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htrain
Joined: 24 May 2007
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 Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 4:37 pm Post subject: Americans are funked. Korea is a great option. |
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Hey dudes,
I'm not a big time doom-and-gloom type person, but it's becoming more and more apparent that I need to stay in Korea for quite a while to get my cash up.
Here are some examples:
1.) My friend owns a bar in Tampa. He has people with professional degrees begging him for bartender jobs.
2.) My mother is horrified she's gonna lose her job and scared of her boss. She makes $14/hour.
3.) When I was in high school they told us computer programming was the wave of the future. I even learned Visual Basic and got all into the nerd *beep*. Since then all those jobs flew over to India.
4.) We have lost 3,000,000 manufacturing jobs since Bush took office.
I want to believe that America will pull through an awful war and $9tril in debt that costs 3bil+/day in interest to cover, but I just don't see where the future growth is going to come from.
One thing's for sure. In this situation the rich will get richer, the poor will do OK, but the middle class are screwed. The affluent will always want to send their kids to private school. For this reason, I'm getting a full licensure so I can always teach at international schools for fairly good money.
Lots of people on these boards talk about how going back to America isn't that bad and you can still make tons of money there. Please enlighten me as to where this money is, I would really like to know. I love my country, hate my government.
Korea is the best possible option I can see right now.
I really hope someone flames the crap out of me and proves me wrong so I can feel better. |
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pest2
Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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Sure, America is going to get better because of these reasons:
Still, saying that and saying Korea is a great option are 2 different things. |
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htrain
Joined: 24 May 2007
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 4:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Still, saying that and saying Korea is a great option are 2 different things. |
You're one of those brain surgeons who took a break from school to come over here and teach at a hagwon, I know it.  Now it's time to get back to business, I totally understand! Good luck, Canada is beautiful. Dress warm. |
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shaunew
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Location: Calgary
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Thank god I'm from Canada. I feel so sorry for Americans with Bush in charged. He turned a superpower into a cash strapped debt machine. Let's hope the next president isn't war hungry and can turn things around. I think Greenspan should be president. |
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4 months left
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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September 2007 is the 49th consecutive month of job growth, setting a new record.
More Than 8.1 Million Jobs Created Since August 2003 In Longest Continuous Months Of Job Growth On Record
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/economy/ |
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htrain
Joined: 24 May 2007
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:15 pm Post subject: |
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| shaunew wrote: |
| Thank god I'm from Canada. I feel so sorry for Americans with Bush in charged. He turned a superpower into a cash strapped debt machine. Let's hope the next president isn't war hungry and can turn things around. I think Greenspan should be president. |
I just saw him on yahoo news saying something like "There have been 49 continuous months of job growth in America." I really wanna kick him in the nuts. |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:17 pm Post subject: Re: Americans are funked. Korea is a great option. |
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| htrain wrote: |
| One thing's for sure. In this situation the rich will get richer, the poor will do OK, but the middle class are screwed. The affluent will always want to send their kids to private school. For this reason, I'm getting a full licensure so I can always teach at international schools for fairly good money. |
If you really think the rich will be fine then I urge you to see this video:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/in_the_know_are_americas_rich
It really opened my eyes and I hope it will yours.
Okay, but seriously: this view of economics isn't quite right. Wealth isn't static- there is no fixed amount and if the economy gets worse, that means there is less wealth than there was before. Just becuase the poor and middle class has less doesn't necessarily mean the rich have more. This could be the case, but to say that one requires evidence.
Put another way: rich people may or may not have more money than they had before- sometimes everyone has less.
This doesn't mean the rich are suffering- in fact they're probably doing just fine. But it does mean that the rich aren't necessarily going to get richer; on the contrary the rich generally get richer best when the economy is doing well. |
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pest2
Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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| htrain wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Still, saying that and saying Korea is a great option are 2 different things. |
You're one of those brain surgeons who took a break from school to come over here and teach at a hagwon, I know it. Now it's time to get back to business, I totally understand! Good luck, Canada is beautiful. Dress warm. |
Yeah, true,... and you have fun in ur anus. |
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cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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| htrain wrote: |
| ... Good luck, Canada is beautiful. Dress warm. |
LOL... I'm from Canada and should be offended. I'm not becaue it wouldn't be politically correct. 
The grammar 'police' in me also compells me to point out - it should be "warmly"... dumb Americans!  |
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lucas_p
Joined: 17 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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| 4 months left wrote: |
September 2007 is the 49th consecutive month of job growth, setting a new record.
More Than 8.1 Million Jobs Created Since August 2003 In Longest Continuous Months Of Job Growth On Record
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/economy/ |
That says nothing. Most of those could be McDonald's jobs for all we know. All I know is that my hometown is basically shut down after 80% of the manufacturing jobs left within the past 10 years alone, and the big tech jobs and our big insurance company moved their jobs over to India.
