If you’ve been on the prowl for a job, then you’ve probably noticed some companies request ridiculous levels of experience from their applicants, but are only offering entry-level pay. For example, one gig was looking for someone with 20 years of experience but only wanted to pay them $15-$20 an hour.
While that salary may’ve looked pretty great in 1970, it’s not going to help anyone afford their bills in an economy that’s seen the highest cost of living and inflation rates in the past 41 years and in an era where it is more difficult to purchase a home than it was during the Great Depression.
A TikToker named Cal (@calbinogenome) highlighted yet another ludicrous posting from an employer. It provided a laundry list of experience and education expectations coupled with international travel commitments. It also asked for the applicant to have knowledge of a popular programming language: all for a salary that is significantly less than the average Buc-ee’s General Manager earns annually.
He aired his grievances in a viral rant that’s accrued over 701,000 views as of Saturday. During a year where there have been mass layoffs in tech, it seems there are others who can commiserate with Cal’s frustration.
Cal begins his video with a look of weariness on his face. He says, “Do you guys wanna hear how the job market is going for people in their 20s at the moment?… I’m gonna keep some of the details vague so I don’t doxx myself but a recruiter reached out to me asking me to apply for this job about a month ago and here are the requirements.”
The TikToker then breaks down everything the employer is asking of them.
“First of all, a bachelor’s degree, preferably a master’s degree in biochemistry. Second, five years experience in a field that has existed for about 12 years at the moment. Experience programming in Python in a professional environment, experience with sequel servers, and most importantly, the ability to travel both domestically and internationally up to two weeks out of the year,” he reads. “Now, how much do you think that this company is offering someone for this position?”
@calbinogenome I hate it here grandpa. #politics #millenials #genz #boomer #progressive #leftist #democrat #liberal #republican #conservative #libertarian #fyp #fypシ ♬ original sound – Cal
Cal then finally reveals how much this job is offering to pay a potential applicant: $24 an hour.
“Not even salaried. $24 an hour,” he says. “$48k a year for this job.”
Although tuition rates at universities across the United States vary, Zollege reports that a full-time year for a Master’s program usually doesn’t run less than $10,000, but that the “average cost of a Master’s degree in the US is $71,400 for two years.”
The debts associated with the degree, coupled with CNBC‘s report that an American must earn at least $68,499 per year in order to live “comfortably” in the United States, doesn’t really paint a favorable economic future for anyone who dumped several years of their life, along with tens and thousands of dollars, into excelling in biochemistry and Python.
Commenters who saw Cal’s post seemed equally shocked.
“I legit assumed 60k, as a low ball,” one wrote.
“People in the comments are bugging, this job should be paying 160k easily, especially if you have years of experience,” another replied.
Someone else posted a comment that highlighted the ways numerous job seekers have been stymied in their journey to land a gig. “My friend has a spreadsheet of 200 jobs they’ve applied for, about 5 replied,” they wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Cal via email for further comment.