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$400k is what senior executives of major multinational companies get paid. It's also what top surgeons get paid. I highly doubt that blue collar workers get an

$400k is what senior executives of major multinational companies get paid. It's also what top surgeons get paid. I highly doubt that blue collar workers get anywhere near that much. If they did, everyone would try to work in that industry because the barrier to entry is comparatively very low.

opportune 9y ago
Senior executives get paid much more than that in stock (which is how these top-paid software people get most of their money too), also $400k is just a slightly above average surgeon, not a top surgeon. If you read my comment, I'm not really talking about blue collar workers, but more people who used to be bluecollar workers but eventually became small business owners of companies employ blue collar labor. My cousins who used to be electricians can easily make $250k/year by employing a team of <10 electricians to do the manual work. $400k/year doesn't seem out of reach at all, and they might get that just by moving business to a higher CoL area than the suburban South
- newacct13424 9y ago
  So you're talking about businessmen, not workers. Businessmen are doing well across the board. It doesn't much matter what they did before they were businessmen.
ska 9y ago
It's also what top surgeons get paid. Your point is valid, but that is nowhere near the top of surgical salaries - closer to the average.
jimbokun 9y ago
"If they did, everyone would try to work in that industry because the barrier to entry is comparatively very low." That's an old joke: Surgeon to plumber: "You are charging higher prices than I get for performing surgery!" Plumber: "Yeah, I make more money now than when I was a surgeon, too."
tooltalk 9y ago
Well, in NYC, senior execs at major multinational companies and top surgeons aren't the only ones making $400K. https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/04/why-should-stage-hands-at-carnegie-hall-make-400000/#5b7aa2d76807 https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/04/why-shoul... Yes, these are blue collar workers.
deadmetheny 9y ago
They absolutely do, but not at entry level. They're the ones who have been doing it for ages, break off to start their own business doing it, and hire people to work for them, and the cycle begins anew. Nobody's doing it because the last 20 years kids have been told that college is the One True Path to being successful and that the trades are for people who can't hack it there. It's hard work and long hours before you really start to get crazy high earnings, but you get there.
- galfarragem 9y ago
  To affirm: who knows more, earns more is probably the most harmful lie you can say to your children. Supply and demand!
seanp2k2 9y ago
Top surgeons? My girlfriend’s cousin is a new doctor in Texas and makes a decent amount >$400k as a brand new doctor at a hospital. “”” The salary figures fall short of numbers reported by other survey groups: a Medical Group Management Association report using 2010 data, found that the average compensation for radiologists was $471,253 and for pediatricians it was $192,148, Kaiser Health News reports. “”” http://time.com/4408807/surgeon-salary-how-much-doctors-make/ http://time.com/4408807/surgeon-salary-how-much-doctors-make...
- Thlom 9y ago
  No wonder you spend enormous amounts of money on health care in the states. In Norway most doctors makes just above $100,000. I guess this is more or less comparable to the rest of Europe.
  - s0rce 9y ago
    Strict control over the number of training positions and medical school spots appears to keep salaries high.
  - zedzedb5 9y ago
    Huzzah!!! Nailed it.
  - lloyd-christmas 9y ago
    Doctor pay has almost nothing to do with the absurd medical costs. With 1.1m doctors in the US, and median pay at 180k, that's $200B. US healthcare spending is 3.2 trillion. Beyond that, I think they deserve that much when factoring in the cost of education, liability of the job, and decrease in years of employment. Here's some math: - median age of retirement: 63. - median UPS salary over lifetime: $70k. - UPS driver lifetime earnings = 70k * (63-18) = $3.15m - Median doctor salary: They usually earn around 150k total during their residency, and the median is around 180k beyond that (typically age 30+) - MD lifetime earnings = 150k + 180k*33 = 6.09m. - MD education debt is typically around 500k, adjusting earnings to 5.59m. Accounting for hours worked, MD equivalent lifetime earnings are 3.72m. I mean no disrespect to the work ethic of any blue collar job, but do you really believe the guy who cured you of cancer isn't worth the extra 600k over their lifetime compared to the guy who dropped off your replacement phone charger?
rs999gti 9y ago
>If they did, everyone would try to work in that industry because the barrier to entry is comparatively very low. To get in, yes there is no barrier to entry, just find a trade school or union to accept you for training. However, the program and training is no joke. You have to have the aptitude and dexterity to do the job and complete the training.
literallycancer 9y ago
>400k is what senior executives of major multinational companies get paid. It's also what top surgeons get paid. 400k is seen quite often e.g. here: http://www.gaswork.com/search/Anesthesiologist/Job/All http://www.gaswork.com/search/Anesthesiologist/Job/All So it would seem one just needs to choose the right niche, and doesn't even need to be the top.
toomanybeersies 9y ago
Tower crane operators in NYC can apparently make up to $500k including benefits. The barrier to entry is not low though, it's incredibly hard to become a crane operator due to the unions.
- jondubois 9y ago
  When I search for salary data for tower crane operators online, it says the salary is around $30k per year. It sounds like you have to network hard and get very lucky to get that 500k per year salary and it probably doesn't last forever. I've heard several stories from older people who said that they were earning ridiculous amounts at some point in their lives but it only lasted a couple of years and then their salaries dropped back to average ranges once their contract ran out and started working for normal companies again. Salaries don't necessarily keep going up based on experience.

