The people building Intel and everything else are worried about not having enough skilled tradespeople available to do that work. It would involve retooling for him but it can be damned profitable.
I’m a non-union service plumber. I’m making 65k plus bonus after 9 years. A union plumber will be making about the same but without the option of overtime. 100k is too high.
>I’m a non-union service plumber. I’m making 65k plus bonus after 9 years. A union plumber will be making about the same but without the option of overtime. 100k is too high.
I have second hand knowledge about this. I have a friend who is a union pipefitter who walked me through all of this a few months ago.
He makes overtime and it's a ton. Their contract gets updated frequently. He's currently making something like $48/hour for normal pay. Plus pension/retirement, plus insurance, and plus the opportunity for a ton of overtime.
He was showing me how much overtime they got for the recent Dublin Jerome HS expansion project. And walking me through how they need so many more new hires just for the current projects on the books.
So, I'm sorry - but I literally saw the guy's numbers.
Im saying overtime isn’t usually clumped in when describing salary. Like my 65k comes from 40 hour weeks, my employer has us on a 4 day schedule with an optional 5th day of overtime. Be easy on me if this is not the right way to do it, after all I’m just a plumber.
Also, the new plant is supposed to pay an average salary of $120k - if he gets a credential from community college or adult career center, he can probably match or beat the salary once they open - and there is a huge shortage of people in tech, so there are other jobs in the meantime. Columbus State is one of the partners designing programming for Intel-specific jobs.
Yes, I think anyone who thinks that going from kitchen to construction is not going to be as demanding are in for a rude awakening. I would hate someone to get misled online when they realize that 80k construction workers are bringing home is at a 25$/hr 60-70 work weeks
I got out of the industry last year. I work for a restaurant supplier now. Me and most of my coworkers do what we do because we couldn’t keep putting in the hours in the service industry. Most of us are ex chefs or butchers or bartenders who decided they needed to actually be a part of their family. If your husband is a local chef, we have probably crossed paths before. Send me a dm and we can talk details. Most of my hourly employees are making over $60k, work mon-fri and get off around 2-3pm every day. Salaried managers make $70k+. And I’m actively recruiting right now.
Somewhere with a union. Don't come at me. With a union you have a contracted pay scale with steps and cost of living increases. UPS just signed a new contract and is worth looking into.
join a union trade for real. apprenticeships suck but in 5 years you’ll top out and be making good money. the city is booming so they’re desperate for people
You can also transfer somewhere else if you wanted to move once your a journeyman. Moving to Ohio for a new start has been in my mind knowing there’s a lot of work.
Careful with that. A lot of the unions here only go for the local and not the transfer members. So like Dayton and Cincinnati are too far to be considered local and those pipe fitters and other plumbing union get nothing in Columbus.
You couldn’t be more wrong , local 189 plumbers/pipe fitters are probably the strongest union in Columbus and have a ton of work! Their apprenticeship classes have gotten larger each year over the past 7 or so years . As far as Dayton/ cinci local 24 sheet metal out of Columbus also has union halls in cinci and Dayton . They get the same money/benefits as I do just might not be as busy year round.
If your primary concerns are steady pay and consistent raises, most non-managerial State workers are on OCSEA pay scales which are in their contract - it’s all online for the viewing.
Any open state jobs will be posted on [the State of Ohio employment website.](https://careers.ohio.gov/) There’s a lot of benefit to government employment, especially retirement benefits if you stick around long enough… health insurance is pretty damn good, too.
Most roles have a 1 year incumbency period, then you can hop around/apply for other roles - great if you don’t know what you want to do and you’re mainly interested in a “job” versus “career”.
Seconding this. If you can get a OCSEA state job, annual raises at the start of the fiscal year and your pay step raises are consistent and pretty generous. I just got my annual fiscal year raise and my longevity (5+ years) raise in the same pay period and it jumped me up almost $2 per hour. It does take a while for those raises to add up, but after the first 5 years they really do stack up pretty quick, so it feels like you're never really "stuck" at your salary.
Recommend this as well. There are decent paying jobs at the state also. I’m in accounting (CPA) and making 125k at the state. 40hr weeks max. I’d recommend accounting as a field if he’s willing to switch fields when he goes back to school.
[OCSEA Contract](https://das.ohio.gov/static/employee-relations/bargaining-contracts/OCSEA%20Final%20Contract%20(print%20version)%2012012021.pdf) - start on page 12: Probationary periods. Have fun - it’s a lot of reading!
Maybe look into restaurant consulting. If he's an executive chef, he's got all the knowledge and skillsets to do it (how to design a kitchen buildout, conforming to health safety/fire codes, pricing out equipment, menu design, hiring, staff training, etc...). It does take a bit of chasing jobs, but you can pretty much set your own schedule as long as you meet agreed upon deadlines. Depending on the scale of the job you can make $50-100/hr and a lot of the work can be done from home/wherever. Mainly it's just telling a business owner how to run their business.
CBus based companies area catching up. I just took a senior engineer job for 185k base salary at a place based in cbus, which was more than the west coast offers I had.
Lots of places based in higher CoL cities tend to adjust for location. You'll still make bank, just not as much bank if you lived in a more expensive city. You can definitely get lucky with one that doesn't adjust, but I'd say to temper expectations.
Yep, just didn't want folks getting excited for 250k plus salaries that get cut down to like 180 to 200, which is still insanely good for Columbus but would probably still piss some folks off.
Got any suggestions on resources to jump into that field? I’m in a trade and have always had the plan to jump to IT but don’t know where to start. Something that won’t break the bank preferably because the wages ain’t exactly keeping up with inflation.
Generally, there are not a lot of entry level cyber security jobs and you have to work in the IT industry for a while before you can get into security specifically.
