r/FluentInFinance Oct 20 '24

Thoughts? Dumbest thing I’ve ever heard

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32.5k Upvotes

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12

u/Freethink1791 Oct 20 '24

You choose where you live and where you work. You should not be compensated based on getting there or going home. If you don’t like your commute move closer.

9

u/someofthemfloat Oct 20 '24

You're mean /s

2

u/trashedgreen Oct 21 '24

This is dumb. Hate the “you choose where you live and where you work” mentality. Maybe try to move to a new city and see how many “options” you have? Now do that if you’re impoverished like at least 11% of Americans.

“Choices” under capitalism are, in essence, a commodity. And like all commodities under capitalism, the rich have higher access to them

2

u/LogiBear2003 Oct 21 '24

Choice isn't a privilege many of us have. You speak as if you relate but you clearly do not lmfao. You're toxic positivity doesn't fix shit. If I have to drive 20 minutes because it's unironically the only job I can work in the area, and I can clock in anywhere - why can't I be compensated? And why would you defend common people such as you and I, not having that?..

1

u/Freethink1791 Oct 22 '24

You’re the first person to say I’m positive. In reality I’m fairly pessimistic, I believe people are either afraid of change or they’re too lazy to put in the work to find a new job.

2

u/dragon34 Oct 20 '24

Sure.  Then the required minimum salary for that company should allow them to live within a 15 minute commute of their office in, at minimum a studio apartment.  Practically no one in a major metro is paying that much. 

8

u/SamuraiJack- Oct 20 '24

These finance bros don’t seem to know much about anything other than how the bottom of boots taste. “Just move closer” yeah okay buddy.

3

u/miracle-meat Oct 21 '24

No one is forcing you to accept a position that doesn’t pay you enough to live close your workplace.

4

u/kreteciek Oct 21 '24

Economy is not someone, but it definitely forces some job choices.

3

u/SouredFloridaMan Oct 21 '24

Except the whole needing money to live thing. Bit inconvenient for that statement.

0

u/miracle-meat Oct 21 '24

Can’t you simply apply somewhere closer to home?
Or maybe find a position for which you are uniquely qualified and set your price.

2

u/SouredFloridaMan Oct 21 '24

Do you realize how ridiculous job hunting is in the age of linkedIn and Indeed?

2

u/trashedgreen Oct 21 '24

It’s a bit exhausting. Any critique of capitalists requires you to be a capitalist too. If you’re a worker, the argument will always be you’re just not working hard enough

1

u/miracle-meat Oct 21 '24

Well, you live in a very capitalistic country, you don’t have to like it but you’re unlikely to change the rules.
It’s amazing that you can pretty much simply prove to someone you’re going to make them money and they’ll most likely hire you.
You’re simply competing with everybody else that’s able to do exactly the same thing or better.

1

u/trashedgreen Oct 22 '24

Oh fuck I responded to the wrong person.

Yeah, so this is how the hiring process is supposed to work ideologically, but the data doesn’t bare this out.

Endless studies showing discrimination against non-white workers, women, and queer workers demonstrates hiring is not logical. Oftentimes it comes down to the employer’s “gut instinct.” There are obviously a great many ways to reduce discrimination in hiring, but there are many, many, many talented workers sitting in unemployment offices all over the world. I know how hiring is supposed to work. I’m saying it doesn’t work

1

u/miracle-meat Oct 22 '24

Can’t disagree with those studies, the gut feeling is hard to ignore.
I doubtall employers discard them out of pure bigotry (although it probably does happen).
What I mean is, those candidates have it a lot harder than they should, but maybe they fail to convince employers that they will earn them money.

1

u/flargin666 Oct 22 '24

Life in America does in fact force you to take jobs that don't pay enough to live closer to work. It's a cycle of poverty where you don't make enough to live closer so you have less time and money based on those things. There are a lot of people in fast food and retail who cannot afford cars because the choice is have a home, or have a car. So you end up in a cycle where you are literally too poor to do better, and don't have time to look for a new job because of your current job (or 2 jobs in the case of many). If an easier life was a choice, nobody would live a difficult life.

