A job seeker with a bachelor’s degree says they were laughed at during an interview after asking for $17 an hour, only to be told the employer was “thinking more like $9.”
“For reference I have a Bachelor’s degree,” the poster wrote on Reddit’s r/antiwork last year. “I have been job searching for so long I’m about to give up and flee the country,” they said. “I hate it here.”
$9 An Hour In A Major City
The poster added that their degree is in a creative field, the job itself was unrelated to their major, and they applied out of desperation for income. Still, they said they had years of relevant experience and live in a major U.S. city. “Didn’t mean to ragebait, I was just mad and venting,” they said. “Hiring manager was a boomer.”
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That detail became a lightning rod. Many commenters said the laughter itself was the biggest red flag.
“I got $9 an hour working at a theme park part-time back in 2016,” one person wrote. “$9 now for anything is slavery.”
Others pointed out how far back $9 an hour goes. “I got $9/hour in 2008 in high school!” another said. “I was making almost 20 in the late 90s as a gardener,” one commenter added. “I was in high school 30 years ago making better money with zero skills.”
Across hundreds of replies, the theme was consistent: $9 an hour now is not just low, it’s insulting.
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Even $17 Isn’t Enough Anymore
Many commenters argued the conversation shouldn’t even stop at $9. Several said that even the original $17 request would still leave most people struggling.
“In this economy $9 per hour wouldn’t get you very far,” one wrote. “I’m not even sure $17 is enough anymore.”
“I make $21/hr and am paycheck to paycheck even with plenty of regular overtime every month,” another commenter said. “$9/hr, I might as well not waste the gas unless it’s full remote.”
People earning far more echoed the same sentiment. “I make $25 with only an Associate of Science,” one parent wrote, adding that their teenage children make close to or above $12 an hour in fast food. “Anyone who thinks it’s reasonable to offer $9 to somebody with a bachelor’s degree should kick their own ass.”
Others shared even starker math. “For a full-time job $9/hr works out to $1,440 per month before taxes,” one commenter broke it down. “If you can’t pay your employees a livable wage then you shouldn’t be in business.”
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Wage Stagnation And Cost Of Living
The thread quickly expanded beyond the original interview into a broader indictment of stagnant wages. Commenters repeatedly said that minimum wage in many states is still $7.25 an hour, even as rent, groceries, insurance, and utilities have surged.
“Friendly reminder that if the US minimum wage had kept up with the rate of productivity, it would be at around $25 an hour now,” one wrote.
Stories poured in from people earning $20, $25, even $30-plus an hour who said they still rely on roommates, family support, side gigs, or resale hustles to get by. Several said they had moved back in with parents or grandparents because rent alone consumed most of their income.
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