JCC would I be making enough?

Alright, so I'm going back to school, majoring in avionics (the electronic systems on aircraft for those that don't know what avionics is). I like working with my hands and wanted something that would make decent money. According to BLS, its 30 bucks hourly and 60K annual. I come from a self-employed farming family so anything is a step up at this point.

My question is, is that a lot or about average? I remember hearing that median household income was about 50k or so, so I guess that would put my income more or less on par with everyone else. I assume Id be able to make an okay living on that wage, not extravagant by any stretch of the imagination, but enough to live comfortably. Would I be correct in that assumption?

I know its a rather relative question, but how much income would one need to make a decent living (ie middle class or upper middle class)?

 

You'll be poor forever.

 

A lot depends on where your job is, what the cost of living is there. Unless you're a total prodigal son, you won't starve or be homeless with that much pay. I have friends who get by on a lot less.

 

Yeah, the location and the cost of living for that location are big factors for this.

 

Avionics seems liked you'd have to be very focused and exact. So I'm not sure why you'd ask such a nebulous question.

 

There is nowhere in the United States where that salary would make you "upper middle class." You should also appreciate how skewed public discussions of income are in this country. That said, you can live more or less erm, "comfortably" with this salary.

 

You can get by on $60k a year (I'm assuming that is gross and not net/take home). As stated, location makes a huge difference.

It also depends on what you consider comfortable.

 

Nebulous? Ooh aren't we pedantic this fine day, hmm.
But yes, good point.


Also even if its not a lot, it cant be any worse than how I'm living now hehe

 

Do you have enough life experience to create a monthly budget that could be considered somewhat realistic? If you haven't lived on your own yet, can your parents help or friends that have been on their own for at least five years. There are quite a few things that drain money you forget about until you just look at your history for a few years.

In California, you could have a mortgage that sucks $3,000 or more out of your pocket every month for something that isn't even "comfortable". That could be a tiny (town)house in an area like San Francisco or a medium sized house in a neighborhood you can't stand.

Just to make the numbers easy, $6,000 gross monthly - $1,000 taxes - $3,000 mortgage = $2,000 left for everything else. That will go fast. Especially if you also have a long commute to work.

 

It is not enough. You must make at least twice that.

 

Man, I don't know. What about the yacht payments?

 

$3000 for a monthly mortgage payment? Pfft, I wish.

 

Ender Sai
He will be getting the real offer, not the "let's overprice it so he goes away" price you are so used to.

 

It's tough living in one of the most expensive cities out there. Oh, you have an income over $300K? Well here's a nice 2br for $2mil.

 

The real answer is you will never make enough.

 

Jester Yes, I know how to budget realistically. I'm 28, not 18. I'm feeling very defensive tonight, so I do apologize. Not at y'all, but even people around me in general I've noticed myself becoming more testy as of late. Either way, I do apologize if I come off as snippy.

My sister is a teacher though she was / is a bit naïve and not the brightest with her moneys. She brings home roughly 35k, she lived in a town house for several years in a good upstanding neighborhood, pretty loose with extracurricular spending, donated to her Church a lot (and I mean actual donations, not just the collection bucket), AND still supported her husband who had MD until he passed (God Rest You, Juddah)...so if she was able to get by on 35 and still cover that, then 60k should be okay I think.

I also looked up other occupations for my area and most people make 30-50 so 60k should put me in the lower-middle / middle class. Living expenses, in talking to my friends and relatives that live in town, living expenses aren't that bad. The consensus when I asked them was that as long you are sensible and realistic with your money flow, you shouldn't need too much to worry about. As long as you make common sense decisions and are responsible with your income, you ought to do okay.

Not to bash my sister, but if she could do it on 35, I should be able to carve out a decent living on 60k. So Im cautiously optimistic on this one. Like when the military is uncertain about something, "We appraise that situation as manageable."

 

Can you get school paid for by the USAF (or the Navy) or Boeing? You may be tied to those companies for a few years, but it would give you job security and save you the fees (and if via the military, possibly accommodation would be covered.

 

Military is a no-go. I tried joining up after highschool but they wont take me due to flatfeet. The college Im at doesn't have any scholarship or intership programs or anything like that, unfortunately. Also my concern isn't paying for school, its whether I'll be making a living wage once I get out.

 

Don't worry about it. You are obviously in the middle of a career change and that can be extremely scary.

Have you already run a bunch of personal cash flow projections and felt satisfied but somebody in your life is trying to make you second guess your choice? Be wary. They may be offering helpful advice, but they might also be trying to make you feel less than so they can feel more than.

 

I think its more a lack of confidence and uncertainty of future sort of thing

 

What makes you happy? If it is owning and driving luxury Italian sports cars or flying your own plane on weekends then no that will not be enough and you may need to reconsider your options. Think about the kind of lifestyle you want and go from there. Also keep in mind that higher salaries generally mean less work/life balance so you need to make some decisions about what is important in your life and perhaps tailor your chosen occupation around that. Personally I'd rather make less but have no expectation of working on weekends or working regularly late at night during the week.

 

Do you know people in the field? This can sometimes be of greater value than the education itself. Not just because they might be able to get you a good entry level job with a recommendation, but it also allows things like:
- See how they live their lives (financially)
- See if they are happy
- They can offer advice on a more specific position. The one they would have studied for "had they known then"
- They can give you feedback on the unit you are currently studying. Not just help in getting the answer, but how often that specific skill is called upon.
- They might even look you straight in the eye and say "NOOO!!!! Don't do it. Worst decision of my life."

EDIT: Can the school put you in contact with a "mentor" before you even commit? If it is a trade school (didn't sound like it), make sure you talk to co-workers of the mentor via social outings.

 

The professor said techs only work banker's hours, 8 to 4. The only time we'd get overtime is if we were wiring up a plane and installing its actual linkages and what not. He said companies actually don't like us working overtime because they pay us so much as it is.

Personally, I actually live a Spartan lifestyle and I'm happy with it. Its all I've ever known so I'm pretty used to it. Growing up for instance, we had some nice things, but not a lot. After Church we'd ask our parents, 'can we go eat out for lunch'? And they'd say 'well, moneys a bit tight right now...maybe next week.' and it would happen like that sometimes two or three times in a row. We never really questioned it, it was just how things were.

And back in 2008 when the economy tanked, my sister was doing her student teaching at the time, and she asked our parents, 'all the other teachers at school are talking about how hard it is with the economy, how come we don't notice it?' and even at 17 I was self-aware enough and I answered 'because we're too poor to know the difference'. I mean we'd always scrimped and saved, so for us when the economy dived, for us it was like business as usual.

I don't need a lot to keep me happy. Just a simple townhouse in the burbs, moderately decorated and furnished, a car that runs good - get me point a to point b and has a crankin AC (you need it down here in South Texas), food in my belly, drink in my glass, and I'm a happy camper. I don't go out with friends but maybe once a month and even then its usually just for coffee at the local book store (Im a pretty avid reader). Even if I had money for country club, Id never go. Just never appealed to me. So yeah, I live a pretty simple life. I prefer to appreciate what I have rather than yearn for things I cant.

 

You mean you kick Perisan people down a well?