1979 vs 2009

Posted By: me on 2009-06-28
In Reply to: I'm making less per hour in 2009 than in 1979! - ( adjusted for inflation). - Topaz

First, don't get me wrong, I definitely think we should be paid more.

However, in 1979, you were likely using a typewriter, no such thing as computer and delete/backspace, no such thing as Google, no such thing as sending in reports with the push of a button, which makes things much, much quicker and efficient, which makes more typed. We should have better insurance, though.

I imagine it took at least three times longer to type a report then than it does now with computers, Google, better references, et.

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Making less per hour in 2009 than in 2003 - real difference in a few short years
- Last time I was paid this little was during the Reagan administration. - CrankyBeach
- I'm making less per hour in 2009 than in 1979! - ( adjusted for inflation). - Topaz
  - 1979 vs 2009 - me
    - IBM Selectives before, but In 1979 where I worked we had computers - Bryn
    - 1979 and 2009 - Tired MT
  - No more benefits, either - real difference in a few short years
  - I am making less now than in 1979 - My thoughts

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1979 and 2009
I don't know what went on in 1979 because I was 10 but I do know that in 1990, the school I trained with was still using typewriters and in my first job, although they had computers, were using tapes, which we had to use a magnetic to erase. Heaven forbid that someone erased the wrong tape. Talk about a doctor being PO'd.

I'm making less per hour in 2009 than in 1979!

I'm making less per hour in 2009 than in 1979!
In 1977/78, I made 6 cpl. at a transcription company. Had full medical benefits, paid sick days, a cushy, comfortable office, and monthly CASH (like, real paper dollars!) bonuses for 'Transcriber of the Month'. Of course, back in 1977, I could fill a 20-plus gallon gas tank for just under $18-20, too.

You must not have been around in 1979...
We had lines that were BLOCKS LONG! It was ridiculous. I sure hope that doesn't happen again. I'll just stay home and swim in my pool. The heck with driving.

me too. I started in 1979 at the age of 24 sm
I turned 50 this past May. We had selectric typewriters and the dictation was done on some kind of dictaphone system that had these little disks that were that floppy plastic kind of like when you would get kids records out of the cereal boxes. Remember that stuff. They were the size of a CD now. I remember when we first got cassette tapes. I thought I was in hog heaven. When I started with Transcriptions Limited in 1983 (now Medquist), we had selectric typwriters, typed on paper, different kind for each report and each account and got paid by the page. They delivered the cassette tapes to your door (at least where there were offices in the area) and picked up the work the next day. At least back then I actually knew people and saw them every day and got acquainted. Not like today. If you had too many accounts and too many types of paper you wound up getting paper "mites". For you younguns who don't know what paper mites are, they are little tiny creatures you cannot see but they will bite at your anikles. You have to spray for them! Kind of like fleas but smaller. I use to hire my two sons when they were small to separate the paper and pile it up by accounts and type or report. The little guys were 6 and 8 and they learned a lot quick. I paid them so much a page and finally my oldest asked me one day, how much I made page! He was 8 years old. I knew I was in trouble. But, then again this was the kid who took his Twinkies to school and sold one for a quarter and ate the other!

Now I sound old, but those really were the good old days.

O yes, I remember when Transcriptions Limited/Medquist got the IBM wheelwriter and then finally one day computers! I had been on the MTs system since tehy developed it in the late 80s and just this past March went on the DQS system. If they change again, I won't be here. Don't want to learn another one. haha

O yes, I learned in highschool on an old black manual typewriter (Olivetti I think), not sure and then we went to the really sophisticated stuff, the ELECTRIC TYPEWRITER which at the time I hated as much as I hated the computer the first time I used it!

Thanks for the memories!

P.S. You yunguns, 50 is not that old!

Carter was I think 1979 - not old at all.....nm

I am making less now than in 1979
but I am not working 2 full time jobs, have cut down to part time and loving it.

Antivirus 2009
You are so right...it was entirely my fault...I definitely will be more careful from now on! I downloaded the Malwarebytes antivirus and it has partially removed it, but it is still blocking my IE, not sure how to get rid of this but I will keep trying.

Thank you so much for your help.

You do realize it is 2009, don't you?

I had one too!! a 1979 piece of junk.

And if that wasn't bad enough it was chocolate brown.

My blinker knob fell off and I had to shove a pair of tweezers in there to work the blinkers. I couldn't wear heels or they'd get wedged in the holes in the floor board and one tire had a big bubble in it.

I can't believe I even dared drive that thing.

