Depending on what you work as, I'm pretty sure you have enough 'experience' to apply for a higher paying job...

Hopefully a job where he can afford 2 snickers bars per month!!! Although I'm a bit partial to twix myself...

yeah if a company isnt paying you properly threaten to quit and if they still dont look for a better job.

53- in this economy? No. You threaten to quit and they will be "fine" because if you quit they don't have to pay out on your unemployment assistance benefits

No, don't do it! It might have the golden ticket in it

Better than the prison I work at. It's been 4 years since a worthy raise. 5 months ago I got $0.10, they spend so much on inmates it takes away from us.

The vast majority of people who want jobs have them! An unemployment rate of 8% means an employment rate of 92%. Yes, 8% is a LOT of people out of work by current standards, but let's not think that having a job is like winning the lottery.

The financial crisis did cause a lot of job losses but if OP Got a raise 2 years ago he must have been working in the company well before the GFC Therefore he should be skilled enough to find another job

I can say 100% positively that there are tons of jobs available in Buffalo, in both the public and private sectors. They range from entry level positions to ones that require years of experience. People that "can't find jobs" need to put a little bit more effort into the search and it'll pan out. We're not hurting for jobs as badly as some would have you believe.

As you said, there are jobs in Buffalo. Fargo,ND and Billings,MT are also hurting for all levels of workers, even paying for moves, but it seems a lot of people would rather be unemployed somewhere with better weather than employed in the Praries.

"Why do actual work when the government will pay you to stay home? Food? Yeah, they pay for that... My rent is soooo cheap, too." There are those with legitimate needs, and those with a terrible case of lazy/entitlement.

Perdix I really hope you're being sarcastic as always, but if not, an unemployment rate of 8% does NOT mean that the other 92% of the work force is employed. Unemployment only counts people receiving benefits and those actively seeking work. It doesn't account for discouraged workers (people who have given up on finding a job) and there are quite a lot of those.

43, I have no sympathy for people who "have gotten discouraged" about finding a job. Like all these people have said, there are jobs out there, people in America are simply not willing to do whatever it takes to have work, and would rather whine about a lack of jobs than actually do a job that is "below them."

Well, in the NY, NJ, CT area, I know people with degrees, both bachelor's and master's, who have a hard time finding work. Full time jobs are hard to come by. One with benefits is even rarer. Experience counts for very little, especially when employers seek workers they can pay less than someone with years of experience . Until you're one of those people, you can't possibly understand how difficult it can be.

Seriously? You think all discouraged workers are just turning their noses up at lesser jobs? You really have no grasp of reality do you? And no there AREN'T jobs everywhere. Certain places there are only a handful of jobs and they require very specific requirements that most people don't meet. Not to mention people that physically can't do tasks of the jobs available like lifting 50+lbs all day long. That, or the jobs that someone can get, they get turned down for. My husband is looking for another job. He just applied last night at a sporting goods store. He's been stuck in a shit hole warehouse for 2 years where he gets paid peanuts. He makes $1200 a month there working full time. If anyone mentions the shitty pay, they get fired and the warehouse just brings on more temps that they pay even less. There are hardly any jobs here. The one's available either require advanced degrees or specific certifications. The jobs that don't have certain requirements you can't get because 30 other people have applied for it. There might be plenty of jobs where you live, but that's not the case everywhere. If it takes someone several years of job hunting with no results, what the **** do you expect? It took my brother in law THREE YEARS to get a job BAGGING GROCERIES for God's sake. If he hadn't landed that job he probably would've given up for awhile before looking again. If you have no sympathy for something like that then you're a jackass.

I was one of those peope, in Los Angeles, with a masters in engineering and a CDL. For about 3 months. Then I sold everything and took an enrty wage job in Canada. 4 years later I have clawed my way back up the wage scale and earned a lot of respect for my skills doing it. Sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone and do what it takes to get to where the work is.

I had to move 1200 miles to get a job I liked. A willingness to move can make all the difference.

@Drifter. OH MY GOD THREE WHOLE MONTHS YOU POOR THING! Shut up asshole. @Perdix. Not everyone can just pick up and move for a job that may or may not last.

I'm not gonna leave my family on welfare for 2+ years, so yeah, 3 months in I moved 2000 miles to get work, didn't see my kids for over a year so they could have a better life. I am an asshole, but a pragmatic one. Try again when you learn what it's like to sacrifice for your loved ones.

