So I start looking for work and a house in Lubbock so I can be closer to Kalee sooner and hopefully have a better job.  I get a good lead on a place that makes water pumps and I follow it up.  Only real irritating thing about this job is that they insist on using a temp service and the temp service doesn't like me...they kept trying to put me at this other job that I didn't want to work at until they just stopped calling me.  While going through that nonsense I get a call from a friend for a job in my current area working for a big name gas refinery joint...they tell me "we want someone NOW!" and the job was offering twice the start pay and similar benefits but not as much off-time...so I sent them my resume.  That was 6~8 weeks ago.  i kept waiting on them, though, but never heard anything.  Left messages and called people and went and spoke with them and they'd never tell me anything.

Last week while visiting Kalee, her sister's husband gets a call up from the water pump people (he's my lead into the company...long time employee).  It's one of the managers calling up to ask if I still wanted to work for them.  I say hell yeah and he says he'll start setting stuff up with human resources and get the temp agency called and I'd hear something tomorrow.  The next day, Friday, I get antsy and call the temp people up at about 2pm and ask if they'd heard anything.  No, but they said i needed to come update some stuff.  Bummed me out.  But I took Kalee to work and figured the temp service would be open for another half hour and went by...I start filling out some forms and they give me a slip to take to some med joint to take a drug test.  I ask what that was for and they say the water pump place called just after I did...they didn't see fit to let me know, though...thanks a lot...I hate temp agencies.

But anyway I get my drug test done and talk to folks at the water pump joint and find out that the manager I spoke to wants me to come in and that the other people liked my app and resume and they want me there, but they got to wait on one more person to speak up.  Pretty much a done deal last Friday.  I tell them I'm committed and that all I need to put in notice with my current boss is for this last guy to speak up.  On top of that, we've found the house we want and it's in an EXCELLENT neighborhood with lots of cops living locally.  Not a super big house....about 1500sqft with a BIG back yard (we have dogs) and it's got a lot of really nice extras...for 105k.  So we're scrambling for the down payment...trying to conjure up 20% so if anyone would like to donate a couple bucks to help us get our lives started my paypal addy is makenzie71@gmail.com haha.  I'm serious...

Today I get a call from the manager at the refinery.  Lovely.  Now they're ready to talk turkey with me.  Wonderful.  Not even interested, now, except they offer more money at the get go.

Which would you guys pick?

Water pump place starts at $8/hr while temping (6 weeks) then a raise but I don't know to what.  I can get 18 hours every week of overtime.  Standard work schedule is Monday through Thrusday...they allow 2 hours over every day and Friday is all overtime.  It's an indoor facility so it's climate controlled.  You get paid time off on holidays...like 2 weeks of it around Christmas.  Lots of opportunities for advancement and they help you go to school if you're going to specialize in something work related.  Kalee has a lot more job opportunities in this area and she's got a college education behind her.

Refinery starts off at $15/hr, 40 hours a week.  They don't allow much overtime.  It's field work in the Texas Panhandle so I'd be working in 100*+ around now and 10 under in the winter.  It's welding and working on gas lines.  They send you to school for work specialized education.  There's a lot more room for advancement here...there's a lot of guys who start out the same and end up bringing in $22+/hr after 3~4 years.  There's nowhere for kalee to work in this area, though.

Both have good insurance...which I'm happy if I could just get dental and vision because me and kalee both have bad eyes and I'd like to be able to get my teeth cleaned every once in a while.

Both, starting out, are about a $10k/yr hit on what I bring home right now, but I can't always count on finding good bikes and Audis laying around to be broken down, and if I'm in Lubbock I won't be spending $8000/yr in fuel and tires just to go see her.  Unless they come up with something exceptional at the refinery, I'm set on moving ot Lubbock.

I'd take the refinery position so you have a skilled trade to fall back to ... the best move i ever made was to quit Pizza Hut (i was going to be the youngest assistant manager in the history of PepsiCo owning the chain ... woohoo lol) and go work with my Dad and brother doing heating & cooling . I have my own company now and a fairly comfortable living . I also learned a skilled trade ... most of the people i still know from my younger days that worked fast food & factories are over 30 and are competing for jobs with 18yo kids that are just as qualified as they are
Hell , 2 out of my 3 laborers went to school with me and got the same basic education i did

Oh for reference, the water pump job will be me learning how to operate lathes and giant CNC machines and stuff of that nature.  It isn't a sit around and assemble stuff job...

And it starts at $9.13/hr...i wasn't informed correctly before.

Eh , it's still factory work versus welding 

Then again , if you have connections in the factory i guess that could help ... i just know i couldn't stand being in the same place all day long 

Maybe it's just me ... i worked in a factory for a half day once ... 5 hours that seemed like 5 days

I would like to apologize for not minding my wording with the title, and thanks to who ever took the time to alter it.

I did Mak, I thought I'd take a liberty and change it & keep your thread going. 

Forget the factory. You're just a number there.

Go for the refinery work. You're still just a number, but you can make CONNECTIONS that will pay off. Oil is MONEY, and there's plenty of it.

With a little bit of networking you can do alot more with the folks at the refinery.

Above all, it's just a f%$king job. Keep the missus (or to be?) happy, do what's right by both of you. Keep your spending in check and save save save. Keep 6 months' salary in the bank and don't touch it. Then start saving for the house. You ride a bike and work with potentially dangerous shaZam! all day. Having a sizable cushion in the bank is a really good idea.

All common sense I know, but didn't want you to miss it with all the moving and stress.

