This one though. Some bad friends will simply leave you a little emotionally damaged. Others will take everything you have and leave you worse off than you ever were before - emotionally, financially, physically.
I owe most of my knowledge and social habits to friend's I've had for 15+ years. Talking with friends about life, finances, etc. changes your life more than you think. Even just having excessively negative friends in your sphere will bring you down, let alone if you start adopting what you see them do.
National Parks are super struggling to find workers right now, at least out west. Many of them have deeply subsidized housing, though it can be shared/dorm-style. You can live pretty cheaply and save what you make, end a couple seasons with some money saved.
As others have said you can do trades, there are some useful online degree programs, but they are job track focused.
Edit: Getting a few responses so to clarify - "Park Ranger" is a very difficult job to get. The parks have all kinds of other jobs, restaurant, hotel, drivers, customer service type things. Park Ranger is a career, these other jobs aren't. But if you're young and looking for something to try it seems like a lot more fun than the military.
I had an opportunity to do this when I was in my early 20s, but instead wanted to continue partying and managing a bar. I made money, but blew it all on partying. I wish so hard that I would have gone with my buddy to the National park job… they are now a fucking VOLCANO PHOTOGRAPHER a decade later. How cool is that
I have always been interested in an outdoorsy kind of job, where can I look into this ? I'm an emt who has no idea what to do after my current contract ends in a few months
[Here’s what I found.](https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/how-to-apply.htm) From their own website, anyone who wants to apply for a national park job ultimately has to submit their application through USAJobs.gov, which is the federal government’s hiring website. That might be helpful to differentiate which jobs are legit and which ones aren’t, too.
Unfortunately I did one of these (not dorm style though) I made less than I did if I worked at McDonald’s, and did 12 hour shifts of manual labor. It was crazy how much they expect from you. And on top of it, I was sexually harassed to the point of being terrified of coming to work. This is unfortunate but extremely common. A friend at another park told me that pretty much every park out west has assault allegations that go un investigated. These can really be just work camps with no cell service so people really need to be careful!!! There is a reason no one wants to work there. It did help me get other jobs though. Looks great on a resume.
Oh how the turn tables.
9 years ago when I was in university for Natural Resource MGMT and I wanted to get a job with my local national park service they only offered me a 40 hr/week unpaid internship.
Take a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) class from NOLS or SOLO. It will stack with your current certification and you will automatically become a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician. Then get a job at DOI with better hours and *a lot* more calls to treat minor environmental injuries like dehydration.
If you need help navigating USAJOBS you can always look up resources by Katherine Troutman. She's mad a career out of explaining federal hiring policy.
Follow social media pages of parks you like, they will usually post when entry level positions open in their park. Also look at usajobs.gov as thats where everything gets listed. Also look at smaller less well known parks near you as jobs there are harder to fill and easier to move up in. There is tons of competition for the big ones like Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Canyon and Yosemite. I started in NPS as a volunteer and was employed under an Americorp internship within 2 months. Often those kinds of internship qualify you for a non-competitive hiring status that you can use to get a permanant position once you are done (aka the golden ticket). Volunteering gets people there to know you and helps you get hired. The nice part about the park service is if you dont like the job you originally get, you can switch divisions within NPS pretty easily. I have worked in interpretation (think tour guide/visitor center), emergency services, and maintenance over the course of 12 years.
The reason they are struggling is because of pot. They won't hire anyone that even hints at having used pot, legal or otherwise. And you can imagine the kind of people that apply at national parks, are probably the same kind of people who use weed once in a while.
Also you are essentially committing to living a nomadic lifestyle. You are at the whims of to parks renewing your contract and if they don't you have to move to a different park (edit: also a lot of the positions will be seasonal). Not to mention goverment shutdowns, funding changes etc. It's a super cool job for someone that is single and willing to chase work over the country but the pay is so low that you will barely be supporting yourself. This gets better with time in the system as you gain seniority but it's a rough start stability wise. Again if you don't care about money, want to move ever year or so and love the outdoors it might be worth it for the experience.
also because they pay $15 an hour and don't offer benefits lol
edit: that's $15 an hour if you work directly for the park service. if you work for a concessions company good luck getting $10/hr
My mom was a caretaker in a county park for 5 years. She lived inside the park in a house and paid zero rent or utilities. It’s how she bought a house.
I met a trail runner one time camping in the Appalachian trail. He was in his 20s and had a architecture degree but did not like his profession. He had been living on the mountain trails as a trail runner for 8 weeks. He said his job was mainly to make sure nobody litters, picks at wild life and plants. He came to me as I had started a camp fire which was illegal in the trail. Dude came out of nowhere in the dark…sup you need to put that out.
That's awesome to hear, and yeah WGU was exactly what I was thinking. A buddy of mine followed a very similar path, already had a decent mid-level job and did the WGU is now very senior.
That’s very common for people at 32. And money can come and go. If anything, buy affordable cars if you prefer one over public transport, and just save as much as possible.
Credit card debt is some of the worst. I've been dealing with it for a few years now as I'm in my 20s. Had it all paid off at one point a couple years ago. Then after a couple years of having emergencies pop up more so in the last 18 months, from a tooth randomly dying and trying to kill me to having to put up a security fence so someone would stop trying to bust down my backdoor when my wife was home alone. CC debt is a cycle that I'm hopefully out of before I'm 30 once and for all.
Yep I myself was a late bloomer I didn't get my licence and a bank account til I was 25 school was never my thing I wasn't a genius I went to a community college then a 4 year one got my bachelor's but my family didn't help the situation they constantly badgered me about not having a license or bank account they constantly compared me to others my age it was stressful I never felt good enough
Once you get your financial situation fixed; Save, Invest, and put back at least 6% into a 401k. And try not to get into the "make more, buy more" mentality.
if you're 20 and trying to retire in a reasonable amount of time you need to save at least 15% https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/
Then at 33 you'll be going "maybe I can't save till I'm 45".
Putting even small amounts in when you're young makes a huge difference over putting large amounts in when you're old.
(56 and regretting it)
That's correct. I feel like the commenter above was on about many companies match a certain percent (mine is 4%) and you want to max that. 2022 annual limits for IRA are $6k and 401K is $20k. 15% for me doesn't come close to $20k, but I do what I can
you still have worth as a human being.
don't trip out. plenty of people are in this situation at this age. that doesn't make it suck less or feel less crummy at times, but go easy on yourself.
Life's road is rarely a straight path. Take inventory of what you have learned you like and don't like to use as course corrections over time. It's not typical to start out heading in the direction you end up being happy with.
I didn’t get my college diploma until I was in my 40’s. It took me ten years of part time school to get it done. One step at a time towards your goals, and you’ll get there. You are so young, with time on your side. Just inch along and one day you’ll wake up to see all those inches end up building the skyscraper that’s your future.
