| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
|
 Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:42 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| thepeel wrote: |
| Sales rep? I don't know anybody who did that. Selling what? |
It's when you work for a company that sells stuff, and you are the representative for the business at the store level. For example, as a Campbell soup rep, you go into grocery stores and make sure the prodcut is moving, that it is displayed correctly, decide how it is marketed in the store, answer managers questions, etc.
They could be in the health industry, food, beverage, clothing, wholesale, retail, etc. It's endless. If you are half assed good at it, you get a company car, and are up to 60 grand plus bonuses in no time. And, most women won't do it, so men tend to gravitate to this field out of uni. Then they take the management track after 5-10 years. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:45 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I figured those would be commerce/business students, but I guess there is no reason why a liberal arts students couldn't do it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:26 am Post subject: |
|
|
| thepeel wrote: |
| I figured those would be commerce/business students, but I guess there is no reason why a liberal arts students couldn't do it. |
I do believe most of the upper execs (VP, president, CEO) in a company come from the sales side. Some tech companies have a policy of their CEO being an engineer but those are rare.
For as long as I can remember a skilled trade has always been a lucrative career. Plumbers, electricians, etc. They tend to have long apprenticeships with low pay but once you get your papers, you're good to go. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
contrarian
Joined: 20 Jan 2007
Location: Nearly in NK
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:48 am Post subject: |
|
|
Even in Korea the trades, doing something can be good.
In Uijoengbu / Yangju where I worked for a year, there was a Korean fellow that came to the church I went to (Mormon) in an Equus Limosine. His kids went to high price Hagwons.
I had a flat in the church parking lot and no wheel wrench. He got out of his car pulled on a pair of overalls and changed my tire for me. I later found that he had started as a scavenger with a pushcart but being mechanically competant had designed and built a garbage handling device. At the time I knew of him he had a fleet of over 50 garbage trucks, a "factory" bui;ing more and more money than most 10 successful business people.
Besides that he was a heck of a nice guy, had four nice kids that all spoke excellent English, he was planning to make doctors, lawyers and accountants out of. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:04 am Post subject: |
|
|
| thepeel wrote: |
About law. I considered it. The opportunity cost is massive, though.
I was accepted to attend a solid private school in the South. Tuition 34k/yr for 3 years. Forgone income of 50+/- for 3 years. Living expenses of 30k/yr (after the income from summer jobs) for 3 years. Plus the cost of servicing debt. 342,000$ before interest. Now, from the school I was going to attend, the top 10-15% got the "big law" jobs that start at 200k. The the next top 10-15% went to "mid-law" and earn 100-120k$. The rest start at between 30k (to work with a state judge) to 40k (as a entry level government lawyer). If you can't be sure that you will be top 30%, you should not attend. Full stop. If you can't get into a regional top 10 school, you should not attend, full stop. The opportunity cost is huge for the chance at a good job.
I just couldn't justify the expense and picked another path. There are too many law schools and way too many lawyers. |
I can't blame you for passing up the chance to pay $34k/year, especially on loans. People bash English teaching in Korea, but I was able to save a year's tuition here and pick up a foreign language while in a foreign country. ESL doesn't have the bad reputation in the States it may have in Canada.
Most States have student debt forgiveness programs for those who work in the public sector. I know that just this year, Congress passed a law to allow debt forgiveness for those who work on the Federal level. Its rough, because its a ten-year commitment. But if you serve in the public sector, be it Public Defender's office, bureaucratic job, or some combination thereof, they will forgive ALL of your debt after ten years.
So its less of a financial catastrophe than it is a trap. But hey, there are worse things than working for the gov't. Meanwhile, those who work at top firms are paying taxes out the yin-yang and are expected to pay off their massive loans to boot.
I graduated in '03 thinking about law school. I didn't enter until 4 years later. I saved, saved, saved. I'm looking at $50k debt max, and all those are on Federal subsidized loans. I feel fantastic. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
yingwenlaoshi
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Location: ... location, location!
