Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm. A $120,000 Gender Studies degree or IBEW Local 26?

Easy choice.

Except, the kid doing IBEW Local 26 is deciding between that and likely a business or engineering or other practical degree...and anyone getting a Gender Studies degree is not anyone who is likely cut out for IBEW Local 26.

I’d hope that potential business and engineering majors would grasp both the threat of AI, and the delta between college debt over 4 years vs. 4 years of decent income.

If you had a 2022 high school graduate would you rather they went to college for engineering, or joined the electrical union? Next year is stacking up to be the worst year for college graduates since COVID. Couple that with the AI headwind and the electrician will be several steps ahead.

While I know what you are kind of saying...the reality is that my kid already has an offer in CS for $200k plus bonus and options (and ability to work for the company at the same hourly rate during the school year) at an AI company, while his HS friend is doing an electrician apprenticeship in DC for $52k year. His friend is a great "hands on" kind of kid who had terrible grades in school and would likely flunk out of college (but was smart enough to realize that college is not for him).

It's a great outcome for his buddy...and perhaps his buddy will have more stable long-term employment...but my kid has zero debt and is fairly optimistic about his own prospects...so maybe I can report back in 10 years how both have fared.

What a coincidence. A parent with a STEM grad the very same year as the example who already has a unicorn job offer AND a low paid electrician friend that shares his salary. Thanks for letting us all know.

It's not low-paid...it's what apprentices make to start and he will see raises once he completes his apprenticeship and becomes a fully-certified union electrician (this is his 2nd year BTW). Obviously, neither he or parents will incur college costs.

Also, they are HS friends...so of course it's the same year.

The apprenticeship wage is a percentage of a Journeyman Wireman’s hourly wage. For Local 26 that’s currently $59.50/hr. That equates to $123,760. Year one of the apprenticeship the pay rate is 45% of the Journeyman wage, which is $55,692. Year two it bumps up to 55%, or $68,068. It goes to $80,444 in year three, $92,820 in year four and $105,196 in year five.

This PP definitely went the lazy AI route and got exposed as a fraud.

No, again, you’re vastly overstating what most people make. You just have to do a quick google search to get the data. What’s true in one place and one type of work is not true everywhere.

That may be true...but it's a huge benefit for a kid who already lives in DC (in this case rent free at least for now) to be able to take advantage of this program. I have no idea how competitive it may have been to even become an apprentice (his parents aren't in the trades, but maybe they know someone?), however, it should turn out well for him if he can stick with it.

I think PP was referring specifically to how pay works in DC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm. A $120,000 Gender Studies degree or IBEW Local 26?

Easy choice.

Except, the kid doing IBEW Local 26 is deciding between that and likely a business or engineering or other practical degree...and anyone getting a Gender Studies degree is not anyone who is likely cut out for IBEW Local 26.

I’d hope that potential business and engineering majors would grasp both the threat of AI, and the delta between college debt over 4 years vs. 4 years of decent income.

If you had a 2022 high school graduate would you rather they went to college for engineering, or joined the electrical union? Next year is stacking up to be the worst year for college graduates since COVID. Couple that with the AI headwind and the electrician will be several steps ahead.

While I know what you are kind of saying...the reality is that my kid already has an offer in CS for $200k plus bonus and options (and ability to work for the company at the same hourly rate during the school year) at an AI company, while his HS friend is doing an electrician apprenticeship in DC for $52k year. His friend is a great "hands on" kind of kid who had terrible grades in school and would likely flunk out of college (but was smart enough to realize that college is not for him).

It's a great outcome for his buddy...and perhaps his buddy will have more stable long-term employment...but my kid has zero debt and is fairly optimistic about his own prospects...so maybe I can report back in 10 years how both have fared.

What a coincidence. A parent with a STEM grad the very same year as the example who already has a unicorn job offer AND a low paid electrician friend that shares his salary. Thanks for letting us all know.

It's not low-paid...it's what apprentices make to start and he will see raises once he completes his apprenticeship and becomes a fully-certified union electrician (this is his 2nd year BTW). Obviously, neither he or parents will incur college costs.