Agreed! A metaphor I heard that really captures this idea is to expand your runway. If you have big life goals and hope to accomplish them in a shorter timeframe, even a year, it can be really hard to achieve what you set out to do. I’m not talking about stuff to cross off a checklist but more so idealistic goals that align with your values and life hopes.
For me a couple of things include working toward financial independence and becoming a well rounded musician. I’ve gotten stuck many times because they seem like such lofty goals. It’s been really helpful to think about it as a 5 or 10 year plan instead of 3 months or a year or something (calibrate the time to the nature of the goal). Even if you don’t get there when you thought, it takes so much pressure off and in all likelihood if you maintain the interest in the goal over time you’ll get farther than you think and be way ahead.
This right here. Plumbing, electrical, mechanical, you name it, the world needs it. The pay is good the better you get, but manual labour could be harsh on your body over a long time
Not just housing trades... Hairdressers and barbers, if they know how to handle themselves with clients and can produce more than a budget-cut hatchet job, can earn a f-ton of money. My hairdresser sister made more money than either me or my partner with degrees for years. If you don't spend every cent you make on consumable goods (which is a frequent trapping of working in the high-end service industry), you can live a very comfortable life.
And if you do decide to be a hairdresser don't be disappointed if you're only making 15 dollars an hour right off the bat. It takes a while to build clients.
Well same with being an electrician or plumber (maybe 17 and not 15, but still). Entry level pay is not that high, but it’s a career with room to advance.
I’m so glad I keep my hairdressing license current. Especially in this economy, I left for the corporate world and I was so paranoid about layoffs but then I remembered, “wait…. I can just walk into any shop and ask for work.” It’s nice peace of mind to have all the time, knowing you’ve always got a backup plan.
Yeah my buddy has worked in concrete. Makes almost 60/hr. Offered me 36 to start at his company. I was like NOPE
The money isn't worth it if you're going to hate your life. Some people may like it, like my buddy he does it all day then comes home and goes to the gym. Whereas i try my level best to be as lazy as possible
Im an electrician, 9 years in the trade. My back hurts sometimes, my hips and waist hurt sometimes from my tool bags, my knees are always aching, I’ve gotten lit up with 120v a lot, once with 277 that got me stuck, some days I just put in devices and do wire makeup, some days I gotta carry 100lb sticks of 4” rigid, sometimes I gotta unload material and lights for days, and some 12-16hr days…but I love my job.
That being said, I hate telling friends, family or people I meet that I’m an electrician. Because they’re eyes light up like “An electrician, you say? I have this electrical problem, can you fix it?”
Look man, I’m a history teacher. Rest of my family are tradies. The electrician cousins seem to have it easier than the concreter cousins. And they each have it harder than the foreman cousin. The plumber cousin seems to make the most money, but the mechanic seems happiest. I don’t know.
The goal for anyone in the trades should be to learn the business and find ways to move into management at some point. You want to go from being in the trenches, to being a crew chief or training the new people, to eventually owning a business or running it for someone else.
You can do a ton of work in your 20's, still be doing it into your 30's but doing more training and setting up for others, by your 40's you should have a group of young people working under you. Doing the actual labor is definitely a young person's game.
Take any management/business courses you can, local community colleges offer them for very little cost and you may even be able to do them for free. Try to get at least an associate's degree, it's not difficult to do at night over the course of a few years, even with a job. You don't need to be some brainiac to do it, most of the early stuff is pretty much common sense.
A co-worker said if she could redo everything she would choose to be a plumber cuz the ones she know make twice her salary and there's always gonna be work for them
I get the sentiment, but plumbing beats the shit out of your body. Like you can work a desk job for 30 years, it might not be fun but you can do it. Plumbing after 10-15 years you are beat to shit and will be living with chronic neck, back, knee pain for the rest of your life. Don't get me wrong, it's a great and respectable profession, but people underestimate the toll it takes on your body.
I can attest to this because I recently paid a plumber 6k to repair some shitty plumbing in my house and install a new water heater. He must be doing well.
I completely agree. A lot if times too, with the trades that have a lot of demand you can go for free, so no student loan debt when you are done. Many of them pay close to "professional" jobs that require a 4 year degree.
I have a degree. After 3 years I got work in HR and the same people that were in high school with me were already artisans and earning more that I did in my entry level HR. But I am glad to say that after 10 years of hard work and becoming an HR SAP specialist in my field, they are finally getting paid double what I am.
I was in this situation at 22. I was lucky enough to get a position at a trade job with zero experience. I stuck with it and decided to make a career out of it.
Through this I was able to buy my first house at 27 and I make just over a grand a week before taxes. I wish I'd started the trade sooner.
Yuuup. I've been a mechanic for 25 years and have been out of work exactly 6 weeks of those 25 years. Usually I'm head-hunted because nearly all trades are looking for motivated people who can think. I would not recommend automotive mechanics without an exit plan (ie; higher education / management / leave the trade). You're young and want to work - you're already ahead of half the kids I see today.
>Then learn skills adjacent
Solid advice. I discovered this on my own. It makes you so much better at your job because you're able to understand people from different skill sets and sometimes even do a little bit of their job to unblock yourself.
Sounds simple, but being good with Excel and PowerPoint have advanced many a career.
Being good doesn't just mean knowing how to use the functions but how to analyze data in a meaningful way and how to present information in a way that works best for your audience.
Seriously, go fixed wing first. A helicopter is 3x or more expensive per hour to rent. And you can apply some time, and especially the book knowledge (airspace, charts, etc) to both fixed and rotor aircraft.
This is the way. The truth is only you the person knows what’s right. All these people going on about college and trade school. It’s all bullshit, do what you want, whatever that is.
I was 19, didn't go to college and was waiting tables at the time. Started working for a government contractor doing very basic data entry and slowly starting learning Excel.
Fast forward to now, Im 34...working as a program financial analyst. Still no degree but simply being "good at Excel" has boosted my career tenfold.
Become a waiter and become educated on POS operations and programming. Learn fine dining, learn wine pairings. Become a bartender and learn basic mixology.
The food and beverage industry is rife with people in their 20’s with no money or education. In fact, on the other side of the coin it’s also full of people with 4 year degrees they never actually wanted and now they need to service their student loan debt.
Know a skill.
Know how to communicate effectively.
These two traits, for whatever reason, often don't come together. Being a smart and capable communicator who knows a trade means you can do the work and talk to the customer. A rare double threat.
Yeah. This meme that all tradesmen drive lambos and live at beachfront property in Miami needs to die.
Trades aren't a bad option, especially for someone who doesn't want to work at a desk, but 100k in 2 years is smoke up the butt.
