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- Could a $50 minimum wage be reality?
Could a $50 minimum wage be reality?
Plus: Meet the "accidental entrepreneurs"
Hey there! Last week, I had the honor of testifying in support of Maryland’s pay transparency bill. 🦀
Senate Bill 525 is a game-changer. It would require employers to share wage ranges in public and internal job postings, promotions, and transfers. It also protects workers by forbidding employers from retaliating against applicants or employees should they request this information.
Are you a Maryland resident and want to support this bill? Go right here!
1 This California lawmaker wants a $50 minimum hourly wage 📈
Damian Dovarganes / AP
What if everyone earned at least $50 an hour? That’s the federal minimum wage Rep. Barbara Lee proposed last Monday during the second debate for the California Senate. For context, that’s nearly seven times more than the current federal minimum wage of $7.25.
Side Note: The current minimum wage in California is $16 an hour—the second-highest statewide minimum (only surpassed by Washington).
But Lee came prepared to defend her case. She highlighted a recent report's findings, stating that a household income of $127,000 was “just barely enough to get by” for a family of four in the Bay Area. “Just do the math,” she added. “We have national minimum wages that we need to raise to a living wage.”
Don’t worry, we did the math for you. If you work 40 hours a week at $50 an hour, you’d earn roughly $104,000 a year. That sounds solid, but anything under six figures is considered low income in San Francisco, San Mateo, and other districts in California.
Zoom Out: Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom approved two laws that will raise the minimum wage of healthcare and fast-food workers to $25 and $20 an hour, respectively. But Lee is determined to make changes at the federal level: “I have got to be focused on what California needs and what the affordability factor is when we calculate this wage.”
2 Gen-Z are becoming “accidental entrepreneurs” 🧑💻
Hear us out: An “entry-level” job that requires years of experience…is not an entry-level job. And yet, nearly two-fifths of “entry-level” jobs require an average of 2.5 years of experience, found a StandOutCV study after analyzing 17,815 job openings on LinkedIn.
This “Catch-22” has left many Gen Z unable to enter the workforce. So, some are starting their own businesses—becoming “accidental entrepreneurs.”
Take Benjamin Chipman. After graduating from Duke University, he was unable to land a job. “I noticed what I had to do,” he said. “Innovate the early career experience and create it for myself.”
Benjamin’s Game Plan: Benjamin dove into freelancing and, within just a few months, found himself earning an entry-level media role salary. He’s now building his creative strategy firm.
But Benjamin never wanted to become an entrepreneur this early on in his career—and other Gen Z share this sentiment. “It was definitely very frustrating at the time that it didn’t feel like a choice,” said Phoebe Dodds, another accidental entrepreneur.
The silver lining: A job might not give you experience, but—in many industries—you can simulate experience and create a portfolio of your work. Aspiring UX designer? Design a new website for your favorite brand. Future journalist? Share your writing on LinkedIn. Budding social media manager? Set up a mock IG page for your local cafe. Don’t wait until you’re hired to get going!
3 Seattle minimum wage law backfires 💥
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
On January 13, Seattle implemented a law that raised the minimum wage for delivery app drivers. But instead of the app-based companies covering the costs themselves, they’ve passed them onto customers by increasing service fees:
The result? Drivers now wait up to three times longer for orders as fewer people order out. “Workers’ day-to-day incomes are on the line because of the app corporations’ unwillingness to just pay workers a living wage,” said Hannah Sabio-Howell, communications director for Working Washington.
Tony Illes is one such worker. After the minimum wage ordinance, he found himself waiting six hours for a single Uber Eats delivery request. So, he decided to launch his own service, Tony Delivers, which offers food delivery for a flat rate of $5 within a 1.5-mile radius of his neighborhood.
But delivery drivers shouldn’t have to get entrepreneurial just to earn a living wage. To ensure these workers get the wages (and protections) they deserve, contact a member of the city council right here.
Is earning a $200K salary possible after just three years in the field?
If you’re a certified anesthesiologist assistant, absolutely. Meet Chabely Rodriguez, a NYC native who graduated with her master's of medical science in anesthesia in 2021. Today, Chabely earns $255K a year (and that’s including eight weeks of PTO 👀).
In our latest video, we hit the streets of NYC to learn more about Chabely’s story and how she got her start in the hospital without a medical degree.
Plus, you’ll get insights from other New Yorkers, including actors, postal workers, and crane operators 🏗️ on their salaries in one of the world’s most expensive cities.
A NYC restaurant host earning $22 hourly shares the best (and worst) parts of the gig.
Did you know? Salt Lake City has some of the most lucrative jobs in America.
The technology skill that can land you an average salary of $174,727.
+1 for space. 🚀 Aerospace and defense is one of D.C.’s highest-paying job fields.
Thanks for being here! Before we part ways, check out this viral Reddit thread on obscure—but lucrative—jobs. A few honorable mentions:
🌲 Pine Cone Harvester. $35 an hour to fill a five-gallon bucket with pine cones? Not bad (although dealing with sap is a major downside).
🧊 Ice Sculptors. Because those weddings and corporate events aren’t going to decorate themselves.
🕯️ Candle Sniffer. Major candle brands, such as Yankee Candle, have “the nose” to vet candles. The question is: Where do we sign up?
See you next week!
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