General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: In 1981, I was a full time stock clerk at an Ohio Big Bear grocery store making 12.60 an hour [View all]BobTheSubgenius
(11,600 posts)...I landed my first "real" job (one that didn't have a sunset built in, such as vacation relief in the summer) in '77 and had the great blessing of it being one organized in the IBEW. That was very rare in the realm of technical specialty.
The wages were structured as a percentage of top rate - top rate was negotiable at the end of every contract, but the structure was indelible. One started at 60% of top rate, and got a 5% bump every six months. At the end of your 5 year term of advancement(s), the final 5% could only be achieved by passing a national exam.
That milestone raised my wage by literally triple - $5.40 an hour at my start date to $16, plus a list of bennies as long as your arm. Life was EASY then - my post-high school life was more school, interspersed with years of indolence. In short, I was totally unused to Having Money, and my bank account swelled so quickly that one day, upon checking my balance, I said, more or less "Holy shit! I can buy a house." So I did.
et cetera, et cetera, et cetera
Those days are SO long gone, and I'm almost embarrassed by my continued good fortune in life, then and now. I did manage to "give back" or "pay it forward" or whatever you'd like to call it, though. The rents I charged were about 30% under market, and I paid my tenants' utilities....STILL managing to make money in the process. A now-elderly lady that was in the building when I bought it was slightly-to-moderately disabled, and her rent after my 20+ years of being her landlord rose by $35 a month.
Again...those times have long been through.