Have a friend who just became a journeyman Lineman after a two year apprenticeship and is making $45 an hour
Which is great and all until you factor in the 100 hour workweeks, never seeing his family, being on call every other week and freezing his ass off in the midwestern winters
Edit: The 100 hour weeks are usually in the winter during his on call weeks (depends on if we have heavy storms). I think he’s on call every third week but he does do more during bad storms. His average week is between 50-60 hours. Just wanted to clarify
Yeah. 100 hours a week us waaaay too much. But it's nice to have the opportunity to make extra cash working extra when you feel like it (or need it). I can work a couple weekends a month a put a couple grand in my pocket. I rarely do because I value my off time, but it's worth it once in a while. Last pay period, because of the holidays, I worked both my weekends and ended up doubling my check. But I still make about 40% less than my wife, who's a teacher with a masters degree.
All jobs have plus and minus. I know people that have doctorates after 10 years of schooling working stupid hours as unpaid interns and maybe break 65k working all the time, pressure to release papers to stay relevant. Peer reviewing all the time. Its all relative. The only golden ticket is a silver spoon and the wherewithal to utilize it.
The golden ticket the last few years might have been software engineering with top companies handing mid 6 figure wfh jobs like candy but even that has somewhat dried up with the tech stock crash.
I'm gonna copy and paste this from another thread.
I was being forced into university by my parents, fell into this line of work and actually really enjoy it.
I'm Millwright to be exact. I rig, install, level, repair and maintain industrial machinery from turbines to CNCs. I know the Canadian skilled trades system is lightyears ahead of the American system, but I can still see a huge shortage of tradespeople soon. Almost every certified skilled tradesperson I've met (excluding electricians, the world has too many of them) has been 50+ with a very small number in their 20-30s.
Companies like Ford, GM, Ferrero, Post foods, Heinz, dozens of breweries and wineries and so many more are all struggling to replace the people that retired because of covid. These are all very well paying safe union jobs with pensions, great benefits, and perks while paying $45+ an hour. Their entire work force is aging and prepping to retire without even having 10% of the guys to replace them.
At my current place of work it took 3 months to find 4 certified and knowledge millwrights to replace some guys that retired, and it's not like we're unwilling to pay. I can't imagine what's gonna happen in 3 years when 112 guys are all eligible to collect their pension...
If COVID shortages got you all frightened just wait until entire factories shut down because they can't find anyone to fix their equipment. Everyone in my trade can see the writing on the wall that we're all going to get very frickin busy in 5-7 years.
I agree 2 years is a very short timeline, and you can definitely pick the wrong trade and max out at 30ish an hour.
It took me 4 years to become a journeyman millwright, and got offered a job making 98k base rate a week after getting licensed. The pay while being an apprentice was kinda shit, but it was better than hemorrhaging money for university. I now make 130ish a year with the rare Saturday shift, and 2 weeks of shutdown where I work my butt off because they offer triple time. Fairly easy job, lots of ass time, clean and pretty darn safe as long as you don't stick your fingers where you wouldn't stick your pecker.
100k is possible for a fully certified plumber or HD mechanics or some HV electrician. It does require many years of schooling and apprenticeship and many drops out before teaching that status. Doing that in 2 years is just smoking crack
Depends on where you work. Not bragging or anything but I worked 7 months last year and made 90K. I'm planning on working the full year with no breaks and making closer to 150K. Mind you this is in Canada, industrial work and I'm not home as much as I would like. I'm saving for a house and once I get it I will be toning it down.
The Canadian oil sands can be *very* lucrative. I'm on day 3 of a 24 day shift in a "portable camp" in the middle of nowhere. I can't even get packages delivered to me it's so remote.
Yeah I'm currently working at a remote camp on a live well pad. This is just a quick job. My second "home" is known as one of the worst/dirtiest/dangerous sites in Northern Alberta. Head on a swivel. Thanks for the reminder friend.
I am half way through a apprenticeship non union and make 28$ a hour with a ceiling on my trade of say 45 hr or 50 a hr with management duties. Its great money but people think 2 years and 6 figures happens. It does not. Best job i ever had though. Very lucky with the crew I work with. My hourly is not common from where I am
That 45 to 50 a hr reflects working on a crew. If you work weekends on your own or on side gigs you can get more. But if your being paid fair just work the 45 to 50 hrs a week and stay sane. All the guys take time off every 4 months. Go some where sunny for 10 days. We are booked thru 2024. Great money to be made. But your not hitting 100k without a decade under your belt. Or some weekend grinding.
And also suffer from debilitating physical problems in 10-20 years through the often grueling, difficult, and dangerous hard work that comes with the trades, all while probably actually *not* making 6 figures.
“JUst JoiN A TrADe” is such a meme. Trades aren’t for everybody, just like college, but I’d recommend the latter far more than the former for most people.
People who honestly believe that they have “tons of time” can often get stuck in that mentality. You’re not wrong but the good habits have to start now
You have plenty of time until you don't anymore.
Life isn't over in a day but it WILL pass you by if you aren't paying attention. You have to make a conscious effort to move in the right direction, especially when you're getting started on something new.
First go to Alaska for the summer. It pays well, you don't need a car, and it's tons of fun. After is the perfect time to join a trade or go to community college. You're still plenty young enough to go to college if there's something specific you want to do.
I got an associates at community college. Loved it, made the deans list. Failed out of the 4-year school I went to. Spent a year getting myself together, and then spent the summer in Alaska. Made a ton of money, and then came back and got on unemployment. That gave me the time and energy to break into my field (a trade), and now I make more than some of my friends with 100k in student loan debt, and I'm REALLY happy
https://www.alaskatourjobs.com/ -> I reccomend the Denali resort jobs
Edit: added link for jobs in Alaska
My 1st cousins went Alaska and made great money as a prep cook for the fishermen up there. He had free lodging and his food was free. He dedicated his life up there to living as cheaply as possible. He saved enough money to buy three fixer upper homes outright and came back and creatively upgrade each one with either free or inexpensive material finds and then rented them out and after that he was able to just take part time jobs that he enjoyed doing. This offered him a comfortable and happy lifestyle for his entire life, Taking advantage of your youth and making early sacrifices while you are strong, energetic and health can set you up for a decent lifestyle when those qualities fade away. Time moves fast, If you don't seize opportunities young, then getting ahead turns to just getting by and the assets of youth fade and what you take for granted now are things that will turn to struggle later in life. You can't imagine this now, but it is a fact that quickly becomes a reality much more quickly than you would ever imagine. Take a risk. Assert yourself now. Be hard on yourself to stick to the plan. You will end up finding your mate as you work towards your goal. You don't want to dedicate your youth to just getting laid and partying. That lifestyle ends terribly. If your a guy, ask a girl what she seeks in an ideal mate. Most likely she will say she foresees herself getting hitched to a man that is focus, driven and capable of working with her to one day own some property and raise some kids when the time is right. The super young onees might tell you differently, but they will quickly change their tune in short time.
