I think there is huge difference between saying someone is personally responsible for their future and saying the only thing preventing the lower class from doing well is laziness.
A minimum wage would definitely not be close to a living wage, and a living wage doesn't include saving for retirement or other less basic expenses.The average income in 2015 in the U.S. for people with some college was around $37,000. That's around $18/hr for a 40 hour week. That is definitely livable in most places, but money would be a little tight.
Sure, maybe most people earning a below average income could improve themselves and do a lot better financially. But the average wage isn't really good, and low income workers will always be below average.
You could make the argument that if most of low income workers became a more valuable by raising their skill level then the average income would also raise. And you might be right, to a point. But I don't think there are enough decent jobs available for everyone. Not everyone is a good fit to work in the medical field or tech. So the increased average skill level would just mean that businesses could be more selective and even lower their pay.
I worked full-time for a short amount of time in a tech related field. I remember looking for entry level work, and it was really competitive. I did get a full-time contract position that was a really good opportunity, but the pay was very low. The job was good, it was at a good company, and it would provide me valuable experience. But I ended up going back to school to finish my degree and change fields. And I ended up applying for internships. And reviewing my offers I noticed that all of the decent offers were in the same range as an entry level full-time position in my old company. One offer was more than my yearly salary in the old field. I could have told my old coworkers that they would do a lot better changing careers, and it would be true. But if everyone in the field did that, there would be no-one applying for entry level work in that field. And I think that indicates a problem with the job market, not just a problem with laziness.
> That is definitely livable in most places, but money would be a little tight.
> Average wage isn't really good
I consider livable to be much under $15,000, probably under $10,000 in most states. I'm not sure how you would spend $37,000 to only consider it livable.
A minimum wage would definitely not be close to a living wage, and a living wage doesn't include saving for retirement or other less basic expenses.The average income in 2015 in the U.S. for people with some college was around $37,000. That's around $18/hr for a 40 hour week. That is definitely livable in most places, but money would be a little tight.
Sure, maybe most people earning a below average income could improve themselves and do a lot better financially. But the average wage isn't really good, and low income workers will always be below average.
You could make the argument that if most of low income workers became a more valuable by raising their skill level then the average income would also raise. And you might be right, to a point. But I don't think there are enough decent jobs available for everyone. Not everyone is a good fit to work in the medical field or tech. So the increased average skill level would just mean that businesses could be more selective and even lower their pay.
I worked full-time for a short amount of time in a tech related field. I remember looking for entry level work, and it was really competitive. I did get a full-time contract position that was a really good opportunity, but the pay was very low. The job was good, it was at a good company, and it would provide me valuable experience. But I ended up going back to school to finish my degree and change fields. And I ended up applying for internships. And reviewing my offers I noticed that all of the decent offers were in the same range as an entry level full-time position in my old company. One offer was more than my yearly salary in the old field. I could have told my old coworkers that they would do a lot better changing careers, and it would be true. But if everyone in the field did that, there would be no-one applying for entry level work in that field. And I think that indicates a problem with the job market, not just a problem with laziness.