how much MONEY do you make?

[Mr. Tea]

you don't use any forks, but rather the large spoon.

Haha, no 'fence zhao, but jokes seem to go over your head so often on here, your poor brain must think it lives next to Heathrow airport.

 

[Colz]

I left University thinking it was a waste of time and money, seeing that what I was studying wasn't particularly vocational (philosophy, see: useless), and because of the time involved.

My caution paid off: now I work a low-functioning government job where I waste all of my time staring into the void for 8 hours a day.

Ha ha that's my life - apart from the 8 hour void-stare. I'm on 24k euros a year, rent works out at 6k a year, so Lidl and Aldi all the way. Like Droid said, the cost of living over here is a harsh added factor.

 

[mms]

i seem to earning more money than i have previously atm, but working harder for it, but not the kind of hard work i don't enjoy, which is what i've done previously, for less money, so overall that's alright.
it's also something i'm very grateful in a recession where pay freezes and redundancies are left right and centre, i'm kinda proud i've gone against the flow of things a bit.

 

[scottdisco]

i've always been about the £11K - £13K work gig (warehouse etc-type lad), fortunately places like Stoke or Manchester are far cheaper than the undeniably expensive Dublin.

workshy atm as i got a big wedge off a dead, elderly relative and in a very fortunate position dough-wise, so next up i reckon is similar scrips - i hope - to Luka Down Under..

 

[Dusty]

Spent the past year working for myself as a graphic designer. Its been ok, not big money but enough to pay the mortgage and feed my unhealthy CD buying habit. Things are getting tight this year as the fear of the credit crunch the media has successfully instilled in people kicks in. Seeing work drying up all over the place, and plenty of designer freinds in full time positions losing their jobs.

Times like this I wish I had a proper vocation, none of this farting about on computers lark.

 

[zhao]

It's true, lying has a higher success rate than almost anything else.

not necessarily disagreeing with you, but in my case it was about doing anything it takes to show what i was capable of. and if that included being a fake student to work on fake clients then so be it. what mattered was how the shit looked, what did not matter was what the shit was made for.

and that was how i jumped on the surfboard for the dotcom wave which lasted about 2 years... it was the biggest company in north america too.

 

[zhao]

Haha, no 'fence zhao, but jokes seem to go over your head so often on here, your poor brain must think it lives next to Heathrow airport.

nah i knew it was a joke, a straight reply does not mean the humor was unrecognized. but why would you use something so minor to have a go at me? no offense, but you have a petty and repulsive personality.

 

[zhao]

Spent the past year working for myself as a graphic designer. Its been ok, not big money but enough to pay the mortgage and feed my unhealthy CD buying habit. Things are getting tight this year as the fear of the credit crunch the media has successfully instilled in people kicks in. Seeing work drying up all over the place, and plenty of designer freinds in full time positions losing their jobs.

seems to be one of the first thing that goes when companies get tight isn't it? the style. we can talk for days about the increased importance of brand integrity and its positioning in a even more competitive market, but at the end of the day to a lot of these people what we do is just cake decoration isn't it...

they say entertainment biz is recession and depression proof but my work load has slowed about 30% since all this noise started. we'll see about the long term... might have to pick up the narcotics trade again.

 

[mms]

they say entertainment biz is recession and depression proof

never heard that before....

 

[Mr. Tea]

nah i knew it was a joke, a straight reply does not mean the humor was unrecognized. but why would you use something so minor to have a go at me? no offense, but you have a petty and repulsive personality.

But then why kill the joke by spelling it out? Not that is was a super-funny or anything, just a one-liner that didn't need explaining.

And why get so angry at what was also clearly a humorous reply from me?

Someone needs a chill-pill.

Edit: I think maybe it's a cultural thing - I remember once watching Seinfeld (which I generally hate) and there was a actually a really funny joke, which I laughed at, which was funny because it was left to the audience to work out the punchline. Then a second later one of the characters blurted out the punchline, which anyone with an IQ above single figures could have figured out, and my laughter died in my throat.

 

[Dusty]

they say entertainment biz is recession and depression proof

Yes, isn't it true that during the great American depression cinema attendance actually went up, or did I dream that? These days its dvds and computer games - people crave entertainment when the going gets depressing. I popped into my local game stores to grab something to play on the xbox this week - the pre-owned shelves were surprisingly sparse.

but at the end of the day to a lot of these people what we do is just cake decoration isn't it...

