For me, getting a descent wage wasn't so easy. I bagged groceries for
$3.35/hr for a short period of time, did other low wage part time jobs when
people gave me a chance. Being a quite person doesn't help, employers buy
who sells themselves the best, not the person with the most potential. On
my part time minimum wage I put enough money aside to purchase a Taig Micro
Lathe, my dad bought me a General 1" micrometer. I made all kinds of
things, including a model steam engine, no plans, just memory from seeing
one in an encyclopedia in high school a few years before.

So as I was finishing up courses required for my Associated degree in
Electronics Technology, I got a job at a machine shop for $3.35/hr, same
wage as burger flippers make. I figured I was getting not only a paycheck,
but education and experience as well. After almost 2 years at the machine
shop I was up to $4 per hour but was interested in something in electronics
like I went to school for. Then I got a job in office machine repair,
started at $4/hr. I was sent to Chicago for training and it involved
electronics. I never could get the better paying industrial electrician
jobs or anything. On the side for hobby, I taught myself "C" programming,
Basic, Assembly Language, designed and build a stepper motor 3 axis circuit
board drill, ran from a Commodore 64, interfaced an IBM PC to a school
scoreboard and wrote the program to control it. The tough stuff was hobby,
the day job was not much better than minimum wage.

After over 10 years of office machine repair, I got a job at a cookie
factory as an industrial maintenance technician, $7.25/hr. production
workers at other plants in the area made more than that. I always
considered it valuable to take a low wage to gain experience, I felt there
was nothing wrong with working my way up. The cookie factory liked me, I
could make their machines run when no one else could, I was given raises
twice as fast as they told me I would when I got the job. So at the cookie
factory I went from $7.25/hr to over $9/hr in about 9 months. Other
industrial maintenance jobs wanted people with PLC experience. The cookie
factory didn't have PLC's. Most HR didn't realize that if I could teach
myself "C" and Assembly language, Ladder logic wouldn't be that tough for me
to learn.

I interviewed for a job, didn't get, I didn't know ladder logic, couldn't
just look it up on the internet then. So I bought a book to learn PLC's,
bought a broken Allen Bradley SLC100 with hand held programmer and self
teach guide, and started learning relay ladder logic programming. Then I
got an interview with an engineering company, the owner was the HR guy, he
recognized that what I had taught myself was related to the industrial
automation tasks he wanted someone to be able to do. So I started out at
$400/wk salary exempt, through many projects and challenges, I was over
double the salary within 2-1/2 to 3 years.

I currently have 7 years in engineering experience plus over 11 years as an
industrial electrical technician. I've had a lathe and drill press since my
teens and have owned mills too for around 15 years now.

I wasn't given an opportunity to develop most of my skills, I bought
equipment to gain the skills that are in demand, I took low wage jobs to get
the experience employers wanted. I did and learned much for no wage as
hobby projects. Same for my CNC experience, bought or converted machines
and taught myself, I've even written HPGL to G code converter programs in
Basic.

Now burger flippers think fast food is a career opportunity, it's a job to
put gas in the car while you gain some skills or get an education. Working
in fast food is barely better than a paper route for most. I know there are
managers and such that it is a career for, they should maker a livable wage,
but for school kids that get an entry level job, it's just some money while
preparing for a career.

If a person is worth the money, they should be able to find someone to pay
it without being forced to by the government or a union. I paid my dues and
gained the skills by investing my own time and money to educate myself. But
as the ultimate hypocrisy, Mother Jones thinks minimum wage should be $15/hr
while paying interns an equivalent of $6/hr.

RogerN