big big dilemma here...I was working for this big bank, the 2nd biggest bank in our country as a clerk and then here comes another government bank who offered to train me to become an officer for their bank. I resigned from my job and took the offer but now I'm starting to have regrets......
I'm not having fun anymore. It is indeed my dream to become a bank officer someday but then the training is so exhausitng. Sometimes, it makes me feel like I'm the dumbest in the class. All of my classmates are honor students while I'm not. I am starting to think that maybe I was just lucky to get those high scores in the qualifying exams. The part that I hate the most is that they are more on theories instead of the actual work. It's just so unfair for them to only consider theories because I can show them that I can kick butt when it comes to work like marketing and stuff... Now, I think I'm gonna fail this training program and i don't know what to do if ever I did. I was thinking of going back to my previous job but i have to swallow all the embarrasment and stuff....was i wrong to be ambitious?

[watcher]

Hi guys! I have a big big dilemma here...I was working for this big bank, the 2nd biggest bank in our country as a clerk and then here comes another government bank who offered to train me to become an officer for their bank. I resigned from my job and took the offer but now I'm starting to have regrets......
I'm not having fun anymore. It is indeed my dream to become a bank officer someday but then the training is so exhausitng. Sometimes, it makes me feel like I'm the dumbest in the class. All of my classmates are honor students while I'm not. I am starting to think that maybe I was just lucky to get those high scores in the qualifying exams. The part that I hate the most is that they are more on theories instead of the actual work. It's just so unfair for them to only consider theories because I can show them that I can kick butt when it comes to work like marketing and stuff... Now, I think I'm gonna fail this training program and i don't know what to do if ever I did. I was thinking of going back to my previous job but i have to swallow all the embarrasment and stuff....was i wrong to be ambitious?

dont be discouraged by hardship. do your best, and if it doesn't work out, then make a plan B and follow through on it. we've all made some bad decisions in life, but it happens sometimes on that road to success.

were you wrong to be ambitious? maybe, maybe not. i dont know the circumstances on which you made the decision to leave your previous employer, but i say not to cry over spilled milk. make the most of the situation and keep pushing. know when to cut your losses if needed.

good luck

It seems like a lot of people are concerned about starting salary (including me)... especially with the bad job market these days. You don't have to give specific numbers... but were you satisfied with your starting pay? Has your salary gone up a lot since starting?

considering tech wasn't the best industry to be in when i graduated, i was happy to just land a job. i'm pretty happy with my salary now, and the experience really paid off.

[XxXrAtED]

Hi guys! I have a big big dilemma here...I was working for this big bank, the 2nd biggest bank in our country as a clerk and then here comes another government bank who offered to train me to become an officer for their bank. I resigned from my job and took the offer but now I'm starting to have regrets......
I'm not having fun anymore. It is indeed my dream to become a bank officer someday but then the training is so exhausitng. Sometimes, it makes me feel like I'm the dumbest in the class. All of my classmates are honor students while I'm not. I am starting to think that maybe I was just lucky to get those high scores in the qualifying exams. The part that I hate the most is that they are more on theories instead of the actual work. It's just so unfair for them to only consider theories because I can show them that I can kick butt when it comes to work like marketing and stuff... Now, I think I'm gonna fail this training program and i don't know what to do if ever I did. I was thinking of going back to my previous job but i have to swallow all the embarrasment and stuff....was i wrong to be ambitious?

You mentioned it's your dream to become a bank officer. With that, do you understand what the potential role will entail? It's certainly more than just "marketing and stuff", as you'll be counted on to manage the bank's risk and customer relations. Theories will be required for the big picture. Try not to doubt yourself. You were given an opportunity in this training program because the bank saw potential in you. So what if the others are honor students, and you're not? They've no bearing on your success. You'll need to put in work, despite it being exhausting, to acheive your goals + dreams. To quit now, you'll just go back to be a clerk, and who knows when the next opportunity will come knocking. If you already counted yourself out at this stage thinking you'll fail, you may as well consider having a different career dream. Even after you pass the training program, the job doesn't get any easier.

It's not a matter of being ambitious. it's a matter if this is truly what you want to do/cut out to do.

Just giving it to you straight.

I've dealt with graduate trainees, and we recruit from the best schools...harvard, princeton, mit...yada yada yada. often times it's not the kid with the best GPA who does best. You want something bad enough, don't underestimate the power of drive and commitment.

[Pogichinoy]

It seems like a lot of people are concerned about starting salary (including me)... especially with the bad job market these days. You don't have to give specific numbers... but were you satisfied with your starting pay? Has your salary gone up a lot since starting?

