Sorry for being pedantic, but your argument should read “the majority of *American* adults make $10/hr or more.” If you include the worldwide adult population, then the vast majority do in fact make less than $10/hr.

My point in saying this isn’t to somehow prove you wrong, it’s just to show the importance of perspective. Wealth, especially first-world wealth, is relative.

Check out http://www.gapminder.org and Hans Rosling’s talks on TED and elsewhere.

Actually that was not my point, nor did I even come close to making that point.

My point had to do with paying adult wages to a 12-year-old without letting him enjoy the satisfaction/reward of working up to a higher wage given more time/experience. Something I believe to be an effective life-lesson. I was referring more to the psychological effect on his wage expectations going forward.

But, that point has been satisfactorily addressed by the original poster.

My original reply was distorted by subsequent poster(s) who took issue with other part(s) of the reply.

Hard labor doesn’t equal higher pay. In fact in these days, we can’t compete with the labor overseas. The best we can do is try to get a great education and be clever about our employment opportunities.

Today’s TV and movies make it sounds like a place of employment is lucky to have you work there instead of the other way around.

What I really found amazing was the impact computers have made in the office environment. It was interesting seeing that filing cabinet, vs a small computer on the desk. It was a different world back then…

First time commenter. I have been reading this blog since its inception, when I found it as a young twenty something on ORblogs. As a now Oregonian interested in finance I always appreciated your candor and personality. I commend you in hiring your friends child in his fund raising endeavors. I grew up making money; by babysitting, doing a paper route, working in a factory (from Michigan!), doing odd job, etc… all before I was 16. Learning the value of a dollar at a young age was (is) indeed a priceless lesson.

As a young adult living in Portland, with a college degree, educated as they would say, I was slightly dismayed at the income I was making working at a local restaurant. Was I earning over $10 an hour? yes. Was I “rolling in the dough” ? hahaha. Did I make above the poverty level as a DINK (Dual Income No Kid)? Probably. Did I manage to pay my rent, utilities, student loans, car payment, etc.. yes. Did I have a life? barely. Did I share a house with five (fabulous..lucky!) other individuals, park my car, and ride my bike wherever I could, cook meals for less than 30 dollars per week, and generally survive? yes. well.. besides that brief period where I couldn’t and then I was “homeless” i.e. not really living on the “street” but more like couch surfing and living in my car for four months. Living the good life, yes indeed, where was I going with this??

@ Tyler

Is listening to anecdotes (such as above) a reliable way to discern information. no, not really. Is linking to Wikipedia a reliable way to discern information. no, not really. Trust me, I know, I tried this in college. Wikipedia, although a trusted first stop in research for me, is nowhere near the empirical data I need to form an educated, informed opinion on any given subject.

According to the US census bureau 43.6 million people are living in poverty. But, wait, In a country of 309 million, 43.6 million people is a minority. It actually proves your point. To me 40 million men, women, and children is a sad thing. To you, it is mere semantics. California (where, I believe you live) and the greater NY metro area, greatly skew this data. If you look at the data for the remaining 48 states, you will see a far larger number live below the $25000 you believe to be an indicator of economic health.

And the 35% statistic is from a graph on that page that specifically shows income for “persons” as opposed to “households”. And the graph is based on census data, and as such presumably includes part-time earners making more than $10/hour but less than $25,000/year in that bottom bracket (people like my wife), and people making over $25,000 combined at multiple sub-$10/hour jobs in the next higher bracket.

Link for the specific graph: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Personal_Household_Income_U.png

this is whats wrong with some teenagers today. They think that this kind of work in below them

Think of ALL the retail stores all over, from fast food to places like K-mart or WalMart. Many of those employees make less than $10 an hour. One of my friends parents both work at Walmart and make around $10 an hour.

You don’t see these people, because you are rich, Tyler. Your circles don’t include adults who make less than $10 an hour, just as my circles don’t include many adults who make more than $10 an hour. But you can’t just deny these people exist, and yes, they exist in greater numbers than you think. No, they’re not the majority, or even close to it, but there are a lot of them.

EDIT: Just got to your Wikipedia comment. So you did look it up. 35% is a lot of people who can barely make a living. But yeah, not the majority. Also, don’t forget that “household” may include TWO wage-earners, so two people in a single household making $10 an hour each might be classified as a $40,000/yr household income. But both adults are still only earning $10 an hour. And this also doesn’t include single adults who are holding down multiple $10 an hour jobs. I knew a couple people like that. They had two or three low-paying jobs to make ends meet.

BTW, I currently work in retail for under $10/hour. Since my husband recently lost his job, I went full-time to get benefits. Working with the public can be difficult at times for sure. I believe it depends on how you view your job and your reasons for being there. For me, I like working with people and the job offers my family medical insurance. In that respect, if it helps my family, then I am happy.

