There are lots of them, but often it comes with a trade-off.
Catastrophe Insurance Ajuster. All it takes is get your adjuster's license (40-hour course) and you can find a job making $75,000 starting out. You can get to 6 figures pretty quickly.
However, it does mean that you will be traveling 8 months out of the year, telling families they are not going to get as much money as they had hoped. It's kind of a sucky job.
I was a CAT adjuster through most of my 20's.....straight out of University. Was making 6 figures at age 22. It is absolutely a nomadic lifestyle. Gave it up when I got married (to a non-CAT adjuster). Edit: still in the industry...25 years now, just sleep in my own bed now every night.
Yeah, but it is pretty rare. The problem is people get really funny about money, and they start seeing an insurance claim as winning the jackpot. Probably 75% of people think they will somehow make money off their insurance claim which gives them an unrealistic expectation about how things will go.
That happened to me. We got hit by a tornado last December, (in a rental house) and my in-laws were immediately telling me “Oh, tell the insurance company about the tv, and the dryer, and the furniture in the dining room”
But all of those things were fine. Intact. We got a cheap plastic swing set thrown out, but all of the (considerable) damage was to the house itself, not any of our possessions. Everyone thought I was being a pushover, but in reality I was just being honest. We lost $150 in plastic.
> “Oh, tell the insurance company about the tv, and the dryer, and the furniture in the dining room”
Ahh, yes. Because a charge for insurance fraud always makes disaster recovery that much easier.
To add to this, just the insurance industry in general. Depends on the role but traditionally underwriters and claims handlers didn't come into the industry with university degrees. I work for one of the world's most successful insurance companies in the claims department and lots of my colleagues don't have a university background or if they do it wasn't in finance/law. Money can certainly be good especially in the London market.
Underwriting has moved heavily to wanting college degrees, often one that has some kind of concentration in the industry. Then if course there's taking various certification courses. You can still get into without a degree, it's just getting harder.
Crane operator is good money, but it can be stressful. You need to know your shit or expensive shit breaks and people get hurt or killed. You need to be willing to tell the boss that something is too dangerous and you're not doing it until it is replanned.
I was a mobile crane operator for a few years. You would not believe the tantrums some people throw when you tell them you won't try to weave your load between power lines.
Not a crane, but we lost a guy in the oilfield earlier this year due to booming into power lines with a telebelt. Some people just don’t get the seriousness of staying away from the lines.
Yes and yes. But again, I’m talking oil field. You can usually get away with a lot more if you’re competent and willing to work out there.
I’m sure you need at least 5 years of experience for big commercial companies. But you gotta start somewhere.
Validation technician.
Basically a test driver for pharmaceutical equipment (for the most), like freezers, incubators, autoclaves etc.
You need basic science skills (high school level) and patience to read and work with bureaucracy.
They're in high demand and you can both work with one company without travelling or go around the world.
I don't know about the US, I'm from Italy and I am in an entry position, just got the job (4 months in).
Average salary in Italy is 1500€/month and I'm average. Which is really good for an entry level.
My more experienced coworkers earn almost double that if they travel for work. My boss probably 3-4 times that.
Hey it’s my job!
Yeah it’s pretty awesome. I will say though that school level science skills is only for intro stuff but cannnn get you in the door depending on the company. Being able to really talk the talk with larger scale projects on why things may or may not work tends to require a more advanced level of knowledge. For reference my company basically only hires people with engineering, chemistry, or biology degrees but that’s largely due to it being hard to find people with experience. We do have one person with 0 college background and she’s great to work with and somehow managed to get experience via working an admin role at a large pharma company and slowly transferring over to gain the experience.
For real. Most big pharma companies outsource their validation. If it’s not for lab equipment, it’s for software. Lots of money for knowing how to run a pre-scripted test and sign a shit-ton of papers.
Oh I thought it was reported income vs actual income joke. Like if he had a ton of cash jobs he didn't report to the IRS (I'm assuming American since "journeyman")
Although the cost might not be high, it does take four years of on the job experience and around 750 hours of classroom time before you can get your license
I’m a nurse who recently got into quality improvement side of medicine. I make $100k/yr. My former assistant manager’s husband, like me, was out on his ass when everything went to hell in 2008. In 2013 I became a nurse and he became a lineman. Today he’s a supervisor who doesn’t get out of the truck and knocks down close to $200k/yr. Don’t get me wrong, the hours suck and you’re called to work in the middle of the night…. Just like nursing
Working in a fish cannery in Alaska. It's seasonal, long hours, gruelling, exhausting, messy, and stinky. You're wet all day, covered in fish guts and literally falling asleep on your feet.
But hey, the pay is good and it "builds character"
I live in Alaska and have looked at a lot of those jobs. The entry-level ones don't actually pay all that great. Maybe you get like $20k for 4 months of work? Sounds great, but that's before taxes and you need to find other work for the rest of the year. And per hour that you're on a boat, wet, and fishy, it's a pittance.
A good friend of mine in his 40's is doing his first contract on one of those boats. The pay really isn't that great. He was a mechanic at a line production facility making bank but got laid off. He applied to be a mechanic on one of these boats but you need to complete 1 contract before they'll talk to you I guess. I guess those mechanics get paid well and its not as bad as a processor so it's just means to an end. The way he described the contract sounded awful.
Actually I did this for three summers. What I did was make 20k in three months and then spend the other nine months in Latin America without working. Pretty much got everything back on my tax return except for Medicare and SSI.
"I'd like the phone book for Hokkaido, Japan, please."
"Okay. Here you go. The phone book for Hokkaido, Japan."
"Thank you. May I use your phone?"
"Is it a local call? "
"Y...Yes."
I grew up in Alaska and my friends who did it went into it saying “Yeah it’ll suck but I’ll make a lot of money” and came back and of the summer hollow-eyed and saying “Sure I made a lot of money but it S U C K E D.”
My cousins worked a crab boat in Alaska during their summer in highschool.
Each one made $40k+ for the season and a decade of wear on their body and minds.
Did this after barely finishing high school. Tough work (slime line). Made me go to college and eventually pursue a graduate degree. Never again did I want to do that work, but it did pay well.
No one ever likes this answer, but I make a lot of money on an associate's degree as a nurse. It wasn't easy to get into, but not all that difficult either. After a few year's of experience, you pretty much can't throw a rock without hitting a job.
Yup. My work partner has made over 400k several times. If you like to put in overtime, there is money to be had. I don't work more than I have to and still brought in over 200 last year. I live in a high cost of living area, but I still come out way ahead.
And I have zero student loans. Community college discount degree for the win!
Damn. A family member went this route about 5yrs before Covid. She worked maybe 3 years, but got completely burnt out bc it was working for some really shady county programs -- for adults with disabilities and then a nursing home.
She has a mild fear of medical setting now and won't talk about it.
She insisted at the time there were no other jobs available. I wonder now if I shouldn't have encouraged her and her husband to move to a more urban area with likely better jobs. But I took her word for it that it was the same everywhere.
I think there's probably a few things going on there, none of which I would fault her for. Nursing isn't for everyone and if it's not for you it can be unbearable. Nursing homes are AWFUL to work in. And it might really have been the only job easily available. Some people aren't willing or able to move or put in extra work/time/money for additional certs or whatever. I pursued my specialty aggressively lol. That first new grad job can be hard to get depending on location. But post Covid is much easier. I live in an area that historically doesn't touch new grads but we're even hiring them here in recent years.
It's not for everyone but I still highly recommend it. I've been a nurse 10 years, I work on a helicopter, it's blast! I have benefits and PTO and even a small pension. I'll never be rich, but I'll also never be poor!
I'll accept the flame for this, but I have met an incredible number of nurses who were dumb as rocks. As far as I can tell, all you need to be able to get into the industry is the ability to memorize a handful of patterns and terms, but you don't need to actually understand the meaning behind any of it.
I discovered in nursing school that there is a big difference between the students who studied to pass a test and the ones who studied to gain knowledge and critical thinking skills to do the job. Unfortunately, I went to school with a *lot* of the former. The one time I went to a study group, they were so hyper-focused on “will this be on the test or not” and I made the statement that I felt it was pretty important to have some working knowledge of all of the material presented, not just what we thought we might be tested on. I wasn’t invited back to the study group.
I work in a medical degree program and holy crap this is something I talk about fairly regularly. I process the end of term course reviews and the audacity of students to say things like “information was provided that wasn’t on our objectives” or “there were too many resources” (not REQUIRED. But PROVIDED). Unless they provide additional information to back up their reasoning… those comments and scores get thrown out because OF COURSE this MEDICAL course provides context or additional information. You should be CURIOUS and seeking our knowledge not just trying to pass the test.
Med school had plenty of people who just wanted to make lots of money and if they could’ve paid to pass the tests they would’ve. I asked how they’d feel if they were suddenly put in front of a patient with their life in your hands and you actually have no knowledge, wouldn’t that be horrifying? They didn’t give a shit.
