Beginning FO pay has been beginning FO pay for a long time. LOOOOWWW! There were no surprises going into this. I agree that pay is too low. But for those embarrassed about getting money wired to them from mother, that is a financial planning problem on your part. I can tell my new students just starting out with lesson #1 what their first year FO pay will be. Planning for it is key. If the numbers don't work, you ought to either work another job for an extra year and save or just find another job altogether.