opportune 9y ago

Senior executives get paid much more than that in stock (which is how these top-paid software people get most of their money too), also $400k is just a slightly above average surgeon, not a top surgeon. If you read my comment, I'm not really talking about blue collar workers, but more people who used to be bluecollar workers but eventually became small business owners of companies employ blue collar labor. My cousins who used to be electricians can easily make $250k/year by employing a team of <10 electricians to do the manual work. $400k/year doesn't seem out of reach at all, and they might get that just by moving business to a higher CoL area than the suburban South

newacct13424 9y ago
So you're talking about businessmen, not workers. Businessmen are doing well across the board. It doesn't much matter what they did before they were businessmen.

ska 9y ago

It's also what top surgeons get paid. Your point is valid, but that is nowhere near the top of surgical salaries - closer to the average.

jimbokun 9y ago

"If they did, everyone would try to work in that industry because the barrier to entry is comparatively very low." That's an old joke: Surgeon to plumber: "You are charging higher prices than I get for performing surgery!" Plumber: "Yeah, I make more money now than when I was a surgeon, too."

tooltalk 9y ago

Well, in NYC, senior execs at major multinational companies and top surgeons aren't the only ones making $400K. https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/04/why-should-stage-hands-at-carnegie-hall-make-400000/#5b7aa2d76807 https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/04/why-shoul... Yes, these are blue collar workers.

deadmetheny 9y ago

They absolutely do, but not at entry level. They're the ones who have been doing it for ages, break off to start their own business doing it, and hire people to work for them, and the cycle begins anew. Nobody's doing it because the last 20 years kids have been told that college is the One True Path to being successful and that the trades are for people who can't hack it there. It's hard work and long hours before you really start to get crazy high earnings, but you get there.

galfarragem 9y ago
To affirm: who knows more, earns more is probably the most harmful lie you can say to your children. Supply and demand!

seanp2k2 9y ago

Top surgeons? My girlfriend’s cousin is a new doctor in Texas and makes a decent amount >$400k as a brand new doctor at a hospital. “”” The salary figures fall short of numbers reported by other survey groups: a Medical Group Management Association report using 2010 data, found that the average compensation for radiologists was $471,253 and for pediatricians it was $192,148, Kaiser Health News reports. “”” http://time.com/4408807/surgeon-salary-how-much-doctors-make/ http://time.com/4408807/surgeon-salary-how-much-doctors-make...

Thlom 9y ago
No wonder you spend enormous amounts of money on health care in the states. In Norway most doctors makes just above $100,000. I guess this is more or less comparable to the rest of Europe.
- s0rce 9y ago
  Strict control over the number of training positions and medical school spots appears to keep salaries high.
- zedzedb5 9y ago
  Huzzah!!! Nailed it.
- lloyd-christmas 9y ago
  Doctor pay has almost nothing to do with the absurd medical costs. With 1.1m doctors in the US, and median pay at 180k, that's $200B. US healthcare spending is 3.2 trillion. Beyond that, I think they deserve that much when factoring in the cost of education, liability of the job, and decrease in years of employment. Here's some math: - median age of retirement: 63. - median UPS salary over lifetime: $70k. - UPS driver lifetime earnings = 70k * (63-18) = $3.15m - Median doctor salary: They usually earn around 150k total during their residency, and the median is around 180k beyond that (typically age 30+) - MD lifetime earnings = 150k + 180k*33 = 6.09m. - MD education debt is typically around 500k, adjusting earnings to 5.59m. Accounting for hours worked, MD equivalent lifetime earnings are 3.72m. I mean no disrespect to the work ethic of any blue collar job, but do you really believe the guy who cured you of cancer isn't worth the extra 600k over their lifetime compared to the guy who dropped off your replacement phone charger?

rs999gti 9y ago

>If they did, everyone would try to work in that industry because the barrier to entry is comparatively very low. To get in, yes there is no barrier to entry, just find a trade school or union to accept you for training. However, the program and training is no joke. You have to have the aptitude and dexterity to do the job and complete the training.

literallycancer 9y ago

>400k is what senior executives of major multinational companies get paid. It's also what top surgeons get paid. 400k is seen quite often e.g. here: http://www.gaswork.com/search/Anesthesiologist/Job/All http://www.gaswork.com/search/Anesthesiologist/Job/All So it would seem one just needs to choose the right niche, and doesn't even need to be the top.

toomanybeersies 9y ago

Tower crane operators in NYC can apparently make up to $500k including benefits. The barrier to entry is not low though, it's incredibly hard to become a crane operator due to the unions.

jondubois 9y ago
When I search for salary data for tower crane operators online, it says the salary is around $30k per year. It sounds like you have to network hard and get very lucky to get that 500k per year salary and it probably doesn't last forever. I've heard several stories from older people who said that they were earning ridiculous amounts at some point in their lives but it only lasted a couple of years and then their salaries dropped back to average ranges once their contract ran out and started working for normal companies again. Salaries don't necessarily keep going up based on experience.