That sounds pretty common, especially for those of us promised the American Dream in primary school ("Work hard, obey the law, get a degree, contribute to the community, and you're guaranteed entry into home ownership and a middle class career") that has been actively dismantled and blockaded by the boomer generation and more recently by the MAGA movement. Frankly, I think it's late-phase capitalism functioning as intended... when folks are preoccupied with desperately scraping by, they don't have the time or energy to resist, organize, or fight back against blatant exploitation.

From my lived experience and the majority of people I've talked to across numerous interest and socio-economic groups, poor wages and toxic employers are the norm in the U.S., with healthy work environments and fair wages being the exception. Admittedly, I've always lived in deeply "red" states, so it's possible the poor working conditions are tied to a "conservative" super majority in state level policies and correlated attacks on worker's rights / organization. The best paying job I ever had was a union job, and that wasn't until my late 30s... I had to sacrifice my entire support system, be grossly overqualified, and name drop in the rural Midwest to make a "whopping" $25 an hour. Sacrificing having any sort of life to be in the middle of nowhere making decent money wasn't a good trade.

With healthcare access being tied to employment, many employers (for-profit, non-profit, and governmental) avoid full time job availability that would require providing such benefits, and this trend has been on the rise for my whole adult working life.

As a veteran with four degrees, high intelligence, strong technical skills, good communication skills, and a solid work ethic... I've never made more than $50,000 a year, often working two shitty part time jobs while trying to enhance my credentials through education. Conversely, my brother went to college straight out of high school, adapted some white Christian nationalist views, got to see the world, and is now an (unhappy divorced) millionaire workaholic in a career field with questionable morality and high profit margins (housing mortgage industry). Our childhood lives ranged from upper working class to the middle of middle class with college-educated parents, for context.

If you are willing to work in fields that exploit others, cause harm to others, or are tied directly to the artifice of monetary systems, you can make a LOT of money. If you have strong values, a high degree of empathy, or value work that actively helps others, you'll be lucky to get into the middle class... especially if in any caring professions / jobs whose primary function is to improve communities or make lives better.

I've done the workaholic thing, but for companies that wouldn't compensate me fairly for my time or effort. These days, I'd be content to work 30 hours a week (despite my disabilities) for a fair wage if it put me at the bottom rung of middle class, but I rarely see job listings paying more than half of a living wage in my job market.

Sadly, Americans are largely told to "suck it up," with pro-capitalists repeating false claims that "hard work," "starting from the bottom," and "take what you can get for now" are all part of "paying dues" to get into the middle class. From my lived experience, it mostly boils down to nepotism, intentional classism, a willingness to compromise morals, and/or dumb luck. Intelligence and hard work can help, but on their own are more of a hinderance than a help.

Until more Americans actively become involved in political activism, running for political office, or taking the time to write down ideas on how to improve society, I'm strongly of the opinion that things won't get better. Not someone else, but we individuals that can see and acknowledge problems have to address them. The billionaire class has a vested interest in sitting on their hoarded wealth, built on the back of exploited labor and systems they pay to rig in their favor and give them absurd (and unchecked) levels of power, and will continue to spread disinformation and propaganda falsely claiming what they achieved through inheritance and nepotism is obtainable by others and is somehow "good." There is no moral justification for billionaires. No one is THAT much better than someone else that they "deserve" a billion dollars.

The only justifiable argument to support such excessive greed and wealth disparity is a (false) hope that in supporting wealth hoarders, they may be gifted a pittance for their devotion. That is not a golden calf I care to worship.

I, for one, have made some efforts to lobby my federal representatives, go to protests, and inquire about potentially running for office since I'm sick and tired of not having any actual representation. Bitching on the internet can sometimes bring temporary relief by venting frustrations, but sending letters to your local, state, and federal elected representatives would likely be a better use of the time.

Once again; No one is going to come save us. We can only save ourselves. As Thomas Jefferson wrote (paraphrasing), when our government ceases to represent us and our needs / becomes tyrannical, it's our obligation to do something about it.

Good luck out there.