A few switched-on companies realise that now is when spending on marketing and brand awareness is more important than ever - most think its a load of rubbish and its the first thing to go along with middle-management.

 

[gumdrops]

Times like this I wish I had a proper vocation, none of this farting about on computers lark.

been thinking this myself. kinda unsure what to do in my field at this point as work has dried up or just too low paying for me to feel like doing much. been trying to get full time work but thats not easy either. am seriously considering starting anew.

 

[IdleRich]

"Yes, isn't it true that during the great American depression cinema attendance actually went up, or did I dream that?"

I've certainly heard that said although I've never seen the stats - but that in itself doesn't imply that entertainment is recession proof, it could just be that people are switching to a cheaper form of entertainment and this gain was offset by a greater loss elsewhere. Same could be true with video games - in terms of hours of entertainment you get for your buck they arguably represent better value than going to a bar say.

 

[crackerjack]

Yes, isn't it true that during the great American depression cinema attendance actually went up, or did I dream that?

Yeah, but it coincided with the advent of talkies and the b-movie, which meant people were getting 3-4 hours of entertainment for the price of a ticket, rather than 80 mins of weepy close-ups and Chaplin falling over.

I think the movies may benefit again - anywhere between £3-10 for a night out is a nice break - but I really doubt festival promoters are rubbing their hands over this year's projections.

 

[Sick Boy]

You know, I haven't really noticed the recession in terms of disposable income. It isn't really an issue of that as I have more disposable income now than I've ever had. The main thing I can feel is every industry pulling shut the trap door. I have a friend who had studied at university to work in television and indeed has been working in television for the last few years, yet once her contract came to an end on her most recent job all the television jobs had disappeared. So now she probably continues to make decent money, but at an office.

It's a real shame. I can't even imagine how the journalists among us must feel.

 

[BareBones]

I left University thinking it was a waste of time and money, seeing that what I was studying wasn't particularly vocational (philosophy, see: useless), and because of the time involved.

My caution paid off: now I work a low-functioning government job where I waste all of my time staring into the void for 8 hours a day.

This is almost exactly identical to my situation, 'cept I studied English Lit, and I don't work for the government.

I'm finding this thread incredibly depressing. I always get depressed by anything to do with money.

I wish I didn't care so much about money, or more specifically my lack of it and desire for more, but I can't help it. One of my close friends works in recruitment, and earns what to me is like fantasy money. She earned £10k in one month recently, and that's AFTER tax. I mean, I definitely wouldn't want to do her job, but I can't help but slightly resent her monthly mammoth-spending binges and holiday-after-holiday-after-holiday, which makes me feel even worse, because it's horrible to resent your friends. Whenever I look for new jobs I'm overwhelmed by self-doubt and a kind of paralysing dread, and I end up never applying for anything. I realise this is all very oh-poor-me, i'm just saying.

 

[BareBones]

that was all a lie anyway, i'm actually of course typing this from my yacht in the bahamas.

 

[IdleRich]

"This is almost exactly identical to my situation, 'cept I studied English Lit, and I don't work for the government."

Kind of like me too - except I did a maths degree which you might think would make you more employable. When I graduated I moved to London for the night life and stuff and just did dead-end temping jobs. Then I worked in the city trading options and earned quite a lot of money, but I hated it so I quit, spent all the money on frivolities and started doing dead end jobs again - something I've been doing ever since.
There is only one guy I stay in touch with from when I was trading (I hated most of the people) and he bought a ferrari two weeks ago with part of his several million pound bonus. I don't even think he's that interested in cars but a hundred grand car is barely a dent in the sum he received. I don't really think I made the wrong decision though.

 

[Sick Boy]

There is only one guy I stay in touch with from when I was trading (I hated most of the people) and he bought a ferrari two weeks ago with part of his several million pound bonus. I don't even think he's that interested in cars but a hundred grand car is barely a dent in the sum he received. I don't really think I made the wrong decision though.

This really cleared the dark clouds hanging over this thread. I'm glad you thought to mention this.

 

[Leo]

One of my close friends works in recruitment, and earns what to me is like fantasy money. She earned £10k in one month recently, and that's AFTER tax. I mean, I definitely wouldn't want to do her job, but I can't help but slightly resent her monthly mammoth-spending binges and holiday-after-holiday-after-holiday, which makes me feel even worse, because it's horrible to resent your friends.

this is pretty much exactly the point i was making earlier in the thread...