$9.83 an Hr and a 100K house


Hope your girl makes some coin cause I don't see how you can cut it on that. Unless you LOVE Ramen Noodels and Kool-Aid

It's not an oil refinery...it's natural gas...more of a processing facility I guess.  don't know what kind of generic term to give it and i didn't want to post their name up.

As it is, though, I already accepted the job at the waterpump joint.  It's the Gould's facility in Lubbock.  They do all the casting and such there...really spiffy place.  I'll be working as a machinist carving out the pump casings and balancing turbines...aand since I'll have a giant lathe on hand I'll probably sneak some side work in as well haha.

Big thing is that I'll be closer to Kalee, now, and she has a $1100/mo job coming up this winter (her sister is having a baby and the lady's too much a work-a-holic to take time off for the kid haha).  She'll also be opening a studio and maybe shooting some weddings (where the money is).  She wouldn't be able to do any of that here.

Scott...we're scouoring to put around 20% down...which puts our payments in the vicinity of $800/mo.  bringing home a little under 2k  month should cover that.  Plus, she does have a job...not much, but we don't need much.  The typical cost of living in Texas is quite low in comparison to most places...especially in New England.  my sister was forking over $1300/mo for a 1300sq ft house in Maryland until the Army finally got them on base.  Also, after I get rid of the temp agency I get a raise.

it absolutely amazes me at the pitiful wages being paid to unskilled or semi skilled workers.  another craw in my throat is the lack of universal health care in this country.  which ever job you take i wish you the best of luck.

my advise to everyone is to stay in school

Quote from: frankieG on July 09, 2007, 07:05:22 PM
it absolutely amazes me at the pitiful wages being paid to unskilled or semi skilled workers.  another craw in my throat is the lack of universal health care in this country.  which ever job you take i wish you the best of luck.

my advise to everyone is to stay in school

Move to Canada

In all honesty, these aren't petty pay...especially for entry level positions.  The only people who think it is are from California or New England where the cost of living is retarded.

Your cost of living can't be too far off from St Louis ... i think you may be running your budget a little tight after utilities and stuff Mak

You have to watch what you are actually gonna spend on a house . My house payment is like $850 a month on 96k borrowed @ 30yrs (and i got my house 5yrs ago when the rates were lower ... i got in at 6.84%). When the realtors/lender tell you your payment , they don't usually factor in escrow(the lender pays your property taxes for you) , insurance , PMI (Primary mortgage Insurance ... doesn't help you out at all , just covers the lender if you default in X-amount of time) , etc . I told the realtor i wanted my payments under $600ish a month , which they are ... until all the extras are added in . Less than $200 of my payments actually go towards the balance of my loan . If you can get the 20% , you may be able to get away without PMI , but that's really only like 50 bucks or so .

I don't think anyone's trying to upset you on your wages , i just think you may have to spend more than you think bud

Man that would be a Hard Choice for me. I'm going to be in the Same Situation Probably in the Next few Months.I'm torn between working in a machine Shop as a Machinist or Welder (No Experience required) OR working as an Electrian. I hate working on a Concrete Floor 10 Hours a Day and I get Sick after about 8ft off of the Ground since I'm Hypsiphobic or whatever you call it.

Quote from: genEricStL on July 09, 2007, 08:03:57 PM
Your cost of living can't be too far off from St Louis ... i think you may be running your budget a little tight after utilities and stuff Mak

You have to watch what you are actually gonna spend on a house . My house payment is like $850 a month on 96k borrowed @ 30yrs (and i got my house 5yrs ago when the rates were lower ... i got in at 6.84%). When the realtors/lender tell you your payment , they don't usually factor in escrow(the lender pays your property taxes for you) , insurance , PMI (Primary mortgage Insurance ... doesn't help you out at all , just covers the lender if you default in X-amount of time) , etc . I told the realtor i wanted my payments under $600ish a month , which they are ... until all the extras are added in . Less than $200 of my payments actually go towards the balance of my loan . If you can get the 20% , you may be able to get away without PMI , but that's really only like 50 bucks or so .

If we can arrange the 20% down then our payments would be a hair over $800/mo...that's everything.  In Texas, you have to have your taxes and insurance and everything figured into your monthly note.  If we can't wring out the 20k, we're out a hair under $1000/mo...phone, power, gas, water...typical bills...run about $500/mo in our area.  Which leaves about $1000/mo between me and kalee to spend on food, fuel, and screwing around.

Just doublechecking with ya man , i'd hate to see ya get burned 

We paid 10% down with seller paid closing on our house with a 30 year note escrowing insurance and taxes our total monthly is 875. Be careful what you get into Mak. Fortunately My wife and I both have solid stable long term Job's. I am assuming 850 is total with insurance and taxes escrowed. You just don't ever want to get behind the 8-ball on a house payment. I spent 2 years running the AS/400 for a mortgage company here in town and let me tell you it is brutal trying to get caught back up.

working in a factory aint' really that bad. especially since i noticed he mentioned cnc machines. i'm a cnc mill operator for Crown.  i just started at the mill operator position 2 months ago. i work second shift but i make almost $14 and hour. top out is $16 in my dept right now. after a year i can move to another plant, next town over and top out pay is close to $20. i had no prior machining experince for this job. all i'm saying is factory work ain't bad if you get the right company. i love my job! do what's best for you and your family though.

I'd be working 3rd shift...but I live third shift anyway haha.  Translating this to a 40 hour a week job it's like $15.20/hr to start.  That's how they keep employees happy, I'm told.  They keep the mandatory operating hours there short so people can pretty much take a break any time they want...but they make sure they have all the overtime they can take.

As a side note, not all temp places are crap either. i got this job through a temp place. i worked my ass off and within a month got hired in full time.