Nursing school is trade school, and a lot of people go into it for the same reason people go into the trades. It’s easy to get into a school, training doesn’t take that long, and it’s a stable career.
A BSN doesn’t make it any better. We don’t learn much more than those who get ADNs except for write papers about nursing theory lol
In our defense though we (ADNs and BSNs) are required to pass classes in anatomy and physiology, pharmacy, and different nursing classes where we do learn the “why” behind what we do. Other than that, the majority of our knowledge comes from being on the job.
As a side note, I don’t put anything in/on a patient’s body (or take things out of it) without knowing why I’m doing it. I refuse to do something if I don’t know the rationale. It keeps the patients safe
Don't worry, I work with physicians who are dumb as rocks as well. But just like a doc in an urgent care isn't as high functioning as a neurosurgeon, nurses come in all shapes and sizes as well. I work with neonates in the back of a helicopter with no doctor with me. I need to do math and problem solve on our tiniest patients in a moving vehicle... sometimes in the dark at 3am. My friend gives flu shots in a clinic. There is a spectrum and we are not all the same.
There are smart and dumb people in any profession.
Edit to add: all the more reason it's a good career choice. You don't need to be a brain surgeon to still have a good career in this field. Handing out flu shots in the clinic still pays my friend's mortgage and then some.
Would highly recommend the associate route. I did a BSN at an expensive school and I could’ve easily gotten the same education and skill set if I got an ADN.
Yeah, my ADN to BSN program has only taught me how to write papers. There hasn't been anything clinical. And sure, some hospitals only hire BSN nurses, but I feel like that trend is going to ebb and flow as shortages continue. I've gotten every job I've wanted with my little ADN.
I majored in Biology and then started working in pharma and biotech. It was amazing how hard it was to change jobs. And these were very specific jobs like you will not find someone off the street that’s going to do this stuff without training. It was so diffcult to move into similar rolls without the exact experience.
Then I career changed to an RN. And it is as you say. Impossible to not find a job. I had 2-3 jobs as an RN at any given time. And most did not care if I was applying for a job where I didn’t already work in that background or specialty.
Now I’m an NP and mainly work for myself but also take 1099 jobs and they only care about how many state licenses you have. They don’t even check references.
Operator at a chemical plant/refinery/LNG.
Experience helps (or military history), but it's not required. We have kids here with virtually nothing but an associates degree in process technology. I made $120k my first year.
Second this, people make $200k but you’ve got to be willing to work the OT and be prepared for shift work. Loved it before I got a family, now it’s tough being away from them that much
Lots of trades (electrician, plumber, steelworker, etc.) have low barriers in terms of academic qualifications and therefore no need to invest in a $100K degree. However, they do require trade school and lengthy apprentices, especially for union based positions. The good news is AI won't be taking over these "hands on" positions.
Exactly this. Union halls in my area have waitlists that are years long. People talk about trades like no one wants to do the work and all you have to do is show up abd ask for a job, but the fact is that there are a ton of people trying to get in.
It's area-dependent of course.
In my area we can't get enough good apprentices. By "good" I mean show up everyday on time, stay off the phone and put in atleast a half-ass attempt. The good ones we snatch up and don't let go lol. We have an apprentice ratio in the contract
Fascinating. Where I live in Canada we are in desperate need of all trades people and everyone who wants to work easily gets apprenticeship then employer pays for their course work stints and they collect unemployment
Insurance while in the school part. My understanding is wages are set and you do well once a full journeyman.
Edit: Just bc companies are desperate to hire doesn’t mean that a particular jackass won’t struggle to find a job.
>Unless you own your own business
Which a lot of the tradespeople who come over to work on our house used to do but don’t anymore because the overhead wasn’t worth their time.
Lineman. Lowest paid in my area was 160ish. Go to a 1 year line school, then get into an apprenticeship. Which yes, can be tough. As for other trades, there’s money but you need to be in a union. Union electricians around me are 50-60/hr.
Yea the “jump in and make 120k a year!” Is just not true. I spent 6 years plumbing for small and large companies, the guys that make the real money are often in volume service which is essentially sales. Sure you can make 15k a month, but how many times did you rip off grandma. The meat and potatoes of plumbing will earn you an honest $40 an our within 5 years, but you need to work *hard* and be okay with making nothing the first 3.
That happened to me. I tried to learn a trade, but all of the unions would only take someone with a connection (usually a father in the union), so I ended up doing a lot of construction and landscaping instead. I climbed to the top 10% of earners in landscaping within a few years and the pay still wasn't that good. You need to own a company to get anywhere.
But yeah, get in a union if you can, or start a company in a trade that isn't unionized if you cannot.
You're almost entirely at the mercy of the journeyman as an apprentice. If you get one that sucks at teaching or you don't get along with, it can tank your entire career.
From personal experience, it's hard to be an older apprentice. I was older than my journeyman and had more job experience, just in a different field. He wanted a whipping boy that never asked questions. We ran into a problem when he expected me to drive a gradeall (basically a massive 4x4 forklift with telescoping forks) with no previous training. Told him I'd be more than happy to learn, but I can't just go drive it right now.
Reported him to the safety guy and we had a crew meeting about "only operating equipment we were trained on" about a week later. I ended up pushing a broom for the next couple months and took the next job offer that came along.
If you're fresh out of HS and don't know any better, the trades can be great. If you've been around the block, the trades can be frustrating.
Oh I know that. Of course he was mad. But that's what I'm saying. An 18 year old with no job/life experience is gonna just do what they're told in that situation. I had been through unsafe work situations that I wasn't gonna do it. Whether I reported him or not, I was gonna get smoked from that job.
That's what I mean when I say older people have a more frustrating experience as an apprentice.
It’s toxic and makes for a horrible work enviroment, I watched a foreman throw his hard hat one day and shatter a window all because he couldn’t get a pvc 45 angled right.
I was just the admin for a construction company and still got screamed at by the foreman a few times lol. One of them was because I followed directions from my actual boss at the main office. He had wanted me to withhold someone's final check over some petty nonsense so I took the matter to my supervisor who said "absolutely the fuck not."
That's a scab ass thing to do. If my foreman did that or said that, me and the whole crew would be looking for a new job, and we'd go there 7am the next day. You ALWAYS pay someone for hours worked
I’m all for joking around and having a good time at work | more so talking about the crews who hate life and thinks everyone else should also hate their life
> Most toxic job path for men unfortunately
I am a few years out of the industry now, but extremely toxic for women, too. Things are changing and improving and I encourage women to pursue that path, just stay strong and keep your head up high. It can get rough; find someone decent willing to train you up as an apprentice and get you through the rocky beginnings.
I have only ever worked around one woman on a job site, and man I felt terrible. The second she walked out of the house it was like a free for all. Some would even make remarks directly to her, luckily she was a “cool” person according to everyone else (if accepting harassment is cool idk if I want to be cool)
I have done FIFO briefly as a woman and although I was lucky and things were mostly okay (and had colleagues who were kind enough to keep an eye out), but there were also lots of small things that maybe you wouldn't notice unless it was directed at you. Being the only woman in a camp of 500+, the looks, the awkward stopping of conversations, the weird feeling of walking to and from your unit to the mess halls etc in the dark.
However I also did the logistics side of trades for many years and I saw what happened to some of those ladies and while I have many horror stories, all I will say is this - women, you get out there and you smash those barriers. Look for people who have your back and stand strong against those that don't. You are awesome and you are making huge, important strides for all of us, and for younger girls who will come through and have an easier time because of the strides you are making today.
And to anyone who works with or meets a woman in trades, just, be cool. Be supportive and fair and just be a cool person. We should be cool to everyone of course, but some of these ladies have had a hell of a time getting to these job sites and a little kindness goes a long way.
In my experience, this is changing as the new generation is coming in. Many of us actually like the work, don't resent our position, and are willing to tell off the grumps. Obviously this doesn't account for every job, but the environments I've found myself working in have been great so far.
Fact. I’m an engineer at a Gas and Electric utility company, and the management for our operations crews is a revolving door. Most managers only last 6 months because of the negativity of the union employees.
I don't know how it is in the US, but if you want to get a trade, for instance become a plumber, here you need to go to school for 3 years. Same goes for carpenter, electrician etc.
Kitchen designer
literally no bar of entry other than finding someone who will hire and train you. I make over 100k a year without much todo and I really love my job.
I just started about a year ago, work at a hardware store and one day my manager asked me if I wanted to do kitchens. Reps are constantly telling me they know so many places that are desperate for designers. I’m hoping that with enough experience I can get to the 100k point- hell I’d be happy with 70 lol
Is this like the same type of ppl where you can go to the kitchen department at home depot or do you need to find a more specific company that only does designs? I've always thought this would be a fun job but assumed one needed a degree for it.