The truth is that factories that paid well are going overseas, the tech jobs are going there as well. If you are a financial analyst or some junk, you can have work, but for many just trying to make their way, it is apparent there are several serious problems:
1) Breaking into the job market after acquiring a degree is harder than ever (other than your automatic conveyor belt accounting, law, or whatnot degree)
2) Health care is luck of the draw to get. Even if you have a company who has a great plan, many times it takes a HUGE chunk out of your check. I know, I was part of it.
3) Someone can probably answer this in a simple way for me, but I am always befuddled how a country like Korea can survive with 3% tax, and America is in debt despite having a huge income tax. The US doesn't even have an excuse of free health care to get away with it like Canada does.
4) When I was trying to break into the market, it was the vicious cycle of companies wanting experience, but you can't get experience without a job, but you can't get a job without experience, but you can't.....
5) Going to university is an arm and a leg, but quality of education doesn't seem to be going up with it. Good for the people who had their rich old man send them through school. Most aren't that lucky. I worked 40+ hours during my uni tenure and still owed a lot coming out. Really put a hamper on breaking into the market as one can't afford to pay the bills on a near minimum wage entry level job, adding the loans.
There are a couple positives:
1) The falling dollar. Makes Americans in Korea earn "more".
2) The housing situation. It is a buyer's market. Save some here in Korea, and then get a nice deal back home.
I am saving and continuing my education here, and hoping in the next 3-5 years I will be able to take advantage of the house market, and be able to grind through re-entry into the job market. |
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Tony_Balony
Joined: 12 Apr 2007
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 6:04 pm Post subject: Re: Americans are funked. Korea is a great option. |
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| htrain wrote: |
Hey dudes,
I'm not a big time doom-and-gloom type person, but it's becoming more and more apparent that I need to stay in Korea for quite a while to get my cash up.
Here are some examples:
1.) My friend owns a bar in Tampa. He has people with professional degrees begging him for bartender jobs.
2.) My mother is horrified she's gonna lose her job and scared of her boss. She makes $14/hour.
3.) When I was in high school they told us computer programming was the wave of the future. I even learned Visual Basic and got all into the nerd *beep*. Since then all those jobs flew over to India.
4.) We have lost 3,000,000 manufacturing jobs since Bush took office.
I want to believe that America will pull through an awful war and $9tril in debt that costs 3bil+/day in interest to cover, but I just don't see where the future growth is going to come from.
One thing's for sure. In this situation the rich will get richer, the poor will do OK, but the middle class are screwed. The affluent will always want to send their kids to private school. For this reason, I'm getting a full licensure so I can always teach at international schools for fairly good money.
Lots of people on these boards talk about how going back to America isn't that bad and you can still make tons of money there. Please enlighten me as to where this money is, I would really like to know. I love my country, hate my government.
Korea is the best possible option I can see right now.
I really hope someone flames the crap out of me and proves me wrong so I can feel better. |
I kind of sort of agree with you. By coming here you can put yourself in the business ownership class if you save your money. You are also attached to a growing robust economy. America has problems beyond GWB. Is/are the States toast? Maybe yes, maybe no but the world offers
many opportunities in addition to what the US now offers. Its good to look beyond its borders. |
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nateium
Joined: 21 Aug 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 6:23 pm Post subject: Re: Americans are funked. Korea is a great option. |
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[quote="cdninkorea"]
| htrain wrote: |
| Wealth isn't static- there is no fixed amount and if the economy gets worse, that means there is less wealth than there was before. |
That's an important point that many people miss.
Wealth is created using resources, labor, and imagination! It can also be destroyed by war or disaster, or transfered from one location to another. Once it's created, it doesn't just go away when the economy is "bad." |
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pest2
Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 6:25 pm Post subject: |
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| cruisemonkey wrote: |
| htrain wrote: |
| ... Good luck, Canada is beautiful. Dress warm. |
LOL... I'm from Canada and should be offended. I'm not becaue it wouldn't be politically correct.
The grammar 'police' in me also compells me to point out - it should be "warmly"... dumb Americans! |
The really funny thing is Im not Canadian and Im in Korea now. |
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jdog2050
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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| htrain wrote: |
| shaunew wrote: |
| Thank god I'm from Canada. I feel so sorry for Americans with Bush in charged. He turned a superpower into a cash strapped debt machine. Let's hope the next president isn't war hungry and can turn things around. I think Greenspan should be president. |
I just saw him on yahoo news saying something like "There have been 49 continuous months of job growth in America." I really wanna kick him in the nuts. |
I'M RUNNING INTO THIS PROBLEM RIGHT NOW.
As much as I want to go back to the states, help my dad open his coffee shops, and then go to grad school, I have to admit that the American dollar is horrible right now.
The prudent thing to do would be to wait, but...my dad is gettin' old.  |
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dogshed
Joined: 28 Apr 2006
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