Also, they are HS friends...so of course it's the same year.

The apprenticeship wage is a percentage of a Journeyman Wireman’s hourly wage. For Local 26 that’s currently $59.50/hr. That equates to $123,760. Year one of the apprenticeship the pay rate is 45% of the Journeyman wage, which is $55,692. Year two it bumps up to 55%, or $68,068. It goes to $80,444 in year three, $92,820 in year four and $105,196 in year five.

This PP definitely went the lazy AI route and got exposed as a fraud.

No, again, you’re vastly overstating what most people make. You just have to do a quick google search to get the data. What’s true in one place and one type of work is not true everywhere.

Anonymous wrote:

I'll take the CS / college degree.

Let Bubba be an electrician.

Hahaha! CS is one of the majors with the highest unemployment rate for 22-27 year olds. AI will accelerate that. Entry level jobs will become scarce. Bubba will own a home by 30 and the CS major will be underemployed and paying college loans.

Anonymous wrote:AI will not replace all CS careers. To think this is the same as the argument that kiosks are going to replace all fast food employees.

Someone out there has to understand and integrate AI into tech. Elon isn’t going to do that all by himself. Basic level coding that was the arduous time sucking task that most programmers hated and past to interns, yes, AI can do it.
Designing and telling the AI what to code and to fix its errors? That needs a CS grad.

Have you seen how AI draws hands? Do you want it unsupervised coding major applications? Especially for the nuclear codes or healthcare?

So 2 out of 10 CS majors will get a job. Awesome.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people are walking out of grad school with 100k in loans and a degree in French literature? Maybe that degree wasn’t worth the cost and they’re going to be saddled with the debt for a long, long time.

ROI is something to consider and it should always be part of the calculation.

Grad school pays for you to do it. The debt you're speaking of is undergraduate related, which is pretty damn generous.

Debt mostly comes from professional degrees-MBAs, JDs, and MDs cost a ton.

Disagree. Grad school is not paying for a degree in literature or the like. The student is.

Many people have significant college debt without a professional degree.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm. A $120,000 Gender Studies degree or IBEW Local 26?

Easy choice.

Except, the kid doing IBEW Local 26 is deciding between that and likely a business or engineering or other practical degree...and anyone getting a Gender Studies degree is not anyone who is likely cut out for IBEW Local 26.

I’d hope that potential business and engineering majors would grasp both the threat of AI, and the delta between college debt over 4 years vs. 4 years of decent income.

If you had a 2022 high school graduate would you rather they went to college for engineering, or joined the electrical union? Next year is stacking up to be the worst year for college graduates since COVID. Couple that with the AI headwind and the electrician will be several steps ahead.

While I know what you are kind of saying...the reality is that my kid already has an offer in CS for $200k plus bonus and options (and ability to work for the company at the same hourly rate during the school year) at an AI company, while his HS friend is doing an electrician apprenticeship in DC for $52k year. His friend is a great "hands on" kind of kid who had terrible grades in school and would likely flunk out of college (but was smart enough to realize that college is not for him).

It's a great outcome for his buddy...and perhaps his buddy will have more stable long-term employment...but my kid has zero debt and is fairly optimistic about his own prospects...so maybe I can report back in 10 years how both have fared.

What a coincidence. A parent with a STEM grad the very same year as the example who already has a unicorn job offer AND a low paid electrician friend that shares his salary. Thanks for letting us all know.

It's not low-paid...it's what apprentices make to start and he will see raises once he completes his apprenticeship and becomes a fully-certified union electrician (this is his 2nd year BTW). Obviously, neither he or parents will incur college costs.

Also, they are HS friends...so of course it's the same year.

The apprenticeship wage is a percentage of a Journeyman Wireman’s hourly wage. For Local 26 that’s currently $59.50/hr. That equates to $123,760. Year one of the apprenticeship the pay rate is 45% of the Journeyman wage, which is $55,692. Year two it bumps up to 55%, or $68,068. It goes to $80,444 in year three, $92,820 in year four and $105,196 in year five.

