The other day we were lamenting how all our friends always move away, and somebody said something about how the reason for this is that it’s so hard to “settle in financially” in San Francisco. Our buddy Sweet T (not pictured) took issue with this, and explains why in the happy little play below. Perhaps you’ll see yourself in one of its protagonists:
The median income of SF households is $81k. SF households; not residents. Which means that if you and your roommate together make around $40k, you’re at the median. Any ambitious, hip young thing out there with a four-year degree and a little ambition can find a “real job” with promotion potential that brings in at least $40k per year. Unfortunately, here’s how it typically plays out:
We open on the El Rio patio, 4:30pm on a Tuesday.
Hip Young Thing: Man, this freelancing gig for the Guardian doesn’t pay shit. I need to make some more money if I’m gonna’ be able to pay me rent.
Less Hip, But Gainfully Employed Young Thing: You have a degree, right? There’s gotta’ be something else out there.
HYT: Naw, there’s nothing in this economy.
LH,BGEYT: Well have you looked?
HYT: No I haven’t looked. There aren’t any jobs to look for.
LH,BGEYT: There are literally thousands of employers in the Bay Area.
HYT: I’m not a computer programmer or whatever. It’s all techster shit.
LH,BGEYT: Not every job at a tech company is filled by an engineer, you know. Places like Zynga or whatever need copywriters and human resources people and all that, too.
HYT: That’s corporate bullshit. I don’t want to work for the man.
LH,BGEYT: Well, what about the state or the city?
HYT: I said I don’t want to work for the man.
LH,BGEYT: I thought corporations were ‘the man.’
HYT: They’re all the same man, man.
LH,BGEYT: I see. What about a non-profit?
HYT: There’s too much competition in this city for that type of work.
LH,BGEYT: Well have you applied to anything?
HYT: No.
LH,BGEYT: What did you do this morning?
HYT: I woke up a little after noon…
LH,BGEYT: …What time?
HYT: Like, 1:30. And then I went and had breakfast with some friends, and bought some new sunglasses. After that, I went home and wrote on my blog for a bit, and then I met you here for a drink.
LH,BGEYT: So, you didn’t spend any time looking for a job that will pay you enough to make your rent?
HYT: There aren’t any fucking jobs that don’t suck. I just need to move to New York. It’s too expensive here.
LH,BGEYT: Yeah. It definitely is.
…AND SCENE…
 took issue with this, and explains why in the happy little play below. Perhaps […]</p>
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“I just need to move to New York. It’s too expensive here.”
Oh man is that guy in for a shock.
Sorry for the typos.
ah, San Francisco, the expensive city with a bunch of jobless assholes.
Okay, I know this was simply meant to be humorous, but I think that many people actually in search of jobs that will keep them in the city they love (SF) will find this a bit offensive.
“Any ambitious, hip young thing out there with a four-year degree and a little ambition can find a “real job” with promotion potential that brings in at least $40k per year.”
This is not true. There is a scarcity of employment opportunity. Even if this were true, the idea expressed in this ‘play’ leaves out the fact that many (most?) people who love living in San Francisco, and who would want to stay here, should ideally find a job they like (i.e. not working for Zynga HR if you aren’t into a- Zynga or b- HR), in a field in which they hope to have a career, so that they can reside long-term. I think, then, the problem is that unless you are interested in a certain field, the job market is far more limited than in New York or in another city in which a person’s chosen profession is more typically practiced.
But that’s just the ranting of somebody (currently gainfully employed at over $40K) looking for a new job.
Pilots make half of that
You know, most people take a job that they aren’t “into”, if it means you pay the rent. I came here in 1992 after getting laid off on the East Coast and finding nothing. I got laid off again after a year. I was literally down to my last 500 when I got a job at a telecom company. It was Third shift and it SUCKED. Seriously horrible. But I needed to pay the rent. Fast forward 17 years or so. I’m still at the same place, but I’ve moved up and now make about 120K a year. Am I in love with my wonderful “career”? No. not a bit. But I like it well enough, I’m good at it, and it pays my bills, and funds the other things I like to do. Not everyone gets to the their “dream job”. For most people that doesn’t exist.
HYT: well, you can always move back into mom’s double-wide outside Little Rock, Flint or Fort Wayne.
Meanwhile, people are arriving here from Latin America, Asia and East Africa and making it happen for themselves.
Tough shit; go home. Oh, and take all of the bloodsucking skids with you.
this, my friends, is Real Talk. buck up, white kids.
Might as well add in the legions of artists/writers hoping to get their big break in SF. Still waiting… and after $100k+ in student loans… the most they can show for it is a sculpture at Burning Man, an ignored picture on the wall of a mediocre coffee shop, or a poem to a girl/boyfriend that has found its destined home in the recycling canister. Sadly these creatures keep trying…and failing…to live the dreams that were fostered when they were young, slowly realizing their “career” hasn’t taken them anywhere vertical.
