Per Thumpers math in today dollars S is making right out of college about 30% more than I made right out of college.
Back in 84/85 when I was 22, I was in Peace Corps. We made around $45/week. But we did have free housing.
When I was right out of college, before joinging PC, I had a temp job for a few months. I remember getting a raise from something like 3.85 to 5.10/hr–just by passing a shorthand test! (I hadn’t used shorthand since high school and I barely passed.)
1990, In the military, I made 1500 every month. I didn’t pay rent and wore basically the same clothes every day. By August, my pay went up another 300 a month since I was overseas in Germany. The only expense I had was a car. As I lived on post, I didn’t pay rent or have utility bills. Those were the days. If only I had been in a more scenic part of Germany.
Military pays a monthly salary.
I could go to the basement and get the take home pay after taxes.
'87 took a promotion that moved me half way across the country to Vegas. Base went from 12K per year to 18K per year. As mentioned above, I did not get paid weekly, so it never came up and I am, frankly, too lazy to take the time to do the math. The other factor for me is that I was non-exempt, so I got paid for my OT. That added another 4-6K per year.
@1Wife1Kid My oldest graduated and got a job making $100,000 plus bonus in 2011 at Google. Straight out of college. We are very jealous!
In 1985, I made 500.00 a week. @mathmom My son hopes to follow in your son’s footsteps .
D’s boyfriend recently turned 23. His parents aren’t American and don’t live in this country so he called to ask me about investing in his retirement accounts. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I realized that he makes a little bit more than I do…
I advised him to think about buying an apartment or a piece of rental property to get some kind of tax write-off since he can apparently max out both his 401 k and a Roth IRA (at least to the extent that he is eligible).
@Madison85 said:
I can do the math as well, but it’s a good thing that I am not a CPA, as I might get a bit too creative with my accounting.
Atomom, I was also in the Peace Corps around that time. Forget the exact living allowance, but I know it was different from country to country, depending on costs of living. But yes, somewhere between $30 and $50 per week, and it was still a lot more than people such as schoolteachers in my village earned.
$385.00 m-f job
inthegarden–that’s interesting. Our native teachers made about 50% more than we did, and the British Council teachers made twice as much. But even at that low wage (about $180/mo) some of the PC volunteers had full-time housekeepers (cleaning/cooking/laundry) who were paid $15-30/mo.!
First job for HD was $14000 per year. We paid for a brand new Toyota and put down on a house. Then interest rates did what kids today never plan for. … Our next mortgage was 14.5%. Yep, let me say that again, mortgage was 14.5 %.
My first full time teaching salery was 14 years ago and less than 5,000 different than my salery today.
1983 – Made $6.00/hour temping, then was hired at a major mutual fund company @ $12k. Journalism jobs were paying about the same in both Philadelphia and NYC.
DH – graduated in December 1982 at 21, $24k in financial accounting. At 22, he went up to $28k.
1984 Social Work position made annual salary around $18k. Was paid once a month- around $1500 = $375 a week. We did have a great health care though- miss that part in today’s benefits!
I think I was working 2 jobs at that point. My weekend job paid minimum wage. I think it was $3.35 an hour? I worked maybe 10-12 hours a week there. And I was a pizza delivery driver… That was I think $7.00 an hour plus tips. I worked fulltime at that job.
mathmom, Congrats!! The kiddo is doing great! 
Glad to see most folks are putting the YEAR of this salary.
I was 22 in 1973. I earned $6800 a year…in a very low cost of living area. I felt very rich.
Older kiddo of mine was in grad school at age 22. 2007 earned about $5000.
Second kid was a Peace Corps volunteer in 2010. Got a stipend at the end of term of service…I think it was about $5000…for the full 27 months.
I was 22 in 1981-82 and was working at my first job out of college making $20,000/yr.
My son is 22 and just graduated from college in June, but is now pursuing his Master’s. It’s fully funded and after paying tuition and housing, he’s getting a stipend/salary (for half-time research assistantship) of about $2,000/month for nine months.
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