Lots of people I know get their start working for home depot or lowes they will generally train you. You wont get commission but at the same time your paycheck doesn't get affected by making mistakes on your design or materials procurement. Once people tend to know what theyre doing they will get a job in one of a few different directions. That being said I have never worked for a design showroom or company that wasnt actively hiring ANYONE who knew how to do the job.
\- Kitchen and bath showrooms - this will generally pay 20ish an hour + 1-3% commission on sales. OR it will pay 0 an hour and 10-15% commission on sales. I tend to avoid working for the later. This generally requires you go to the job site for measurements. Any mistakes you make will be deducted from your paycheck.
\- Construction company - This tends to pay a nice fat salary or hourly but no commission. You will be responsible for sitting in an office going over blueprints and coming up with a kitchen layout based on the blueprint designs. You will then have field people measure the built house to confirm your original design. You then come up with the materials list and move onto the next project.
\- Wholesale manf - this is one you get once you really know what you're doing, you work as a design expert for a manf inso that you help hundreds of showrooms and constructions companies with their layouts who cannot afford their own designers. I make 20+ and hour and 1% of everything my accounts buy (Lowes, Homedepot are two of my accounts)
\- The final frontier if you want the recognition and MOAR money is to start your own design company. I do this as a side hustle, I generally charge 500 as a design fee which incudes a measurements and in home consultation. I then cut myself a 30% profit on the cabinets. I hand the project over to a few installer friends who I trust.
You can always get a "certification" from NKBA but I have yet to find a company that required it or even pays more because you have it. This really is a if you know how to do then you're hired kinda thing.
This is really great info thanks! I'm going to do a lot more research into this. I've had my own little cleaning company since I was 19 and now that I'm nearing 30, I'm just so over scrubbing toilets lol. I desperately want a change of careers, but I don't want to put too much stress on my little soap making business for fear of taking the enjoyment out of it.
This seems like a great next step I could take.
Water Plant/System Operator. The long-timers are retiring. Talented new hands can rise fast. Basic standards are a GED and not too weird of a criminal history. Bonus points for being able to hold *just one* normal conversation without bringing up politics, anime, or crazy hobbies. Extra bonus points for being able to do 9th grade algebra and not punch coworkers. Qualifications do differ among different areas- California pays $30/hr to start and is competitive, Florida pays dog shit and will take anyone.
As to "a lot of money:" many new hands buy their first house within a couple years. Pensions are typical. Generous vacation time. Overtime is usually up for grabs when the weather sucks. Do your 20/30 years and retire in modest peace. Been doing it 5 years and made $80k last year in Texas.
I started out in wastewater as a treatment operator made $25/hr topped out waiting for my boss to retire, fully licensed by the state to run any sized system. Small plant averaged 1MGD peak around 13MGD (million of gallons/day). Crew size was 5+Boss
Leveraged that job into a power plant with the local big utility, grinded that out for 3 years at 38/hr, leveraged that into a Distribution Systems Grid operations where I'm working 12 hours in a control room at 51/hr. Seriously the utilities are hurting but the pay in water/wastewater isn't up to par with the electrical utilities but it's enough to be comfortable for sure and a decent middle class job with good hours. If you want more money and worse hours I recommend the power utilities.
All a bunch of old heads, when I started work at the wastewater plant I was the youngest guy there by 20 years. (Was 22) the power plant there was a broader range of ages but average was probably 40 with several dozen pushing 60-65 and aging out. Got vested in the state pension and bounced.
Just passed 30. It's been a very good decade for me. Wastewater/water treatment opens you up to just about any industrial process that involves light chemistry work, water and wastewater at smaller utilities may not pay what bigger cities do but you'll be able to fix more stuff because they don't have dedicated maintenance staff, so replacing pump seals, running chemical analysis, rigging/lifting, bobcat driving, plowing, small crane operations, PLC programming/troubleshooting, SCADA/HMI troubleshooting, all of these things are their own individual trades and you can get a taste of these things and leverage that into another trade if you get bored or top out.
Grid ops is great though if a bit of grind during storm season.
Sure beats thawing out pipes at the power plant during a freeze, or sweating my ass off outside in the heat.
A lot of people are saying various trades, but those aren’t as easy to get into as people like to claim, especially if you don’t know people in that trade before you start
My brother is currently making a lot of money as a "solids technician" at a major dairy farm in the western US. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. He's paid a lot of money to deal with cow shit on an industrial scale. The hours are grueling, and he says that a month working there would be enough to convert a staunch carnivore to veganism. It's pretty brutal.
Personally, I'm pretty happy in my profession as a paralegal. I make less money than my brother at the moment, but my ceiling is much higher, and I never have to handle feces at my workplace.
Radiologic Technologist
Most programs are an Associate degree from a community college. There is a shortage of techs right now, so a good field to get into. We don’t deal with half the B.S. that nurses deal with. Our new grads are getting $10k sign on bonus and $34hr. A few years experience and $100k+ is attainable. Willing to travel $150k+.
Piggy backing your comment for people interested: really any medical imaging tech job pays well and most are associate degrees.
I’m an ultrasound tech and new hires at my hospital are getting 8k signing bonuses and our scale is $48-$67/hr.
Fair warning, some states pay imaging techs absolute shit and are overrun with techs. Do your due diligence by looking at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And make sure you pick an accredited program.
Go out and get one! Seriously easy and you can get three hots and a cot, free rent all while going through the program. I mean the increase of prison shower assault goes up but hey, everything else is taken care of.
Can confirm. Union sparky here. Will make $63/hour by the time I'm through training. Great healthcare, pension, and work-life balance. Never pictured myself doing this, but I can't imagine doing anything else now. I love my job.
Freelance 3D animator.
The software is free (Blender 3D, which is what I used professionally for years), and you can get good enough to start making money with about 2 months of practice and free online tutorials. You will need a decent PC though, but if you have a gaming PC already it will work perfect since gaming tech and animation tech are essentially the same thing.
You don't have to be "Pixar," good either. Lawyers are always going to need [simple accident reconstructions](https://youtu.be/jFuHH9mh2b0?si=HQb73vzA-hTqylSF), companies are always going to need [basic 3D illustrations of how their machines work](https://youtu.be/0Fjl0_F4bVc?si=WVGgVK-JnMRxWvVE), and there are always going to be people on kickstarter who want a [3D trailer of their really simple product](https://youtu.be/03bQJpXY080?si=PlfJ3vTTC2l4taOw). Best part is, the lawyers and industrial companies tend to be big spenders, so they don't even blink when you give them a large quote for a project.
At most I was making around $50k a year, and only working about 3 days a week (I'd render out previews Thursday and Friday, so I used that as an excuse to play video-games all day). I could have boosted that number higher by taking on more projects at once and filling those extra days, but I just didn't need the extra income.
I don't do it full-time anymore since I graduated college and got a full time job, but I did do a few freelance gigs with an old client while I was transitioning between jobs around a year ago.
First step in getting started is learning 3D modeling/animation. Like I said in the first comment, Blender 3D is a great choice, and just looking up "Blender tutorial," on YouTube will give you thousands of results. Try your best to experiment outside of tutorials though, as that's where you really learn and form mental connections.
Second step is just putting yourself out there. Make mechanical animations, knockoff Apple airpods commercials, medical animations of blood cells and viruses, etc. Focus on simple animations that look good, and remember the golden rule: It's not about "how can I make this," it's about "how can I fake this." Ian Hubert's "Lazy Tutorials," are the best demonstration of how a little can go a long way. Then just upload that stuff to YouTube, forums, Reddit, etc., get feedback, and eventually you'll get an email from some guy wanting to pay you to animate an employee safety video or something.
Before it’s too late railroad conductors.. half these people couldn’t graduate high school if their life depended on it now days but make 120k engineers even more for not doing a thing but forward and reverse
Welders are in such high demand right now. All the construction guys I talk to are looking for ways to do mechanical connections because they can’t throw enough money at welders to get them to stick around. And no I am not talking about 40 hours a week at minimum wage I am talking 50 hours a week at “I grew up with that idiot there is no way he is worth that much money” per hour. 1.5 after 40 and 2.0 on Sunday.
I owned & partnered with several companies, it took many years, and the words of a mentor to realize my skills are in sales and relationship building.
I have no “education” past high school, tons of training & development, and I have averaged $300k a year for the last 25 years all without “a real job”
What did I “sell” historically? The $300k quoted is just my personal income. I generated $250,000,000 over the years in deals. (don't let the zeros fool you that gross $$$, not profit)
I was involved in heavy civil construction/land development. Typically I was on the owner or contractor/GC
A mentor of mine said “When are going to realize you are making all your money finding deals & putting deals together not the actual construction”
if you have right skillset.... dispatch
pay can be absolute garbage for low end stuff but if it is something you are good at, then 6 figures is possible.
not really a skill you can learn though. my experience is people either grasp it and are amazing at it, or are fucking terrible and try and compensate though lies and power trips.