Eventually, their significant other may get sick of their couch surfing/continual unemployment, or their heroin money may run out, or maybe they will realize nobody wants their shitty painting or dubstep mix- and this sends these sad souls back home to live with Mommy- who’s comforting suburban dwelling does not exist in San Francisco.
Eventually they learn that chasing unrealistic dreams usually ends in failure, student loans, and/or a drug habit- but it also always ends eternal shame on themselves and their family- for being a complete fuck up and raising a complete fuck up.
Hm the problem is people wanting to be full time professional “artists” or “writers” right out of the box – sounds great – just like I’d love to be a full time motorcycle rider or beer drinker… Where do I sign up…
gotta support yourself somehow and let that color your art
I will fully back that
someones got a chip on their shoulder. did you lose a girlfriend to one of those sad creatures. this reads like immature and bitter rant.
See what happens when you live your life doing something you hate? You end up like this deuchebag with a huge chip on your shoulder, drowning in negativity.
I personally work at a job I don’t find rewarding enough and I just quit. Next week I’m out and moving to Seattle and guess what…I’m going to find a job that I like. You know how? Confidence and hard work.
don’t hate on my drug habit
Ugh…Burning Man…you had to bring that into this.
Stereotype much?
What definition of households are they using? Does this count the income of the 6 roommates in a 2-bedroom apartment, where 2 of them use the living room to sleep, so they can all pay $300 rent in the Mission? (Real example… one stole the others rent money though, so I’m not sure that’s still working so well.)
Median separates the lower half from the upper half. How high does the upper half go and how bad does that skew prices for the rest?
I’d be making shit with my “real degree” if I was using it to compete for the same jobs with others here… I use it for side work/fun but my real bread and butter is the business I started myself… which not every person can do in their area of skill. I think your “typical scene” is trolling a bit.
it doesn’t matter how high the upper half goes for the median. whether the top income is $500K or $500M, the median would be the same.
Sidenote: as a “techster” I’d sooner shoot myself than work for those rip-off asshats at Zynga.
Seconded, emphatically.
Hey, if you both still hold this opinion the next time you find yourselves unemployed, I hear there’s a director looking for a hip, young thing.
I have two friends that are quite happy at Zynga, but then again they both drink a lot.
I just know a lot of people who have been fucked over by the scumbag that runs the show over there.
pincus rant!
The flaw in this thinking is that people should look for “jobs” when they should really be looking for work. Just wake the fuck up when everybody else does and do something productive for society. The money comes after the work, not before it.
J.Q.P. — you nailed it. I’ve done stuff to earn a ducat that was a parsec away from what I wanted to do, but at least that bought me the time and buffer that I felt I needed to meet my commitments and not sponge until I became persona non grata.
Doesn’t matter why they leave. Don’t worry. They’ll be back. Sometimes you just have to wait for their petshop to fail in New Orleans. But they always come back..
This. This was fucking stupid as shit.
This is totally inaccurate. Freelancing for the Guardian doesn’t pay at all.
Yeah, sorry, I spent 2 years APPLYING to every imaginable job – those which I was over-qualified, perfectly-qualified, and under-qualified for. I had maybe five in-person interviews in that time span. Yes, I changed my resume to fit my job. Yes, I spent HOURS AND HOURS crafting creative cover letters. Yes, I sent follow-up emails. I did research about companies. I tried to use my contacts. Nothing worked. Oh, and I did apply to Zynga (I even knew someone who worked there!) Never heard back.
And $40,000? I crashed with my best friend who was a grad student. She and her peers made $25K at best.
Now I work in Athens, Greece and it’s 10,000x more amazing than SF ever could be. That’s why I left.
Kat, how is the economy working out there?
Greece just had their credit downgraded further the other day
Things are only going to get worse b4 they get better
Gorgeous country though
She says she “works” there. The economy sucks in SF I’m still making $45k.
The job market sucked here, I did all the same things the above person posted and only found a temp job through personal connections. Temp turned full-time, here I am.
You will only get a well-paying “job” job if you have a very specific skill set, are talented/groomed for a specific job and find that specific position and are lucky enough to get it, or, if you know people. It makes more sense to harvest personal connections and do research on jobs opening where PEOPLE YOU KNOW can maybe help you get a leg-up. This is the only way I’ve ever gotten jobs, and I have re-payed the job karma about five times since. This is how the wheels turn in job markets with more workers than jobs.
Not really sure what is unclear me “working” – I have an awesome job that calls on what I studied in school and personal experience. Lots of room for growth. I’m not just waiting tables. I *do* have the luxury of dual citizenship with another EU country, which was the key to working abroad.
