I live in western North Carolina, and though we have a thriving tourist driven economy, and lots of businesses and are growing at a rapid alarming rate. Its a sad day when someone that goes to school for so long cannot find a job other than somewhere such as bestbuy (geeksquad).

I started by getting my A+ certification. Went on to get my Net+ Security +. And completed my MCSA for windows 2000 coursework (the school closed and those tests are [censored] expensive). Also I have indepth knowledge of unix operating systems (freeBSD mostly) in a server environment and can administer them without a hitch. Also I am currently going to school for my computer science degree (programming). Not to mention the extensive website and other knowledge I have including PHP, CSS, HTML, Photoshop, dreamweaver frontpage, flash, fireworks, adobe premier

Even with as much as I have knowledge i have and as much as I applied it. Its a sad sad SAD day where the best "IT" job I can find is working for Best Buy in their geek squad removing spyware and putting in new harddrives for incompetent computer USERS whos main problems are ID 10 T errors, for a laughable $8.50 an hour.

This greatly pisses me off and I find it as a complete waste of talent and time...

Ok sorry I could not help myself but this has been bothering me for a while. Also the "uniforms" they have are very degrading..... I shoulda been a [censored] firemen..

PHP sadly does not pay well. $15.00 per hrs which roughly translates to 30K per year. Now JSP/Java can easily earn you 60k. If you want to make money you may have to comute. Tourist areas typicaly are not great for IT work. Look for cities(major cities) Millitary bases, Gov buildings. These areas need IT support and usally have lots of compaies that deal in IT and like the credntials you have. Normal residential ares are full of ID 10 T issues. But you can use your talents in the ares I described before. You still have the challenge of getting your foot in the door.

dude i would take 15/hr any day! at the moment if i stay at my job for a year i'll have only made 15-17k and that's at 9/hr!!!!!

Actully they came to me today and told me the number they gave me when hired was too low. So I'm actully working for 10.05/hr which makes me feel a little better.

When I get out of uni Ill be starting at $22/hr. Eventually we get $27 (woop di doo).

I want more... MORE I tell you.
(Ice: another reason you have to love Australia. We have pretty high average wages, something like 16/hr)

$28.18 per hrs

I have no collage. I have a GED. lol

I am telling you. If you have the paper work saying you know this stuff all you have to do is find the following areas

1.) Heavy population of government buildings
2.) large millitary bases with Jets, boats, training, etc going on on them
3.) Large amounts of IT companies in a small area
4.) Major metropolitan area.


I have no collage, not one cert. I do have US millitary background in communications. I started this job at $25.50 per hrs. You have a degree? You have certs? Do you really doubt you could do better?

I could do better. But I kinda need that degree, since mine is in the medical area and without one its ilegal. I mean, Radiography is pretty hard.

I know a chick that does that. Good money. But aren't there newer better technologies out there now. Ones the do not cause you to not be able to have kids. I mean I know they are more expensive but in time...

$8 USD is $10.98 AUD, not that far off; but if you think of it in terms of your $27 that'd be $20.42 usd.

Yes but then remember pricing of products is relavent to something that I carnt remember the name of (its 6am). What Im trying to say is that a bottle of water here might cost $1AUD and in the states $0.8US ($1.05AUD). This is just a example I made up, but you should get the idea of what Im saying. ie. The cost of living in Australia might be less then it is in the US giving our dollar more value here. That is no exchanging is nessisary.

I made 90k last year and dont know [censored].


course it aint got nothin to do with IT but hey wtf.

90k and I cant friggin figure out where the hell it all went cause im as broke today as I was when I was making 30k. Go figure.

wtf do u do to make 90k? i know what my dad does to make that much but that's working for intel... i would be so happy to make 20k then it would be easier to afford things...

I have some family that works for Intel. Good company to work for. At least thats what they say.

I run whats call a "netbranch" for the mortgage industry. I have a staff of 4 loan officers under me all at 90-10 splits. So I get 100% commission on the loans my wife and I write, then a 10% override on what my staff writes. Not too bad for a high school dropout that never finished college!

sintax, what do you do?