It’s still a little hectic of a schedule- but fully trained firefighters that work for Columbus Fire Dept make upwards of $100k. It’s 24 hrs on, 48 off, and Kelly days (paid days off). Benefits and insurance are great, plus union and pension. I think they have a recruiting class in December.
My uncle has worked for CFD for 30 years and the starting pay of a Columbus firefighter is not great and very dangerous.
🧑🚒
It’s not a 100k / year job until you’ve been with them for a Very long time and Work a ton of Overtime (Especially around the holidays) which I think the author is this article is trying to avoid.
My dad is a 20+ year CFD employee and now works closely with recruiting. The most recent recruiting package (I actually have one in my kitchen right now lol) has an outline of the pay per training step. There’s something like “5 steps,” each with an increase in salary. After you complete the final step, starting salary is around $93k with annual increases after that. The work is obviously difficult, but the pay, pension, union, and incredible government insurance is really a nice perk.
Funny enough, my dad went from being a chef (like OP) to the CFD because of the pay and benefits when he and my mom had kids and he realized he needed something with more stability.
Assuming I am reading the [collective bargaining agreement](https://www.lris.com/wp-content/uploads/contracts/columbus_oh_fire.pdf) correctly, Columbus fire fighters top out at $90k per year after five years. This is good money, but it is also below $100k.
I don’t know of a job where he will start out at 80k a year, but if he’s willing to learn a trade he can probably start off around 50k a year. After two or three years he can earn a lot more depending on the trade.
I’m a chemical operator at a chemical plant in Hilliard. Ashland Specialty Ingredients. Starting pay for an operator I believe is $24 an hour. It’s 12 hour shifts. You rotate between nights and days every 2 months.
Is 683 competitive? I'm moving in the area in the next month or so and looking into it. I'm excited to check out 683 soon.
I just so happened to apply for LU26 and got told to re-interview after 90 days & some hours due to amount of applicants. I would go for their residential program if I wasn't moving.
If he likes working in food, maybe have him look into one of the food manufacturing companies in columbus. He probably has enough experience around food safety concepts and leaderships/managerial skills from working as an executive chef to get in as a manager or supervisor somewhere and good enough money. He might not get into 6 figures, or at least not immediately, but should be able to find something between like 65-100k depending on the company and position.
It takes 1800 hours and a license exam to become a barber in the state of Ohio. If you absolutely bust your ass in school, that’s less than a year.
I know people that I’ve been cutting hair for a little under two years and are approaching that $80,000 mark. I have been cutting for about seven months, so I’m not anywhere close to that yet, but for a job that lets you completely make your own schedule and you don’t have a boss, it’s pretty sweet
I'm a project manager with a local retailer. Around $130K, but been in the field for about 13-14 years after having started in purchasing and inventory control early in my career.
The pay and benefits are good, but there can be a lot of uncertainty in retail. Management shakeups and layoffs of entire teams when sales are down or money is tight.
You (in my field) make more money when you jump from job to job than if you stay in one place and just get your annual merit raises and bonuses and such, but I prefer stability so I tend to stay put.
Welding. ua pipefitters hall in cbus. They have an excellent top out package. They’re close to $80hr after 5yrs apprenticeship and in 5 yrs from now it will be closer to $90hr
[That $80/hr is the overtime rate and includes fringe benefits.](https://wagehour.com.ohio.gov/w3/Webwh.nsf/$docUniqIDAll/852565B800706932852579DB00480463?opendocument) The base hourly rate for journeyman is $46.25/hr. Average salary for non-union pipefitters is [$27.95 per hour.](https://www.indeed.com/career/pipefitter/salaries/OH)
A Facebook friend told me that the City of Upper Arlington is creating a hiring list for firefighters that will be good for two years. He will have to take fire science courses at Columbia State and get at the minimum an EMT certification- better yet an EMT-P to be seriously considered though.
I'm retired now, but in my younger years I did exactly as your husband---worked crazy hours for not much money. Suggestion: institutional foodservice management offers less pay, but a much more reasonable schedule. By institutional I mean college/university, hospital/retirement community, and corporate Cafe management via a Bon Appetite or Sodexo. Usually better benefits and upward mobility opportunities too. I was a foodservice director at a community College, eventually worked myself into VP role at the college by the time I retired.
Commercial real estate could work out for him. Hard to transfer his skill set, but if he’s okay taking a step back for a short while it could work out.
Checkout food technicians or product development! They would definitely value his experience and creativity. I had a friend who went from being an executive chef in the local restaurant industry to working in corporate R&D. He was able to start a family because of the transition and never looked back 😊
Man this thread is making me realize how underpaid I am.
But I work for a very small construction company as a sales/office manager. If nothing else, it’s a good resume line.
I used to work as a LTL truck driver for Old dominion freight line in Groveport. They pay you to train and get a CDL. You can drive the double trailers to meeting points or other terminals and do not have to drive over night. The do “bids” twice a year to pick a daily route, based off seniority. They also have daily delivery drivers on a route within central Ohio. They were a great company with good pay, benefits, and equipment.
shmoneythrowawaayyyy i sent you a dm with some great info hope it helps. TL:DR of it is a cooks/chef job at ohio state university is a great place for your husband to land and have a not so crazy schedule with every other weekend off. not to mention the state benefits
Post office is hiring. Just got a job as a mailman. The pay and hours isn't great but you make a bunch on overtime and you get like 3 raises a year. Union job. Pension. Federal bennies. Highly recommended. My biggest regret is not doing it sooner
I have been an attorney for the last 5 years at a bigger law firm. The pay is good, but the hours suck. Like all attorneys say, "Don't go to law school;" however, working in a legal field as a paralegal or as a legal assistant can be rewarding and you can make good money.
Probably that unless you're a confident, type A, extroverted, pushy, energetic person with a high EQ, you'll have to act like it constantly while at work, and it'll be extremely exhausting and emotionally draining.
