tfl: The Flatiron Life

Robert sent me this article about how salary disparity follows people after their first jobs.

It is further proof of what I have been hearing all through school. My first memories of career planning were still based around only having a couple employers and as I grew up it seemed like counselors were slowly coming to the realization that you were not just going to have many employers but probably many careers. The article talks about how it is unwise to follow the old work ethic of working to the top. Staying in one company is an unlikely way of reaching the top of the pay scale or hierarchy.

These data confirm that people essentially cannot close the wage gap by working their way up the company hierarchy. While they may work their way up, the people who started above them do, too. They don’t catch up. The recession graduates who actually do catch up tend to be the ones who forget about rising up the ladder and, instead, jump ship to other employers.

I would also add that it is important to know you can get trapped in the same cycle if you make foolish choices. Choices like quitting your job and then going to work for a $10k pay cut after being unemployed for 6 months. With the change I am making in 2 weeks I think I am where I should be. I am ready to grow in a company and stay for a while. Hopefully Orbitz will be that place. However, I am under no illusions that I will retire from there in 40 years.

Walking to work today I realized my familial circle know something that my friends and dedicated readers might not.

I quit my job! Not quite like I did a couple jobs ago. I have accepted a position at Cendant Travel Distribution Services, better known to people at Orbitz. I will be working in the corporate travel area. I think that means here. This is a great opportunity with a pay raise and good prospect of future opportunities. I am going to have the title of Sr. Software Engineer. I also think there are some great fringe benefits with being part of a travel company.

This morning Comcast put the new condo on the cable grid and thus the internet. We are mostly unpacked and I will take some pictures and post them soon. We have been washing dishes and clothes like mad. Sadly our garbage disposal does not work for some reason. We also had an embarrassing incident of locking ourselves out. If you need the number of a good locksmith, I have it.

I am going to be rather quiet for the next few days. Tomorrow Comcast will turn our cable off. And they will not turn cable on at Ainslie until Monday. There is cable installed in every room in the condo and Comcast could just turn the cable on. However, the builder says Comcast likes to replace the splitters. I also think they like the idea of being able to do random inspection to find freeloaders.

So, This is Jacob signing off.

When you comment on a post as Anonymous, I don’t know who you are. You are in fact anonymous! So if you say something like “From our new house to yours is only 396 miles!” I can guess you are my sister, but I am not sure. I wish I could turn off Anonymous but blogger does not let me do that without turning off other also.

People have said it is difficult to post a comment on here before, but I don’t understand it. I know it is a pain to register for a blogger account just to comment, but you don’t have to do that. Just choose other and type your name. Please! If you really don’t want people to know it is you then do Anonymous.

Jos and I have started moving things into our new home. My friend Christina from work gave me a checklist of people you need to notify of an address change. One of the items is “Relatives and Friends”. I know all my relatives and friends read TFL to get the latest news on all things Tomaw, so I will distribute my new address here.

922 W Ainslie St #3N
Chicago, IL 60640

I want to tell everyone all about it. But it has been a really long day! I will write up some longer posts in the comming days but here are the highlight. It is cool when your seller gives you the keys to your place 8 hours before closing. We had a longer than expected closing. It may be easier to go up to our new third floor home than our old third floor home, but it is still on the third floor.

My mom sent an email about a scheme in the endless theme of “break the oil companies.” This one suffered from the same flaw that all the others do, they do not involve using less of a commodity. You can read the letter and a nice explanation of why it won’t work, here.

There are a couple points I want to add. First, distributors do not set prices for retailers. And no one forces anyone to buy something at a price they are not willing to pay. At every step of the supply chain (including when you buy a product), the price is set based on the amount the buyer is willing to pay not how much it cost to produce or buy the good.

Second, in the email they explain that the big producers who are raising their prices drive small egg farmers out of business. That does not make economic sense, especially for something like eggs that can be produced anywhere. Prices go up either because supply decreases or demand increases. In either case as prices go up more people would find it a worthwhile venture to start an egg farm, which would increase supply and stabilize prices.

The law of supply and demand wins.