Loved the video even though it was before my time. The same principles apply as much then as they do in this economy today. Any job needs to be treated with respect and satisfication & all contribute to a communites worth.

For a one time spot job, while $10 seems generious, pulling blackberries, etc is no fun. I would bet the kid jumps at the chance of repeating it, or even some piece meal contract that may result in a bit lower net. Much lower cost than bringing in a yard service to take care and maintain it while gone.

Reminds me of a time in 1986, where I needed another worker for light duty work & offered a intersection sign holding homeless man $100.00 for the days work & he turned me down saying that he could do better than that staying where he was. Since that day, I have been giving them 1 or 2 McDonalds coupons, but thy don’t offer them anymore. Can’t even give them Sambo’s wooden Coffee Coins. I’ll be darned before I start handing out debit cards…

Have a great trip JD!

Notwithstanding that there are some really miserable dead-end jobs out there, the film’s message is to take interest and pride in your work, no matter how insignificant it might seem– and to view your job not just in terms of what it gives you, but for what it enables *you* to give to the society in which you live.

Admittedly, most people who need work focus (understandably) on the former viewpoint, but the latter is very, very important and is what distinguishes a seat-warmer from an employee who will thrive and advance. Your job enables you to be part of the world, to connect with it socially, and to learn about how the world works. Viewing it that way changes work’s value. Maybe that’s too idealistic for some, but I believe it to be true.

As for attitude, I think that’s a huge part of life, it helps to have a good attitude, but sometimes its not enough.

I had jobs in retail and as a telemarketer and they made me miserable, finally I’ve found a job that I could tolerate which I’m at right now but its not my favorite job and I can’t wait to graduate from college.

I think part of my frustration is that I’m in my late twenties and I’m tired of minimum wage jobs. I can’t wait until I move on from this job.

As for the video … hmmm … it’s definitely a balance. No one likes to work with overly negative people, but sometimes the job really does suck. I think the lesson of the video is good for inexperienced workers who have an unrealistic view of the glamour potential in certain fields, but it’s also a good lesson in making sure you’ve given a job a fair chance. Sometimes the job is fine, it’s you that has the wrong attitude.

I guess it just reminded me that with the down economy over the last couple of years there’s a lot of “don’t complain at least you have a job” sentiments out there. While it’s true, things could always be worse, that doesn’t mean it’s ok for companies/bosses to exploit their workers. And it doesn’t mean their workers should not try to fix the things they think are wrong. It just means you want to try to be diplomatic about it.

OK. I would have been better off saying “a vastly increasing number of adults” rather than “vast majority”. Typing faster than thinking on that one.

However, I won’t continue to argue a point you continue to miss.

According to this wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States

35% of american individuals earn less than $25,000/year. Which is to say a *lot* more people earn more than that. I’m sorry, but saying “the vast majority of adults” make less than that is just plain wrong. It’s not even debatable. Sure, some make less than that, but a much larger number make more.

And I don’t know where you can quote me as talking about the “real world”. I was talking about the United States. If you want to talk about pay in the developing world, fine, but seeing as how nobody in this conversation so far is living there, it’s a different topic.

And I still think that if work is worth $10/hour, the age of the person doing it is irrelevant, even if it’s a kid doing it to help raise money for a school trip. Would it really have been that different if J.D. had paid him the $8.50 minimum wage?

The worst job I ever had was working seasonal employment at Eddie Bauer. I found the manager and a few co-workers overly-enthused about the clothes they were selling. I could never catch the vibe myself. I kept thinking about the workers and their conditions/wages overseas that went into producing these clothes.

JD- I would pay the same if it were for a fundraising. Otherwise, my neighborhood kids work for $7.00 an hour.

Actually, Tyler, I live in the real world. Your two examples only helped solidify my point.

I have owned several service-oriented businesses over the past 30 years from Central CA to Southern OK. I currently own/manage one with 17 employees. Sadly, a vastly increasing number of people live on the <$10.00 minimum wage you highlighted in your reply. Given the economic environment, many have had to accept lower wage jobs or continued unemployment.

Additionally, the point had less to do with what adults earn and more to do with skewing a 12-year-old's wage expectations going forward. (I won’t go on to mention your apples to oranges comparison of 30-year-old plumber to a 60-year-old plumber. vs. my point of a young child to adult wage).

As long as J.D. helped him to understand that these were exceptional circumstances and not the norm, he will probably find contentment in his earning going forward. Otherwise, I stand by my original reply…despite your sarcasm.

@J.D. Thanks for the clarification. Given the circumstances it makes perfect sense. I’ve done the same many times over the years with the clear understanding of the reasons for the higher-than-normal wages paid. Thanks for responding.

Loved the video, too! Definitely got a good chuckle out of it. I really wish it was that easy to make yourself decide you love a job. I could be raking in the money right now as an engineer if I could just learn to love dull work.