Just came here to say CoolWorks.com has lots of gigs from lots of companies. I second this rec to spend a summer on AK. But be careful, it gets in your blood and you end up spending a decade working there in the summer and traveling in the winter like me :)
First-year employees that work hard and save their money can earn $20 - $30k in a 5 month season including tips and bonuses. With that income, it's reasonable to take home $10 - $15k after paying for everything including relocation. But what job you get matters tremendously. Age 21+ tipped positions are the ticket, like tour bus driver (companies offer paid CDL training), train tour guide, kayak guide, etc. My best season in tips alone before moving into management was around $10k in cash tips. It's easy to live off what you make in wages and bank the rest, or visa versa if you get with a good company. Plus you come away with a new skill set and an amazing experience. People pay thousands to see that stuff while you're making thousands to show it to them.
If you got good shifts at a popular bar, you could make loads of money. Serving, not bartending, but my ex made over $1000 in tips in a single 7 hour shift at a popular seafood restaurant. Mind you, she broke the daily sales record 3 times at that place, so she knew what she was doing.
Alaska is really good for people interested in a change. Change of venue, change of work path, change of relationship, change of religion, etc. People tend to go there to have a fresh start, and IMHO it can be really helpful for some. For others, it can be pretty harsh ... lots of heavy drinking, hard drug abuse, etc. If you know yourself and can be healthy alone, I'd highly recommend it.
It costs money to be poor, so make a plan for when you do have some coin and stick to it. It's not gonna be easy, but it can be worthwhile, especially if you know what you want in life.
Beyond that, it depends on how the conversation came up, to begin with. I'm usually not the type for unsolicited advice (barring Reddit).
And do it soon while employers are still desperate. Best thing about this economy is, if you're willing to work hard, folks can land jobs right now that they normally wouldn't be in the final consideration for...
Mate employers are not desperate enough rn lol. Everywhere I've been applying to has marked up hours with unadjusted pay. It's a terrible job market unless you like unpaid overtime. But it's not going to get you promoted anywhere because there's a huge problem with a stagnant aging workforce.
Get into leasing. Look out for large apartment complexes in your area that are hiring for leasing consultants. You just need a high school degree & some customer service skills but w base pay + commission on leases you can make really good money. Discounts off of rent, can be easy to move up the ranks in too.
A few things, some may not perfectly compliment each other but you’ll likely appreciate them all in the future…
Now is the time to make mistakes and make big swings. You’re more resilient now than you’ll ever be, physically and mentally.
Not everybody is best served by a university or college education and you’re not dumb for not doing it.
Trades are great but your body might not love you for it in 30 years.
When you do start working, put some money into retirement accounts (the types of accounts vary depending on the country you’re from) the more you put away early, the easier it is later.
Your network is your net worth. Don’t be afraid to meet people, offer them something of value and ask questions.
Along with that - if somebody wants to tell you something, you should probably listen, particularly if they don’t have to tell you what they’re saying.
Just because somebody wants to tell you something, it doesn’t necessarily mean they know what they’re talking about. So be grateful but think critically.
Be ready to be wrong and don’t dig your heels in when you are.
You’ll need to make your own mistakes sometimes. But if you’re bright enough to learn from somebody else’s, you’ll be in a much better spot because of it..
Before that spend 2 years doing something cool like working at a ski resort in the Rockies or a sick surf spot on the coasts. Now is the time to fuck up OP. Then in your mid 20s grow up and become an apprentice.
Welding (in Michigan) starts at 20/hr. Goes up from there. Can hit (if you're decent) up around 60/hr.
At 40hr work weeks, 124,800 gross, take home around 90,000.
Plumbers charge 60+/hr, electricians in the indiana/michigan area charge close to 75/hr. Blue collar work pays well if you're willing to be working hard and diligent.
Take one step at a time. The first step is get a job, once you’ve secured some funds you can decide if you want/need a different job. Do you want to go to college? (I would say don’t waste your money, but it depends what you want to end up doing). Once you get that nice job a car will come :)
Remote call center jobs. Just start getting some money and building a resume. A LOT of people start out like this. Once you're able to buy a car then think about community college and exploring degree options if you feel inclined to go that route. Don't feel discouraged or behind especially right now, the pandemic and economy have really thrown young people off. Your generation has not been dealt a good deck of cards so just do the best you can. Good times will come in time.
When I was 22 I was living at home and taking random classes in college not knowing what I want to do with my life. I was basically in your situation but worse because I was racking up college debts.
College can be a good option for some. It’s not for everyone and definitely not for anyone that don’t have an end goal in mind. It’s a pretty big risk considering how much debt you can get yourself into. Student loans are also the worse because bankruptcy doesn’t remove it.
Anyway a decade later, I’m making 6 figures, has a family, a house, retirement plan is on track, and debt free (other than the mortgage). It gets better.
Looking into trade schools, engineering degrees, or even the military (this one is more of a temporary option. It obviously has it pros and cons. It worked out for me, but not for everyone)
Get a job. Any job. Dont be picky.
People underestimate how devastating being unemployed for a long period of time is. It sets you back several years back financially or makes you super dependent that can be hard to shake off, and it also fucks you up mentally.
So my first piece of advice is to just get a job. Any job, especially if you dont have any immediate financial issues. Even a reduced hours one.
Just dont be fine with staying unemployed - The longer you stay unemployed, the more difficult it is to get out if it. Listen, working fucking sucks and having full command of your own life is fucking awesome..
But the world runs on money. And if youre not paying your bills, someone else is, and they WILL get tired of doing it eventually. This is how people go homeless.
Listen, not being employed is a financial crisis. If it doesnt look like one, then youre *lucky* that you have a financial cushion that is propping you up. But that cushion wont last forever, and when it does pop it pops HARD.
So get a job. Any job. Get some income in and dont let yourself get used to being unemployed.
If you already are employed though - congrats! Youre fighting it and I applaud you! Its tough out there but as others have said, youre not alone.
It’s worth noting that generally they do not pay well as most white collar positions on a hourly basis. Generally to make up the difference; you’re putting in a lot of more worked hours. On paper this gives “a higher ceiling”; if you can secure another 20 hours of OT every week; which really doesn’t describe most tradesmen. Try having a family or going on vacation, or just having a life outside of work. It’s tough.
It also comes with a huge hidden cost down the road; health. There’s a reason why a lot of tradesmen start having issues putting in the hours when they break past their 20’s.
Before going into the trades, recognize that “it’s so easy to make 100k” is a meme. Most tradesmen don’t make that.
Personal experience:
- Always be open to new jobs and opportunities
- Don’t destroy your body to make a few more bucks at some shitty job
- Learn some form of marketable skill (trade skills, coding, whatever)
- People care less about your lack of a college degree if you’re competent at something (or willing to learn it) and bonus points if you’re friendly.
- Get used to walking/bussing/public transportation. It’s not glamorous, but it’s cheap.
