Currently, the federal minimum wage in the U.S. is $7.25. There's still a large portion of the population, 1.6 million people, who are working at or below the minimum wage as of 2019.
With inflation, this number really doesn't add up when we look at the cost of living.
Tons of minimum wage workers would want to make $100k per year if they had the chance. But would the money be worth the often boring, repetitive, and even physically demanding jobs?
We went to AskReddit to find out.
Redditor Drakken11577 asked:
"Would you bag groceries for the entirety of your working career if you got paid $100,000 a year to do it? Why or why not?"
Let's see how this debate plays out.
Money is money.
"Yeah. I go to work to make money. Thatâs money."
- Bloebmn
"I would like a job with the least amount of responsibility."
- redrumWinsNational
"Yep. Presuming you aren't working 90 hour weeks or whatever and it's just normal work hours, I don't particularly mind what I do for work. I'm there to cover the expenses of the fun stuff I do when NOT working. As long as work/life balance is good so I can enjoy me free time I don't mind it being repetitive."
- Sasparillafizz
It's like a game.
"I used to bag when I worked at a grocery store and it was great. It was like playing Tetris with real objects and I got to chat and joke with people who came through the line."
"A perfectly packed bag is so satisfying."
- I_Am_The_Cattle
"Have you ever managed to get it all in one bag? I've had times customers hand me one bag and go 'I don't think it'll all fit in there,' I look back and go 'challenge accepted.'
"Not only is a perfectly packed bag satisfying, when you managed to pack it so everything fits in nicely in the one bag; now that's another level of satisfaction."
"Of course I only try to get it all in one bag if they're isn't too much and if there isn't a lot of heavy items."
- pixie13903
Bag Boys.
"Hell, I'd even wear a name tag that says 'Bag Boy.'"
- JTodd078
"Bag Boys For Life."
- howwouldiknow--
Raises with inflation.
"Does that wage increase with inflation? 100k might not be much in 20 years. With some persistence and dedication however, I think my working career could be over by then 100k/year."
- Due_Independent3191
"Sure..yea you get regular raises in line with inflation."
- Drakken11577
"Can someone put you in charge of real life please?"
- WhatWouldSatanDo
"Mmmm gurl what those BENEFITS look like tho?"
- UGLYWOLFF
"The benefits are $100k a year for packing groceries."
- rantxtotheend
"Even 50k with great health benefits, I would probably leave for a job with 100k and no benefits."
- A_Change_of_Seasons
It wouldn't motivate them.
"I personally wouldn't. I would get bored in no time being a robot. I personally rather do something that motivates me to get up every day."
- Davicillo
"I agree. I need to feel fulfilled with my work. Going to work takes me away from my child and family. I know I can live on very little money because I have in the past. My work needs to give me more than just financial reward."
- frikadela01
"I agree. Iâve left higher paying jobs because they were mind numbing. Iâve stayed on lower paying jobs because I really enjoyed and was learning something new I could leverage for later."
- OhIamNotADoctor
"I bagged groceries in high school. For most of the year, there were busy parts of the day, and then long stretches where nothing would happen. So you'd either be frantically bagging things for a huge line of people, or just staring at the wall. Plus standing still and hunched over reaching down into bags all day isn't good for your posture. It's not fun."
- RahvinDragand
They make that money already.
"I make 100k a year. It's the easiest job in the world, but I hate it. I'm at a point where I would rather do something I like doing for less money than be miserable. Bagging groceries does not sound like something I would enjoy."
- unmerciful0u812
"I used to make 80k doing something I hated. Now I make 65k working at a nonprofit I love and couldnât be happier."
- mike_lawrence
Pros out weigh the cons.
"I'd like to say yes, and I'd probably take it. It may preclude me from ever doing anything else I may enjoy and there's obviously no room for advancement, yet at the same time the job details on this are very lucrative."
"For the most part while the job itself is boring and repetitive, and also a lot of customer drama, this type of job isn't going to be one you'll take problems home with. You won't be on call after hours to respond to emergencies, nor are you going to have to take work home with you either."
"You also won't have to be constantly retrained or go back to school or recertified, etc..."
"There's a lot of upsides to this, I'll grant you. A few downsides too, but weighing them together I probably would take something like this."
- llcucf80
The money wouldn't make up for it.
"Yup. Packing was my first job. And I hated every second of it. Between the co-workers who bullied me at school, the insane customers and the sheer boredom, it was extremely unpleasant."
"For those who say the money makes up for it? In my experience money makes up for a sh*tty job for surprisingly limited time."
- gpcprog
"Average salary is something like 53k in the states, median is only around 35k since everything is so skewed to the top, so I'm guessing the majority of people are jumping at this opportunity even if they aren't happy with the work type though."
