There’s no reason HR assistant jobs asking for a degree and experience should be paying 16-20 an hour, when retail and customer service and security guard jobs pay in that range, and often pay a little higher.

I've worked in HR for a few years in lower level roles, that usually require a BS degree and some office/clerical experience, usually they prefer HR experience. A lot of HR jobs in my area pay 17-18 an hour, but want you to have a degree. For context, in n out starts at 19 an hour in my area. A person can be a college grad with a white collar job and have to live with parents or roommates out here. It's insane.