The job market in Australia is at its greatest point as its an employee's market, and no longer an employer market. We as employees have control.

I was satisfied with my starting pay, considering my little experience but yes within a year my salary has increased by 40%.

But keep in mind, there are too many variables such as which industry, education, and of course the individual.

I have friends who are smarter than me, and completed smarter degrees but are in entry level positions still after several years because they do not have the work ethic or skillset.

[PubicOtoko]

im currently a full time student/research assistant in a collaborative study on the internet and religion.

[ganbatte]

Sigh, one of my coworker got layoff yesterday. This is the second one who was let go in my team within a year. He has been working in the company for over a decade. This is just sad.

They have been hiring a lot of people in India for my department. For one of us here they can hire like 10 people for the same cost. I think they are going to outsource the whole department eventually...

[some-azn-guy]

Sigh, one of my coworker got layoff yesterday. This is the second one who was let go in my team within a year. He has been working in the company for over a decade. This is just sad.

They have been hiring a lot of people in India for my department. For one of us here they can hire like 10 people for the same cost. I think they are going to outsource the whole department eventually...

that is sad to hear that one of your co-workers got the layoff yesterday.
if your company can hire 10people for the same cost; you can almost count on them outsourcing the whole department eventually.

that's what i absolutely hate about employers; to them, we're nothing but employee numbers in their database..we aren't people, just serial numbers. any company, big or small...is all about money after all. sad but true.

[DarkWaltz]

OMG. I always fear that might happen to me in the future as well. I'm assuming you're working in the computer field (computer science/software engineering/etc.)

A lot of big companies like IBM have started outsourcing in India already... yes, over there, they make 1/4 (or something) of what we make here, and they work more efficiently as I heard, since what else can you really do over there.

It's very annoying, but that's how the big capitalists go: it's all about revenues, money, profits, etc. regardless of people's lives here.

IMO, it's safer to try going into a field where there are extra things involved that they cannot do, i.e. software developers with business skills for example.

[xkrn4lyfx]

damn, i hate calling big companies and getting someone in India who doesn't really speak english that well trying to fix my problems -__-;;

that's why you work on contract, hopefully u can keep renewing at the end...

[negitoro]

that is sad to hear that one of your co-workers got the layoff yesterday.
if your company can hire 10people for the same cost; you can almost count on them outsourcing the whole department eventually.

that's what i absolutely hate about employers; to them, we're nothing but employee numbers in their database..we aren't people, just serial numbers. any company, big or small...is all about money after all. sad but true.

Not that I don't feel sympathy for people who get laid off, but isn't that the whole point of a business? You can't hate them - they're not there for the welfare of their workers. If it was your business and you could cut the costs by 75%, you'd do it in a heartbeat.

The choices are to hire someone to do an equivalent job for 1/4 of the money OR lose ground to your competitors (due to their lowered costs), lose customers (due to your higher price) and lose the faith of your shareholders (due to failing to cut costs). Isn't the choice clear for any CEO?

Heck, as a consumer, how often have you bought anything at a premium, to support a company's excellent labor policies? Yet this is what happened to manufacturing a few decades ago when nearly all good started to be made in China or other foreign countries. The outrage lasts a bit but then people eventually just don't care that their shirts are made in the USA if it costs 40% more. Foreign programmers and IT staff are heading the same way.

that's why you work on contract, hopefully u can keep renewing at the end...

So... the Indians are taking away job security... so your solution is to voluntarily work in a job with none? ..... I'm confused.

[ganbatte]

I can understand why the company want to outsource but ...
If you are in the tech field the best place for the job security is in the defense companies. They required the employee to be US citizen. They simply can't outsource any of it.

[Pogichinoy]

For outsourcing fears, simply be in a position that cannot be outsourced, only difficult part is reaching that position.

[mz simmonz]

when I was a kid, I wanted to be a CIA agent. later on in high school i secretly wanted to be a supermodel =P

seeing as I don't have the qualifications for either, I went pre-health in college haha.

[Irysinon]

I wanted to become a cartoonist or a police officer or an actor or a film director while growing up in that exact order. I was able to try three out of four of those as hobbies.

[watcher]

i used to want to be a weatherman when i was young

[mz simmonz]

I'm considering getting into consulting but it's making my head spin, I don't even know where to start. I've checked online but there's so many different kinds of consultants. Since my university is very health science oriented, I haven't got much counseling on this area and I'm also a health science major. I need a plan b, and I know I might be taking a risk here since it's pretty different from what I have been in school for but I'm not sure I will get get accepted to grad school. I know this is really different from what I've spent years studying but I just need to know where to start. (ie: course requirements, exams to take, work experience, skills, license requirements, etc)