The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

Letter to the Editor – Low wage is price to pay for job in paradise

Editor, The Channels

I would like to clarify some bits of information about the (March 11) column “Local businesses taking advantage of jobless.”

First off, this seemed to be a very bias column insulting local businesses in the Santa Barbara area.

The third paragraph essentially answered the question of why over-qualified professionals take lower than market jobs: The local job market is clogged with overqualified students and professionals.

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The job market in Santa Barbara follows the basic law of supply and demand.

Santa Barbara is essentially a college town and retirement community.

When students come to Santa Barbara for college, they realize how beautiful of a city it is, and want to settle down here. And just like the article states, there is a surplus of over-qualified students.

Students must face the reality that if they want to get a better paying job, they will have to move out of the area.

It’s not the company’s fault wages are lower than market; businesses are determining the equilibrium point in which supply of labor equals demand.

Unfortunately, if you want to live in this town, you’re going to have to take a pay cut.

Second, I didn’t like how the third paragraph stated, “The local job market is clogged with overqualified students and professionals who are forced to take low paying jobs.”

This is America. Nobody is forcing you to do anything.

People who are willing to make sacrifices to live in this pleasant city are choosing to take these jobs, not being forced.

Overall, as a small business owner myself, I find this article very insulting.

Businesses, whether large or small, should be thanked each and every day for taking such a large risk and creating jobs for folks who otherwise wouldn’t take the initiative and risk associated with opening a new business.

-Sam Wachtor
City College Student

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