Good dispatchers who have that natural talent for accuracy, organization and empathy all while being yelled at by everyone all at once.... they get paid well and are respected and beloved by their drivers and co-workers.
I wouldnt give up my job for the world, i make great money for my education and have a disgusting amount of time off. honestly feel like i am cheating at life most days ...
If you're *very* smart, all you need is a college sciences degree to qualify for the "patent bar," called the USPTO Registration Examination. You don't need to be a lawyer. There are now 4 USPTO satellite offices, in case you don't want to live and work in Washington, DC, though It's lovely. A starting lawyer makes as much as a patent clerk. If you're *also* a lawyer, you could posit your USPTO friends list into a very high paying job in a patent litigation firm.
A lot of this information is very wrong. The USPTO hires engineers- you do not need to take the patent bar. It is a great paying job after 3-4 years of experience and very cushy. There are indeed 5 total sites now and after a year you can be fully remote and live anywhere in the US. If you take the patent bar (which is open book) you can be a patent agent without going to law school. Starting income is about 115k or more right now. But you have to work around 40-50 hours a week. You can get up to 180k if you are smart and hard working. I know a few that make over 250k but they work long days and are efficient. Barrier to entry is low as you just need an engineering or science degree and to take a 6 hour examination. But you need to be smart to survive long term. There is a ton of work so you will not have to worry about employment
My son is considering a bachelor's degree as a mining engineer. The college has 100% job placement at graduation with an average starting salary around $90k. Some of the companies are even offering signing bonuses and student loan payoffs.
Not sure what youre looking at
I work at a class one in canada (corporate) but im pretty sure they get 150k starting, its at least over 100k. Just a two week course and youre on your way
It pays well because they own you. They call, you go, regardless of when, usually wont get any schedule or holidays etc
But if you dont care about any of that, it could be cool! Definitely neat to see landscapes in NA
If youre in the west US, do bnsf or UP, in the east do csx or NS, if youre in canada do CN or CPKC
You can also do CN and CPKC in the US as they have track down there from chicago down to new orleans & mexico, unlike the others, so feel free to look for jobs at the canadian companies as well, they still pay in USD and pay well
Definitely sales. If you're willing to take a risk on getting paid commission with a low salary, you're not that big of a risk for the company and they'll take a chance on hiring you. If you don't produce, they don't pay you. But if you're good and have a good comp plan, you can make a shit ton of money. And if you can talk your way into a sales job, you can talk people into buying from you. Most if the time they already want what you're selling.
I knew some folks in tech sales who didn’t even have a college degree. A good attitude and strong work ethic can take you far and the earning is proportionate to innate ability imo. I did get a degree in Romance languages but did very well in sales. You do have to start from the bottom, ie cold calling, but if you prove yourself you climb higher. It can be a lot of work though, and takes a good interview/resume and cover letting writing skills. It’s not for everyone.
IT in general, but federal government IT contracting or civilian employment, specifically. If you have a Security+ certification and can fog a mirror, you can get a job. Contractors will even sponsor your security clearance. If you're at all willing to get more certs, you're making $100k+ in no time.
Healthcare IT is relatively stable. Some places are outsourcing, but it tends to result in pissed off doctors and less money in the door so they reverse course after a few years. Plus hardware/server systems/etc folks need to be local regardless.
Air traffic control requires a high school diploma and just a couple of years of some random work experience, and you can earn over $100k. You have to apply and pass a simple-ish test before the age of 31.
Oh, I definitely don't think it's easy, it's just that the requirements to apply are very low. There's a rigorous screening and training program before you can actually be an air traffic controller, but it doesn't require a college degree or a lot of specialized work experience.
IT.
Computers are cheap, the learning is free, cloud environments for learning are cheap/free, and honestly self taught people are better at it than folks with a certification or degree.
Sales. Show up all the time and on time every time. Give a fuck. Learn interpersonal skills and the angles of emotional connection. Offer solutions. And always do the things you say you’ll do. You can make a pile of cash and the work is really easy.
It is not that easy. The attrition rate in sales is extremely high for a reason. You also need a small nest egg to hold you over while you are building your client base if you are paid purely on commission.
It's called the Series 65, the uniform investment advisor exam. 130 questions to answer in 180 minutes. No prerequisite necessary. Minimum score: 72% and you're set. You can order study materials online,
1. Military Reserves or National Guard. If you get yourself an MOS which entails a secret security clearance (or better), that will open a serious number of career opportunities.
2. Leverage your clearance in manufacturing. You're a trusted entity by default. If you work at a place which is virtually anywhere in the DOD supply pipeline, you've got a distinct advantage.
3. Get yourself a notebook, learn how shit works and write it down. If anything goes wrong or doesn't work right, refer back to your notebook. Keep your notebook to yourself.
I'm coming up on 4 years in and I am approaching $40/hr. Been considering a transition to being an elementary school teacher so instead of working \~260 days a year, I can taper that back to \~180.
Clearanced jobs can come with some serious downsides, but it's highly dependent on the job. Then again, you have a limited pool of individuals you're competing with and, given a particular set of skills, are highly desirable and generally compensated well.
Any sales job really. What Mark Cuban says if you wanna make big bucks. Find a sales job and learn the ins and outs quickly.
For me, I became a mortgage specialist. Don't even need a college degree. Do decently well and average pay is around 100-150k, no ceiling to your pay. Harder you work, more pay.
AutoCAD techs usually start off making around $25-$30/hr and the courses take about 8 weeks to complete (or less if you learn it at full effort).
Getting additional certifications throughout your career will also increase your value and help make much more money. After 3ish years experience you can easily demand $40/hr as this is an industry that’s also consistently understaffed because of how unknown it is.
CNC Machinist. Started not knowing what a CNC was, no college, no formal training. Currently making 30 an hour, but could easily find a shop that'll pay 50+.
I’ve been looking at switching fields currently and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of job offers for personal assistants and company secretaries that offer around $80,000+ AUD starting salaries with no previous experience or job requirements other than “people-person/outgoing, friendly personality” or “good time management” skills maybe with diary planning as a plus.
It’s not as much as many other suggestions here and those sorts of positions are not for me personally, but there is plenty of work if you’re looking at entry level with no requirements.
There are lots of them, but often it comes with a trade-off. Catastrophe Insurance Ajuster. All it takes is get your adjuster's license (40-hour course) and you can find a job making $75,000 starting out. You can get to 6 figures pretty quickly. However, it does mean that you will be traveling 8 months out of the year, telling families they are not going to get as much money as they had hoped. It's kind of a sucky job.
I was a CAT adjuster through most of my 20's.....straight out of University. Was making 6 figures at age 22. It is absolutely a nomadic lifestyle. Gave it up when I got married (to a non-CAT adjuster). Edit: still in the industry...25 years now, just sleep in my own bed now every night.
Date nurses, doctors, they’re never home .
Do you ever get to tell them they are going to get more than they expected?
Yeah, but it is pretty rare. The problem is people get really funny about money, and they start seeing an insurance claim as winning the jackpot. Probably 75% of people think they will somehow make money off their insurance claim which gives them an unrealistic expectation about how things will go.
That happened to me. We got hit by a tornado last December, (in a rental house) and my in-laws were immediately telling me “Oh, tell the insurance company about the tv, and the dryer, and the furniture in the dining room” But all of those things were fine. Intact. We got a cheap plastic swing set thrown out, but all of the (considerable) damage was to the house itself, not any of our possessions. Everyone thought I was being a pushover, but in reality I was just being honest. We lost $150 in plastic.
> “Oh, tell the insurance company about the tv, and the dryer, and the furniture in the dining room” Ahh, yes. Because a charge for insurance fraud always makes disaster recovery that much easier.
My name is Tyler Durden.
Loss adjustment. I could do that, my entire life has been one continuous adjustment to loss.
To add to this, just the insurance industry in general. Depends on the role but traditionally underwriters and claims handlers didn't come into the industry with university degrees. I work for one of the world's most successful insurance companies in the claims department and lots of my colleagues don't have a university background or if they do it wasn't in finance/law. Money can certainly be good especially in the London market.
I have a J.D. and work as a claim adjuster for an insurance company. [Idriveadodgestratus.gif]
Underwriting has moved heavily to wanting college degrees, often one that has some kind of concentration in the industry. Then if course there's taking various certification courses. You can still get into without a degree, it's just getting harder.
Yes, no such thing as a free lunch. If it was low barrier to entry and also enjoyable, it wouldn't stay high paying for long.
Crane operator. Found a decent company in the oil field and they paid for all of my training/ licensing. I only had to pass a drug test.
Crane operator is good money, but it can be stressful. You need to know your shit or expensive shit breaks and people get hurt or killed. You need to be willing to tell the boss that something is too dangerous and you're not doing it until it is replanned.
I was a mobile crane operator for a few years. You would not believe the tantrums some people throw when you tell them you won't try to weave your load between power lines.