This PP definitely went the lazy AI route and got exposed as a fraud.

A 4 year CS degree costs $200k - $300k and results in a median salary of $150k, but AI is waiting in the wings to replace you.

In 4 years an electricians apprentice earns $297k? A $600k swing? Of course $105k in year 5 is less than a CS median salary of $150k, but that’s not the new hire median salary. Honestly, in the current landscape $0 could be the reality because of the hiring headwinds.

Year 6 the now Journeyman makes $124k without any overtime. Has the CS major found a job yet? If not the delta continues to grow.

AI will not replace all CS careers. To think this is the same as the argument that kiosks are going to replace all fast food employees.

Someone out there has to understand and integrate AI into tech. Elon isn’t going to do that all by himself. Basic level coding that was the arduous time sucking task that most programmers hated and past to interns, yes, AI can do it.
Designing and telling the AI what to code and to fix its errors? That needs a CS grad.

Have you seen how AI draws hands? Do you want it unsupervised coding major applications? Especially for the nuclear codes or healthcare?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm. A $120,000 Gender Studies degree or IBEW Local 26?

Easy choice.

Except, the kid doing IBEW Local 26 is deciding between that and likely a business or engineering or other practical degree...and anyone getting a Gender Studies degree is not anyone who is likely cut out for IBEW Local 26.

I’d hope that potential business and engineering majors would grasp both the threat of AI, and the delta between college debt over 4 years vs. 4 years of decent income.

If you had a 2022 high school graduate would you rather they went to college for engineering, or joined the electrical union? Next year is stacking up to be the worst year for college graduates since COVID. Couple that with the AI headwind and the electrician will be several steps ahead.

While I know what you are kind of saying...the reality is that my kid already has an offer in CS for $200k plus bonus and options (and ability to work for the company at the same hourly rate during the school year) at an AI company, while his HS friend is doing an electrician apprenticeship in DC for $52k year. His friend is a great "hands on" kind of kid who had terrible grades in school and would likely flunk out of college (but was smart enough to realize that college is not for him).

It's a great outcome for his buddy...and perhaps his buddy will have more stable long-term employment...but my kid has zero debt and is fairly optimistic about his own prospects...so maybe I can report back in 10 years how both have fared.

What a coincidence. A parent with a STEM grad the very same year as the example who already has a unicorn job offer AND a low paid electrician friend that shares his salary. Thanks for letting us all know.

It's not low-paid...it's what apprentices make to start and he will see raises once he completes his apprenticeship and becomes a fully-certified union electrician (this is his 2nd year BTW). Obviously, neither he or parents will incur college costs.

Also, they are HS friends...so of course it's the same year.

The apprenticeship wage is a percentage of a Journeyman Wireman’s hourly wage. For Local 26 that’s currently $59.50/hr. That equates to $123,760. Year one of the apprenticeship the pay rate is 45% of the Journeyman wage, which is $55,692. Year two it bumps up to 55%, or $68,068. It goes to $80,444 in year three, $92,820 in year four and $105,196 in year five.

This PP definitely went the lazy AI route and got exposed as a fraud.

A 4 year CS degree costs $200k - $300k and results in a median salary of $150k, but AI is waiting in the wings to replace you.

In 4 years an electricians apprentice earns $297k? A $600k swing? Of course $105k in year 5 is less than a CS median salary of $150k, but that’s not the new hire median salary. Honestly, in the current landscape $0 could be the reality because of the hiring headwinds.

Year 6 the now Journeyman makes $124k without any overtime. Has the CS major found a job yet? If not the delta continues to grow.

I'll take the CS / college degree.

Let Bubba be an electrician.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm. A $120,000 Gender Studies degree or IBEW Local 26?

Easy choice.

Except, the kid doing IBEW Local 26 is deciding between that and likely a business or engineering or other practical degree...and anyone getting a Gender Studies degree is not anyone who is likely cut out for IBEW Local 26.

I’d hope that potential business and engineering majors would grasp both the threat of AI, and the delta between college debt over 4 years vs. 4 years of decent income.