I have friends who work at Facebook, Google, Zynga, etc etc, and truly still couldn’t get my foot in the door. Maybe I wuz doin it rong. To that point, I only got the position I am currently in because I knew the person who held it before I did (who ALSO left SF to come work in Greece).
Sorry, but…
San Francisco > Athens.
I said Athens GREECE, not Athens, Georgia.
The beer here sucks, but at least I can drink it at a bar that stays open till 7am.
yeah. and sf is still better than athens greece. historical context aside, greece is nothing more than a pile of crumbly concrete with dramatic lighting at night. i can get the same sense of wonder at forest lawn.
Here’s some food for thought job hunters, just because you LIVE in SF doesn’t mean can only work in SF. There are jobs/industries outside this 7×7 area (GASP!).
How great is it we live in a place that has BART and Caltrain and other forms of public transportation that allow SF residents without cars commute to a job pretty far away.
I mean it’s not nearly as “cool” as riding your bike down Valencia for your commute, but it does open up a world of job possibilities. Then once you get some “experience” and “marketable skills”, you can try and find work closer to home.
But I’m sure most people on here will make excuses why they can’t do that, and will continue complaining about there being no jobs in SF. Because we all know complaining and making excuses has always worked out well for the unemployed
i’ve done both the bike ride down valencia to market to the office and the bike ride to caltrain to the office, and let me tell you how much shittier the latter is.
Shittier than not being able to buy food or pay rent?
i agree. lost my job on market and 2nd, and had to take a job in san jose.
2 hours each way, but people’ve done worse to survive.
After working in the service industry for years my gf joined Local 6. After 5 years as a working apprentice she just turned into a journeyman and is making over $53 an hour. There are lots of trades that are hiring and a shit load of big projects coming up in the next few years. Do it kids, help build this city.
I see people completing application forms on the bus… As a recruiter I can tell you that if that’s the amount of effort you’re gonna put in – might as well just toss it into the trash…
I think a lot of people feel too entitled to take crap jobs to live here and slowly build their career. When I first moved to SF I was living with a Google employee while I valet parked cars, worked as a line cook, and did non-profit fundraising (cold calling, ugh). Eventually I got an internship in my field (that paid me an illegally low sum), while I still worked as a valet, cook, etc. The internship eventually got me a job in a great non-profit where I did a mixture of about 20% really interesting research and writing, and 80% crap admin work. That job put me square in the median with about a $40k salary.
I’m twenty seven and about to get my masters, and know I will be beyond the median income when I return. I already have job offers from my former employer in a better position.
The point is, I took whatever job was available to pay the rent and NEVER stopped looking for better jobs. I applied and didn’t get plenty of jobs even after I was fully employed in my choice field. Also, if you want to get ahead, you’ve got to realize that you will have to put in a full day’s work AND do more work when you get home to strive for the next step. I cannot tell you how many friends get stuck in a shitty job and then just sit there, only to complain about how nothing more comes there way.
Just my two cents. I know the job market ain’t rosy, and I was at my wits end many times, but after six years, I feel like I’ll never have to take shit work again. Knock on wood.
Regardless of whatever crappy job you have in real life, it must be sweet to have the unsupervised company time at a computer to write horseshit like this. Excellent work!
I’m unemployed before I go back to school.
Dad? Mom? is that you?
The household income information in this post is inaccurate. Shame on Mission Mission for just reposting it without checking it.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p501.pdf
For purposes of household income, a roommate is only part of your household if you are claiming them on your income taxes.
Household does not literally mean everyone you live with when it comes to the IRS and Census Bureau (who collects and analyzes this data).
So, we come back to the original question – it’s not your bullshit anecdotes about how you think people are lazy. It’s because in the last 5 years the economy has been all over the place, SF is hella expensive and young people don’t make that much money on average.
The assumption the author and many of the commentators makes is that the world is divided into “real” and “not real” jobs. A real job is anything you do 9-5 to make 40K/ year or more, for an organization like a bank, corporation or tech company. You probably hate it. Everything else: working at a restaurant, bartending, playing music, teaching privately, creating art, nanny-ing, gardening, doing contract or temp work etc. is not real work. Fine, but don’t tell me to leave SF and then complain next time you can’t find a jazz trio to play at your wedding, a tutor or piano teacher to help your child after school, a free gallery exhibition or a drink at 10PM after your “real” job has ended and you feel like relaxing.
PS I work full at a “real” job in addition to gigging, and make less than 40K a year after taxes. I live in the East Bay because I can’t afford SF rents. True story.
Word, not-quite-starving.
This is self-righteous and gross. People have different values. Some are willing to work a 9-to-5 they don’t like for financial security. Some are not. And though the some-who-are-not-might whinge sometimes, there’s no reason to disparage their choices. And it’s not like those who are willing never whinge about their shit.