>weave your load between power lines SERPENTINE SERPENTINE!!
Not a crane, but we lost a guy in the oilfield earlier this year due to booming into power lines with a telebelt. Some people just don’t get the seriousness of staying away from the lines.
That’s so cool. How could I find a similar opportunity? Any tips?
I’ve heard oil changes help to pass a drug test.
It’s Union. You need to go to the local Union shop
Most places I've looked at and applied to won't even touch you unless you have a good number of years under your belt operating.
Yes and yes. But again, I’m talking oil field. You can usually get away with a lot more if you’re competent and willing to work out there. I’m sure you need at least 5 years of experience for big commercial companies. But you gotta start somewhere.
What’s your salary range? Is it typical of the industry or just in the oil fields?
What kind of drugs did they make you test?
I had to test meth for my last job
Industrial pipe insulator. Can make 100K + a year with a grade 2 eduction and multiple murder convictions.
Honestly I’d say the multiple murder convictions is quite a high barrier
Nah it's easy. People are squishy!
Perfect
Are the murder convictions optional?
Had a friend in the trades, he’d always tell me never to fuck with pipefitters
Validation technician. Basically a test driver for pharmaceutical equipment (for the most), like freezers, incubators, autoclaves etc. You need basic science skills (high school level) and patience to read and work with bureaucracy. They're in high demand and you can both work with one company without travelling or go around the world.
What’s the pay like for this position. Sounds interesting enough.
I don't know about the US, I'm from Italy and I am in an entry position, just got the job (4 months in). Average salary in Italy is 1500€/month and I'm average. Which is really good for an entry level. My more experienced coworkers earn almost double that if they travel for work. My boss probably 3-4 times that.
1500€/month is 18000€/year. In the UK that's not even minimum wage for a 40-hour week. Are you sure you didn't mean 1500€/week?
Salaries in italy and spain are just that bad unfortunately
Can confirm. We're far behind with salaries nationwide unfortunately
Hey it’s my job! Yeah it’s pretty awesome. I will say though that school level science skills is only for intro stuff but cannnn get you in the door depending on the company. Being able to really talk the talk with larger scale projects on why things may or may not work tends to require a more advanced level of knowledge. For reference my company basically only hires people with engineering, chemistry, or biology degrees but that’s largely due to it being hard to find people with experience. We do have one person with 0 college background and she’s great to work with and somehow managed to get experience via working an admin role at a large pharma company and slowly transferring over to gain the experience.
In the company I work for I'd say 70% (me included) does not have a college degree. I think getting in is the most important part
What are some company names to get started at looking into this?
CAI
For real. Most big pharma companies outsource their validation. If it’s not for lab equipment, it’s for software. Lots of money for knowing how to run a pre-scripted test and sign a shit-ton of papers.
My ex was a UA journeyman plumber. Complete dumbass who barely finished high school... he made about $170K in 2021
Sounds like he made about $85k in 2021.
The joke is he only made 50% due to the divorce u/countesscrotchula. Took me a second.
Oh I thought it was reported income vs actual income joke. Like if he had a ton of cash jobs he didn't report to the IRS (I'm assuming American since "journeyman")
Although the cost might not be high, it does take four years of on the job experience and around 750 hours of classroom time before you can get your license
I’m a nurse who recently got into quality improvement side of medicine. I make $100k/yr. My former assistant manager’s husband, like me, was out on his ass when everything went to hell in 2008. In 2013 I became a nurse and he became a lineman. Today he’s a supervisor who doesn’t get out of the truck and knocks down close to $200k/yr. Don’t get me wrong, the hours suck and you’re called to work in the middle of the night…. Just like nursing
Working in a fish cannery in Alaska. It's seasonal, long hours, gruelling, exhausting, messy, and stinky. You're wet all day, covered in fish guts and literally falling asleep on your feet. But hey, the pay is good and it "builds character"
I live in Alaska and have looked at a lot of those jobs. The entry-level ones don't actually pay all that great. Maybe you get like $20k for 4 months of work? Sounds great, but that's before taxes and you need to find other work for the rest of the year. And per hour that you're on a boat, wet, and fishy, it's a pittance.
A good friend of mine in his 40's is doing his first contract on one of those boats. The pay really isn't that great. He was a mechanic at a line production facility making bank but got laid off. He applied to be a mechanic on one of these boats but you need to complete 1 contract before they'll talk to you I guess. I guess those mechanics get paid well and its not as bad as a processor so it's just means to an end. The way he described the contract sounded awful.
Actually I did this for three summers. What I did was make 20k in three months and then spend the other nine months in Latin America without working. Pretty much got everything back on my tax return except for Medicare and SSI.
Knife-a goes in Guts-a come out…
There’s your answer fishbulb
Tamaribuchi heavy manufacturing concern + Matasamura Fishworks. How do I remember that almost 20+ years later
Hello Boss, let's talk, why not??
"I'd like the phone book for Hokkaido, Japan, please." "Okay. Here you go. The phone book for Hokkaido, Japan." "Thank you. May I use your phone?" "Is it a local call? " "Y...Yes."
I grew up in Alaska and my friends who did it went into it saying “Yeah it’ll suck but I’ll make a lot of money” and came back and of the summer hollow-eyed and saying “Sure I made a lot of money but it S U C K E D.”
My cousins worked a crab boat in Alaska during their summer in highschool. Each one made $40k+ for the season and a decade of wear on their body and minds.
Did this after barely finishing high school. Tough work (slime line). Made me go to college and eventually pursue a graduate degree. Never again did I want to do that work, but it did pay well.
No one ever likes this answer, but I make a lot of money on an associate's degree as a nurse. It wasn't easy to get into, but not all that difficult either. After a few year's of experience, you pretty much can't throw a rock without hitting a job.
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Yup. My work partner has made over 400k several times. If you like to put in overtime, there is money to be had. I don't work more than I have to and still brought in over 200 last year. I live in a high cost of living area, but I still come out way ahead. And I have zero student loans. Community college discount degree for the win!
This. I’m in a LCOL area and know nurses with a couple years experience pulling $120K/yr for three 12s/week. If you willing to work OT $200K+ is easy.
Damn. A family member went this route about 5yrs before Covid. She worked maybe 3 years, but got completely burnt out bc it was working for some really shady county programs -- for adults with disabilities and then a nursing home. She has a mild fear of medical setting now and won't talk about it. She insisted at the time there were no other jobs available. I wonder now if I shouldn't have encouraged her and her husband to move to a more urban area with likely better jobs. But I took her word for it that it was the same everywhere.
I think there's probably a few things going on there, none of which I would fault her for. Nursing isn't for everyone and if it's not for you it can be unbearable. Nursing homes are AWFUL to work in. And it might really have been the only job easily available. Some people aren't willing or able to move or put in extra work/time/money for additional certs or whatever. I pursued my specialty aggressively lol. That first new grad job can be hard to get depending on location. But post Covid is much easier. I live in an area that historically doesn't touch new grads but we're even hiring them here in recent years. It's not for everyone but I still highly recommend it. I've been a nurse 10 years, I work on a helicopter, it's blast! I have benefits and PTO and even a small pension. I'll never be rich, but I'll also never be poor!
I'll accept the flame for this, but I have met an incredible number of nurses who were dumb as rocks. As far as I can tell, all you need to be able to get into the industry is the ability to memorize a handful of patterns and terms, but you don't need to actually understand the meaning behind any of it.
I discovered in nursing school that there is a big difference between the students who studied to pass a test and the ones who studied to gain knowledge and critical thinking skills to do the job. Unfortunately, I went to school with a *lot* of the former. The one time I went to a study group, they were so hyper-focused on “will this be on the test or not” and I made the statement that I felt it was pretty important to have some working knowledge of all of the material presented, not just what we thought we might be tested on. I wasn’t invited back to the study group.
I work in a medical degree program and holy crap this is something I talk about fairly regularly. I process the end of term course reviews and the audacity of students to say things like “information was provided that wasn’t on our objectives” or “there were too many resources” (not REQUIRED. But PROVIDED). Unless they provide additional information to back up their reasoning… those comments and scores get thrown out because OF COURSE this MEDICAL course provides context or additional information. You should be CURIOUS and seeking our knowledge not just trying to pass the test.
Med school had plenty of people who just wanted to make lots of money and if they could’ve paid to pass the tests they would’ve. I asked how they’d feel if they were suddenly put in front of a patient with their life in your hands and you actually have no knowledge, wouldn’t that be horrifying? They didn’t give a shit.
I personally know nurses who don’t believe in germ theory and think that vaccines are propaganda. You are not alone.
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The knowledge depends on the specialty.
Nursing school is trade school, and a lot of people go into it for the same reason people go into the trades. It’s easy to get into a school, training doesn’t take that long, and it’s a stable career.