- cromli
Trophies
"Not gonna lie, when I was in high school, my manager at the grocery store where I worked wanted to send me to the regional bagging competition. I thought I was too cool for that and declined. Looking back I wish I had gone and maybe gotten a trophy. That would have been awesome."
- chickenlounge
This, this, this...
"Yes. Not many jobs that pay $100k annual can be forgotten about once you leave the "office". $100k for something I can 100% forget about when I'm off the clock? Yes."
- WiseDonkey593
"This, this, this. This is why it would be such a great life. No stress once youâve clocked out for $100,000 p/a? Incomparably sweet deal."
- PanpsychismIsTrue
win/win??
"Absolutely, I currently bag groceries for far less than that alreadyâĤ win/win."
- Sh1rinz
"I wouldn't... UNLESS the hours were the usual M-F office hours. Bonus points if I can work 4/10's or 9/80's. Also... if I'm hourly... can I still work overtime at the $100k a year rate and make even more?? That would be a deal and a half."
- Buy-N-Sell
I'll take It!
"Iâd kill for a job like that."
- Dangerous_Concept341
"Wouldn't be anywhere near 60 hours. This is a real job. I would guess the average grocery bagger gets maybe 24 hours a week. So for this hypothetical to be as accurate as possible to the job that actually exists, it would be 24 hours per week for 100k. I would definitely take this job."
- mynextthroway
The Organizer
"Yes, Iâm extremely good at Organizing & $100,000 a year would be worth putting up with peoples attitude and lack of humanity skills."
- TrippyTrixxxy21
"You could also, laugh at them for making less than you. as 100K a year would equal a pay of about 48$ based on a 40 hour work week. At 52 weeks total."
- darknessblades
What else can I do?
"Can I likeâĤ sweep the isles or fetch carts, and help old ladies out to their cars too? Or is it strictly packing bags."
- Primal_Directive
"When I was a bagger, I did that stuff and more, itâs really just whatever the managers want you to do so they donât have to do it. Itâs mostly bagging but thereâs a lot of other random stuff youâll be doing too."
- DJDarwin93
Tranquil Fun
"Sure thing. It's simple, low stress (I worked in a couple grocery stores before), can't be blamed for very much at all. Right now I make less than 100k and I'm responsible for oodles of stuff. Less for more? Hell yeah. The only downside I see if that those types of jobs have no benefits and often mandatory holiday work."
- ohmynymph
40 Years +
"I could literally do anything I want in my free time with that much money, and live super comfortably. I could fucking pay off my parents mortgage while STILL living comfortably. Not to mention if you live below your means you can invest that and then by the time youâre old and donât want to work anymore, bam, youâve got 40 years (in my case) of saving $10,000 a year and investing another $10,000. I donât dream of labor. I canât think of any traditional job that I would rather have than getting $100,000 a year."
- derpberp1
What are the hours?
"Totally depends on the working hours/conditions and shifts. Iâm in the UK and work 37 hours (37 paid, 1 hour enforced break a day unpaid) a week for an above average wage, I get 38 days total annual leave, excellent working conditions - no evening or weekend work. Match my current conditions, increase pay in line with inflation and let me compress those 37 hours over 3 or 4 days a week then Iâll sign the contract right now."
- InncnceDstryr
ANYTHING!!
GIF by ShowtimeGiphy"Iâd shovel dog crap for 100k a year."
- monkeymayhem_
"Mate, I'd eat dog shit for 100k year...just uh, not a lot of it."
- SausageintheSky
There are trade offs for both.
The money, as wonderful as it is, might not be enough to do the job forever.
Whatever the case, it sure would make a lot of people's lives better if we gave everyone a living wage.
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How sweet it would be to skip the part of our professional career where we take our lumps and work our way up until we're making the big bucks and spending our days involved in creative work?
Alas, that's not at all what happens in real life.
In fact, sometimes we find ourselves involved in dead end positions that, despite the struggle, don't offer much payoff in the future.
Thankfully, a recent Reddit thread offered up some entry level job ideas to steer people in the right direction.
Redditor honestgoing asked:
"What are some entry level jobs with room to move up, that actually hire people at entry level without requiring years of experience?"
Many people advised having an open mind about blue collar, manual labor-style jobs. These often pay well and offer some possibility for growth.
It's What You Know
"I got a job in manufacturing in 2015 with zero experience. Started at $15/hr as an operator."
"Basically you babysit a machine that more or less runs itself. Fast forward to now and I'm a shift mechanic making $38/hr."