If you had a 2022 high school graduate would you rather they went to college for engineering, or joined the electrical union? Next year is stacking up to be the worst year for college graduates since COVID. Couple that with the AI headwind and the electrician will be several steps ahead.

While I know what you are kind of saying...the reality is that my kid already has an offer in CS for $200k plus bonus and options (and ability to work for the company at the same hourly rate during the school year) at an AI company, while his HS friend is doing an electrician apprenticeship in DC for $52k year. His friend is a great "hands on" kind of kid who had terrible grades in school and would likely flunk out of college (but was smart enough to realize that college is not for him).

It's a great outcome for his buddy...and perhaps his buddy will have more stable long-term employment...but my kid has zero debt and is fairly optimistic about his own prospects...so maybe I can report back in 10 years how both have fared.

What a coincidence. A parent with a STEM grad the very same year as the example who already has a unicorn job offer AND a low paid electrician friend that shares his salary. Thanks for letting us all know.

It's not low-paid...it's what apprentices make to start and he will see raises once he completes his apprenticeship and becomes a fully-certified union electrician (this is his 2nd year BTW). Obviously, neither he or parents will incur college costs.

Also, they are HS friends...so of course it's the same year.

The apprenticeship wage is a percentage of a Journeyman Wireman’s hourly wage. For Local 26 that’s currently $59.50/hr. That equates to $123,760. Year one of the apprenticeship the pay rate is 45% of the Journeyman wage, which is $55,692. Year two it bumps up to 55%, or $68,068. It goes to $80,444 in year three, $92,820 in year four and $105,196 in year five.

This PP definitely went the lazy AI route and got exposed as a fraud.

A 4 year CS degree costs $200k - $300k and results in a median salary of $150k, but AI is waiting in the wings to replace you.

In 4 years an electricians apprentice earns $297k? A $600k swing? Of course $105k in year 5 is less than a CS median salary of $150k, but that’s not the new hire median salary. Honestly, in the current landscape $0 could be the reality because of the hiring headwinds.

Year 6 the now Journeyman makes $124k without any overtime. Has the CS major found a job yet? If not the delta continues to grow.

Great. So that’s an argument for fixing college costs, once healthcare costs are figured out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm. A $120,000 Gender Studies degree or IBEW Local 26?

Easy choice.

Except, the kid doing IBEW Local 26 is deciding between that and likely a business or engineering or other practical degree...and anyone getting a Gender Studies degree is not anyone who is likely cut out for IBEW Local 26.

I’d hope that potential business and engineering majors would grasp both the threat of AI, and the delta between college debt over 4 years vs. 4 years of decent income.

If you had a 2022 high school graduate would you rather they went to college for engineering, or joined the electrical union? Next year is stacking up to be the worst year for college graduates since COVID. Couple that with the AI headwind and the electrician will be several steps ahead.

While I know what you are kind of saying...the reality is that my kid already has an offer in CS for $200k plus bonus and options (and ability to work for the company at the same hourly rate during the school year) at an AI company, while his HS friend is doing an electrician apprenticeship in DC for $52k year. His friend is a great "hands on" kind of kid who had terrible grades in school and would likely flunk out of college (but was smart enough to realize that college is not for him).

It's a great outcome for his buddy...and perhaps his buddy will have more stable long-term employment...but my kid has zero debt and is fairly optimistic about his own prospects...so maybe I can report back in 10 years how both have fared.

What a coincidence. A parent with a STEM grad the very same year as the example who already has a unicorn job offer AND a low paid electrician friend that shares his salary. Thanks for letting us all know.

It's not low-paid...it's what apprentices make to start and he will see raises once he completes his apprenticeship and becomes a fully-certified union electrician (this is his 2nd year BTW). Obviously, neither he or parents will incur college costs.

Also, they are HS friends...so of course it's the same year.

The apprenticeship wage is a percentage of a Journeyman Wireman’s hourly wage. For Local 26 that’s currently $59.50/hr. That equates to $123,760. Year one of the apprenticeship the pay rate is 45% of the Journeyman wage, which is $55,692. Year two it bumps up to 55%, or $68,068. It goes to $80,444 in year three, $92,820 in year four and $105,196 in year five.

