I also will tend to think that this might be an excellent position / opportunity for the _right_ person. I realize that many people in this country (USA) are accustomed to making much larger sums of money. And it's wonderful that the opportunity for large income exists. The last figure I heard for a medical doctor's income in Cuba was $15 per month. We really are rather spoiled here compared to much of the rest of the world. (From our limited personal views, we can get pretty disconnected from the whole picture.) But there are a group of people, usually not very vocal, that would look pretty highly upon such an offer as Binghamton U. Much depends upon the attitude of the person. If a person looks at this position and says, "How can I ever make it on such a little salary"? "What can I do to make more money on the side"? etc., it may not really be the right position. The person more cut out for a position like this may be saying things like "Wow, 30 hours a week... that leaves me with a lot more time to pursue <my other interests, or family happiness, or personal study, or hobbies, or...>" I hope I don't step on too many toes here, but how much income is enough? I realize that there are areas of the country, mostly around the major metro areas that have higher housing costs, etc., but I'm speaking generally here. How many of us will lie on our death beds wishing we'd spent more time working? Think about it. How much is the big house, the nice car, the new 'toys', etc. _really_ costing you? (And not just in dollars.) I personally know (I'm related to) a man who lives on $6K a year. He has no electric, no phone, no computer, but he lives well. And he's happy right where he is. (Sometimes I envy him...) For many years my wife and I lived on about $12K a year. We lived in an old mobile home, drove old station wagons, and lived without many of the fancy gadgets. But we had time to enjoy our lives. Had a big garden, ate well, read books, visited people (just to enjoy their company... you don't hear about that one much anymore). I look back on that point in my life as a good and happy time. I'll confess here that I've been working at a store for 3 years now and I'll tell you what my income was there. Gross income for 1998 was $21,027.53. (Full time job.) I don't consider myself poor. The bills are getting paid. Actually debt load is being reduced, working towards eliminating it all together. If I thought I was cut out (personality wise) for the position in Binghamton, I'd be up there talking to people right now. In an age where many positions, either as an employee or in your own business for that matter, require 45 or 50 or 55 or 60 hours a week or more!, a 30 hour a week job sounds like a breath of fresh air to some. There's a lot more to the way our lives are structured than the money we make. Rambling again...with the alternate view... Just my $.02, plus a little... Have a good day, Brian Trout Quarryville, PA btrout@desupernet.net -----Original Message----- From: JIMRPT@AOL.COM <JIMRPT@AOL.COM> To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org> Date: Friday, August 13, 1999 9:09 AM Subject: Re: (Fwd) Piano Technician Position > >In a message dated 8/13/1999 6:31:54 AM, hoffsoco@martin.luther.edu quoted: > ><<" bottom fishing on price to see if they can scare anything up. >Probably will ">> > >While I kinda agree with this sentiment I don't needfully take the 'somewhat' >negative view reflected in most posts on this thread. It is easy to be >cynical about such matters.... but looked at another way it will be a >blessing for 'someone', possibly:-) > > For a tech who has been in the field a few years and has never quite gotten >off the ground...for whatever reason, people skills, work habits, >established techs too numerous in area, etc............but whose skills are >average-to better, this could be exactly what is needed at that point in >their professional life. For those of us who have done/are doing Univ. work >we know that if people skills or work habits are lacking in some areas they >will/must be improved in a Univ situation "OR ELSE" :-) > > Low salary level for 3/4 time at 22.5K = 30K full time and is that really >sooo bad? >3/4 time is.... 30 hours per week X 50 weeks =1500 hrs per year or $15 >dollars an hour. This is without any expenses to speak of for 'anything' >but personal tools. > > To this one could reasonably expect to add 3 or 4 "outside" tunings per >week and then we come to a very livable income don't we? At $50 per tuning >and using 3 tunings per week X 50 weeks =7.5K >Now taking the 22.5K base and adding the 7.5% SEP tax to it gives us a figure >of 24.187K and adding the 7.5K (extra outside tuning) would give us 31.687K >per year without any expenses to speak of.....put another way this is the >amount one would needfully earn AFTER EXPENSES, before taxes, in a private >shop situation to equal the position at Binghamton U. > > Now figuring 3/4 time for the Univ. work and 2 hours per tuning for the >outside work that would give us an average of 36 hours per week of 'work >time'......... >36 (hours) X 50 (weeks)= 1800 hrs of work time per year....... >22.5K + 7.5K =30K/1800 = 16.67 per hour >Now this ain't living in the lap of luxury but it ain't "chump' change either >:-) > > Also Binghamton is part of the State of NY University system and there will >be, by State law, 'some' collateral employee benefits...just what I couldn't >say but there will be some. In addition as part of the faculty(?)..... >Education/Continuing Education possibilities are there for the taking by the >tech at a very reduced cost, if any costs at all. > > So would this position be attractive to some of us? No, of course not...at >least not in the position we are in now :-) Can we 'all' honestly say that >it would not have been 'very' attractive to us at some point early in our >tech lives...I kinda doubt it. > >Just another point of view. >Jim Bryant (FL) > >
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