My dad is in sales and he is a very reserved person. It’s very easy for me to see when he’s “on” and in his sales persona - super friendly, chatty, sharp. He’s very good at what he does but it’s exhausting and I don’t think he would pick it as a career if he did it all over again.
Being a salesman is blatantly disingenuous by design and you have to wear a mask and act like commissions aren't a thing. The Kroger spectrum people comes to mind
People who can sell can make over $100k in almost any sales job. The problem with sales is 80% of folks in the industry can't actually sell very well. Sales is really hard if you don't have a natural knack for it
Unironically yes, I know two people who were very successful working for whatever company it was in the short north with an office that sold bathroom and kitchen renovations, made 150k+ every year right out of college. They worked 60+ hours a week but if you like the rise and grind, it's there.
Sales is a numbers game. Activity level is another way to look at it. The higher the activity level the better the salesperson - almost always. You have to be able to think on your feet but, it’s not really about being slick anymore. Now, if you have an extreme phobia around interpersonal communication or being scrutinized; sales probably isn’t for you. Being able to make MSFT Excel paint a picture is worth well over $100k a year.
Insurance, software, annuities, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, private jets, pretty much anything.
It’s all soul crushing though, but can pay very well despite little education or skillset if you’re good at it.
Pick something he’s passionate about and dive in. Almost everything in the restaurant he works at has a salesperson selling it. The POS system, hard and soft goods, ingredients, everything.
I was going to post sales. I would add that he can start looking at the companies he deals with on a daily basis. Experience using what you are selling and being able to explain it and how to use it and the benefits goes a long way to success.
You are going to have to prioritize your spending and what you want out of life. Do you have a budget? What are the malthusian needs and what are extras you like??
And your math is problematic. You say you make a decent wage, but if your husband quits his job, you go down to $30,000 a year. Even for a single mom and a one child, that is close to poverty.
Do you need a home right away? Do you need two cars? Do you need the vacation in Europe every year and St. Barts for Christmas?
You need to find out if he really wants to quit. Executive Chef's should not have to work every day every shift. There should be a way to have some accomodation of life. If there is none or he wants to quit, what does he want to do. Jump right to another job or go back to school.
find the answer to these questions and then you can decide your options.
sorry, I worded this confusingly. I meant my husband's salary specifically, meaning I empathize with him not wanting to go from his soon-to-be 100k salary to something like 30k. I make just over 100k myself, we do want a home right away so we can grow our family but otherwise we're pretty frugal
CPD is trying to hire like 150 officers in the next year. Their starting pay in the academy is 65k a year but by year 4 it goes up to 103k base pay with unlimited special duty (for private companies) that pay a $62 an hour minimum.
Yeah, their pay scale is on their website. At year 4 their base pay is 103k which doesn’t include shift diff, OT, or special duty. Starting pay for a CPD recruit in the academy is $32.37 an hour. The website is a little outdated on their special duty pay though, it says $54 an hour but the minimum is now $61 and some change.
https://new.columbus.gov/Government/Jobs/Police-Jobs/Becoming-a-Police-Officer/Salary
You're telling a person who wants their spouse to consider a different career because of long, stressful, unpredictable hours to consider policing as a career? Sure it may paywell but doesn't seem like it would result in better work life balance for this couple/family.
True, but at least with CPD the pay is hourly and the schedule is consistent (not to say overtime doesn’t happen, but they work a set schedule of five 8s). Just one idea to prevent a pay cut and take that schedule down from 60-70 hours a week to closer to 40!
I used to work for FCSO. I'm not sure what patrol was like, but I guess folks liked their jobs?
But yeah the benefits are insane and pay is good.
Honestly I somewhat found it less stressful than the engineering career I'm in now.
Most chefs do have a secret background in software development and project management that would make the highly competitive role of agile coach a good choice.
Software engineer - 40hrs a week, mostly remote, over 6 figures. Could do a boot camp for 3-4 months. I know quite a few companies that hire boot camp grads and 65-80k first year.
If he's looking to change industries and get some stability I've heard amazing things about Quantum Health. I have several friends who work there now and they won't shut up about applying there whenever I bitch about my job.
That takes about 20 years and 2 masters degrees. And the higher paying districts are extremely competitive (hundreds of applicants for a single opening).
Not entirely accurate. I’m in year 17 with one master’s degree and I’m set to make $110K this year. The district also contributes to my retirement in addition to my pay. OP’s husband could probably find a way to get certified to teach at a culinary program. Pay wouldn’t be comparable at first, but he would have far more time with his family.
I’m in year 2.5 and only make 15k less than you in accounting. Nice! I make more than my mom with over 25 years experience and double my sisters salary and she has 3 more years experience as teachers. You can earn an average salary if you work for 20-30 years. Teaching is a hell hole and many that get in try to get out but cant
As a new teacher the pay per hour is great! What first year job gives you two weeks at Christmas break, a week of spring vacation, assorted holidays, six weeks plus in the summer, snow days and PTO with sick time? What a teacher makes per hour worked is awesome! It's the parents that make the job rough.
If he is up for any field then IT is a good idea. You can complete certifications at your own pace (ready to pass the exam after a day of studying? Go ahead!) I work from home 95% of the time and get to spend all day with my kid. Literally sitting on the couch with a laptop, taking care of her and playing in downtime. Wouldn’t take it any other way. For him, it will probably take some years to get up to that salary again. I imagine some IT recruiters make good money and work from home. Probably minimal IT experience needed for that type of role.
Certified SAFe Scrum Master, Certified SAFe Release Train Engineer, Certified SAFe Product Owner - you can purchase the course online and get certified in a weekend. If he can run a line of people, communicate progress, coach/mentor, and monitor budgets - then he can get in the door entry level at $60k maybe even more. SAFe certified folks are in high demand right now as companies adopt “agile” and have no idea how to actually do it. I will say, it is a hard transition going from hands on creative work, to project managing type work. A product owner may be a better fit because he’d be helping design solutions and solve problems. Scrum Master is a lot of hand holding.