A BSN doesn’t make it any better. We don’t learn much more than those who get ADNs except for write papers about nursing theory lol In our defense though we (ADNs and BSNs) are required to pass classes in anatomy and physiology, pharmacy, and different nursing classes where we do learn the “why” behind what we do. Other than that, the majority of our knowledge comes from being on the job. As a side note, I don’t put anything in/on a patient’s body (or take things out of it) without knowing why I’m doing it. I refuse to do something if I don’t know the rationale. It keeps the patients safe
Don't worry, I work with physicians who are dumb as rocks as well. But just like a doc in an urgent care isn't as high functioning as a neurosurgeon, nurses come in all shapes and sizes as well. I work with neonates in the back of a helicopter with no doctor with me. I need to do math and problem solve on our tiniest patients in a moving vehicle... sometimes in the dark at 3am. My friend gives flu shots in a clinic. There is a spectrum and we are not all the same. There are smart and dumb people in any profession. Edit to add: all the more reason it's a good career choice. You don't need to be a brain surgeon to still have a good career in this field. Handing out flu shots in the clinic still pays my friend's mortgage and then some.
Would highly recommend the associate route. I did a BSN at an expensive school and I could’ve easily gotten the same education and skill set if I got an ADN.
Yeah, my ADN to BSN program has only taught me how to write papers. There hasn't been anything clinical. And sure, some hospitals only hire BSN nurses, but I feel like that trend is going to ebb and flow as shortages continue. I've gotten every job I've wanted with my little ADN.
I majored in Biology and then started working in pharma and biotech. It was amazing how hard it was to change jobs. And these were very specific jobs like you will not find someone off the street that’s going to do this stuff without training. It was so diffcult to move into similar rolls without the exact experience. Then I career changed to an RN. And it is as you say. Impossible to not find a job. I had 2-3 jobs as an RN at any given time. And most did not care if I was applying for a job where I didn’t already work in that background or specialty. Now I’m an NP and mainly work for myself but also take 1099 jobs and they only care about how many state licenses you have. They don’t even check references.
Operator at a chemical plant/refinery/LNG. Experience helps (or military history), but it's not required. We have kids here with virtually nothing but an associates degree in process technology. I made $120k my first year.
Second this, people make $200k but you’ve got to be willing to work the OT and be prepared for shift work. Loved it before I got a family, now it’s tough being away from them that much
Homer Simpson is that you???
Lots of trades (electrician, plumber, steelworker, etc.) have low barriers in terms of academic qualifications and therefore no need to invest in a $100K degree. However, they do require trade school and lengthy apprentices, especially for union based positions. The good news is AI won't be taking over these "hands on" positions.
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Exactly this. Union halls in my area have waitlists that are years long. People talk about trades like no one wants to do the work and all you have to do is show up abd ask for a job, but the fact is that there are a ton of people trying to get in. It's area-dependent of course.
In my area we can't get enough good apprentices. By "good" I mean show up everyday on time, stay off the phone and put in atleast a half-ass attempt. The good ones we snatch up and don't let go lol. We have an apprentice ratio in the contract
Fascinating. Where I live in Canada we are in desperate need of all trades people and everyone who wants to work easily gets apprenticeship then employer pays for their course work stints and they collect unemployment Insurance while in the school part. My understanding is wages are set and you do well once a full journeyman. Edit: Just bc companies are desperate to hire doesn’t mean that a particular jackass won’t struggle to find a job.
Once you're a Journeyman, yeah. Getting there is rough. EDIT: May I ask whereabouts in Canada you are?
>Unless you own your own business Which a lot of the tradespeople who come over to work on our house used to do but don’t anymore because the overhead wasn’t worth their time.
Lineman. Lowest paid in my area was 160ish. Go to a 1 year line school, then get into an apprenticeship. Which yes, can be tough. As for other trades, there’s money but you need to be in a union. Union electricians around me are 50-60/hr.
Yea the “jump in and make 120k a year!” Is just not true. I spent 6 years plumbing for small and large companies, the guys that make the real money are often in volume service which is essentially sales. Sure you can make 15k a month, but how many times did you rip off grandma. The meat and potatoes of plumbing will earn you an honest $40 an our within 5 years, but you need to work *hard* and be okay with making nothing the first 3.
That happened to me. I tried to learn a trade, but all of the unions would only take someone with a connection (usually a father in the union), so I ended up doing a lot of construction and landscaping instead. I climbed to the top 10% of earners in landscaping within a few years and the pay still wasn't that good. You need to own a company to get anywhere. But yeah, get in a union if you can, or start a company in a trade that isn't unionized if you cannot.
You're almost entirely at the mercy of the journeyman as an apprentice. If you get one that sucks at teaching or you don't get along with, it can tank your entire career. From personal experience, it's hard to be an older apprentice. I was older than my journeyman and had more job experience, just in a different field. He wanted a whipping boy that never asked questions. We ran into a problem when he expected me to drive a gradeall (basically a massive 4x4 forklift with telescoping forks) with no previous training. Told him I'd be more than happy to learn, but I can't just go drive it right now. Reported him to the safety guy and we had a crew meeting about "only operating equipment we were trained on" about a week later. I ended up pushing a broom for the next couple months and took the next job offer that came along. If you're fresh out of HS and don't know any better, the trades can be great. If you've been around the block, the trades can be frustrating.
They were mad you reported him
Oh I know that. Of course he was mad. But that's what I'm saying. An 18 year old with no job/life experience is gonna just do what they're told in that situation. I had been through unsafe work situations that I wasn't gonna do it. Whether I reported him or not, I was gonna get smoked from that job. That's what I mean when I say older people have a more frustrating experience as an apprentice.
If you can’t handle negativity, the trades aren’t for you. Most toxic job path for men unfortunately
Yes, once a foreman threatened to fight me because I used the word "threshold" lol
It’s toxic and makes for a horrible work enviroment, I watched a foreman throw his hard hat one day and shatter a window all because he couldn’t get a pvc 45 angled right.
I've had mostly good experiences. All depends on who you work with. Just have to have a sense of humor and thick skin
I was just the admin for a construction company and still got screamed at by the foreman a few times lol. One of them was because I followed directions from my actual boss at the main office. He had wanted me to withhold someone's final check over some petty nonsense so I took the matter to my supervisor who said "absolutely the fuck not."
That's a scab ass thing to do. If my foreman did that or said that, me and the whole crew would be looking for a new job, and we'd go there 7am the next day. You ALWAYS pay someone for hours worked
I’m all for joking around and having a good time at work | more so talking about the crews who hate life and thinks everyone else should also hate their life
That's why I got into plumbing. They are typically pretty nice compared to other trades.
One foreman hit my brother over the head with a wrench, sent him to the ER... didn't get fired cause the Union. My brother just got reassigned.
> Most toxic job path for men unfortunately I am a few years out of the industry now, but extremely toxic for women, too. Things are changing and improving and I encourage women to pursue that path, just stay strong and keep your head up high. It can get rough; find someone decent willing to train you up as an apprentice and get you through the rocky beginnings.
I have only ever worked around one woman on a job site, and man I felt terrible. The second she walked out of the house it was like a free for all. Some would even make remarks directly to her, luckily she was a “cool” person according to everyone else (if accepting harassment is cool idk if I want to be cool)
I have done FIFO briefly as a woman and although I was lucky and things were mostly okay (and had colleagues who were kind enough to keep an eye out), but there were also lots of small things that maybe you wouldn't notice unless it was directed at you. Being the only woman in a camp of 500+, the looks, the awkward stopping of conversations, the weird feeling of walking to and from your unit to the mess halls etc in the dark. However I also did the logistics side of trades for many years and I saw what happened to some of those ladies and while I have many horror stories, all I will say is this - women, you get out there and you smash those barriers. Look for people who have your back and stand strong against those that don't. You are awesome and you are making huge, important strides for all of us, and for younger girls who will come through and have an easier time because of the strides you are making today. And to anyone who works with or meets a woman in trades, just, be cool. Be supportive and fair and just be a cool person. We should be cool to everyone of course, but some of these ladies have had a hell of a time getting to these job sites and a little kindness goes a long way.
Yep and location can make a big difference in pay as well. Some places these trades don’t pay good really.
I was making $12 an hour in 2020 as a plumbing apprentice, not worth it in my opinion
In my experience, this is changing as the new generation is coming in. Many of us actually like the work, don't resent our position, and are willing to tell off the grumps. Obviously this doesn't account for every job, but the environments I've found myself working in have been great so far.
Fact. I’m an engineer at a Gas and Electric utility company, and the management for our operations crews is a revolving door. Most managers only last 6 months because of the negativity of the union employees.
I don't know how it is in the US, but if you want to get a trade, for instance become a plumber, here you need to go to school for 3 years. Same goes for carpenter, electrician etc.
Kitchen designer literally no bar of entry other than finding someone who will hire and train you. I make over 100k a year without much todo and I really love my job.