Beware of Antivirus 2009

While working late at night, I had something pop up that I thought was a MS product called Antivirus 2009, and thinking it was an update on their security, without checking it out, I clicked ok, then at the end, it states it costs $59...and I realized that it was not MS, so I backed out of it. I currently have AVG 8.0 and it has always done a good job for me...but now after several days and asking several different places, plus the Internet, I cannot get rid of this. It seems to be tied into my Google site, the one I use so much.

Does anyone know how you get rid of it? I removed the software (or so I thought) from my program) but it is blocking Google, and just keeps popping up constantly...driving me absolutely nuts.

Does anyone know of a solution to get rid of this? I hate to pay a techie to come out to my house to get rid of this, but I will if I have to...just thought I would ask here first.

Thank you for your help.

Beware of Antivirus 2009
AVG is great and not a resource "hog' like McAfee or Norton -- I have had computer problems in the past, and have dealt with Hiwired.com -- they are inexpensive, ALL USA-based techs and great people to work with -- they understand the MT and if you need a progam completely erased and you tell them as such, they will do it -- I had a problem a couple of weeks ago with Adobe and could NOT get files to load that were in that format -- they got it cleared up and no problems but almost every "tekkie" person including them, that I have talked to has recommended AVG

Quick Look 2009 will be coming

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=quick+look+drug+book+2009

This would probably be what you are looking for, but if you want 2008, the above link also has used ones that are much cheaper. I am not keen on electronic references other than Google and my spell check. I have Book of Style 2 on electronic and it's not that user friendly. I'd rather flip through a book.

For the time being, use google. Put your drug name and then the word drug after it. This is what I do.

Hope this helps...

You claim it in 2009. If you did not receive
it in 2008, it does not matter it was owed, only what you received in the calendar year.

I lived in So. Cal in 1979 and they lines were atrocious.
x

Started in 1979 when I was 18, worked in office at MQ while it was still
.

IBM Selectives before, but In 1979 where I worked we had computers
and loved them; however right before then we had IBM Selective typewriters and you could honestly fly on those, well I could anyway. I think anyone who ever used the IBMs would tell you they loved the keyboard. I don't think it took 3 times as long because we were trained better to start with. I spent a year studying before being turned loose on actual incentive pay plus payroll. The typewriters had correction tape you put on and used that way. When making an error you simply backed up, hit the same error again, your new letter and on you went. It was fast and seems like then you did not have as many to go back and say, oh add this, erase that, start over and so on. The first computer we got was honey also. Don't remember the name but I do remember having a Wang in the 80s, loved that one and no internet but still did straight over 2000 a day. We were our own good references, did not rely on the internet.

Making less per hour in 2009 than in 2003

I have a part time job of 30 hours/week and a doctor account part time.

On my doctor account, I am paid per report and get to use a lot of templates. It is common to get 9 second dictation jobs, just fill in patient name and dates, save and close. I still make $30/hr for this.

On my other job, I am on a very user friendly platform, produce clinic work at 8 cpl, everything over the internet, and make $20/hr.

Just a few years ago, I was on a platform just a couple hours a day making about $25/hr and the rest of my time was working in a DOS environment. I never, ever worked more than 6 hours a day (sometimes less) and my 2-week check was over $1400, averaging over $26/hr.

I'm older now and have to work an extra two hours a day 5 days a week to earn the same money. It is no wonder people are leaving this industry in droves. I still have another 6 years before my youngest doesn't need daycare so I can get a job outside the home, so I need to make MT work for me, but wow am I getting tired of hitting the keyboard. I've been in front of a computer for 30 years now. Now that I have passed all my other bottom lines, I wonder how much longer I can last before I really will leave. I have always said that if I can't make $20/hr Txing then it is time to find something else to do. I know a lot of people would love to earn what I do, a lot of fresher, younger people would, and I don't mean to sound ungrateful. Just hope my body and mind last a few more years.

Also avoid Antivirus 2008/2009. It is very nasty.
x

Norton Internet Security 2009 and Service Pack 2 or 3??
I am having a heck of a time! I have Windows XP and just purchased Norton Internet Security 2009 for my antivirus, as my previous version is just about to expire. Upon installing it it says I have to install Service Pack 2 or higher for it to work. I never installed SP2 because I read that many, many had problems with it. Should I go ahead and download SP3? Is there anything I need to do before installing it? I'm thinking of taking the computer to a professional and having them download SP3 and install it for me because it makes me really nervous! Anyone have any experience with this? What should I do?

Thanks!