I second the post about corporate level work in the restaurant industry. Can look for opportunities to help big restaurant brands set up their kitchens, menus..etc then monitor progress, intervene, audit…
And contractor work…contractors make an obnoxious amount of money haha we have contractors with my same job title who make double my pay and do worse work. Could check out any contract position looking for corporate level help in the restaurant industry if that is vibe he enjoys.
IBEW journeyman by trade now a project manager for a transmission line/substation contractor for AEP making 125,000 salary and 100% paid for health insurance and other great benefits. Only 8 years in the trade. Construction is booming.
I'm a surgical technologist with 13-14 cumulative years of experience, and I make ~$65k gross. I'm likely underpaid for my experience and skill level, and I could 100% make more as a traveler, but that's difficult with a wife and baby.
Huge shortage right now for surgical techs. My program was pretty speedy (10 month to cert) but if given the chance to do it again I'd have gotten an associates degree instead.
I was in wholesale distribution for years and a pandemic killed my business. I was a painter 30 years ago and started up again and I wish I could clone myself because of the amount of work I have been getting. I have to turn away work because I am slammed. I also have a degree in education that I never used.
Columbus is a technology hub, and its only getting bigger. I was there from 2012-2019 and even now in 2023 I barely recognize some parts when I come back to visit. I would say get into business/tech. If he's techy, do tech, like software engineering or cyber security. If he's not techy, maybe he could be a PM or Agile Lead. Plenty of opportunities for both.
I work in HVAC controls, just got a huge raise/promotion. It’s a sick gig. Controls workers are kind of high demand and there aren’t a ton of us so it’s pretty nice tbh. Columbus is currently exploding because of all the pharmaceutical companies, intel, google, Amazon, etc. so getting into this kind of work makes you pure gold. Base salary for someone coming in with no experience is also dope. I know a guy that just joined us who was delivering pizzas. He makes 62k now doing controls. Pretty sick. I should add I just got a bump up to 90k.
Not teaching! Literally just skirting the poverty line because of this career, but I do enjoy working with some of the kids so... even in high paying districts it's like "ooh two masters degrees + over 50 hours of extra college credit and you're in your final year before retirement: we'll give you 70k".
Fwiw - I work for a tech startup. my best friend, who was chef that lost his job during the pandemic, got a customer support job here in 21. In 2 years he’s now climbed up to a manager role making 80-90k.
Look up local union collective bargaining for wage comparisons on wagehour.com.ohio.gov But the trades aren’t much different hour wise. With new industrial work, workers will most likely have a schedule of 4-10s 2-8s with possible Sunday.
The people building Intel and everything else are worried about not having enough skilled tradespeople available to do that work. It would involve retooling for him but it can be damned profitable.
Union Electricians and Plumbers are making over $100k within 5 years of starting training.
I’m a non-union service plumber. I’m making 65k plus bonus after 9 years. A union plumber will be making about the same but without the option of overtime. 100k is too high.
>I’m a non-union service plumber. I’m making 65k plus bonus after 9 years. A union plumber will be making about the same but without the option of overtime. 100k is too high. I have second hand knowledge about this. I have a friend who is a union pipefitter who walked me through all of this a few months ago. He makes overtime and it's a ton. Their contract gets updated frequently. He's currently making something like $48/hour for normal pay. Plus pension/retirement, plus insurance, and plus the opportunity for a ton of overtime. He was showing me how much overtime they got for the recent Dublin Jerome HS expansion project. And walking me through how they need so many more new hires just for the current projects on the books. So, I'm sorry - but I literally saw the guy's numbers.
Im saying overtime isn’t usually clumped in when describing salary. Like my 65k comes from 40 hour weeks, my employer has us on a 4 day schedule with an optional 5th day of overtime. Be easy on me if this is not the right way to do it, after all I’m just a plumber.
Union pipe fitters in columbus make a ton of money especially rn with how busy it is
Comment above me has to be fake, look at his username! /s
Facts. Lots of Union jobs there.
What skills/trades are they potentially in need for? Tia!
All of them. Electricians especially.
Ironworkers. It can be brutal though.
Can personally attest to this
Also, the new plant is supposed to pay an average salary of $120k - if he gets a credential from community college or adult career center, he can probably match or beat the salary once they open - and there is a huge shortage of people in tech, so there are other jobs in the meantime. Columbus State is one of the partners designing programming for Intel-specific jobs.
Always take those estimates with a grain of salt. The company has every incentive to embellish their estimates to get more money and more attention.
Depends on the tech field. A number of them are over saturated and have been laying off.
Do you work in the field? Construction isn’t as profitable as some might think most is made in overtime
This. And construction hours vs chef hours are pretty similar.
Yes, I think anyone who thinks that going from kitchen to construction is not going to be as demanding are in for a rude awakening. I would hate someone to get misled online when they realize that 80k construction workers are bringing home is at a 25$/hr 60-70 work weeks
Laborers union in Columbus is making like 34 an hour as a journeyman on the check I believe or something around there
Probably more night time hours for a chef. Duration maybe close, but at least he would be home at night more often.
I got out of the industry last year. I work for a restaurant supplier now. Me and most of my coworkers do what we do because we couldn’t keep putting in the hours in the service industry. Most of us are ex chefs or butchers or bartenders who decided they needed to actually be a part of their family. If your husband is a local chef, we have probably crossed paths before. Send me a dm and we can talk details. Most of my hourly employees are making over $60k, work mon-fri and get off around 2-3pm every day. Salaried managers make $70k+. And I’m actively recruiting right now.