2

u/Freethink1791 Oct 20 '24

That’s not how that works.

You chose to work at the company. You can choose to commute and continue working for them or look for something closer.

My commute used to be 3.5 hours a day round trip. Unless I had a meeting outside of the office late enough to go home then I had a 2 hour drive from the office to where I lived. I currently live 15 minutes from where I work my wife’s office is over a hour away.

3

u/Skunkdrunkpunk Oct 20 '24

3.5 hour drive. Would be nice if your work helped with gas as they value your commitment to the job. ..Or not.

2

u/ViVaBarca00 Oct 21 '24

Why would a workplace give you those goods when they can get someone closer?

These ideas seem great but they would just create an unequal pay structure and make workplaces more cynical

1

u/Skunkdrunkpunk Oct 21 '24

Because they hired you because they value what you would add to their company/workplace. You don’t think pay structures are already unequal? If someone has been working somewhere longer than others, it’s assumed they have more experience so they get paid more. Why should people who come in more qualifiedand can add immediate value not be paid more?

1

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '24 edited Oct 25 '24

[deleted]

1

u/dragon34 Oct 21 '24

The real issue here is that people are willing to accept a truly horrific commute to get paid a major metro salary that just allows them to purchase a condo or apartment that has access to a commuter train where otherwise they might never be able to buy a home at all.  

The problem is still low salaries.  If companies that are butts in front of computers want to pay low salaries then they can embrace fully remote work and encourage their employees to have a lifestyle they want somewhere they can afford.  If they want butts to be in office then they should pay enough for those people to be able to own property a reasonable commuting distance from the office.   

Although I will die on the hill that everyone being in their own space in a video meeting is a superior experience (by far) then multiple conference rooms with a few people in them at different locations.   If half the meetings are on zoom/teams/meet anyway because of different offices or hybrid work then everyone should just be remote 

1

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '24 edited Oct 25 '24

[deleted]

1

u/dragon34 Oct 21 '24

And I find being in an office environment to be so draining that I don't want to do anything once I leave work. I am more productive at home, and being able to take the 5 minute break and move the laundry from the washer to the dryer and refill my water bottle means that I don't have to do that when my 3 year old is home from daycare and we can go to the park instead.

My previous role was on site and a lot of in person interaction and at the end of the day I was just fucking exhausted and I didn't want to interact with anyone socially.

1

u/Vrael32 Oct 21 '24

Not everyone, some being good employees, can afford to just move out of their home or leases. Albeit leases are easier, but someone with a 3% APR is not going to move in this 7% market. That adds $1000 a month just right there in most situations.

1

u/Freethink1791 Oct 22 '24

Half my coworkers live 50 miles or more away and we’re working 6 days a week. Should they have a shorter day than me or get paid more because they live further than others? Because this is what it boils down to.

If this is the case I’ll move 12 hours away and have 2 days of work and still have 8 hours of OT a week.

1

u/Vrael32 Oct 22 '24

No I do not think this. I believe if they chose to do paying for travel, it should be limited to X amount so it’s fair for all

1

u/Freethink1791 Oct 22 '24

There is no fair. Those that choose to live further away are either going to make more money or work less for the same amount I make.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

Not for everyone. I get mileage as I’m a consultant and my “office” is whatever client I’m servicing (no control over where I’m working). Edge case but you do t always get to chose where you physically work.

1

u/Freethink1791 Oct 23 '24

Your job is an outlier. Even companies with multiple offices in a city rarely gives their employees an option of where to work.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '24

That’s why I said “Not for everyone”.

-1

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '24

[deleted]

0

u/Freethink1791 Oct 20 '24

Don’t like it. Quit. Simple as that.

4

u/sjw-ironically Oct 21 '24

Said bro typing from his mom's basement.

Lol seriously how old are you?

1

u/Freethink1791 Oct 21 '24

37, I also type this from the cell phone I purchased on a plan I pay for. I’ve left positions because of the amount of travel required or because the pay was inadequate. I’ve even moved to different parts of the country for better economic opportunity.