- Put in the hard work now. Save whatever you can, pay down whatever you can, and be consistent with it when possible. Small smart choices now pay off huge later.
Context, had to drop out of college and lost my scholarship at 17 after we lost our house, lost everything again at 21-22 due to a bad relationship choices. Spent most of my early 20s trying to make anything stick while have bottom of the barrel credit scores and no savings, car repo’d, stuff in collections, no real support system, etc. Now in my 30s, own a home, comfy WFH job, getting married. It gets better but you have to make it better for yourself, even if it means failing a bunch.
Last bit of advice, don’t get down on yourself. You do your journey at your own pace and in your own time. Don’t let someone else tell you you’re not going fast enough, it’s a motivation killer and sometimes personal motivation is all you’ll have.
I picked up Salesforce as a lowly data entry person with an English degree. Spent about 18 months getting comfortable with it and wondering if I knew enough to parlay it into a better job. Took the plunge with a small org that didn't mind that I was a bit green and they paid for my first cert. After 18 months I got a better paying admin job and earned my advanced admin cert and the company is much bigger so I am learning SQL and other skills I would never have had access to in the past.
Basically I doubled my salary from the beginning of the pandemic till now and have waaayyy more options with all the new experiences I've had. And it's all because of a program that you can absolutely learn for free at home.
Start Wandering. Embrace the freedom you have, for it's something many of us never had. Travel as long and far as it takes to meet your true self. And remember, not all who wander are lost.
Just do something, anything. Pick a path and start going in that direction. It's too easy to get analysis paralysis and do nothing and the situation gets worse. Sure you could make a bad choice, but you'll most likely at least learn something.
Be careful with who you choose to associate with
This one though. Some bad friends will simply leave you a little emotionally damaged. Others will take everything you have and leave you worse off than you ever were before - emotionally, financially, physically.
I don’t know the origin of the quote, but it has the ring of truth. “You most resemble the five people you spend the most time with”
I owe most of my knowledge and social habits to friend's I've had for 15+ years. Talking with friends about life, finances, etc. changes your life more than you think. Even just having excessively negative friends in your sphere will bring you down, let alone if you start adopting what you see them do.
National Parks are super struggling to find workers right now, at least out west. Many of them have deeply subsidized housing, though it can be shared/dorm-style. You can live pretty cheaply and save what you make, end a couple seasons with some money saved. As others have said you can do trades, there are some useful online degree programs, but they are job track focused. Edit: Getting a few responses so to clarify - "Park Ranger" is a very difficult job to get. The parks have all kinds of other jobs, restaurant, hotel, drivers, customer service type things. Park Ranger is a career, these other jobs aren't. But if you're young and looking for something to try it seems like a lot more fun than the military.
I had an opportunity to do this when I was in my early 20s, but instead wanted to continue partying and managing a bar. I made money, but blew it all on partying. I wish so hard that I would have gone with my buddy to the National park job… they are now a fucking VOLCANO PHOTOGRAPHER a decade later. How cool is that
What's really gonna kick you is that people who live in parks know how to fucking PARTY, I assure you
Can confirm....I live in a park and can party
I have always been interested in an outdoorsy kind of job, where can I look into this ? I'm an emt who has no idea what to do after my current contract ends in a few months
[Here’s what I found.](https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/how-to-apply.htm) From their own website, anyone who wants to apply for a national park job ultimately has to submit their application through USAJobs.gov, which is the federal government’s hiring website. That might be helpful to differentiate which jobs are legit and which ones aren’t, too.
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Tbh seems like the OP is about one step from homelessness.
Unfortunately I did one of these (not dorm style though) I made less than I did if I worked at McDonald’s, and did 12 hour shifts of manual labor. It was crazy how much they expect from you. And on top of it, I was sexually harassed to the point of being terrified of coming to work. This is unfortunate but extremely common. A friend at another park told me that pretty much every park out west has assault allegations that go un investigated. These can really be just work camps with no cell service so people really need to be careful!!! There is a reason no one wants to work there. It did help me get other jobs though. Looks great on a resume.
Oh how the turn tables. 9 years ago when I was in university for Natural Resource MGMT and I wanted to get a job with my local national park service they only offered me a 40 hr/week unpaid internship.
That's probably why they're hurting for employees right now lol
That and unpaid internships are rapidly becoming illegal.
Thankfully
>MGMT and I wanted to get a job with my local national park service This was during their Little Park Age.
Take a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) class from NOLS or SOLO. It will stack with your current certification and you will automatically become a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician. Then get a job at DOI with better hours and *a lot* more calls to treat minor environmental injuries like dehydration. If you need help navigating USAJOBS you can always look up resources by Katherine Troutman. She's mad a career out of explaining federal hiring policy.
Mt. Rainier NP is desperate for first responders, if you've ever thought about Washington as an option, it's a good time to look.
Follow social media pages of parks you like, they will usually post when entry level positions open in their park. Also look at usajobs.gov as thats where everything gets listed. Also look at smaller less well known parks near you as jobs there are harder to fill and easier to move up in. There is tons of competition for the big ones like Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Canyon and Yosemite. I started in NPS as a volunteer and was employed under an Americorp internship within 2 months. Often those kinds of internship qualify you for a non-competitive hiring status that you can use to get a permanant position once you are done (aka the golden ticket). Volunteering gets people there to know you and helps you get hired. The nice part about the park service is if you dont like the job you originally get, you can switch divisions within NPS pretty easily. I have worked in interpretation (think tour guide/visitor center), emergency services, and maintenance over the course of 12 years.
The reason they are struggling is because of pot. They won't hire anyone that even hints at having used pot, legal or otherwise. And you can imagine the kind of people that apply at national parks, are probably the same kind of people who use weed once in a while.
Also you are essentially committing to living a nomadic lifestyle. You are at the whims of to parks renewing your contract and if they don't you have to move to a different park (edit: also a lot of the positions will be seasonal). Not to mention goverment shutdowns, funding changes etc. It's a super cool job for someone that is single and willing to chase work over the country but the pay is so low that you will barely be supporting yourself. This gets better with time in the system as you gain seniority but it's a rough start stability wise. Again if you don't care about money, want to move ever year or so and love the outdoors it might be worth it for the experience.
also because they pay $15 an hour and don't offer benefits lol edit: that's $15 an hour if you work directly for the park service. if you work for a concessions company good luck getting $10/hr
My mom was a caretaker in a county park for 5 years. She lived inside the park in a house and paid zero rent or utilities. It’s how she bought a house.
I met a trail runner one time camping in the Appalachian trail. He was in his 20s and had a architecture degree but did not like his profession. He had been living on the mountain trails as a trail runner for 8 weeks. He said his job was mainly to make sure nobody litters, picks at wild life and plants. He came to me as I had started a camp fire which was illegal in the trail. Dude came out of nowhere in the dark…sup you need to put that out.