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
Ha! A good plumber makes a hell of a lot more than any of you.
Degrees and Masters and PhDs. La dee da. BFD. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| yingwenlaoshi wrote: |
Ha! A good plumber makes a hell of a lot more than any of you.
Degrees and Masters and PhDs. La dee da. BFD. |
Not to degrade plumbers, but I have a brain. I'm not good with my hands. I have a hard time even opening packages. I have to make money with my talent. And yes, much of what I learned directly studying wasn't much but I did acquire computer skills, layout skills, and radio/tv production skills along the way on my own.
Anyway, an associate professor doing research into the human genome is going to be pulling down $45K a year. Half of what a good plumber is going to make, I'm sure. But oh well. Both contribute something real to society and both I'm sure are very happy to be using the talents they have. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Kuros, you're in law school now? What year? How has the job hunt been thus far? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
suneV
Joined: 10 Jan 2008
Location: At the Flop
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Not really. Okay in some aspects the salaries may be becoming comparable.
But there is a huge difference between the type of people who actually want to be a lawyer for the proffession itself and someone who decides to become a plumber because the cash is good. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
riverboy
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Location: Incheon
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| But there is a huge difference between the type of people who actually want to be a lawyer for the proffession itself and someone who decides to become a plumber because the cash is good. |
Yeah the plumber is most likely a decent guy. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 3:04 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| thepeel wrote: |
| Kuros, you're in law school now? What year? How has the job hunt been thus far? |
This is my first year, second semester.
I haven't been able to get an internship, although I was mostly hunting in China, and this is a bad year for it. I'm not looking in the right places apparently.
Edit: To all those bashing lawyers: at least I'll never have to worry about being a cop.
Edit: Actually, I may have just found something. I was getting pretty desperate.
Last edited by Kuros on Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:06 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 3:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| So its less of a financial catastrophe than it is a trap. But hey, there are worse things than working for the gov't. |
So it's OTHER parts of government you want down-sized, right? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 4:22 pm Post subject: Re: Are plumbers the new lawyers? |
|
|
| wannago wrote: |
| Kuros wrote: |
| But let me make this clear: a law degree is still *very* much worth having. There's precious little you can't do with it. |
You couldn't pay me enough to be a lawyer. I have a conscience and like to sleep at night. |
I guess you don't know that lawyers actually do some legit stuff. My mom's neighbor is a lawyer who does real estate law. Before you buy property or a house, you need to use a lawyer. I don't see how it can effect your conscience to do paperwork on real estate on a daily basis.
You don't have to be a criminal lawyer or divorce lawyer or the other kinds of scum lawyers. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Kuros wrote: |
| Edit: Actually, I may have just found something. I was getting pretty desperate. |
Hey, congrats!
Last edited by thepeel on Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
deadman
Joined: 27 May 2006
Location: Suwon
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:31 pm Post subject: Re: Are plumbers the new lawyers? |
|
|
| Mr. Pink wrote: |
| wannago wrote: |
| Kuros wrote: |
| But let me make this clear: a law degree is still *very* much worth having. There's precious little you can't do with it. |
You couldn't pay me enough to be a lawyer. I have a conscience and like to sleep at night. |
I guess you don't know that lawyers actually do some legit stuff. My mom's neighbor is a lawyer who does real estate law. Before you buy property or a house, you need to use a lawyer. I don't see how it can effect your conscience to do paperwork on real estate on a daily basis.
You don't have to be a criminal lawyer or divorce lawyer or the other kinds of scum lawyers. |
I susbscribed to the same prejudice as wannago, but recently realised that most law work is routine paperwork or negotiation between two parties. If you look at the ratio of scumbag lawyers to the rest, it may be no higher than the general population's ratio of scumbag to normal person.
Personally, though, I feel they are trading their health and quality of life for the money, although, to be fair, for a lot more that the average sweat shop worker.
I rather prefer Jeffery "The Dude" Lebowski's outlook on life and work. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