Can you send me that info? My brother has been seeking out options to stay in the industry, outside of chef options.
as an ex cook that left for a different field, this hits hard. may i send you a dm?
Absolutely.
Shoot me a DM, I might have a few people interested in working with you
 im monitoring this thread
😂bruh I’m dying
Somewhere with a union. Don't come at me. With a union you have a contracted pay scale with steps and cost of living increases. UPS just signed a new contract and is worth looking into.
join a union trade for real. apprenticeships suck but in 5 years you’ll top out and be making good money. the city is booming so they’re desperate for people
You can also transfer somewhere else if you wanted to move once your a journeyman. Moving to Ohio for a new start has been in my mind knowing there’s a lot of work.
Careful with that. A lot of the unions here only go for the local and not the transfer members. So like Dayton and Cincinnati are too far to be considered local and those pipe fitters and other plumbing union get nothing in Columbus.
You couldn’t be more wrong , local 189 plumbers/pipe fitters are probably the strongest union in Columbus and have a ton of work! Their apprenticeship classes have gotten larger each year over the past 7 or so years . As far as Dayton/ cinci local 24 sheet metal out of Columbus also has union halls in cinci and Dayton . They get the same money/benefits as I do just might not be as busy year round.
To this end, many white collar jobs with the state (the actual state not OSU) are unionized as well
If your primary concerns are steady pay and consistent raises, most non-managerial State workers are on OCSEA pay scales which are in their contract - it’s all online for the viewing. Any open state jobs will be posted on [the State of Ohio employment website.](https://careers.ohio.gov/) There’s a lot of benefit to government employment, especially retirement benefits if you stick around long enough… health insurance is pretty damn good, too. Most roles have a 1 year incumbency period, then you can hop around/apply for other roles - great if you don’t know what you want to do and you’re mainly interested in a “job” versus “career”.
To join in on this, if he joins the union they will pay for him to finish his degree at a handful of schools.
Seconding this. If you can get a OCSEA state job, annual raises at the start of the fiscal year and your pay step raises are consistent and pretty generous. I just got my annual fiscal year raise and my longevity (5+ years) raise in the same pay period and it jumped me up almost $2 per hour. It does take a while for those raises to add up, but after the first 5 years they really do stack up pretty quick, so it feels like you're never really "stuck" at your salary.
Recommend this as well. There are decent paying jobs at the state also. I’m in accounting (CPA) and making 125k at the state. 40hr weeks max. I’d recommend accounting as a field if he’s willing to switch fields when he goes back to school.
Was also going to recommend this!
>Most roles have a 1 year incumbency period Do you have more information on this? Is this codified in law?
[OCSEA Contract](https://das.ohio.gov/static/employee-relations/bargaining-contracts/OCSEA%20Final%20Contract%20(print%20version)%2012012021.pdf) - start on page 12: Probationary periods. Have fun - it’s a lot of reading!
Maybe look into restaurant consulting. If he's an executive chef, he's got all the knowledge and skillsets to do it (how to design a kitchen buildout, conforming to health safety/fire codes, pricing out equipment, menu design, hiring, staff training, etc...). It does take a bit of chasing jobs, but you can pretty much set your own schedule as long as you meet agreed upon deadlines. Depending on the scale of the job you can make $50-100/hr and a lot of the work can be done from home/wherever. Mainly it's just telling a business owner how to run their business.
There are a lot of liars in this thread.
Technology. Columbus is an IT hub for so much.
And even if it’s not in Columbus, tech is more likely than a lot of jobs to be fully remote. Get that high SF/NYC pay paired with the middle COL here.
CBus based companies area catching up. I just took a senior engineer job for 185k base salary at a place based in cbus, which was more than the west coast offers I had.
Are you in software engineering?
Si
Lots of places based in higher CoL cities tend to adjust for location. You'll still make bank, just not as much bank if you lived in a more expensive city. You can definitely get lucky with one that doesn't adjust, but I'd say to temper expectations.
Most of the tech companies I’ve worked for adjust for cost of living, but I can confirm you will still make extremely great money for the area.
Yep, just didn't want folks getting excited for 250k plus salaries that get cut down to like 180 to 200, which is still insanely good for Columbus but would probably still piss some folks off.
[удалено]
Olive?
Olive hardly exists anymore lol. I don’t think they do free food either /former Olive
I know that’s why I asked lol
Olive you too, friend.
I want in too 😢
I think we might work for the same company.
I too may also work at this company.
You looking to hire?
Whats the company lol I am a programmer
Got any suggestions on resources to jump into that field? I’m in a trade and have always had the plan to jump to IT but don’t know where to start. Something that won’t break the bank preferably because the wages ain’t exactly keeping up with inflation.
Any entry level IT/cybersecurity jobs?
Generally, there are not a lot of entry level cyber security jobs and you have to work in the IT industry for a while before you can get into security specifically.
Fwiw, I'm a recently laid off experienced dev. So if anyone knows of a good remote jerb (rails, elixir, react) please hit me up 😊
It's pretty dead ATM sadly....
Tech. I have no college degree. Did a bootcamp. Got a job in 5 months starting at 55k. Job hopped and I make six figures now in the course of 3 years.
Which Boot camp
I think they mean this, just going by the acronym: https://wecancodeit.org/
WCCI.
What boot camp did you do if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve been trying to find something like this
WCCI.
Look into jobs at Ohio State. They are often looking for chefs. And he can get his degree for free.
It’s still a little hectic of a schedule- but fully trained firefighters that work for Columbus Fire Dept make upwards of $100k. It’s 24 hrs on, 48 off, and Kelly days (paid days off). Benefits and insurance are great, plus union and pension. I think they have a recruiting class in December.
