What explains the growing gap in wages? Computers.
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What explains the growing gap in wages? Computers.
1–10 of 27 posts
Re: What explains the growing gap in wages? Computers.
#2I've often thought that subsidizing higher education would lubricate the U.S. economy.
Re: What explains the growing gap in wages? Computers.
#3Occasionally someone posts to HN stating they want want to drop out of high school or go straight from high school to working full time. Maybe they should read this first.
Re: What explains the growing gap in wages? Computers.
#4Actually, the article actively refutes the idea that computers explain the wage gap. The thesis is that it's all due to supply and demand in the labor force, and that it has been going on since electrification in the early 1900s.
Re: What explains the growing gap in wages? Computers.
#5Occasionally someone posts to HN stating they want want to drop out of high school or go straight from high school to working full time. Maybe they should read this first.
eh, I didn't go to college. of course, when I graduated highschool it was 1997, and I had 2 years of paid experience as a sysadmin, so I was able to jump right into a .com job, and I'm a UNIX SysAdmin- a computer janitor. SysAdmins often have less formal education than Developers, so some of this was just that I 'got lucky' - but I do know many others who have done ok without formal education.
Yeah, if I had stuck it out, I'd probably be earning another 20%-30%, (just looking at what my co-workers make) but I'm still comfortably into the six figure range.
Granted, that's not great for the bay area, average nerd salary around here is north of $140K, and I don't rate that unless I'm contracting, but it's certainly an OK salary for someone who hasn't hit 30 yet.
The key to making decent money without college is to get jobs that count (really, this is good advice regardless of your other educational plans. Most places a year of experience is worth a little less than a year of education. If you can get both, you are golden.) If you want to be a computer guy, don't take a summer job tending a till- if you can't find an internship, pester local offices to see if they need a windows reboot monkey, or see if you can get the local web-design place to give you minimum wage to do basic stuff. Or repair computers for your parent's friends. Charge $5 or $10/hr if you have to... it's experience and reccomendations you are after at that stage.
My first job was at a mom and pop computer repair place... I was paid less than minimum wage, but it was an awesome experience, and it paid off handsomly. Remember that if you don't have education, you need experience. Without education or experience, nobody is going to hire you for a 'real job' (at least for 'real pay') Find someone willing to let you do a 'real job' for next to no pay for a period of time. Remember that at these jobs a good reccomendation from the boss is worth many times over what they are paying you.
Certifications are nice, but with the exception of perhaps, the ccie, none of them can touch a few years experience doing the job you are trying to get.
I wouldn't want to discurage people from getting educated- I think college can be very valuable (look at my grammar.) but not going to college doesn't condemn you to poverity.
Re: What explains the growing gap in wages? Computers.
#6I've often thought that subsidizing higher education would lubricate the U.S. economy.
higher education in the US is heavily subsidised. The meagre fees that the lower colleges charge are waived if you are poor, and at that point all you need to cover is food/books/rent.
Re: What explains the growing gap in wages? Computers.
#7I've often thought that subsidizing higher education would lubricate the U.S. economy.
higher education in the US is heavily subsidised. The meagre fees that the lower colleges charge are waived if you are poor, and at that point all you need to cover is food/books/rent.
I mean more subsidization, so that changing careers is a real option for most people.
Re: What explains the growing gap in wages? Computers.
#8Far too many people go to college. Most of you went to decent schools, so you're probably not aware that US state schools are literally inundated by federally-subsidized mouth-breathers, who are doomed to drop out and work at Burger King, or get communications degrees and work at Burger King.
A high school graduate in the 1960s could earn a middle class income through unskilled labor. This was an historical anomaly, and there's no reason to compare wage data today with that of the past. As soon as non-Western manufacturing labor entered the market, the price was driven down. Anomaly over.
Re: What explains the growing gap in wages? Computers.
#9Far too many people go to college. Most of you went to decent schools, so you're probably not aware that US state schools are literally inundated by federally-subsidized mouth-breathers, who are doomed to drop out and work at Burger King, or get communications degrees and work at Burger King. A high school graduate in the 1960s could earn a middle class income through unskilled labor. This was an historical anomaly,…
"A high school graduate in the 1960s could earn a middle class income through unskilled labor. This was an historical anomaly, and there's no reason to compare wage data today with that of the past."
Interesting response.
One can also consider the shift toward the "service economy," which in many cases is lower-paying and even easier to outsource than unskilled physical labor like manufacturing and construction.
Re: What explains the growing gap in wages? Computers.
#10After the second world war, the GI Bill heavily subsidized tuition for many American veterans.* This led to a huge surge in college enrollment, which persisted through the decade. Greater exposure to higher education led to more interest among the general population. Furthermore, students could avoid being drafted for the Vietnam war.
The long-term increase in enrollment raised the bar for expected education in potential employees, and that has in turn perpetuated itself. The employability gap between the college-educated and those with high school diplomas or less has continued to widen, and may now be escalating to a split in the college-educated.
* These benefits were realistically only accessible to white veterans, though. Most universities were still segregated.