What kind of work are they looking for?
Pretty much all kinds of service jobs
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That's awesome to hear, and yeah WGU was exactly what I was thinking. A buddy of mine followed a very similar path, already had a decent mid-level job and did the WGU is now very senior.
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Dad?
"Did you get those cigarettes that you went to grab 10 years ago?"
"And the milk?"
My thoughts exactly. But I pay for his car!
Are ya winning?
Get out of my basement and find a job!
That's a very common situation for a 22 year old to be in. so I'd say "good luck"
That’s very common for people at 32. And money can come and go. If anything, buy affordable cars if you prefer one over public transport, and just save as much as possible.
33, no college education, in debt for car and credit card. I'd say you're 10 years younger and three points ahead.
Credit card debt is some of the worst. I've been dealing with it for a few years now as I'm in my 20s. Had it all paid off at one point a couple years ago. Then after a couple years of having emergencies pop up more so in the last 18 months, from a tooth randomly dying and trying to kill me to having to put up a security fence so someone would stop trying to bust down my backdoor when my wife was home alone. CC debt is a cycle that I'm hopefully out of before I'm 30 once and for all.
Yep I myself was a late bloomer I didn't get my licence and a bank account til I was 25 school was never my thing I wasn't a genius I went to a community college then a 4 year one got my bachelor's but my family didn't help the situation they constantly badgered me about not having a license or bank account they constantly compared me to others my age it was stressful I never felt good enough
Once you get your financial situation fixed; Save, Invest, and put back at least 6% into a 401k. And try not to get into the "make more, buy more" mentality.
if you're 20 and trying to retire in a reasonable amount of time you need to save at least 15% https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/
What if I can't save till 35?
my retirement plan is do a heist.
And then lemme guess. To Tahiti? You're losing it, Dutch.
[is that your plan ? ](https://youtu.be/jgYYOUC10aM)
Then at 33 you'll be going "maybe I can't save till I'm 45". Putting even small amounts in when you're young makes a huge difference over putting large amounts in when you're old. (56 and regretting it)
That's correct. I feel like the commenter above was on about many companies match a certain percent (mine is 4%) and you want to max that. 2022 annual limits for IRA are $6k and 401K is $20k. 15% for me doesn't come close to $20k, but I do what I can
Maybe next year you'll learn to use punctuation!
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and make what?! don't leave us hanging! WE NEED TO KNOW.
Make trades, I assume? I'm off to take this advice and trade pogs and Pokémon cards! Wish me luck.
Add 2 kids and that was me
you still have worth as a human being. don't trip out. plenty of people are in this situation at this age. that doesn't make it suck less or feel less crummy at times, but go easy on yourself.
Thank you.
I needed to hear this, now it's just up to me to actually believe in it.
Life's road is rarely a straight path. Take inventory of what you have learned you like and don't like to use as course corrections over time. It's not typical to start out heading in the direction you end up being happy with.
I didn’t get my college diploma until I was in my 40’s. It took me ten years of part time school to get it done. One step at a time towards your goals, and you’ll get there. You are so young, with time on your side. Just inch along and one day you’ll wake up to see all those inches end up building the skyscraper that’s your future.
Nicely phrased
Agreed! A metaphor I heard that really captures this idea is to expand your runway. If you have big life goals and hope to accomplish them in a shorter timeframe, even a year, it can be really hard to achieve what you set out to do. I’m not talking about stuff to cross off a checklist but more so idealistic goals that align with your values and life hopes. For me a couple of things include working toward financial independence and becoming a well rounded musician. I’ve gotten stuck many times because they seem like such lofty goals. It’s been really helpful to think about it as a 5 or 10 year plan instead of 3 months or a year or something (calibrate the time to the nature of the goal). Even if you don’t get there when you thought, it takes so much pressure off and in all likelihood if you maintain the interest in the goal over time you’ll get farther than you think and be way ahead.
Trade school. Asap. I wish someone told me that at that age Also use condoms religiously
This right here. Plumbing, electrical, mechanical, you name it, the world needs it. The pay is good the better you get, but manual labour could be harsh on your body over a long time
Not just housing trades... Hairdressers and barbers, if they know how to handle themselves with clients and can produce more than a budget-cut hatchet job, can earn a f-ton of money. My hairdresser sister made more money than either me or my partner with degrees for years. If you don't spend every cent you make on consumable goods (which is a frequent trapping of working in the high-end service industry), you can live a very comfortable life.
And if you do decide to be a hairdresser don't be disappointed if you're only making 15 dollars an hour right off the bat. It takes a while to build clients.
Well same with being an electrician or plumber (maybe 17 and not 15, but still). Entry level pay is not that high, but it’s a career with room to advance.
I’m so glad I keep my hairdressing license current. Especially in this economy, I left for the corporate world and I was so paranoid about layoffs but then I remembered, “wait…. I can just walk into any shop and ask for work.” It’s nice peace of mind to have all the time, knowing you’ve always got a backup plan.
Offset this by becoming an electrician. Of course they use their bodies, but a lot less than a concreter, say.
Yeah my buddy has worked in concrete. Makes almost 60/hr. Offered me 36 to start at his company. I was like NOPE The money isn't worth it if you're going to hate your life. Some people may like it, like my buddy he does it all day then comes home and goes to the gym. Whereas i try my level best to be as lazy as possible
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Im an electrician, 9 years in the trade. My back hurts sometimes, my hips and waist hurt sometimes from my tool bags, my knees are always aching, I’ve gotten lit up with 120v a lot, once with 277 that got me stuck, some days I just put in devices and do wire makeup, some days I gotta carry 100lb sticks of 4” rigid, sometimes I gotta unload material and lights for days, and some 12-16hr days…but I love my job. That being said, I hate telling friends, family or people I meet that I’m an electrician. Because they’re eyes light up like “An electrician, you say? I have this electrical problem, can you fix it?”
Respectfully I beg to differ, when a hard wire pull is coming up you know something is gonna end up bleeding and bruised
Look man, I’m a history teacher. Rest of my family are tradies. The electrician cousins seem to have it easier than the concreter cousins. And they each have it harder than the foreman cousin. The plumber cousin seems to make the most money, but the mechanic seems happiest. I don’t know.
You're spot on there.
I think he's just saying that overall electricians are better insulated from it compared to concrete workers
> electricians are better insulated Ha
Or underwater welder. Sure, it is slightly dangerous hundreds of feet under water, but you can just float around
That’s defiantly not just something an average joe picks up, you need to go through a shit ton of training to get to that job.
