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I agree. But also back then you could buy a house and support a family with one salary as a trash truck driver. Today we spend years investing in masters and Ph

I agree. But also back then you could buy a house and support a family with one salary as a trash truck driver. Today we spend years investing in masters and PhD-s to still live with roommates and consider buying food a luxury. Especially after the COVID hikes. So even though chasing trends and always 'needing to buy' whatever new model Apple pumps out is idiotic, let's also not shill for big corporations.

spdionis 3mo ago
I mean truck drivers make much more money than you'd think.
- silverquiet 3mo ago
  How much do they make?
  - throwawaytea 3mo ago
    There's many types. I sold Audi/Porsche and every now and then I'd sell a fancy car to a FedEx driver type that does long haul runs to other states (with a team driver next to him), and he'd be making $150k a year+. Not bad for 4 days a week work, and ability to live in a slightly lower cost area. Truck drivers making $80k a year and home most nights is pretty common.
    - silverquiet 3mo ago
      I ran it by Gemini, and it says that the top 10% earn more than $78,800 annually. I believe your experience is with the top end of the distribution.
      - throwawaytea 3mo ago
        Well California automatically pays more than most of the country. And I believe FedEx has some Union drivers. And yes, just like the average software engineer salary isn't all that dang high, when we discuss the industry we tend to look at the most successful group we aspire to be in, not the burnouts that aren't that good at their job.
        Danox 3mo ago
        Three things live within your means save and invest.
    - Danox 3mo ago
      If that tucker lived within his/her means saved and invested in some blue-chip stocks they could be doing well long since 2005...
  - spdionis 3mo ago
    Often a mid level engineer salary at least.
Brendinooo 3mo ago
>we...consider buying food a luxury We shouldn't! (Well, Americans shouldn't, anyways.) Americans used to spend almost a quarter of our disposable income on food, now it's more like an eighth. https://reason.com/2025/11/27/thankfully-we-dont-have-to-spend-as-much-of-our-incomes-on-food-as-our-ancestors-did/ https://reason.com/2025/11/27/thankfully-we-dont-have-to-spe...
azan_ 3mo ago
> I agree. But also back then you could buy a house and support a family with one salary as a trash truck driver. Today we spend years investing in masters and PhD-s to still live with roommates and consider buying food a luxury. Especially after the COVID hikes. Are you sure you are not comparing top 10% back in time vs median worker now? Because people make much, much more nowadays in real terms across all deciles.
throwawaytea 3mo ago
I come from th blue collar world of the central valley California. Every mechanic, car salesman, construction manager if not worker, owns their own home and has two kids. It's interesting how 60 miles east is a whole new world where you need a crazy fancy job to buy a home.
- davidw 3mo ago
  It's all about housing and the rampant NIMBYism that drove prices up in the 'desirable' places.
joenot443 3mo ago
Waste and sanitation jobs in Toronto start at $39k and get up to $120k+ if you’re driving the truck and leading a team I would imagine we actually pay our municipal employees proportionally _more_ than we did back then.
Barrin92 3mo ago
>But also back then you could buy a house and support a family with one salary as a trash truck driver you still can. Truck drivers, electricians and a lot of vocational work pays good salaries. The people who are broke with a masters degree chose a degree in something that doesn't pay. Nurses with a masters earn solid six figures. 90% of the time when I met someone with a PhD who couldn't pay rent it's a downward mobile middle class kid who thought that learning a trade was beneath them

spdionis 3mo ago

I mean truck drivers make much more money than you'd think.

silverquiet 3mo ago
How much do they make?
- throwawaytea 3mo ago
  There's many types. I sold Audi/Porsche and every now and then I'd sell a fancy car to a FedEx driver type that does long haul runs to other states (with a team driver next to him), and he'd be making $150k a year+. Not bad for 4 days a week work, and ability to live in a slightly lower cost area. Truck drivers making $80k a year and home most nights is pretty common.
  - silverquiet 3mo ago
    I ran it by Gemini, and it says that the top 10% earn more than $78,800 annually. I believe your experience is with the top end of the distribution.
    - throwawaytea 3mo ago
      Well California automatically pays more than most of the country. And I believe FedEx has some Union drivers. And yes, just like the average software engineer salary isn't all that dang high, when we discuss the industry we tend to look at the most successful group we aspire to be in, not the burnouts that aren't that good at their job.
      - Danox 3mo ago
        Three things live within your means save and invest.
  - Danox 3mo ago
    If that tucker lived within his/her means saved and invested in some blue-chip stocks they could be doing well long since 2005...
- spdionis 3mo ago
  Often a mid level engineer salary at least.

Brendinooo 3mo ago

>we...consider buying food a luxury We shouldn't! (Well, Americans shouldn't, anyways.) Americans used to spend almost a quarter of our disposable income on food, now it's more like an eighth. https://reason.com/2025/11/27/thankfully-we-dont-have-to-spend-as-much-of-our-incomes-on-food-as-our-ancestors-did/ https://reason.com/2025/11/27/thankfully-we-dont-have-to-spe...

azan_ 3mo ago

> I agree. But also back then you could buy a house and support a family with one salary as a trash truck driver. Today we spend years investing in masters and PhD-s to still live with roommates and consider buying food a luxury. Especially after the COVID hikes. Are you sure you are not comparing top 10% back in time vs median worker now? Because people make much, much more nowadays in real terms across all deciles.

throwawaytea 3mo ago

I come from th blue collar world of the central valley California. Every mechanic, car salesman, construction manager if not worker, owns their own home and has two kids. It's interesting how 60 miles east is a whole new world where you need a crazy fancy job to buy a home.

davidw 3mo ago
It's all about housing and the rampant NIMBYism that drove prices up in the 'desirable' places.

joenot443 3mo ago

Waste and sanitation jobs in Toronto start at $39k and get up to $120k+ if you’re driving the truck and leading a team I would imagine we actually pay our municipal employees proportionally _more_ than we did back then.

Barrin92 3mo ago

>But also back then you could buy a house and support a family with one salary as a trash truck driver you still can. Truck drivers, electricians and a lot of vocational work pays good salaries. The people who are broke with a masters degree chose a degree in something that doesn't pay. Nurses with a masters earn solid six figures. 90% of the time when I met someone with a PhD who couldn't pay rent it's a downward mobile middle class kid who thought that learning a trade was beneath them