This PP definitely went the lazy AI route and got exposed as a fraud.

Anonymous wrote:When people are walking out of grad school with 100k in loans and a degree in French literature? Maybe that degree wasn’t worth the cost and they’re going to be saddled with the debt for a long, long time.

ROI is something to consider and it should always be part of the calculation.

Grad school pays for you to do it. The debt you're speaking of is undergraduate related, which is pretty damn generous.

Debt mostly comes from professional degrees-MBAs, JDs, and MDs cost a ton.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm. A $120,000 Gender Studies degree or IBEW Local 26?

Easy choice.

Except, the kid doing IBEW Local 26 is deciding between that and likely a business or engineering or other practical degree...and anyone getting a Gender Studies degree is not anyone who is likely cut out for IBEW Local 26.

I’d hope that potential business and engineering majors would grasp both the threat of AI, and the delta between college debt over 4 years vs. 4 years of decent income.

If you had a 2022 high school graduate would you rather they went to college for engineering, or joined the electrical union? Next year is stacking up to be the worst year for college graduates since COVID. Couple that with the AI headwind and the electrician will be several steps ahead.

While I know what you are kind of saying...the reality is that my kid already has an offer in CS for $200k plus bonus and options (and ability to work for the company at the same hourly rate during the school year) at an AI company, while his HS friend is doing an electrician apprenticeship in DC for $52k year. His friend is a great "hands on" kind of kid who had terrible grades in school and would likely flunk out of college (but was smart enough to realize that college is not for him).

It's a great outcome for his buddy...and perhaps his buddy will have more stable long-term employment...but my kid has zero debt and is fairly optimistic about his own prospects...so maybe I can report back in 10 years how both have fared.

What a coincidence. A parent with a STEM grad the very same year as the example who already has a unicorn job offer AND a low paid electrician friend that shares his salary. Thanks for letting us all know.

It's not low-paid...it's what apprentices make to start and he will see raises once he completes his apprenticeship and becomes a fully-certified union electrician (this is his 2nd year BTW). Obviously, neither he or parents will incur college costs.

Also, they are HS friends...so of course it's the same year.

+1, people around here call certain CS or finance salaries “unicorn” but then act shocked when they see that the actual electrician/plumber/mechanic salaries are not the $220k ones they heard about in a story once.

A 200k CS starting salary IS a unicorn, regardless of electrician salaries.

The median salary in the US for CS is less than 150k. And that includes people with decades of experience, not just a bunch of 22 year old pissants.

And median electrician pay is $62k. That was the only point. You can’t scream about one being a unicorn and then throw around a unicorn number for the other.

Given a third of this country loves the criminal traitor President.

Education in this country needs an overhall.

Let MAGA stay out of higher ed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm. A $120,000 Gender Studies degree or IBEW Local 26?

Easy choice.

Except, the kid doing IBEW Local 26 is deciding between that and likely a business or engineering or other practical degree...and anyone getting a Gender Studies degree is not anyone who is likely cut out for IBEW Local 26.

I’d hope that potential business and engineering majors would grasp both the threat of AI, and the delta between college debt over 4 years vs. 4 years of decent income.

If you had a 2022 high school graduate would you rather they went to college for engineering, or joined the electrical union? Next year is stacking up to be the worst year for college graduates since COVID. Couple that with the AI headwind and the electrician will be several steps ahead.

While I know what you are kind of saying...the reality is that my kid already has an offer in CS for $200k plus bonus and options (and ability to work for the company at the same hourly rate during the school year) at an AI company, while his HS friend is doing an electrician apprenticeship in DC for $52k year. His friend is a great "hands on" kind of kid who had terrible grades in school and would likely flunk out of college (but was smart enough to realize that college is not for him).

It's a great outcome for his buddy...and perhaps his buddy will have more stable long-term employment...but my kid has zero debt and is fairly optimistic about his own prospects...so maybe I can report back in 10 years how both have fared.

