Do you have any avenues to report policy breaking anonymously?
> I know a guy who started at $90k as a diesel electric mechanic with great benefits. That’s tens of thousands saved in college costs. Plus you can start working sooner.
It does happen for sure, but be aware that this is a widely shared narrative talking point that comes from a political agenda. The US Fed publishes statistics about this exact issue, and I was really surprised how big the average difference in earnings is for college degrees - it’s about 2x for an accredited bachelor’s diploma on average across the entire US. It’s 3x for advanced degrees. I thought the average would be maybe 15 or 20 percent, but a 2x average for all Americans is freaking enormous and should not be written off with anecdotes. Note also that the gap is growing, not shrinking, and has been for a long time.
https://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/review/2019/10/...
https://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/economic-synops...
Anyway, that’s interesting stuff, but beside the more important business of improving your personal situation, and my rantings probably don’t help. It sounds like you’re in a bit of a stuck / bad situation. I’m sorry to hear that and I hope you can find a way to improve it and enjoy your work. Managers with no power certainly could be one of the reasons that managers get petty and pushy with their teams. I know it’s not fun though. Good luck!