"I know it's all the rage to say hard work doesn't get you anywhere anymore, but I absolutely worked my a** off to learn how the machines worked, how the automation worked and did my best to fix problems as an operator before calling for a mechanic."
"I got promoted after two years to a higher level operator position, then a year after that an apprentice mechanic position opened up. I applied for it and was accepted."
"A year later the apprenticeship ended and I was promoted to shift mechanic."
"Two months after I was hired I gave my friend a referral and he got hired on as an operator. Same as me, no experience. Guess who's our other shift mechanic? We both worked hard and showed initiative and it paid off."
"Obviously this isn't the case everywhere, but it seems to be fairly common in the manufacturing industry."
Formal Programs Help
"Construction! I started at 18 fresh out of high school at $14/hr as an apprentice 5 years ago and now I finished the program and make $47 an hour."
-- JayyyMay
Low Supply, High Demand
"Welding, HVAC, trucking, automotive repair... basically most skilled labor positions."
"The industry is desperate and everyone knows you have to start somewhere."
-- inflammable
Others advocated sticking it out in the jobs many people avoid with ten-foot pole: customer-facing and retail positions. Many of these, however, allow folks to move on from the phone or the front desk some day.
Ground Up
"Customer Support representative within IT (think big brands). With the accumulated knowledge from their products and troubleshooting will give you experience to move upwards to e.g. On-Site support, internal IT support etc, and through that you can start practicing and study free time into something more advanced (backend or frontend, maintaining servers, networking and such)."
"That's how I've climbed the ladder (though stagnated a bit past years due to health issues. Otherwise I would've advanced more into backend as I was about to start studying programming with courses provided through my employer)."
-- Shamanfox
All You Need
"Convenience stores. It's a shi**y job when you start off as a clerk, but turnover is high. I took such a job at 21, within three months they were begging me to take a manager position after the one who hired me was led out in handcuffs."
"Three months after that they made me a DM. In October of '09 I was a part timer at $7.80/hr, by next summer I was pulling a $950/wk salary. In my part of the US, that buys a pretty good life."
"As long as you aren't a thief and have two brain cells to rub together, you're qualified."
-- Washjockey
Well, Not Quite Customers
"911 dispatch."
"Some places (private ambulance, some municipalities) hire entry level. The pay is good, and you have room to move up into management."
"The cons are the stress (from sheer boredom to 'sh**, someone's dying and I need an ambulance but they're all on calls') and the 24/7 operating hours. But if you have the mind for it and can handle the schedule, it's a rewarding and interesting job."
The Face of Hospitality
"Hotel front desk or any hotel staff position."
"I started as a night audit about 10 years ago and now I'm corporate for one of the largest brands. I've been in corporate for 7 years."
"What most people also don't realize is that while the hotel might be a Hilton, the ownership might be a real estate company, while the people running the hotel could be a hotel management company. Working at one hotel gives you three different companies to progress in."
"Lots of room to go and lots of different avenues but you do gotta put your time in but it pays off."
-- William2n9
Finally, others fixated more on the entry level jobs that offer the comforts of office life. These administrative positions, though not demanding a ton of skill, are still nothing to sneeze at.
They're Everywhere Too
"An area funeral home chain hires entry level staff to assist with operations in a variety of ways."
"They provide on-the-job training, decent pay, and a benefits package. Plus, the funeral home industry is steady business, offering the potential of long-term employment."
-- Back2Bach
Those Regular Hours, Too
"A bank job! I'm currently in college as a part time teller, but a majority of my superiors and higher ups are all without degrees. Tons of room for growth, looks great on a resume, and it's honestly a really easy job."
-- AyeeeCuz
Just a Couple Projects Away
"Depending on the local market software."
"Build one decent project and be able to answer some questions about data structures will get you hired in many places."
"A few years later you can easily be making bank. Downside is of course you'll be working with software"
-- Imogynn
So if you're in the hunt for your start, give these 10 options a second thought.
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Minimum wage is often paid by some of the most physically and emotionally intensive workâservice industry jobs. Having to work in a hot kitchen all day or deal with irate customers while being paid less than you need to survive is not exactly the best situation to be in.
A lot of people just kind of mentally check out at some point, figuring they're not being paid to deal with anything that is outside their job description.
Reddit user u/Edymnion asked:
Minimum Wage Employees Reveal Their Worst 'I Don't Get Paid Enough For This Sh*t' Moments
The minimum wage in America is insultingly low, yet employees working for a pittance are still expected to go above and beyond the call of duty. Some of these stories are pretty frustrating, and only makes it clearer that all work deserves decent pay.
justme112358 asked minimum wage workers of Reddit: What's you re "I don't get paid enough for this shIt" story?
Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.