What a coincidence. A parent with a STEM grad the very same year as the example who already has a unicorn job offer AND a low paid electrician friend that shares his salary. Thanks for letting us all know.

It's not low-paid...it's what apprentices make to start and he will see raises once he completes his apprenticeship and becomes a fully-certified union electrician (this is his 2nd year BTW). Obviously, neither he or parents will incur college costs.

Also, they are HS friends...so of course it's the same year.

+1, people around here call certain CS or finance salaries “unicorn” but then act shocked when they see that the actual electrician/plumber/mechanic salaries are not the $220k ones they heard about in a story once.

A 200k CS starting salary IS a unicorn, regardless of electrician salaries.

The median salary in the US for CS is less than 150k. And that includes people with decades of experience, not just a bunch of 22 year old pissants.

Not right now and not if you have ML/AI skills...but how long it lasts?

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-jobs-entry-level-salary-ab2a11c0?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqd590OkgqcIhHjzmDLVoV9KARBlLbLpmH5fa6RxMLZUtaLM0_mt0eifW-9sjNo%3D&gaa_ts=692e0d9e&gaa_sig=DBgk0K5p03ZujQSjgo9b3NTeOQeCoKNrm4EeIbQt6vaSPItPqYMV3oaFAaXOv06mgp2MH3hHdUN21rKm16nWyw%3D%3D

While AI is part of the reason for the doldrums, there is a bright spot when it comes to workers with actual experience in machine learning. They’re in their early 20s, they have AI know-how, and a bunch of them are making $1 million a year.

“There is a significant salary difference between a machine-learning engineer job and a software-engineer job,” says Anil K. Gupta, a professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and co-lead of its AI job tracker.

Databricks, the data-analytics software company whose value has skyrocketed during the AI boom, plans to triple the number of people it hires right out of school this year, in part because of their familiarity with AI.

A generative-AI research scientist with as little as two years experience can make base salaries between $190,000 and $260,000 at Databricks, according to the company’s job-postings page. Including stock grants, the overall compensation can be much higher.

“We definitely have people, quite junior people, that have big impact, and they’re getting paid a lot,” says Ghodsi. “Under 25, you can be making a million.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm. A $120,000 Gender Studies degree or IBEW Local 26?

Easy choice.

Except, the kid doing IBEW Local 26 is deciding between that and likely a business or engineering or other practical degree...and anyone getting a Gender Studies degree is not anyone who is likely cut out for IBEW Local 26.

I’d hope that potential business and engineering majors would grasp both the threat of AI, and the delta between college debt over 4 years vs. 4 years of decent income.

If you had a 2022 high school graduate would you rather they went to college for engineering, or joined the electrical union? Next year is stacking up to be the worst year for college graduates since COVID. Couple that with the AI headwind and the electrician will be several steps ahead.

While I know what you are kind of saying...the reality is that my kid already has an offer in CS for $200k plus bonus and options (and ability to work for the company at the same hourly rate during the school year) at an AI company, while his HS friend is doing an electrician apprenticeship in DC for $52k year. His friend is a great "hands on" kind of kid who had terrible grades in school and would likely flunk out of college (but was smart enough to realize that college is not for him).

It's a great outcome for his buddy...and perhaps his buddy will have more stable long-term employment...but my kid has zero debt and is fairly optimistic about his own prospects...so maybe I can report back in 10 years how both have fared.

What a coincidence. A parent with a STEM grad the very same year as the example who already has a unicorn job offer AND a low paid electrician friend that shares his salary. Thanks for letting us all know.

It's not low-paid...it's what apprentices make to start and he will see raises once he completes his apprenticeship and becomes a fully-certified union electrician (this is his 2nd year BTW). Obviously, neither he or parents will incur college costs.

Also, they are HS friends...so of course it's the same year.

+1, people around here call certain CS or finance salaries “unicorn” but then act shocked when they see that the actual electrician/plumber/mechanic salaries are not the $220k ones they heard about in a story once.

A 200k CS starting salary IS a unicorn, regardless of electrician salaries.

The median salary in the US for CS is less than 150k. And that includes people with decades of experience, not just a bunch of 22 year old pissants.