Sounds more like you gave up before you even looked. 3 months is a MINIMAL job search. Act all high and mighty if you want, but it doesn't change the fact that you didn't spend very long looking before you left your family. I don't know about you, but I value my family more than that. Sounds like it was more of a sacrifice for them than it was for you.

3 months is hardly "minimal" job searching. If you're not on government assistance during that period, it is by no means a walk in the park. He moved because it was necessary and there's no reason for you, MissHayleeJames, to demean his character. He cares for his family enough to sacrifice for them. There are jobs that PAY you to move to them if you have the experience they're looking for. They pay all your moving expenses. You cannot tell me that there are NO jobs available at all. You may have to commute and take less pay, but there are jobs.

Thank you 72, the job I took didn't pay for me to move, I sold my car and bought a camper I lived in that first year. I also didn't abandon my family, I called most every day, and after that year I brought them up here, that was as soon as I could afford to, with the money I sent home to keep them going until we could be together again

Sure there are jobs...just jobs that the average person can't get. Or that overqualified people can't get. Or that you can't get because someone else got it first. If you have to commute for a job with lesser pay, you'll spend all your money just in gas to get there and back. There are temp jobs available but they're either just temporary or too physical for most people to do.

74- You're welcome. I understand the position you were in. Not that I've been in the same, but I remember what it was like when I moved here at 18. It took me a few months to secure a full time job and I was rationing my savings and having Ramen Noodle dinners for a while. I didn't take government assistance because I could manage, albeit by the skin of my teeth. There's always a way, you just have to keep pushing.

Salsa, Rice and tortillas here. I don't think I could face my kin with welfare dollars in my pocket, but that's mostly my pride.

Someone give 61 a tampon...NOW!

Took me 5 months to get a part time job that i had for 6 months.

Oh I don't need one until next week but thanks. In any case my husband's shitty job that took 8 months to find will pay for it. Barely.

MissHayleyJames- My mom quit her high paying job and worked her ass off just so I could have a better life after my dad dropped everything and left, refusing to pay off $20,000 worth of debt. Yeah, it was hard to find a job and while in school she helped a company make shoes. But now she has an amazing job because she looked hard and worked hard. The economy sucks, but we all just gotta suck it up and try as hard as we can. I know I'm young, but I went from a life of getting everything, to shopping at resale shops. So stop complaining about your husband. It's possible. And are you working? Why are you complaining about your husbands job? If you have a reason, yeah I understand. If not, stop complaining and you look for a job.

I do have a job making $1000 a month. I'm getting a second job next month after I graduate for some extra income. I too grew up privileged and am now struggling to pay bills so I do know. And I will bitch about my husband's job all I want because when companies can treat their employees like disposable trash and pay them like immigrants there's plenty to bitch about. He's tried finding other jobs before with no luck so he's been stuck there.

It just grinds my gears when people complain about their jobs. If you're not happy, find another. It's not that easy, but there are people that are desperate for work while there are people complaining about theirs. Live within your means, don't take on more debt than you can afford, and be practical. Is that do hard to do?

When a company treats their employees like shit, you have every right to complain. We're looking for another job for him but until (if) we find one, he's stuck where he's at. You can't exactly quit a miserable job without having another lined up. And what does living within your means have anything to do with any of this? Absolutely nothing.

Obviously, you can't afford things or get out of debt If you're buying shit you don't need. People work to pay off debts (mortgage, credit cards, groceries, etc) and to provide for their families. Complaining won't get you anywhere. Use that frustration to work an additional job or just deal with it. That's life. Oh well

A year ago a man traveled the entire country state to state and received a job in every state. With the economy improving jobs are starting to take in more less experienced workers. Therefore declining the average wage per worker. So jobs are not impossible to come by but sadly a reasonable pay sometimes is.

By the time I got to the bottom of this stream I had forgotten we were talking about a Snickers bar, but on the subject of digression, both my parents have been out of work since their job (they worked at the same company) started making lay-offs almost six years ago now, "downsizing labor to upsize production" I believe was what they had said. No matter how hard my dad tried to be able to provide for us again, no matter how many jobs he applied to, no matter how many certification classes he took, nobody wants to hire a deaf 56 year old, nobody. My mom, also deaf and 55, thankfully, was recently approved for disability (as she's been long declared medically unfit due to her many spine surgeries) and is now doing better. Not everyone can just wake one morning and go get a job.