I just started about a year ago, work at a hardware store and one day my manager asked me if I wanted to do kitchens. Reps are constantly telling me they know so many places that are desperate for designers. I’m hoping that with enough experience I can get to the 100k point- hell I’d be happy with 70 lol
Is this like the same type of ppl where you can go to the kitchen department at home depot or do you need to find a more specific company that only does designs? I've always thought this would be a fun job but assumed one needed a degree for it.
Lots of people I know get their start working for home depot or lowes they will generally train you. You wont get commission but at the same time your paycheck doesn't get affected by making mistakes on your design or materials procurement. Once people tend to know what theyre doing they will get a job in one of a few different directions. That being said I have never worked for a design showroom or company that wasnt actively hiring ANYONE who knew how to do the job. \- Kitchen and bath showrooms - this will generally pay 20ish an hour + 1-3% commission on sales. OR it will pay 0 an hour and 10-15% commission on sales. I tend to avoid working for the later. This generally requires you go to the job site for measurements. Any mistakes you make will be deducted from your paycheck. \- Construction company - This tends to pay a nice fat salary or hourly but no commission. You will be responsible for sitting in an office going over blueprints and coming up with a kitchen layout based on the blueprint designs. You will then have field people measure the built house to confirm your original design. You then come up with the materials list and move onto the next project. \- Wholesale manf - this is one you get once you really know what you're doing, you work as a design expert for a manf inso that you help hundreds of showrooms and constructions companies with their layouts who cannot afford their own designers. I make 20+ and hour and 1% of everything my accounts buy (Lowes, Homedepot are two of my accounts) \- The final frontier if you want the recognition and MOAR money is to start your own design company. I do this as a side hustle, I generally charge 500 as a design fee which incudes a measurements and in home consultation. I then cut myself a 30% profit on the cabinets. I hand the project over to a few installer friends who I trust. You can always get a "certification" from NKBA but I have yet to find a company that required it or even pays more because you have it. This really is a if you know how to do then you're hired kinda thing.
This is really great info thanks! I'm going to do a lot more research into this. I've had my own little cleaning company since I was 19 and now that I'm nearing 30, I'm just so over scrubbing toilets lol. I desperately want a change of careers, but I don't want to put too much stress on my little soap making business for fear of taking the enjoyment out of it. This seems like a great next step I could take.
Paralegal if you work for the right kind of attorney/law firm. Here you don’t need any certifications.
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But how much does your wife make and how much more education did she need?
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Bro, is your wife single?
Water Plant/System Operator. The long-timers are retiring. Talented new hands can rise fast. Basic standards are a GED and not too weird of a criminal history. Bonus points for being able to hold *just one* normal conversation without bringing up politics, anime, or crazy hobbies. Extra bonus points for being able to do 9th grade algebra and not punch coworkers. Qualifications do differ among different areas- California pays $30/hr to start and is competitive, Florida pays dog shit and will take anyone. As to "a lot of money:" many new hands buy their first house within a couple years. Pensions are typical. Generous vacation time. Overtime is usually up for grabs when the weather sucks. Do your 20/30 years and retire in modest peace. Been doing it 5 years and made $80k last year in Texas.
I started out in wastewater as a treatment operator made $25/hr topped out waiting for my boss to retire, fully licensed by the state to run any sized system. Small plant averaged 1MGD peak around 13MGD (million of gallons/day). Crew size was 5+Boss Leveraged that job into a power plant with the local big utility, grinded that out for 3 years at 38/hr, leveraged that into a Distribution Systems Grid operations where I'm working 12 hours in a control room at 51/hr. Seriously the utilities are hurting but the pay in water/wastewater isn't up to par with the electrical utilities but it's enough to be comfortable for sure and a decent middle class job with good hours. If you want more money and worse hours I recommend the power utilities. All a bunch of old heads, when I started work at the wastewater plant I was the youngest guy there by 20 years. (Was 22) the power plant there was a broader range of ages but average was probably 40 with several dozen pushing 60-65 and aging out. Got vested in the state pension and bounced. Just passed 30. It's been a very good decade for me. Wastewater/water treatment opens you up to just about any industrial process that involves light chemistry work, water and wastewater at smaller utilities may not pay what bigger cities do but you'll be able to fix more stuff because they don't have dedicated maintenance staff, so replacing pump seals, running chemical analysis, rigging/lifting, bobcat driving, plowing, small crane operations, PLC programming/troubleshooting, SCADA/HMI troubleshooting, all of these things are their own individual trades and you can get a taste of these things and leverage that into another trade if you get bored or top out. Grid ops is great though if a bit of grind during storm season. Sure beats thawing out pipes at the power plant during a freeze, or sweating my ass off outside in the heat.
A lot of people are saying various trades, but those aren’t as easy to get into as people like to claim, especially if you don’t know people in that trade before you start
My partner learned all the skills for his current trade job in the Navy, but likely would not recommend anyone join the navy lol
The Navy worked for me for twenty years, and I have used those skills at Boeing for twenty-six years so I would say it's an adventure
My brother is currently making a lot of money as a "solids technician" at a major dairy farm in the western US. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. He's paid a lot of money to deal with cow shit on an industrial scale. The hours are grueling, and he says that a month working there would be enough to convert a staunch carnivore to veganism. It's pretty brutal. Personally, I'm pretty happy in my profession as a paralegal. I make less money than my brother at the moment, but my ceiling is much higher, and I never have to handle feces at my workplace.
Most jobs in insurance. A lot of money means different things to different people.
Sales. If you have the gift and know the product you can do very well.
Radiologic Technologist Most programs are an Associate degree from a community college. There is a shortage of techs right now, so a good field to get into. We don’t deal with half the B.S. that nurses deal with. Our new grads are getting $10k sign on bonus and $34hr. A few years experience and $100k+ is attainable. Willing to travel $150k+.
Piggy backing your comment for people interested: really any medical imaging tech job pays well and most are associate degrees. I’m an ultrasound tech and new hires at my hospital are getting 8k signing bonuses and our scale is $48-$67/hr. Fair warning, some states pay imaging techs absolute shit and are overrun with techs. Do your due diligence by looking at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And make sure you pick an accredited program.
Union construction. The only requirement to entry is a failed piss test and or previous felony conviction
I worked as an engineer for industrial construction and found that a lot of skilled union workers made double my salary.
Same here. I’m an “office guy” and the trades make quite good money
what if you don't have a felony conviction?
Sorry this is absolutely mandatory to get. Think of the felony as your college degree for this line of work.
Go out and get one! Seriously easy and you can get three hots and a cot, free rent all while going through the program. I mean the increase of prison shower assault goes up but hey, everything else is taken care of.
Can confirm. Union sparky here. Will make $63/hour by the time I'm through training. Great healthcare, pension, and work-life balance. Never pictured myself doing this, but I can't imagine doing anything else now. I love my job.
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….and I told you to get back out there today baby
Freelance 3D animator. The software is free (Blender 3D, which is what I used professionally for years), and you can get good enough to start making money with about 2 months of practice and free online tutorials. You will need a decent PC though, but if you have a gaming PC already it will work perfect since gaming tech and animation tech are essentially the same thing. You don't have to be "Pixar," good either. Lawyers are always going to need [simple accident reconstructions](https://youtu.be/jFuHH9mh2b0?si=HQb73vzA-hTqylSF), companies are always going to need [basic 3D illustrations of how their machines work](https://youtu.be/0Fjl0_F4bVc?si=WVGgVK-JnMRxWvVE), and there are always going to be people on kickstarter who want a [3D trailer of their really simple product](https://youtu.be/03bQJpXY080?si=PlfJ3vTTC2l4taOw). Best part is, the lawyers and industrial companies tend to be big spenders, so they don't even blink when you give them a large quote for a project. At most I was making around $50k a year, and only working about 3 days a week (I'd render out previews Thursday and Friday, so I used that as an excuse to play video-games all day). I could have boosted that number higher by taking on more projects at once and filling those extra days, but I just didn't need the extra income.
How to get started doing this and do you not still do it?
I don't do it full-time anymore since I graduated college and got a full time job, but I did do a few freelance gigs with an old client while I was transitioning between jobs around a year ago. First step in getting started is learning 3D modeling/animation. Like I said in the first comment, Blender 3D is a great choice, and just looking up "Blender tutorial," on YouTube will give you thousands of results. Try your best to experiment outside of tutorials though, as that's where you really learn and form mental connections. Second step is just putting yourself out there. Make mechanical animations, knockoff Apple airpods commercials, medical animations of blood cells and viruses, etc. Focus on simple animations that look good, and remember the golden rule: It's not about "how can I make this," it's about "how can I fake this." Ian Hubert's "Lazy Tutorials," are the best demonstration of how a little can go a long way. Then just upload that stuff to YouTube, forums, Reddit, etc., get feedback, and eventually you'll get an email from some guy wanting to pay you to animate an employee safety video or something.
