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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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 Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Weigookin74 wrote: |
| I remember visiting some US States in the late 90's that had unemployment rates near 2% and not a single minimum wage employer paid the minimum wage. They all paid more. |
It's like that in North Dakota now.
In early 2013, Derek MacDonald, a skinny 28-year-old with glasses, was living in the small town of Smith Center, Kansas, and taking care of his sick grandfather. He looked for steady work for over a year, but found nothing more than odd construction jobs. He also has a DUI on his record, which he believes dissuaded employers from hiring him. “I only had a couple jobs the whole year,” he says.
Broke and unsure of what to do next, he packed up two duffle bags, a sleeping bag and a tarp, and bought a one-way bus ticket to Williston, North Dakota – a place with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, at 0.9 percent. The media has dubbed it “the town the recession forgot.” “I found a job within the first hour of being here,” says MacDonald.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/job-north-dakota-oil-boom-200000024.html
With oil come jobs. Williston and its surrounding areas have generated over 75,000 new jobs, and average annual wages have more than tripled in the past decade, going from $24,841 in 2002 to $78,364 today. For those in the oil field, who typically work long overtime hours, the average wage in the state is $112,462. The state now has 22,000 more jobs than people looking for work.
Nearly every business in town has “Help Wanted” signs and has raised wages to attract employees. McDonald’s started offering $300 signing bonuses, and the hourly pay for a cashier position at Walmart starts at $17.50, twice as much as the same position in other locations. And if a jobseeker can snag a job in the oil industry, they can make over $100,000 with no college degree. |
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No_hite_pls
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Location: Don't hate me because I'm right
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Weigookin74 wrote: |
| If I were a young pup, my plan would be a year here for some quick cash then homeward relocating to the boom areas. Long term here probably isn't worth it anymore. In my case, as I said elsewhere, I'm a couple of years away from the pension eligibility. So, I'll stick it out. Gotta make up fro not paying into pension back home. But 10 years is a long time to stay here. |
The other thing to consider is once you've lived overseas for a year (or more), the question you will hear for the rest of your life is, "Can you speak Korean?" People will expect you to be fluent, and if you are not, it will reflect badly on you. (Not saying that's fair; that's just the way things are.) Interviewers/acquaintances won't know Korean is one of the hardest languages in the world for an English speaker to learn, and that adults (generally) can't learn languages as well as children. They won't be considering that. Weigookin74, I saw your Korean writing. Your level- after eight years here- is beginner. I would say low beginner. Not a dig at you. Just using it as an example as how hard the Korean language is. Apologist The Urban Myth is also at the beginner level- after fifteen years in the country. Spending a long time in a country without learning the language well will certainly be a big detriment when seeking work down the road. |
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Okie from Muskogee
Joined: 30 Jan 2014
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| Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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I contacted one of my friend who is in North Dakota about jobs there. He's been working there for a little over a year now. Despite harsh living and working conditions, he's been raking in big $$$$$ and saving a little over $9000 after taxes and expenses. He's planning on staying at the job for couple of more years as his company is offering huge resigning and completion bonuses.
It seems American English teachers will soon be extinct in Korea. |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Okie from Muskogee wrote: |
| he's been raking in big $$$$$ and saving a little over $9000 after taxes and expenses. |
He's saving $9,000+ a month? (!_!) My God, that is good money. What is it he does exactly? |
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Okie from Muskogee
Joined: 30 Jan 2014
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| Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
| Okie from Muskogee wrote: |
| he's been raking in big $$$$$ and saving a little over $9000 after taxes and expenses. |
He's saving $9,000+ a month? (!_!) My God, that is good money. What is it he does exactly? |
He's something like tools inspection crew for a oil company. I don't know the details of his job description, but he's working in a totally non-related field of his studies , that's for sure. 
He's willing to line me up with his supervisor if and when I decide to head to ND. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 6:59 am Post subject: |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
| Apologist The Urban Myth is also at the beginner level- after fifteen years in the country.. |
Still taking what I said out of context to suit your argument I see.
I said I CONSIDER myself to be at the "beginner level" meaning that this "beginner level" is simply a level I set up according to my own criteria in my mind...it has no relation to any other "beginner level" and certainly not the one you appear to have in mind. And what does time in the country have to do with it? One does not automatically acquire a language just by living in a country...it often requires hard work and study. I already told you that I've passed TOPIK level 3 why don't you mention THAT?
Oh I know. Because it suits your schtick of moaning about how hard Korean is to learn...if you spent half the time studying that you do complaining about it you'd probably be TOPIK level 4 or higher.
As for why am I not at a higher level? Because I do not wish to be. I'm at the point where I can handle everyday transactions in the language...and I don't plan to live here for the rest of my life. Nor am I married to a Korean spouse. Plus I'm learning another language...and no I'm not going to tell you what that is or what my level is in that. I don't want to see another 1000's posts from you moaning about how hard that language is.
In future, if you don't want these kind of snarky replies then kindly leave my name or references to me out of your posts and I will resist the temptation to reply to your nonsense (as I have been doing for a while). |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 7:53 am Post subject: |
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The oil industry is booming. You can currently make a ton of cash in West Texas, just like you can in North Dakota. Very similar environment right now. Boom and bust economy, and it is booming right now. You don't need a college degree and make six figures working on a rig or doing other oil industry related work.
TX has also done amazingly well due to NAFTA and cross border trade with Mexico.
Of course Gov. Perry and Republicans will say it is due to low regulations and taxes, but that's mainly BS. What they don't like to mention is TX was largely unaffected by the subprime mortgage crisis because TX is one of the most regulated states in the country when it comes to mortgages. Kinda funny in a way... |
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Okie from Muskogee
Joined: 30 Jan 2014
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| Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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Woke up this morning and i got another pay raise. The exchange rate is at 1022.5 won to USD1.  |
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