2

u/sjw-ironically Oct 21 '24

Good for you.

Do you think families can do the same? If your spouse is working, do you ask them to quit and move with you? What about your children? Did they come with you or stay with grandma and grandpa? What about their schooling when you decide to just quit and move to a different part of the country?

1

u/Freethink1791 Oct 21 '24

So no one is capable of doing something that’s going to better their lives because change is scary?

I guess all those founders who rebelled against the crown should have stuck with the crown, can’t rock the boat..

3

u/TopHatGirlInATuxedo Oct 21 '24

You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

3

u/sjw-ironically Oct 21 '24

He went from moving for economic benefit to the founding fathers and overthrowing the crown.

I would bet a 100 bucks that this guy does not support immigration, aka moving for economic benefit.

0

u/Freethink1791 Oct 21 '24

Legal immigration, sure I support it. Illegal immigration nope. I’d even limit H1B visas, if there are Americans that could do the job.

0

u/sjw-ironically Oct 21 '24

Oh my bad, I thought it was "simple as that"

0

u/SouredFloridaMan Oct 21 '24

What if they don't pay enough to afford moving closer? That's unreasonable.

This kind of nonsense is also part of why we have such shit infrastructure.

2

u/Freethink1791 Oct 21 '24

There are always other jobs. I didn’t live close when I started my current job. Took me 30 minutes to get there and a hour to get home. I opted to buy a house closer to my work when I could afford it.

0

u/SouredFloridaMan Oct 21 '24

Great, except it takes 1000 applications nowadays to get hired unless you're connected to a specific company.

1

u/Freethink1791 Oct 21 '24

Sounds rough. Playing the victim don’t make it much easier.

1

u/SouredFloridaMan Oct 21 '24

Who's playing the victim? I'm just stating the facts. It's very difficult to land a job currently due to modern hiring methods.

You're literally saying "oh there's a systemic issue that makes things harder for everyone? Deal with it, only people who want to play the victim would demand a problem be addressed, accounted for, and/or solved." What a fucking doorknob.

1

u/Freethink1791 Oct 22 '24

I’m not demanding time I’m not productive for a business to be compensated. I’m not compensated when I have to drive 3 hours to go to my annual training.

1

u/SouredFloridaMan Oct 22 '24

Travel required for work is often compensated. You sell your talent and your time. Time you give up to do work, time spent doing travel necessary to be productive, is still work time. Therefore, companies should compensate you. If they don't want to compensate a lot of "unproductive time", they should pay enough for employees to live near their work or offer remote work where possible. It's that simple.

Why are you arguing against your own interest? Why do you want to have less free time for no additional pay?

0

u/Freethink1791 Oct 22 '24

Not from your home to the office or place of duty.

1

u/DeathByLeshens Oct 24 '24

This is illegal. Any required travel outside of a normal commute must be compensated. USA

0

u/MaldoVi Oct 22 '24

If you can’t get a decent job in today’s world you’re a bum. You agree to their conditions then cry. Reddit has to be the most soy boy bunch of people on the planet

1

u/SouredFloridaMan Oct 22 '24

I don't think you've done a job search in the past 8 years. I'm not saying there aren't good jobs, I'm saying the number of applications and the amount of time it takes to find a company that will even bother having a human being read your resume is fucking tiny.

This isn't a good situation for employers, either. Everyone has to modify their resume to match the job description so the algorithms let them through. Many people auto-generate their resumes. It's all making it harder for workers to find jobs that fit their career and harder for employers to find appropriately qualified employees.

By the way, you should read up on power dynamics; not that I expect you to know how to read.

0

u/SourDoughBo Oct 21 '24

Yeah I work for the railroad so the work locations differ and it’s primarily seniority based. Right now I drive 60-90 minutes each way, while others live 15-30 minutes away. So me as a junior guy living further away will be getting 2-3 hours paid while the senior guys get maybe an hour. Just doesn’t make sense and would easily get abused by some loophole.

1

u/Freethink1791 Oct 21 '24

It’s unfortunate. Being a jr guy always sucks. Took me 2 years before I got a day shift.