This post reminds me of the Reese Witherspoon character in Election. What a bunch of snarky assholes.
amen
What does hippness have to do with anything? Why is everyone always blathering about hippness here? It smacks of insecurity.
Because that’s what us young folk do, blather about hipness while secretly waiting for that day when we don’t have to care about it anymore. Probably when we move out of the city.
What these douches don’t realize, is that they are infesting our fucking city, and making natives consider ritual suicide. Just go back to wherever the fuck you came from, geez. We aren’t interested in picking up the human slack that is your life.
If you don’t give a fuck about supporting yourself or contributing anything, there’s no reason we should. We are already overrun with transplant wastes of space & city funding, where did they all come from? And why did they all come here?
This is not what SF is for. “Hipness” has nothing to do with it either. Only those that came from elsewhere think so.
They come here to make a brief, weak “splash”; meanwhile they struggle for no reason to meet basic expenses, waste everyone’s time, inhabit bar-stools like a 9-5, drinking beers they dont have money for..
until they finally cant take it anymore, fizzle out and go back to Eureka or wherever they shouldve stayed in the first place after accomplishing absolutely nothing they came here to.
All of this takes place in a $30 t-shirt and some stupid hat of course. But they’ll be the quickest fools in the forum to tell you exactly “what San Francisco’s about”. pffft.
Ask a native. We’ll still be here long after your whimsical ass has come & gone.
“What is hip?
Tell me, tell me, if you think you know.
What is hip?
If you’re really hip,
the question, “Will it show?”
You’re into a hip trip.
Maybe hipper than hip.
What is hip?”
So off topic but you made my day quoting T of P
“Hipness is. What it is!
Hipness is. What it is!
Hipness is. What it is!
Sometimes hipness is, what it ain’t.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnUFVyt1dHQ&feature=related
Hello,
Please go away and leave San Francisco to Natives.
Thanks
Oh, you want some attention? OK, you got some. What now, little man?
yeah. leave sf to the rich white yuppies and frowny chinese folks and fucking nerds.
sf is not a “hip” city. it has yuppie food that only yuppies can afford. i’m thankful for the crimes against white collar people — it’s a good wake up call.
“….frowny Chinese folks….” — ¡Ha!
That’s what makes the Run, Ed, Run campaign even creepier; grinning Chinese coming up to me on the street. Yeah, I’m feelin’ all that warmth and camaraderie, uh huh…….!
Wow, this is great. I’m actually learning something here. No sarcasm.
I think it’s hard for people our age because so many of us grew up with all the adults in our lives telling us that we’re “unique” and “special” and that we can do / be anything we want if we try hard enough. The truth is (and I’m just now realizing this at the age of 20 / 21) that many of us have skills & interests that society just doesn’t consider worth paying that much for, no matter how hard we work or good we are at them, and that we aren’t all that special / unique / whatever. At least personally, I’ve come to realize that if I pursue my dream career, I will never have the financial “means” that my parents had. That used to bum me out a lot, but I’m slowly coming to conclude that I can still be happy and fulfilled without the material wealth. It’s just too bad that in so many people’s minds, the bigger your paycheck is the more “successful” you are. There should be dignity in hard work and talent no matter how much someone decides it’s “worth”. But I guess that’s just stupidly idealistic & naive of me.
“You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all part of the same compost pile.”
\m/ \m/ tell ‘em, Bob
What’s the fuss? If you have extra plasma and sperm to donate you are good to go!
are houses in SF 80k? I think i missed that part of the play. can I request another play where a gainfully employed SF couple is talking to another gainfully SF couple who are still paying student loans talking about how they can’t afford to buy a 1br place in SF cause they don’t have 800k? because that would be HILARIOUS
The job “market” here is an excellent filter for degenerates, idiots, and douchebags.
I think it’s fucking EXCELLENT.
Carry on….
Maybe everyone leaves SF because of the city’s terrible weather, joke of a public transportation system, insanely high homeless population, over-priced and under-sized apartments, and last but not least… lack of hot girls.
I’m happy to see anyone who chooses their city based on their assessment of how many “hot girls” there are, leave SF any day. Toodles!
I dunno which San Francisco you’re living in, but I fucking love the weather here! It was a big part of the reason I moved here back in ’96. As of your other complaints, MUNI is underfunded, true. Apartments are absurdly expensive, but I guess that’s what happens when you live in one of the greatest cities in the world. High demand, low supply. Haven’t found the apartments to be particularly small, either. *shrug*
As for “lack of hot girls”, I think your definition of “hot” must be broken.
I was happy to leave too! It’s win-win.
yet – part of you can’t leave it alone…