Are you better off financially than you were ten years ago?

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
27,780
285
83
bliss
Am I more financially secure than I was at 18? That's a tough one. I had way less debt when I was 18. But fewer RRSP's too. Less life insurance. And no children to sell in a pinch. So i guess I'm better off now.
 

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
10,609
99
48
Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
I'm not better off at all.... the Maritimes have been sucked friggin dry, there's no jobs here, an overload of graduate students from university and college all hanging around here looking for work that doesn't exist, none of them have any of the experience companies are looking for and those who do have the experience are given petty and downright insultfull pays because they know if you bitch about it, they can just hire a fresh and dumb student to replace you.... you don't get a god da** review for well over a year an a half, and while minimum wage has just increase three times in the last year (6% the first two times respectfully and whatever it is now.... 50 cents added on top of it) I'm stuck at the same damn pay I had two years ago while my bills and cost of living keeps going up.

I'd go out west to look for work, but I need money to move there.... I'd move down to Australia because someone with my experience can start off around 60-120 grand a year.... but once again, I need f*ckin money to do that too....

Was I better off financially back in 1998?

I'd say so..... considdering I'm in a god da** career everybody claimed had such a great pay and advancements, only to end up with piss poor pay and not even being able to pay the friggin student loans I needed to get this god da** career in the first place.

Well then Prax why don't you go and look for other companies that will pay you for your experience?

Well for starters, once I go back into a new company, I then have to start back at square one all over again, I then have to probably go a couple of weeks without a pay cheque in between the two jobs which already I can't do, and what are the chances they'll just di*k me around the same as all the other companies? Then again I didn't really get off square one here at this job either, so I guess that doesn't make much of difference.

And people wonder why i'm always bitter and pissed off all the time? The question was asked, and now you know.
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
119
63
Our pensions are working out fine. In the last 3 years our house has increased in value by about three hundred thousand dollars. I have a lot to be thankful for. The kids are doing well. What else could I want?.................................youth.....:smile:
 

mt_pockets1000

Council Member
Jun 22, 2006
1,292
29
48
Edmonton
Praxius, as much as I love the east coast it's near impossible for most people to make a decent living there. Sure it's very noble to say "I'm sticking it out here because dammit it's my home and I'm going to make an honest effort at working here". But eventually, like a lot of us from that region, we end up where the jobs are. Perhaps the "newfound wealth" will change all that in the coming years.

Here in the west most companys will assist you in your moving expenses if you bring experience and special skills to the table.

As for the opening question, yeah, I'm far better off today than 10 years ago. I can thank a college education, continual upgrading and keeping a close eye on job trends for that.
 

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
10,609
99
48
Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
Yeah everybody told me to head out west where all the work is, and I decided to see if my contributing here and fighting it out for a job would be one drop in the bucket in helping things here, but quite honestly.... the employers here do it to themselves being as cheap and petty as they are.

I'm at the point now where I'm gearing up to look for another job.... yet again..... because of the slack ass company I work for. The works great, the people I work with are alright, I know what I'm doing, it's steady and I have my benifits (although deducted from my pay anyways which isn't all that much of a benifit if you ask me) the thing that's been pissing me off here at this job is the continual talk of "oh well we're just fixing up the books from last year and once we figure it out we're going to have eveybody's review done all at once." ~ How many god da** times can someone hear that month after f*ckin month before they come strolling in with a Mac-10?

(No don't worry, I'm not about to do that..... I can't afford a Mac-10 let alone the bullets for one.)

So it's off to venture for more work.... yet again.... 10 years in this damn field of work and I'm still nowhere farther in life.

Fu*king Country! Society tells you to do one thing and reality is something totally different.

Kids... listen well.... don't goto college or university, because no employer checks up on the things on your resume, they just want to know you can do what they want..... save yourselves a few thousand dollars in tuition and living expenses and learn it all online for free.
 

Nuggler

kind and gentle
Feb 27, 2006
11,596
140
63
Backwater, Ontario.
I guess we're about the same or better. Income has dropped since retirement, but no mortgage or debts, so hey...........doin ok.

But you have to realize that, by saying it, I've called in the jinx, and sure as sh@t the roof'l cave in, well run dry, car will calve....................So............no...........we're screwed. Did a lot better way back when. Outdoor plummin an all, eh.

PRAX:...Get a passport.
Go to a bank, or a finance co. (screwin them is more fun):evil4:
Get a loan.
Go to Australia.............It's warm ALL YEAR!!!
Go dig for opals
or do your thing where you can make 60 to ? K per year.
DON'T PAY BACK THE LOAN............DON'T TELL EL BANCO YER BUGGERIN OFF EH.
Jeez, all this here education and you can't think up a scam!!!
Whut kind of Canuk are yez!!!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Just don't try it in Mexico............:cool:senor.
 

Zzarchov

House Member
Aug 28, 2006
4,600
100
63
Id get a job offer from Australia, do the paperwork and take out a loan from a bank showing how you'll easily be able to pay them back.

But out east is only gonna get worse, Ontario going into a have not (or it fighting to change equalization) means (depending on where you are out east) that some provinces can lose as much as 30% of their revenue in the next few years in a worst case scenario.

Get while the getting is good.
 

gerryh

Time Out
Nov 21, 2004
25,756
295
83
Oh ya.... by a long shot..... working hard and taking a positive attitude sure beats the hell out of bitchin and whinin.
 

Avro

Time Out
Feb 12, 2007
7,815
65
48
54
Oshawa
Yes I am, but I'm lucky.

For many it's a real tread mill.

I know folks who have worked their butts off only to get no further ahead.

The middle class is shrinking and that is not a positive.
 

dj03

Electoral Member
Oct 9, 2007
160
1
18
Calgary
I am much better off than I was 10 years ago, back then my wife and I had no kids and both of us worked. Today we have two boys, she is a stay at home mom and I am making 3 times what I did back then.

A word of caution to those thinking about moving west, particularly Alberta, there are jobs here but it can take months to find a permanent one and housing (and cost of living in general) is expensive. While we clearly need more people to sustain growth, I would still consider it a gamble to move here if you didn't have a job and housing lined up before coming.
 

eh1eh

Blah Blah Blah
Aug 31, 2006
10,749
103
48
Under a Lone Palm
This may help.



Well, or not.