4 ms·

Nice lie of a title. Here's the real question: why did she chose to work in the most expensive city in the country? What was she expecting? Yes, customer serv

by kdamken 11y ago

Nice lie of a title. Here's the real question: why did she chose to work in the most expensive city in the country? What was she expecting? Yes, customer service reps don't get paid well. Why? Because literally anyone who can answer the phone and not be rude can do it. The required skill set for it is very low and it's easy to find replacements, so it's not going to be a well paid position. If you read her article, you'll learn she majored in english (which is fine, but you should go into that knowing you're not going to make much money), and immediately got herself in a bunch of debt after college. She clearly isn't the best at financial decision making. I wouldn't want to live in the bay area on a dev salary, let alone on a service rep one. No one is forcing her to make bad decisions. I can't stand people complaining about the status quo when they make horrible decisions with their money and life choices. And just to note, I was a customer service rep for over two years, so I know what the job entails. I eventually realized it wasn't a career, and decided to teach myself to code. Even if I hadn't though, I'd still be doing okay by: 1. Not spending more than I earn. 2. Not living in a ridiculously expensive city without an equally ridiculous income.

mcphage 11y ago
> Yes, customer service reps don't get paid well. Why? Because literally anyone who can answer the phone and not be rude can do it. The required skill set for it is very low and it's easy to find replacements, so it's not going to be a well paid position. Why are they offering that position in the most expensive city in the country? If they're not going to pay enough for it, who taking the job will be able to afford to live on the salary?
- kdamken 11y ago
  But they can offer whatever they want as allowed by law. They're a business, not a charity. People can choose to apply and work there, or not. No one is forcing them to. I would recommend looking through her post and also some of the links posted. It looks like she wasn't living within her means. When that's the case you can either: 1. Work to increase your means 2. Reduce your expenses 3. Sink deeper and deeper into a pit of debt and despair
  - mcphage 11y ago
    > They're a business, not a charity. She's not a charity, either—she works for them, in exchange for the money to live. If they're not offering enough for that to be possible, then they're expecting for people to work for them as a charity. > I would recommend looking through her post and also some of the links posted. It looks like she wasn't living within her means. I'm not going to try and assess that based on pictures someone found on the internet.
    - kdamken 11y ago
      You are 100% right - she's not a charity. If she's unhappy with the amount of payment she's receiving, she can leave and find another job. It's not like she signed a lifetime contract.
      - mcphage 11y ago
        Unfortunately since they've mis-priced their offering, her replacement will be run into the exact same problem.
tortoise_face 11y ago
The idea that because someone doesn't have specialized skills means that they don't deserve a living wage is a bit silly. You're appealing to free market principles as a justification of free market principles. You're attacking this specific person for her poor financial skills but ignoring the larger issue of ALL the people Yelp hires and pays less than $10/hr and all the people in the country in similar positions. As long as we accept that someone has to do these jobs and that the unemployed and underpaid have very little leverage then this has to be seen as a systematic problem and not an individual failing.
- kdamken 11y ago
  I never said they don't need to be paid a living wage. I said that they shouldn't expect to be making tons of money for that kind of work. Based on her article, she made $19,064.24 a year, or $1,588.68 a month. Is that a lot of money? Not really, but you can make it work. The key is to actually live within your means. Cut the expensive cell phone bill. Get some roommates. Stop eating out and going out for drinks all the time. Sell your expensive car and get a cheaper one (or just bike if you can). I agree that people should be paid a living wage, but I also think people should be responsible for what they do with their money. If you don't like your current job, work to find a better one. Don't just complain about it on the internet.

by kdamken 11y ago

mcphage 11y ago

> Yes, customer service reps don't get paid well. Why? Because literally anyone who can answer the phone and not be rude can do it. The required skill set for it is very low and it's easy to find replacements, so it's not going to be a well paid position. Why are they offering that position in the most expensive city in the country? If they're not going to pay enough for it, who taking the job will be able to afford to live on the salary?

kdamken 11y ago
But they can offer whatever they want as allowed by law. They're a business, not a charity. People can choose to apply and work there, or not. No one is forcing them to. I would recommend looking through her post and also some of the links posted. It looks like she wasn't living within her means. When that's the case you can either: 1. Work to increase your means 2. Reduce your expenses 3. Sink deeper and deeper into a pit of debt and despair
- mcphage 11y ago
  > They're a business, not a charity. She's not a charity, either—she works for them, in exchange for the money to live. If they're not offering enough for that to be possible, then they're expecting for people to work for them as a charity. > I would recommend looking through her post and also some of the links posted. It looks like she wasn't living within her means. I'm not going to try and assess that based on pictures someone found on the internet.
  - kdamken 11y ago
    You are 100% right - she's not a charity. If she's unhappy with the amount of payment she's receiving, she can leave and find another job. It's not like she signed a lifetime contract.
    - mcphage 11y ago
      Unfortunately since they've mis-priced their offering, her replacement will be run into the exact same problem.

tortoise_face 11y ago

The idea that because someone doesn't have specialized skills means that they don't deserve a living wage is a bit silly. You're appealing to free market principles as a justification of free market principles. You're attacking this specific person for her poor financial skills but ignoring the larger issue of ALL the people Yelp hires and pays less than $10/hr and all the people in the country in similar positions. As long as we accept that someone has to do these jobs and that the unemployed and underpaid have very little leverage then this has to be seen as a systematic problem and not an individual failing.

kdamken 11y ago
I never said they don't need to be paid a living wage. I said that they shouldn't expect to be making tons of money for that kind of work. Based on her article, she made $19,064.24 a year, or $1,588.68 a month. Is that a lot of money? Not really, but you can make it work. The key is to actually live within your means. Cut the expensive cell phone bill. Get some roommates. Stop eating out and going out for drinks all the time. Sell your expensive car and get a cheaper one (or just bike if you can). I agree that people should be paid a living wage, but I also think people should be responsible for what they do with their money. If you don't like your current job, work to find a better one. Don't just complain about it on the internet.