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You can make as much doing menial work for BART as you can in engineering. Except that you don't actually have to do anything difficult when you work for BART, it's almost impossible to lose your job, there is no unpaid overtime, and you get more vacation.

The economics of bay-area engineering are broken. Consider this, how many engineers making comparable salary could take over these jobs with minimal training? What about vice-versa?

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BART jobs are quite supply constrained. Sure, union jobs are great if you can get one, but there aren't many to go around.

Plus, who would really enjoy working in a workplace where everyone doesn't care? I couldn't stand it even if I were paid more, couldn't lose my job, and had more vacation time.

BART jobs are quite supply constrained

That's because they pay way too much. If they paid commensurate to required skill level, demand would drop because the true equilibrium price is much lower.

It's a union gig, it doesn't work that way.

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