Local Craigslist Job Seeker/Poster Nails It!

Quite the truthful piece...

Dear HR/Hiring Manager,


So you're looking for someone with a Bachelor's degree, and you want to pay them $10 an hour. That's nice. Let's do some math...

$10/hr x 40 hrs/week = $400 week


$400/week x 52 weeks = $20,800.

So, gross pay is $20,800...but after taxes, and let's assume a conservative tax rate of 18%....

=net annual salary of $17,056.

Now, the average rent in Corvallis for a one bedroom apartment is around $600, and the minimum income/rent ratio for most landlords is 2 1/2 : 1. So, that means, to rent a one bedroom apartment at $600/month, you must take home a minimum of $1500. So, even if our landlord is generous and lets us rent anyway, here's what we have:

$1421 take home pay


-$600 rent


= $821

Now eating as cheaply as possible...that's probably $50/week, which is $200 a month right off the top...so now we have $621 left.

Gas is probably $75 at a minimum, allowing for no exorbitant travel, so now we have $546 left.

Car insurance is probably at least $70, and if you're a male, $100. So, to compromise, let's say $85. Now we're down to $461.

Medical insurance, now that's a big one...probably $150 at least, with the largest deductibles, if you're in good health and on an individual plan, since it obviously isn't offered with your wonderful establishment. So now we have $311.  [this must be a younger individual as a private plan will cost most adults at least 3-4X that amount]

Phone is probably around $50, for a basic nationwide unlimited plan (and no home line). Now we have $261.

Utilities? Let's be conservative and say $75. Now we have $186.  [electric would be $75 MINIMUM w/today's rates and h2o for one individual $35-$40.]

Wow, so we have a whopping $186 month contingency. Assuming of course, that we never get sick, never go out to eat, never rent a movie, never buy postage, never need to buy cleaning supplies, do laundry, get an oil change, have car problems, and generally never leave the house unless going to work. And of course, since our original model figures 52 weeks a year of work, that is NO sick days, NO vacation, and NO time off for any reason. And lastly, it assumes that we have NO credit card debt, NO student loans, NO car payment and NO kids.

Seriously, PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS!!!!!!!!!!   [Amen.}


Regards,


Potential Job Candidate