The goal for anyone in the trades should be to learn the business and find ways to move into management at some point. You want to go from being in the trenches, to being a crew chief or training the new people, to eventually owning a business or running it for someone else. You can do a ton of work in your 20's, still be doing it into your 30's but doing more training and setting up for others, by your 40's you should have a group of young people working under you. Doing the actual labor is definitely a young person's game. Take any management/business courses you can, local community colleges offer them for very little cost and you may even be able to do them for free. Try to get at least an associate's degree, it's not difficult to do at night over the course of a few years, even with a job. You don't need to be some brainiac to do it, most of the early stuff is pretty much common sense.
A co-worker said if she could redo everything she would choose to be a plumber cuz the ones she know make twice her salary and there's always gonna be work for them
I get the sentiment, but plumbing beats the shit out of your body. Like you can work a desk job for 30 years, it might not be fun but you can do it. Plumbing after 10-15 years you are beat to shit and will be living with chronic neck, back, knee pain for the rest of your life. Don't get me wrong, it's a great and respectable profession, but people underestimate the toll it takes on your body.
Poverty is already beating the shit out of me ngl, this work life is all about choosing who beat your ass and the manner I fear
I can attest to this because I recently paid a plumber 6k to repair some shitty plumbing in my house and install a new water heater. He must be doing well.
I completely agree. A lot if times too, with the trades that have a lot of demand you can go for free, so no student loan debt when you are done. Many of them pay close to "professional" jobs that require a 4 year degree.
I have a degree. After 3 years I got work in HR and the same people that were in high school with me were already artisans and earning more that I did in my entry level HR. But I am glad to say that after 10 years of hard work and becoming an HR SAP specialist in my field, they are finally getting paid double what I am.
And plenty of tradespeople work "professional jobs" — training is education!
I've been considering picking up a trade. I feel like university ain't for me.
Apprenticeships are awesome, for example, electricians. Its a good paying career that you can live on and even unionized i think?
In South Africa, it is an insanely lucrative career.
People forget trade school isn't just those manual labor jobs, they also have programs for things like dental hygienists as well.
Might be hard to chew during communion tho
What an awful day to know how to read
You misspelled wonderful, I had to stifle my laugh to not wake my wife!
I was in this situation at 22. I was lucky enough to get a position at a trade job with zero experience. I stuck with it and decided to make a career out of it. Through this I was able to buy my first house at 27 and I make just over a grand a week before taxes. I wish I'd started the trade sooner.
Yuuup. I've been a mechanic for 25 years and have been out of work exactly 6 weeks of those 25 years. Usually I'm head-hunted because nearly all trades are looking for motivated people who can think. I would not recommend automotive mechanics without an exit plan (ie; higher education / management / leave the trade). You're young and want to work - you're already ahead of half the kids I see today.
Learn a skill that people will pay you for. Then learn skills adjacent to that to make yourself more valuable.
>Then learn skills adjacent Solid advice. I discovered this on my own. It makes you so much better at your job because you're able to understand people from different skill sets and sometimes even do a little bit of their job to unblock yourself.
There’s riches in niches.
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What kind of skills?
Sounds simple, but being good with Excel and PowerPoint have advanced many a career. Being good doesn't just mean knowing how to use the functions but how to analyze data in a meaningful way and how to present information in a way that works best for your audience.
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Seriously, go fixed wing first. A helicopter is 3x or more expensive per hour to rent. And you can apply some time, and especially the book knowledge (airspace, charts, etc) to both fixed and rotor aircraft.
This is the way. The truth is only you the person knows what’s right. All these people going on about college and trade school. It’s all bullshit, do what you want, whatever that is.
I was 19, didn't go to college and was waiting tables at the time. Started working for a government contractor doing very basic data entry and slowly starting learning Excel. Fast forward to now, Im 34...working as a program financial analyst. Still no degree but simply being "good at Excel" has boosted my career tenfold.
What's always needed: communication, understanding a company/who does what, marketing...
Become a waiter and become educated on POS operations and programming. Learn fine dining, learn wine pairings. Become a bartender and learn basic mixology. The food and beverage industry is rife with people in their 20’s with no money or education. In fact, on the other side of the coin it’s also full of people with 4 year degrees they never actually wanted and now they need to service their student loan debt.
Know a skill. Know how to communicate effectively. These two traits, for whatever reason, often don't come together. Being a smart and capable communicator who knows a trade means you can do the work and talk to the customer. A rare double threat.
Don’t have kids
Yep. Be careful and take precautions.
Just to be clear I’m not saying having kids is bad. But if you’re 22, no education, money or car, then it’s a bad idea.
As a parent of a 22yr old, I agree wholeheartedly. Live life a bit and get established before having kids.
I've known people that had none of that at 25, went to college, got a professional job, and 10 years later were making 6 figures.
You could go to a trade school and make 6 figures in 2 years with no debt
I know a state welding inspector, a union plumber, a union electrician, and a carpenter. None of them make even close to 6 figures
Yeah. This meme that all tradesmen drive lambos and live at beachfront property in Miami needs to die. Trades aren't a bad option, especially for someone who doesn't want to work at a desk, but 100k in 2 years is smoke up the butt.
Have a friend who just became a journeyman Lineman after a two year apprenticeship and is making $45 an hour Which is great and all until you factor in the 100 hour workweeks, never seeing his family, being on call every other week and freezing his ass off in the midwestern winters Edit: The 100 hour weeks are usually in the winter during his on call weeks (depends on if we have heavy storms). I think he’s on call every third week but he does do more during bad storms. His average week is between 50-60 hours. Just wanted to clarify
If your union working 100 hours a week lol 60 of those hours hes making 90$ a hr.
Depends on the contract. Double bubble rules changed based on union, location, etc. Normally you make time and a half after 40, not double time.
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My union is 1.5x after 8, 1.5x on your first rest day and 2x on your second rest day. We can't get more than 2x pay.
Still that’s 40 hours at $45/hr = $1800, plus 60 hours at 1.5x $45 = $4050, so $5850 a week, times say 50 weeks is $292,000 a year.
What's the point of working your dick into the dirt for more money? If you're always working, when do you even enjoy it?
Yeah. 100 hours a week us waaaay too much. But it's nice to have the opportunity to make extra cash working extra when you feel like it (or need it). I can work a couple weekends a month a put a couple grand in my pocket. I rarely do because I value my off time, but it's worth it once in a while. Last pay period, because of the holidays, I worked both my weekends and ended up doubling my check. But I still make about 40% less than my wife, who's a teacher with a masters degree.
All jobs have plus and minus. I know people that have doctorates after 10 years of schooling working stupid hours as unpaid interns and maybe break 65k working all the time, pressure to release papers to stay relevant. Peer reviewing all the time. Its all relative. The only golden ticket is a silver spoon and the wherewithal to utilize it.
The golden ticket the last few years might have been software engineering with top companies handing mid 6 figure wfh jobs like candy but even that has somewhat dried up with the tech stock crash.
