Low Wage Work

Yesterday, while at work as I was ringing up a guest and he asked me how I liked working at Target.

Me: I like it, the pay is decent and mostly everyone I encounter here is nice. I would never want to work in retail my entire life though.

Man: Do you plan on going to school to get a better job?

Me: I am in school.

Man: Oh.

I wasn't offended or anything, but it got me thinking, the whole "go to school and get a better paying job" mentality is pretty offensive. Many of my coworkers have bachelor degrees and have had a difficult time finding work in their field of study. And to make matters worse the requirements for jobs is becoming more difficult. Things have changed in the work world. It's frustrating for many people to not only to find a job but to keep it as well. 

That whole classist attitude is disgusting, to be honest. It sounds ridiculous when anyone says, "go back to school and get a better paying job." While working in retail or fast food may be deemed "kids work" to many Americans, there are people who are working these jobs that have families to support while prices for everything are rising daily.

I think that a blanket minimum wage is stupid. The federal government should set a minimum wage (to keep a standard) and the states should (be forced to) set one based on the cost of living in that state. One that's rooted in actual economics and not a number that businesses lobby for. You might even be able to put it even more locally than that.

I also feel that it should be a livable wage which is different in, say, South Carolina and New York.

I was having a discussion with some people in my Econ class last semester about setting a minimum wage for minors and a separate, higher one for adults. It could work since employers have to pay more to employ kids and they can't work as often but I'd still worry about the companies that would exploit them and then kick them out at 18.

This is definitely a complex discussion that calls for PROGRESSIVE thinking/ideas. I don't think we're talking about it enough, to be honest.