There is no way your degree will tell us where you are from unless you tell us the school it came from. What is your major? That is all I want to know. That in no way, shape, or form will tell us where you live.
Also, actually $88/hour probably is pretty close to what you could be making. Considering you could potentially have a job with a defined benefit pension (VERY different than the target defined contribution pension, so don't even try to compare the two), better health insurance, stock options, employee profit sharing plan, etc on top of your salary. When you factor in all of the extra benefits college grads can get on top of their salary they make way more than just their base pay....
Plus you have to factor in long term promotions, raises, etc. Let's say you stay a TM at target for 20 years (or hell, even TL). Eventually you will hit max pay that is allowed. For a TM that is probably around $13/hour, for a TL maybe about $17 depending on your region.
Now, let's take a college grad in a professional job. College grad could easily be starting at 50K and reach retirement age making $100-200K (or even more if they were promoted a few times). That is a huge difference over a TM at target.
So, let's do the math here.
We are talking five times your current pay. You said that would place you at $88.25 an hour.... so right now you are making $17.65/hour. Never heard of a TM (or even a TL) making that much, but I will just assume you are some kind of wonder TM that got an "Outstanding" every review for a few years and somehow did it.
Now, let's assume you work 160 hours every month. That is about 40 hours a week. Again, as a TM I would be amazed if you pulled that off, but let's just say you somehow do it.
That would put you at about $33,888 annually before taxes. (and you are a TM?)
Ok, so let's assume you stay at Target making the crazy high wage for a TM of $17.65. Now, let's project your income over five years compared to the guy working a job with a college degree making 50K. (about starting a job needing a degree)
In five years you will have made $169,440 at your current job at Target. (before taxes, of course)
In five years guy that got the college grad job - makes $250,000.
So college grad guy makes $80,560 more than you in five years time.
Let's that you are reading this five years from now and want to catch up to him by finally getting a job that needs a degree and making all the money he has earned during the last five years. How much would you have to make per hour ***just to catch up to him*** in a years time? You would have to make about $59.60/hour. Just to catch up to him in one year!
Sure puts things in perspective, doesn't it?
And guess what? That is assuming you have been honest with us and actually make $17.65/hour as a TM. It also assumes you make 40 hours a week. If you make less than 40 hours a week (or less than your highest paid TM in the company wage of $17.65) you come out even worse compared to the guy working a job that needs a degree. Also, I didn't factor in annual raises for college degree guy or his better benefits.
So again, tell me how you come out ahead working at Target instead of a job that requires a degree?
