$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.

[fixthecopier]

I guess what everyone says about location is true. I have 8 years with the same small company and I am just now in the upper 20's. Three weeks out of the month I have to take care of the 300 Konica Minolta's that are under contract in my area. Also I get to do service calls on all of the printers, faxes, plotters, shreadders, scanners of any brand and age, that call in from my area. On the fourth week I pick up another 600 contract copiers that are over 5 years old, so the other tech can collect meter readings. Also in my spare time I get to deliver toner. This all takes place on a military base. It is a small family business and some of the perks are no meters or GPS in our trucks, the trucks are maintence free and newer models, there are no time clocks at the shop and nobody cares if you are late or keeps up with how many days you were out sick. I could make more somewhere else but sometimes money isn't everything.

[Copier_Guy]

I hear you, but I know where some of your money went. Into those new trucks. I know the Fayetteville area. I have family that lives there and most of my family are located 30 miles north west of there. The cost of living is lower there than NY or alot of other cities, but 8 years and upper 20's? That's something. I was contemplating moving down there, but I think I'd get pissed at the salaries and want to come right back. I wonder what the money is like for independent operators.

[CanonHPTech]

If I never give a better piece of advice or tip on this board, let it be this...


SELL YOUR SELF!

Never sell yourself short. I stepped into the copier portion of this industry about 2 years ago with printer and network experience. Lets put it this way... I am between 20K-40K w/o a company vehicle. This is not a get rich industry. Learn to sell yourself as the most eager to learn, eager to do, and eager to advance. Walk in with the hopes of being the service manager, the CEO, the President and voice them in the first interview. For the most part, standard techs/engineers should be a entry level position, not a career choice. Senior tech's should be somewhere be approaching their 40's but not past, otherwise, you lack the skills or talents of either advancing or starting your own business. Like the others said, if you can live and be happy with that salary, then dive in. Otherwise, shop around and build a network of peers. Good luck sir.

[rar0411]

I just started out at the grand old age of 41 at an olivetti dealer in the UK, I have good pc knowledge and networking, I consider myself lucky to be earning 22k UK pounds and have a company car laptop and blackberry storm