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FCP 7 Editors…need not apply!
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I realized that…I said my geography of the area was wrong.
It does look like a starter position.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Ah, I see. I have a few co-workers who also live downstate for similar reasons, though they officially belong to the Chicago office.
High school home economics, I remember it well. By the time I got there in the early eighties, the emphasis was much less focused on outside of the home skills, and more on teaching us how terrible it would be to have babies in high school. Strangely, they didn’t really tie it to the economics of being a young parent (educational opportunities, cost of prenatal care, etc.) I did learn how to balance a checkbook though… so that was useful.
[Mark Suszko] “Sadly, as some recent books and documentaries have shown, it hasn’t gotten any easier since the seventies, if you can’t get out of the minimum wage pit for a paycheck. We can argue all day about what a “liveable” wage is, what’s a frill and what’s basic survival. I stand by my premise that forty a year for a kid, fresh out of school seems like a lot, but really isn’t, unless they are exceptionally disciplined, financially.”
Yes, I completely agree. I also think it’s great that the hiring company is offering benefits. I would have been thrilled for an opportunity like this 25 years ago.
Shawn
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[Andy Field] “And I’m certain they’re not looking for a fresh out of film school grad but someone with years of experience already”
The job says 2+ years. I guess technically that’s “years of experience,” but especially from a school like Full Sail, SCAD (in Atlanta, an easy drive to DC), or the Art Institutes, you could actually graduate as early as age 20 and EASILY have no less than a year of real-world experience. Two isn’t out of the question. Certainly not by age 21-ish.
In any case, “2+ years” is a very young person.
[Andy Field] “It’s just outside if DC where the average government worker supporting a family makes between 60 and 150k a year.”
I’m not picking on you when I say this, Andy. There are obviously a LOT of people saying this. You just happen to be at the end of the thread as I’m typing.
Did y’all miss the ACTUAL median income I cited in my previous post? In the ACTUAL world of what people are ACTUALLY paid in Fairfax, this is an ACTUAL decent salary for someone in their early 20s.
Wait, what’s this? The AVERAGE PER CAPITA INCOME in Fairfax County is…wait for it, wait for it…$38,888. Well well well, LESS than $40,000.
In fairness, I don’t think per capita is the right number to look at. Median income is the right one…and in fact, this one is right in line what it should be for someone with so little experience. This was not a number pulled out of thin air.
And the ad implies that the number could be higher for someone with actual skills. Which FCPX obviously does not require, as we established years ago, so never mind. LOL
Kidding of course, but I so so so so think that the salary is not the story. Although, in classic The Debate fashion, why NOT debate whether a salary this close to the area median (and exactly AT the median for a woman) for someone with so little experience is fair or not. I think it is, you think it’s not, fine.
But the numbers are the numbers. They actually exist, and if an idiot like me can find them in seconds, I ask you, on behalf of idiots everywhere, to please at least START with the actual numbers being earned in Fairfax County, and whether or not it’s reasonable for someone with as little as 2-ish years to be so close to, or exactly AT the median, at such a young age.
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[Shane Ross] “It does look like a starter position.
“Yes, 2 yrs+ of experience isn’t much. All things considered, $40K is probably high for that job elsewhere, so probably right in line with a higher cost-of-living locale. You have to question the job listing a little itself. Premiere is incorrectly named (it’s Premiere not Premier). It asks for Motion knowledge, but mainly for the purpose of titles and lower thirds – all of which can be done in the NLE without Motion. I’m actually surprised it doesn’t also ask for web and videographer experience. That tends to be the norm these days for similar positions.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
When the salary is low, I like to remind the youngsters starting out that there is always the opportunity to negotiate on some “value-added” items on the side to offset the lower pay.
Many companies will pay moving expenses, for example. But you could think bigger. This could be something like picking up your tab for entry fees for entering your work in annual video competitions (which can reflect back positively on the employer and clients and be good PR) or the time and travel expenses for going to user group meetings or even NAB. I’ve never been; I hear it’s cool.
Other ideas include paying for follow-on training materials or classes, or plug-ins when you need one. It might be a transportation stipend (monthly bus pass) or free parking (not insignificant in many cities), a pass to the local health club, a liberal flex-time schedule, after-hours equipment access for private personal projects; any number of perks that might be free or low-cost to the company, but become valuable perks to the workers and make them more skilled or productive or just happy. That’s all worth something.
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These kids of ads have been around for years. Before this, they were always for FCP (Legacy) editors or Adobe Premiere editors. “We want experience and skills and oh yeah, heavy motion graphics, and be a rockstar and do web services…” and blah blah blah. They were ridiculous in 2005 and they’re ridiculous now.
Nothing new to see here. Carry on.
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Actually the norm (even at the major networks) is now several years experience shooting, writing, editing, tweeting, facebook-ing, window washing…..The individual editing skill set (or pick any of the skills above) no longer valued,needed or appreciated.) Do it all, sometimes at half or a third the rate of older professionals now retired or forced out of a job, or don’t bother applying. That is the new normal.
Andy Field
FieldVision Productions
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852 -
Fortunately, not in net promo. Yet. But the rate has flatlined since the Great Recession of 2008. Even before that, starting with the last writers strike. But woe be to the junior marketing and “digital” guys. It’s like 1995 out there.
And while “you get what you pay for” is still true, an experienced editor or preditor now has to take what he can get. Or enjoy “early retirement” (aka unemployment”).
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Except it requires 2+ years editing experience. Far from a first job.
But still plenty decent for someone in their 20s without a family to support.
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If you need someone to hit the ground running, then it would be appropriate. Otherwise a bit shortsighted.
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