Individual Income Poll

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by J pold

So being unemployed?

happy medium, jpold, happy medium.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by macker

The $500,000 per year investment banker who works 80 hours per week is less "powerful" than the employed NR who works 1/4 the hours and makes $40,000 per year but has complete freedom of when and where and how to live, the ability to choose is the real power. It just so happens that you can make a lot more money than you are right now by doing half of what you are doing. WHO ARE THE NR : The employee who rearranges his schedule so that he can work remotely and achieve 90% of the reults in 10% of the time which frees him to practice cross country skiing or take road trips with his family two weeks per month.


Above taken from The 4 hour work week

I agree with that. I work 7-3:30, maybe have to do OT one or 2 days a month (which I get paid for, or time off) and get $60K. I don't know if I would want to work 12 hour days just to say I make $100K.

[Muta]

I doubt this poll is accurate. There's no way most people make over $100k. Not even in Calgary.

[macker]

The Mexican Fisherman Author Unknown


The American investment banker was at the pier of a
small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with
just one fisherman docked.

Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna.
The American complimented the Mexican on the quality
of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."

The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer
and catch more fish?"

The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the
processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years."

"But what then?" asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions?...Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

[malcolmk14]

Originally Posted by Muta

I doubt this poll is accurate. There's no way most people make over $100k. Not even in Calgary.

Actually according to the poll at this moment, 69.95% of people make under $100k.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Actually according to the poll at this moment, 69.95% of people make under $100k.

So, about 1/3 make over 100k? Somehow, I still don't believe that.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Muta

So, about 1/3 make over 100k? Somehow, I still don't believe that.

It's an Internet poll on a chat board; not Ipso-Reid...what do you expect?

[Starfishy]

I agree with Muta and Sliver. No way 1/3 of people on here make $100k+. Also, it is an internet poll, what can you expect?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Sliver

It's an Internet poll on a chat board; not Ipso-Reid...what do you expect?

Not much, obviously.

[J pold]

Yes I get it – we are foolish scumbags who sell our souls to chase the almighty dollar. One day we’ll wake up and realize that it wasn’t worth it. We would have been better off carving out a decent middle class, simple kind of life, just like everybody else.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by THE SCUD

$100K in Calgary is like $40K in Halifax or some other sleepy east coast town. It's all about perspective.

And 40K in Victoria is like 30K in Calgary. Why did I move here again? Oh well, I guess I'm doing pretty well for a 24 year-old that's yet to complete university.

[Vansmack]

This board is full of young and old professionals alike. There are Lawyers, Doctors, Engineers, Bankers etc. Another interesting poll would be to examine what percentage of people work in O&G, finance, medicine etc. Maybe that might help shed a little more light to the poll results.

[J pold]

Originally Posted by flameswin

happy medium, jpold, happy medium.

Sorry, I’m have too much Red Bull and cocaine coursing through my soulless body to have any happy, or medium.

[GP_Matt]

I wonder how many of those making over 100k work more than the standard 40 hours a week. Our company has a lot of positions that you can work into that will clear 100 plus 3 or 4 years after starting as a completely green employee with no experience or education. The downside is that to get there you have to work pretty hard with long hours and when you get the position you are still expected to maintain the workload. 90 hour weeks are not uncommon in the summer (although technically against Alberta labour laws) as is a schedule of 24 days on and 4 days off.
I think it is definitely a case of the money and opportunities are there for everyone but there are sacrifices required. I am not saying that everyone making six figures works harder than those who make less, just that you can get ahead through hard work and sacrifice.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Starfishy

I agree with Muta and Sliver. No way 1/3 of people on here make $100k+. Also, it is an internet poll, what can you expect?

Except it wouldn't surprise me if 30% of the people here did make $100K.

[Clarkey]

Let's do the poll again with more 10k increments at the bottom and at the top end. I think the results will be more interesting. That >$100k is too much of a catch all and too tempting for anonymous pollsters to pooch the poll.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Muta

I doubt this poll is accurate. There's no way most people make over $100k. Not even in Calgary.

I think it's safe to assume that people are voting accurately; they're not lying.

But its not a poll of Calgarians, since many people who read the forum are from out of town and country. It's not a poll of forum members, since only 200 people voted out of the 10,000 members, and the people that voted self select towards a specific group of posters.

It's not surprising to me and I think it's accurate for the group the poll represents.

[username]

I work for a large O&G company in calgary in I.T. with access to salary information and I can guarantee you that the average person in my company makes 100K per year, easily. That of course is only if you factor in the bonus, options etc.

If we are talking just salary then I would suggest the poll results would be different.

[Clarkey]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Except it wouldn't surprise me if 30% of the people here did make $100K.

Keep in mind it's not a cross section of Calgary, it's a small specialized sample of us.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

So your ratio is 100:40 while this site puts the ratio at 78:60.
http://www.canadaimmigrants.com/Halifaxliving.asp

Housing is a big difference, but transportation, food, electricity, etc are surprisingly similar despite the income inequality.

We just spent a couple of weeks in the Maritimes. Transportation does not equate at all. Gas prices at the pump are significantly higher than in Calgary and Alberta.

While other prices may be similar, you also have to factor in the 15% HST compared to only 5% GST in Alberta. That made eating out and the like quite a bit more expensive.