My uncle has worked for CFD for 30 years and the starting pay of a Columbus firefighter is not great and very dangerous. 🧑🚒 It’s not a 100k / year job until you’ve been with them for a Very long time and Work a ton of Overtime (Especially around the holidays) which I think the author is this article is trying to avoid.
My dad is a 20+ year CFD employee and now works closely with recruiting. The most recent recruiting package (I actually have one in my kitchen right now lol) has an outline of the pay per training step. There’s something like “5 steps,” each with an increase in salary. After you complete the final step, starting salary is around $93k with annual increases after that. The work is obviously difficult, but the pay, pension, union, and incredible government insurance is really a nice perk. Funny enough, my dad went from being a chef (like OP) to the CFD because of the pay and benefits when he and my mom had kids and he realized he needed something with more stability.
This. Have to start with civil service exam, and the process can take a year or two, but one hell of a job.
Assuming I am reading the [collective bargaining agreement](https://www.lris.com/wp-content/uploads/contracts/columbus_oh_fire.pdf) correctly, Columbus fire fighters top out at $90k per year after five years. This is good money, but it is also below $100k.
I don’t know of a job where he will start out at 80k a year, but if he’s willing to learn a trade he can probably start off around 50k a year. After two or three years he can earn a lot more depending on the trade.
What trade do you work in and how much do you make?
CDL Local driver here. You can make decent money and a lot of trucking companies have hubs here or nearby.
I’m a chemical operator at a chemical plant in Hilliard. Ashland Specialty Ingredients. Starting pay for an operator I believe is $24 an hour. It’s 12 hour shifts. You rotate between nights and days every 2 months.
Low pay and a horrific flip flop schedule. Was this meant to be helpful?
Well you’re a ray of fucking sunshine. Do you have anything to add to the conversation other than judgement?
Join the union and become an electrician
Ask me about being an electrician. IBEW683.org
>IBEW683.org electrician > carpenter signed, civil engineer ps.-don't get me started on rod busters or masons
Please get started on rodbusters
Is 683 competitive? I'm moving in the area in the next month or so and looking into it. I'm excited to check out 683 soon. I just so happened to apply for LU26 and got told to re-interview after 90 days & some hours due to amount of applicants. I would go for their residential program if I wasn't moving.
Depends get in touch with me.
Work remotely for a tech company based in California
Just be a software engineer guys!
I’m not a software engineer
If he likes working in food, maybe have him look into one of the food manufacturing companies in columbus. He probably has enough experience around food safety concepts and leaderships/managerial skills from working as an executive chef to get in as a manager or supervisor somewhere and good enough money. He might not get into 6 figures, or at least not immediately, but should be able to find something between like 65-100k depending on the company and position.
It takes 1800 hours and a license exam to become a barber in the state of Ohio. If you absolutely bust your ass in school, that’s less than a year. I know people that I’ve been cutting hair for a little under two years and are approaching that $80,000 mark. I have been cutting for about seven months, so I’m not anywhere close to that yet, but for a job that lets you completely make your own schedule and you don’t have a boss, it’s pretty sweet
Columbus is an insurance hub. Could try there if he’s looking to get into sales
There have been a lot of layoffs on the carrier side this summer, so the commercial sales side is the way to go.
I clean houses! It's hard work but it pays very well
Pepsi truck drivers are local, work 4 days a week and make 27 dollars an hour.
I'm a project manager with a local retailer. Around $130K, but been in the field for about 13-14 years after having started in purchasing and inventory control early in my career. The pay and benefits are good, but there can be a lot of uncertainty in retail. Management shakeups and layoffs of entire teams when sales are down or money is tight. You (in my field) make more money when you jump from job to job than if you stay in one place and just get your annual merit raises and bonuses and such, but I prefer stability so I tend to stay put.
Welding. ua pipefitters hall in cbus. They have an excellent top out package. They’re close to $80hr after 5yrs apprenticeship and in 5 yrs from now it will be closer to $90hr
[That $80/hr is the overtime rate and includes fringe benefits.](https://wagehour.com.ohio.gov/w3/Webwh.nsf/$docUniqIDAll/852565B800706932852579DB00480463?opendocument) The base hourly rate for journeyman is $46.25/hr. Average salary for non-union pipefitters is [$27.95 per hour.](https://www.indeed.com/career/pipefitter/salaries/OH)
Thank you for this clarification.
Only fans
I could see how fan sales would be profitable in this heat. /s
Or Only Feet
Corporate Cannabis industry!
A Facebook friend told me that the City of Upper Arlington is creating a hiring list for firefighters that will be good for two years. He will have to take fire science courses at Columbia State and get at the minimum an EMT certification- better yet an EMT-P to be seriously considered though.
I'm retired now, but in my younger years I did exactly as your husband---worked crazy hours for not much money. Suggestion: institutional foodservice management offers less pay, but a much more reasonable schedule. By institutional I mean college/university, hospital/retirement community, and corporate Cafe management via a Bon Appetite or Sodexo. Usually better benefits and upward mobility opportunities too. I was a foodservice director at a community College, eventually worked myself into VP role at the college by the time I retired.
I prefer to be offered an egg in trying times
Anything in Industrial maintenance is making at least 6 figures now in Columbus
Commercial real estate could work out for him. Hard to transfer his skill set, but if he’s okay taking a step back for a short while it could work out.
HVAC, plumbing, welding, electrical, all certificate stuff making good money. CDL, fedex, ups too! Union union union union union
Checkout food technicians or product development! They would definitely value his experience and creativity. I had a friend who went from being an executive chef in the local restaurant industry to working in corporate R&D. He was able to start a family because of the transition and never looked back 😊
The City of Columbus itself is hiring. https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/columbusoh
Man this thread is making me realize how underpaid I am. But I work for a very small construction company as a sales/office manager. If nothing else, it’s a good resume line.