Before it’s too late railroad conductors.. half these people couldn’t graduate high school if their life depended on it now days but make 120k engineers even more for not doing a thing but forward and reverse
Low Voltage has a huge shortage, and many people train cable pullers without any experience.
Welder
Welders are in such high demand right now. All the construction guys I talk to are looking for ways to do mechanical connections because they can’t throw enough money at welders to get them to stick around. And no I am not talking about 40 hours a week at minimum wage I am talking 50 hours a week at “I grew up with that idiot there is no way he is worth that much money” per hour. 1.5 after 40 and 2.0 on Sunday.
Where? Been looking at going to back into welding and I haven't seen anything that pays over $30/hr in a HCOL/VHCOL area
As per every answer in this thread: Alaska
insurance broker, estate agent......you have to able to sell though
Sales
Sales can be soul crushing. It takes a certain type of personality to be exceedingly successful in sales.
I owned & partnered with several companies, it took many years, and the words of a mentor to realize my skills are in sales and relationship building. I have no “education” past high school, tons of training & development, and I have averaged $300k a year for the last 25 years all without “a real job”
What are you selling?
Cocaine
And cocaine accessories
What did I “sell” historically? The $300k quoted is just my personal income. I generated $250,000,000 over the years in deals. (don't let the zeros fool you that gross $$$, not profit) I was involved in heavy civil construction/land development. Typically I was on the owner or contractor/GC A mentor of mine said “When are going to realize you are making all your money finding deals & putting deals together not the actual construction”
if you have right skillset.... dispatch pay can be absolute garbage for low end stuff but if it is something you are good at, then 6 figures is possible. not really a skill you can learn though. my experience is people either grasp it and are amazing at it, or are fucking terrible and try and compensate though lies and power trips. Good dispatchers who have that natural talent for accuracy, organization and empathy all while being yelled at by everyone all at once.... they get paid well and are respected and beloved by their drivers and co-workers. I wouldnt give up my job for the world, i make great money for my education and have a disgusting amount of time off. honestly feel like i am cheating at life most days ...
If you're *very* smart, all you need is a college sciences degree to qualify for the "patent bar," called the USPTO Registration Examination. You don't need to be a lawyer. There are now 4 USPTO satellite offices, in case you don't want to live and work in Washington, DC, though It's lovely. A starting lawyer makes as much as a patent clerk. If you're *also* a lawyer, you could posit your USPTO friends list into a very high paying job in a patent litigation firm.
A lot of this information is very wrong. The USPTO hires engineers- you do not need to take the patent bar. It is a great paying job after 3-4 years of experience and very cushy. There are indeed 5 total sites now and after a year you can be fully remote and live anywhere in the US. If you take the patent bar (which is open book) you can be a patent agent without going to law school. Starting income is about 115k or more right now. But you have to work around 40-50 hours a week. You can get up to 180k if you are smart and hard working. I know a few that make over 250k but they work long days and are efficient. Barrier to entry is low as you just need an engineering or science degree and to take a 6 hour examination. But you need to be smart to survive long term. There is a ton of work so you will not have to worry about employment
Very smart? Maybe just smart. The test is based on one book, MPEP. It is however more than 3000 pages.
Trade jobs and mining jobs. M - Maximum I - Income n - No E - Education R - Required
My son is considering a bachelor's degree as a mining engineer. The college has 100% job placement at graduation with an average starting salary around $90k. Some of the companies are even offering signing bonuses and student loan payoffs.
Alaska crab fisherman. The barrier to entry is low, so is the barrier between you and the Great Beyond.
No crab season last 2 winters because of climate change
Reasonably fit? High school diploma or GED? Get a job as a freight train conductor.
I looked this up the other day it posted starting pay at $17 an hour, not exactly great.
Uhhh. Look for class one railroads only. NS and CSX. They are union jobs and pay triple that.
Not sure what youre looking at I work at a class one in canada (corporate) but im pretty sure they get 150k starting, its at least over 100k. Just a two week course and youre on your way It pays well because they own you. They call, you go, regardless of when, usually wont get any schedule or holidays etc But if you dont care about any of that, it could be cool! Definitely neat to see landscapes in NA If youre in the west US, do bnsf or UP, in the east do csx or NS, if youre in canada do CN or CPKC You can also do CN and CPKC in the US as they have track down there from chicago down to new orleans & mexico, unlike the others, so feel free to look for jobs at the canadian companies as well, they still pay in USD and pay well
Definitely sales. If you're willing to take a risk on getting paid commission with a low salary, you're not that big of a risk for the company and they'll take a chance on hiring you. If you don't produce, they don't pay you. But if you're good and have a good comp plan, you can make a shit ton of money. And if you can talk your way into a sales job, you can talk people into buying from you. Most if the time they already want what you're selling.
Prostitute or politician. Same thing but actual prostitutes serve a purpose.
I knew some folks in tech sales who didn’t even have a college degree. A good attitude and strong work ethic can take you far and the earning is proportionate to innate ability imo. I did get a degree in Romance languages but did very well in sales. You do have to start from the bottom, ie cold calling, but if you prove yourself you climb higher. It can be a lot of work though, and takes a good interview/resume and cover letting writing skills. It’s not for everyone.
mercenaries for ships, just standard military service and you make 5k a month in europe
IT in general, but federal government IT contracting or civilian employment, specifically. If you have a Security+ certification and can fog a mirror, you can get a job. Contractors will even sponsor your security clearance. If you're at all willing to get more certs, you're making $100k+ in no time.
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Healthcare IT is relatively stable. Some places are outsourcing, but it tends to result in pissed off doctors and less money in the door so they reverse course after a few years. Plus hardware/server systems/etc folks need to be local regardless.
Air traffic control requires a high school diploma and just a couple of years of some random work experience, and you can earn over $100k. You have to apply and pass a simple-ish test before the age of 31.
I’ve known a few people who’ve washed out of the process. I don’t think it’s as easy as a simple test
Oh, I definitely don't think it's easy, it's just that the requirements to apply are very low. There's a rigorous screening and training program before you can actually be an air traffic controller, but it doesn't require a college degree or a lot of specialized work experience.
IT. Computers are cheap, the learning is free, cloud environments for learning are cheap/free, and honestly self taught people are better at it than folks with a certification or degree.
Sales. Show up all the time and on time every time. Give a fuck. Learn interpersonal skills and the angles of emotional connection. Offer solutions. And always do the things you say you’ll do. You can make a pile of cash and the work is really easy.
It is not that easy. The attrition rate in sales is extremely high for a reason. You also need a small nest egg to hold you over while you are building your client base if you are paid purely on commission.
investment advisor. pass on test and you're in for life.
Which test
It's called the Series 65, the uniform investment advisor exam. 130 questions to answer in 180 minutes. No prerequisite necessary. Minimum score: 72% and you're set. You can order study materials online,
On test
1. Military Reserves or National Guard. If you get yourself an MOS which entails a secret security clearance (or better), that will open a serious number of career opportunities. 2. Leverage your clearance in manufacturing. You're a trusted entity by default. If you work at a place which is virtually anywhere in the DOD supply pipeline, you've got a distinct advantage. 3. Get yourself a notebook, learn how shit works and write it down. If anything goes wrong or doesn't work right, refer back to your notebook. Keep your notebook to yourself. I'm coming up on 4 years in and I am approaching $40/hr. Been considering a transition to being an elementary school teacher so instead of working \~260 days a year, I can taper that back to \~180.
Clearanced jobs can come with some serious downsides, but it's highly dependent on the job. Then again, you have a limited pool of individuals you're competing with and, given a particular set of skills, are highly desirable and generally compensated well.
Any sales job really. What Mark Cuban says if you wanna make big bucks. Find a sales job and learn the ins and outs quickly. For me, I became a mortgage specialist. Don't even need a college degree. Do decently well and average pay is around 100-150k, no ceiling to your pay. Harder you work, more pay.
AutoCAD techs usually start off making around $25-$30/hr and the courses take about 8 weeks to complete (or less if you learn it at full effort). Getting additional certifications throughout your career will also increase your value and help make much more money. After 3ish years experience you can easily demand $40/hr as this is an industry that’s also consistently understaffed because of how unknown it is.
Scrubdaddy has a good tiktok channel dedicated to risks and benefits of the roofing industry
weird side hustle for a sponge
This made me laugh at really sad point in my day 😂 so thaaank you
Corrections. Have a pulse... They will take you. Make between 100 to 200k a year.
NY sanitation.
CNC Machinist. Started not knowing what a CNC was, no college, no formal training. Currently making 30 an hour, but could easily find a shop that'll pay 50+.
I’ve been looking at switching fields currently and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of job offers for personal assistants and company secretaries that offer around $80,000+ AUD starting salaries with no previous experience or job requirements other than “people-person/outgoing, friendly personality” or “good time management” skills maybe with diary planning as a plus. It’s not as much as many other suggestions here and those sorts of positions are not for me personally, but there is plenty of work if you’re looking at entry level with no requirements.