$27500 good starting wage?

[jimmy prince]

ooo

[techguy75]

thats not horrible but your certainly towards the lower end I'd say but depends on other factors like whats there insurance plan how much do you have to pay and are there any other benefits I.E. profit shares, commission, and 401k I myself make what I consider to be kinda shitty pay for my territory and I've been here for 4 years and only make around 40k a year that being fresh off a computer and electronics degree and having worked on electronics for the last 10 years of my life but see, I also don't have health insurance because there carrier sucks and no retirement here what so ever.

[knightfall]

this is a very low starting salary even for entry level technician, just remember after taxes prob about $22K left but I'm basing this on where I live and not where you live but I would also have to consider what health benefits and 401k are offered additional expenses and so on.

[Tonerbomb]

What do you bring to the table??? Experiance, factory training, freshout of school? Network training or certifications?? these all effect starting wages as well as where is the job located for cost off living.

[The Otrain]

I need to move to where you guys work. I have almost 10yrs experience and my market would only get me 25K/yr!!!! That's the problem with living near a military base. The market is saturated with "electronics experts".....too bad most don't know how to insert toner to say the least.

[cobiray]

It really depends what you bring to the table. Experience and having basic networking/printing skill set is big with us. Brand specific certification and network certification are helpful too. If you think it's low to start, but you can live with it in the short term, talk about renegotiating your salary after 3-6 months if you think you are worth more than that and can prove it to your employer. When I started 12 years ago I wish I'd made that much.

[blackcat4866]

When I first started doing this, I couldn't believe that you could get paid for something that I loved doing so much, Tinkering. My enthusiasm has tempered a little over the years.

My starting wage was $16,700 and I was glad for it (in 1988). At the time I didn't know a copier from a coffee maker, and it didn't matter. I could fix anything. I wish that was still true.

I guess what it comes down to is, can you find a way to live on those wages? If so, its perfect.

=^..^=

[Copier_Guy]

I think it definitely depends on where you live and what experience you have. It's Low, but here in NY it would be even lower. I know of entry level guys here in the city starting for around that amount. It definitely sounds like an entry level salary.

Blackcat took me way back. I started with Xerox in 1983 for $11,700 at 18 years old. It was more money than I knew what to do with.

[Mr Spock]

I also think that it depends on where you live and what you bring to the table.
Where I live you MIGHT be able to live on that but not very comfortable. Where My mom lives that would cover most expenses and still have enough left over for a 3 bedroom house. Of course you would have to drive a little bit longer then where I live.

[rthonpm]

That seems a bit low to me, but as a vet of the industry said to me: there's no money to be made in service anymore... Everyone has maintenance agreements and toner inclusive contracts now for the most part. Service is becoming just a business' way of slapping together equipment until the parts are so long out of stock that the customer is forced to upgrade. Despite this: look at all of the things we're being forced to troubleshoot from printing issues to the very logic of how a board processes information. So much for just turning a screwdriver or throwing parts at something!
Now that my rant is done, I made a move from the East Coast out to the midwest a few months ago and saw quite a drop in pay for my troubles. I lost nearly $10,000 a year by following my wife out here! My advice to you is pick up a few side jobs or be prepared for some tough times until you can get either to management level or you can prove yourself as a good tech. Good luck to you.