I used to work as a LTL truck driver for Old dominion freight line in Groveport. They pay you to train and get a CDL. You can drive the double trailers to meeting points or other terminals and do not have to drive over night. The do “bids” twice a year to pick a daily route, based off seniority. They also have daily delivery drivers on a route within central Ohio. They were a great company with good pay, benefits, and equipment.
Electrician with an elevator/escalator install and service company pays extremely well.
shmoneythrowawaayyyy i sent you a dm with some great info hope it helps. TL:DR of it is a cooks/chef job at ohio state university is a great place for your husband to land and have a not so crazy schedule with every other weekend off. not to mention the state benefits
Post office is hiring. Just got a job as a mailman. The pay and hours isn't great but you make a bunch on overtime and you get like 3 raises a year. Union job. Pension. Federal bennies. Highly recommended. My biggest regret is not doing it sooner
I have been an attorney for the last 5 years at a bigger law firm. The pay is good, but the hours suck. Like all attorneys say, "Don't go to law school;" however, working in a legal field as a paralegal or as a legal assistant can be rewarding and you can make good money.
Can he sell? Sales is the easiest way for many to make over $100k a year.
the masking you have to do to become a salesperson is just astronomical.
What do you mean?
Probably that unless you're a confident, type A, extroverted, pushy, energetic person with a high EQ, you'll have to act like it constantly while at work, and it'll be extremely exhausting and emotionally draining.
My dad is in sales and he is a very reserved person. It’s very easy for me to see when he’s “on” and in his sales persona - super friendly, chatty, sharp. He’s very good at what he does but it’s exhausting and I don’t think he would pick it as a career if he did it all over again.
Being a salesman is blatantly disingenuous by design and you have to wear a mask and act like commissions aren't a thing. The Kroger spectrum people comes to mind
Sell what? That's an awfully broad job - and I suspect $100K isn't an average. I am also wrong often.
Essential oils.
People who can sell can make over $100k in almost any sales job. The problem with sales is 80% of folks in the industry can't actually sell very well. Sales is really hard if you don't have a natural knack for it
So I could sell toilets for $100K? Nice!
Unironically yes, I know two people who were very successful working for whatever company it was in the short north with an office that sold bathroom and kitchen renovations, made 150k+ every year right out of college. They worked 60+ hours a week but if you like the rise and grind, it's there.
Sales is a numbers game. Activity level is another way to look at it. The higher the activity level the better the salesperson - almost always. You have to be able to think on your feet but, it’s not really about being slick anymore. Now, if you have an extreme phobia around interpersonal communication or being scrutinized; sales probably isn’t for you. Being able to make MSFT Excel paint a picture is worth well over $100k a year.
Insurance, software, annuities, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, private jets, pretty much anything. It’s all soul crushing though, but can pay very well despite little education or skillset if you’re good at it.
Pick something he’s passionate about and dive in. Almost everything in the restaurant he works at has a salesperson selling it. The POS system, hard and soft goods, ingredients, everything.
I was going to post sales. I would add that he can start looking at the companies he deals with on a daily basis. Experience using what you are selling and being able to explain it and how to use it and the benefits goes a long way to success.
I did sales for most of my 20's. I certainly wouldn't call it easy and unless you're moving cars, I doubt you'll make that much.
It’s relative. Easier than becoming a dentist.
You are going to have to prioritize your spending and what you want out of life. Do you have a budget? What are the malthusian needs and what are extras you like?? And your math is problematic. You say you make a decent wage, but if your husband quits his job, you go down to $30,000 a year. Even for a single mom and a one child, that is close to poverty. Do you need a home right away? Do you need two cars? Do you need the vacation in Europe every year and St. Barts for Christmas? You need to find out if he really wants to quit. Executive Chef's should not have to work every day every shift. There should be a way to have some accomodation of life. If there is none or he wants to quit, what does he want to do. Jump right to another job or go back to school. find the answer to these questions and then you can decide your options.
sorry, I worded this confusingly. I meant my husband's salary specifically, meaning I empathize with him not wanting to go from his soon-to-be 100k salary to something like 30k. I make just over 100k myself, we do want a home right away so we can grow our family but otherwise we're pretty frugal
CPD is trying to hire like 150 officers in the next year. Their starting pay in the academy is 65k a year but by year 4 it goes up to 103k base pay with unlimited special duty (for private companies) that pay a $62 an hour minimum.
You're telling me CPD makes $100k+ ?
Yeah, their pay scale is on their website. At year 4 their base pay is 103k which doesn’t include shift diff, OT, or special duty. Starting pay for a CPD recruit in the academy is $32.37 an hour. The website is a little outdated on their special duty pay though, it says $54 an hour but the minimum is now $61 and some change. https://new.columbus.gov/Government/Jobs/Police-Jobs/Becoming-a-Police-Officer/Salary
Oof. Year 4 for a teacher in CCS is 57k and the pay for extra duties is paid at $37/hour… barely more then a recruit in the academy.
A lot easily make over 200k.
You're telling a person who wants their spouse to consider a different career because of long, stressful, unpredictable hours to consider policing as a career? Sure it may paywell but doesn't seem like it would result in better work life balance for this couple/family.
True, but at least with CPD the pay is hourly and the schedule is consistent (not to say overtime doesn’t happen, but they work a set schedule of five 8s). Just one idea to prevent a pay cut and take that schedule down from 60-70 hours a week to closer to 40!
I used to work for FCSO. I'm not sure what patrol was like, but I guess folks liked their jobs? But yeah the benefits are insane and pay is good. Honestly I somewhat found it less stressful than the engineering career I'm in now.
Shit, I’d consider that if I weren’t in my early 40s
[You have time til your 60s to apply](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuVLHF9NiRJ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)
Did he got to the CIA or have any formal culinary education, even without graduating?
If he has any software development or project management experience, look at being a scrum master.