Yeah, disabilities make it even rougher. Mental handicaps can be worked around with patience, but to a small company with on the job training, a deaf mute is out of their scope to train, and even a healthy 55 year old is hardly worth the effort as they will be heading for retirement a few years after they're certified. In the trucking industry we don't really have a choice on that though. The average trainee is 50, and almost all major disabilities are an instant disqualifier to getting a commercial drivers licence, even insulin dependant diabetics have a hard time qualifying for the mandatory medical.

Well I gotta say I can relate to everyone, I'm unemployed because I chose to go to a family reunion that I booked in September for December. Now I'm still unemployed and my boyfriend moved here to live with me till I finish my bachelor classes, and I have my own place. It's rough as hell and we do scrap by with the bare minimum. Today at 9am my man is going on an interview after 2 weeks of looking. It's weird how I a woman can't find employment. Funny part, I applied to all the same places as my boy friend. Sometimes you gotta keep on trying. I still am, I even applied to mc Donald's. They wouldn't even hire me due to being over qualified. I'm either not smart enough for a job or too smart, eventually I'll find a job I know, it's just so damn frustrating day after day putting in apps to places and no call back but "Everyone has to keep faith the right thing will come your way if your in the way of it. How can they not stop and look at you" that's what my nana says.

Complaining doesn't get you anywhere with the job but ever heard of blowing off some steam? It makes you feel a whole lot better. I still fail to see what living within your means has to do with this thread. We're obviously living within our means but our means are $2200 a month so it still sucks. Second jobs aren't always an option for people. I'm getting one soon if I can even find one (I'll probably just babysit since the only other experience I have is with animals and that doesn't help the job search) but my husband can't get a second job with the one he's working now or he'll drop dead. We're supposed to work to live, not live to work.

You're complaining because the house income is $2200?!? Are you serious? You know, I can understand not being happy about the kind of work that you do or the company you work for. What I can't understand is how one then jumps into the category of the unfortunate or the taken advantage of. Times are hard in the world economically but they are getting better. It only took me two months to find a job where I work almost 30 hours per week on top of attending university full time. I make $800 a month and my rent alone is $650. So don't complain or attack people because you think you have it rough...there are people struggling more than you.

I'm going to complain all I want. If a company treats you like shit for hardly any money and you still struggle, you can damn well complain. You don't work full time. If you got the same pay you do now and worked full time, you'd make more than I would. I personally only make $1000 a month, my husband makes $1200. Sure your situation sucks, but that doesn't mean mine sucks any less. We still have a lot of bills to pay and have to get help from my parents sometimes for some stuff.

123, thank you. And good for you for going to school full time AND working. My point is no matter how bad you think you have it, there are so many others who have it worse. So stfu! Appreciate what you do have! And in the end, no one really cares about your problems because everyone has their own! Live within your means. You obviously don't know what it means if you don't see how it relates to income, lifestyle, and debt.

I know what living within your means actually means, but I don't see how it relates to complaining about getting paid peanuts by your asshole bosses. You don't have a choice but to live within your means when you make shitty money because where the hell else will you get it unless you're an idiot with 20 credit cards?

I like how no one corrected #5. Unemployment is simply the amount of people who are collecting unemployment, not the amount of people who are unemployed. Someone who can no longer pull unemployment compensation are not considered unemployed.

YDI OP. Stop complaining about how poor you are on the internet to people who don't care. Just go ask your parents for money or go get a job. I am rich, and you don't see me bragging and writing FMLs about how poor people beg for money and I feel sorry for them. Take community college courses until you can get into a university, and once you graduate, money will flow like sewage.

70- why did u post this on my comment when it has nothing to do with my comment? Just wondering.

If OP is lazy, that bothers me. If he is just unfortunate, well then that sucks and I hope things work out!

Why are you guys commenting on the op on my comment....?

I am just one person. Plus my comment got moderated, I forge what it said.

You're*

Raises don't come at the snap of a finger, my friend....

They don't come when your not showing initiative in even asking for the possibility of one.

You never know, they might end up discussing his worth and decide he isn't worth it.

You beat me to it Doc. That was going to be my exact post!