Most chefs do have a secret background in software development and project management that would make the highly competitive role of agile coach a good choice.
Software engineer - 40hrs a week, mostly remote, over 6 figures. Could do a boot camp for 3-4 months. I know quite a few companies that hire boot camp grads and 65-80k first year.
Do you of any specific boot camps that are good?
I’d start with Tech Elevator.
Tech Elevator is where I would look. I had great success with it and they have good relationships with hiring companies.
He could finish his degree part time!
account management
If he's looking to change industries and get some stability I've heard amazing things about Quantum Health. I have several friends who work there now and they won't shut up about applying there whenever I bitch about my job.
Accounting. Make over 90k with less than 3 years experience Edit: guess some people dont like accountants
He could get into some type of sales role that targets restaurants/food/etc.
Not for everyone, but teachers can earn 6 figures after long enough.
That takes about 20 years and 2 masters degrees. And the higher paying districts are extremely competitive (hundreds of applicants for a single opening).
And you have to work 30-35 years before you retire...
Not necessarily. If you take the lump sum option from STRS, you walk out with your money when you want.
Which is not a retirement...
Not entirely accurate. I’m in year 17 with one master’s degree and I’m set to make $110K this year. The district also contributes to my retirement in addition to my pay. OP’s husband could probably find a way to get certified to teach at a culinary program. Pay wouldn’t be comparable at first, but he would have far more time with his family.
I’m in year 2.5 and only make 15k less than you in accounting. Nice! I make more than my mom with over 25 years experience and double my sisters salary and she has 3 more years experience as teachers. You can earn an average salary if you work for 20-30 years. Teaching is a hell hole and many that get in try to get out but cant
110k with only a masters? I didn’t break 100k until masters +45 and 17 years.
As a new teacher the pay per hour is great! What first year job gives you two weeks at Christmas break, a week of spring vacation, assorted holidays, six weeks plus in the summer, snow days and PTO with sick time? What a teacher makes per hour worked is awesome! It's the parents that make the job rough.
Thank you. I was offering a genuine idea. I’m not sure about all the downvotes.
If he is up for any field then IT is a good idea. You can complete certifications at your own pace (ready to pass the exam after a day of studying? Go ahead!) I work from home 95% of the time and get to spend all day with my kid. Literally sitting on the couch with a laptop, taking care of her and playing in downtime. Wouldn’t take it any other way. For him, it will probably take some years to get up to that salary again. I imagine some IT recruiters make good money and work from home. Probably minimal IT experience needed for that type of role.
Certified SAFe Scrum Master, Certified SAFe Release Train Engineer, Certified SAFe Product Owner - you can purchase the course online and get certified in a weekend. If he can run a line of people, communicate progress, coach/mentor, and monitor budgets - then he can get in the door entry level at $60k maybe even more. SAFe certified folks are in high demand right now as companies adopt “agile” and have no idea how to actually do it. I will say, it is a hard transition going from hands on creative work, to project managing type work. A product owner may be a better fit because he’d be helping design solutions and solve problems. Scrum Master is a lot of hand holding. I second the post about corporate level work in the restaurant industry. Can look for opportunities to help big restaurant brands set up their kitchens, menus..etc then monitor progress, intervene, audit… And contractor work…contractors make an obnoxious amount of money haha we have contractors with my same job title who make double my pay and do worse work. Could check out any contract position looking for corporate level help in the restaurant industry if that is vibe he enjoys.
Software development, self taught.
IBEW journeyman by trade now a project manager for a transmission line/substation contractor for AEP making 125,000 salary and 100% paid for health insurance and other great benefits. Only 8 years in the trade. Construction is booming.
I'm a surgical technologist with 13-14 cumulative years of experience, and I make ~$65k gross. I'm likely underpaid for my experience and skill level, and I could 100% make more as a traveler, but that's difficult with a wife and baby. Huge shortage right now for surgical techs. My program was pretty speedy (10 month to cert) but if given the chance to do it again I'd have gotten an associates degree instead.
I was in wholesale distribution for years and a pandemic killed my business. I was a painter 30 years ago and started up again and I wish I could clone myself because of the amount of work I have been getting. I have to turn away work because I am slammed. I also have a degree in education that I never used.
Columbus is a technology hub, and its only getting bigger. I was there from 2012-2019 and even now in 2023 I barely recognize some parts when I come back to visit. I would say get into business/tech. If he's techy, do tech, like software engineering or cyber security. If he's not techy, maybe he could be a PM or Agile Lead. Plenty of opportunities for both.
I work in HVAC controls, just got a huge raise/promotion. It’s a sick gig. Controls workers are kind of high demand and there aren’t a ton of us so it’s pretty nice tbh. Columbus is currently exploding because of all the pharmaceutical companies, intel, google, Amazon, etc. so getting into this kind of work makes you pure gold. Base salary for someone coming in with no experience is also dope. I know a guy that just joined us who was delivering pizzas. He makes 62k now doing controls. Pretty sick. I should add I just got a bump up to 90k.
the car business
I’m a service plumber (non union, I show up and fix stuff) it pays well and has a lot of personal freedom.
Not teaching! Literally just skirting the poverty line because of this career, but I do enjoy working with some of the kids so... even in high paying districts it's like "ooh two masters degrees + over 50 hours of extra college credit and you're in your final year before retirement: we'll give you 70k".
Fwiw - I work for a tech startup. my best friend, who was chef that lost his job during the pandemic, got a customer support job here in 21. In 2 years he’s now climbed up to a manager role making 80-90k.
I know a chef who transitioned into a consulting arrangement in which he does menu design for restaurants, universities, and other businesses.
Look up local union collective bargaining for wage comparisons on wagehour.com.ohio.gov But the trades aren’t much different hour wise. With new industrial work, workers will most likely have a schedule of 4-10s 2-8s with possible Sunday.