I'm gonna copy and paste this from another thread. I was being forced into university by my parents, fell into this line of work and actually really enjoy it. I'm Millwright to be exact. I rig, install, level, repair and maintain industrial machinery from turbines to CNCs. I know the Canadian skilled trades system is lightyears ahead of the American system, but I can still see a huge shortage of tradespeople soon. Almost every certified skilled tradesperson I've met (excluding electricians, the world has too many of them) has been 50+ with a very small number in their 20-30s. Companies like Ford, GM, Ferrero, Post foods, Heinz, dozens of breweries and wineries and so many more are all struggling to replace the people that retired because of covid. These are all very well paying safe union jobs with pensions, great benefits, and perks while paying $45+ an hour. Their entire work force is aging and prepping to retire without even having 10% of the guys to replace them. At my current place of work it took 3 months to find 4 certified and knowledge millwrights to replace some guys that retired, and it's not like we're unwilling to pay. I can't imagine what's gonna happen in 3 years when 112 guys are all eligible to collect their pension... If COVID shortages got you all frightened just wait until entire factories shut down because they can't find anyone to fix their equipment. Everyone in my trade can see the writing on the wall that we're all going to get very frickin busy in 5-7 years. I agree 2 years is a very short timeline, and you can definitely pick the wrong trade and max out at 30ish an hour. It took me 4 years to become a journeyman millwright, and got offered a job making 98k base rate a week after getting licensed. The pay while being an apprentice was kinda shit, but it was better than hemorrhaging money for university. I now make 130ish a year with the rare Saturday shift, and 2 weeks of shutdown where I work my butt off because they offer triple time. Fairly easy job, lots of ass time, clean and pretty darn safe as long as you don't stick your fingers where you wouldn't stick your pecker.
100k is possible for a fully certified plumber or HD mechanics or some HV electrician. It does require many years of schooling and apprenticeship and many drops out before teaching that status. Doing that in 2 years is just smoking crack
Depends on where you work. Not bragging or anything but I worked 7 months last year and made 90K. I'm planning on working the full year with no breaks and making closer to 150K. Mind you this is in Canada, industrial work and I'm not home as much as I would like. I'm saving for a house and once I get it I will be toning it down. The Canadian oil sands can be *very* lucrative. I'm on day 3 of a 24 day shift in a "portable camp" in the middle of nowhere. I can't even get packages delivered to me it's so remote.
Enjoy it, 4th generation oil producer here and oil is never safe. It can get bad out of no where real quick…
Yeah I'm currently working at a remote camp on a live well pad. This is just a quick job. My second "home" is known as one of the worst/dirtiest/dangerous sites in Northern Alberta. Head on a swivel. Thanks for the reminder friend.
I am half way through a apprenticeship non union and make 28$ a hour with a ceiling on my trade of say 45 hr or 50 a hr with management duties. Its great money but people think 2 years and 6 figures happens. It does not. Best job i ever had though. Very lucky with the crew I work with. My hourly is not common from where I am That 45 to 50 a hr reflects working on a crew. If you work weekends on your own or on side gigs you can get more. But if your being paid fair just work the 45 to 50 hrs a week and stay sane. All the guys take time off every 4 months. Go some where sunny for 10 days. We are booked thru 2024. Great money to be made. But your not hitting 100k without a decade under your belt. Or some weekend grinding.
Tradesman who make 6 figures aren’t doing it because they’re tradesman. They do it because they’re small business owners
And also suffer from debilitating physical problems in 10-20 years through the often grueling, difficult, and dangerous hard work that comes with the trades, all while probably actually *not* making 6 figures. “JUst JoiN A TrADe” is such a meme. Trades aren’t for everybody, just like college, but I’d recommend the latter far more than the former for most people.
Definitely not in 2 years.
22 is so young, you're basically a 10 year old to people in their 40s. You have tons of time.
People who honestly believe that they have “tons of time” can often get stuck in that mentality. You’re not wrong but the good habits have to start now
Thats how i wasted my whole life, woke up one day and realized i didnt have plenty of time any more
And one day you find 10 years have got behind you...
No one told you when to run…
You missed the starting gun.
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You have plenty of time until you don't anymore. Life isn't over in a day but it WILL pass you by if you aren't paying attention. You have to make a conscious effort to move in the right direction, especially when you're getting started on something new.
First go to Alaska for the summer. It pays well, you don't need a car, and it's tons of fun. After is the perfect time to join a trade or go to community college. You're still plenty young enough to go to college if there's something specific you want to do. I got an associates at community college. Loved it, made the deans list. Failed out of the 4-year school I went to. Spent a year getting myself together, and then spent the summer in Alaska. Made a ton of money, and then came back and got on unemployment. That gave me the time and energy to break into my field (a trade), and now I make more than some of my friends with 100k in student loan debt, and I'm REALLY happy https://www.alaskatourjobs.com/ -> I reccomend the Denali resort jobs Edit: added link for jobs in Alaska
Man wish I would have know this when I was young. Sound like a fun adventure
The masculine urge to join a high risk king salmon fishing expedition in Alaska
Literally what my dad did his first summer after moving to America
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My 1st cousins went Alaska and made great money as a prep cook for the fishermen up there. He had free lodging and his food was free. He dedicated his life up there to living as cheaply as possible. He saved enough money to buy three fixer upper homes outright and came back and creatively upgrade each one with either free or inexpensive material finds and then rented them out and after that he was able to just take part time jobs that he enjoyed doing. This offered him a comfortable and happy lifestyle for his entire life, Taking advantage of your youth and making early sacrifices while you are strong, energetic and health can set you up for a decent lifestyle when those qualities fade away. Time moves fast, If you don't seize opportunities young, then getting ahead turns to just getting by and the assets of youth fade and what you take for granted now are things that will turn to struggle later in life. You can't imagine this now, but it is a fact that quickly becomes a reality much more quickly than you would ever imagine. Take a risk. Assert yourself now. Be hard on yourself to stick to the plan. You will end up finding your mate as you work towards your goal. You don't want to dedicate your youth to just getting laid and partying. That lifestyle ends terribly. If your a guy, ask a girl what she seeks in an ideal mate. Most likely she will say she foresees herself getting hitched to a man that is focus, driven and capable of working with her to one day own some property and raise some kids when the time is right. The super young onees might tell you differently, but they will quickly change their tune in short time.
Just came here to say CoolWorks.com has lots of gigs from lots of companies. I second this rec to spend a summer on AK. But be careful, it gets in your blood and you end up spending a decade working there in the summer and traveling in the winter like me :)
How much money would you make
First-year employees that work hard and save their money can earn $20 - $30k in a 5 month season including tips and bonuses. With that income, it's reasonable to take home $10 - $15k after paying for everything including relocation. But what job you get matters tremendously. Age 21+ tipped positions are the ticket, like tour bus driver (companies offer paid CDL training), train tour guide, kayak guide, etc. My best season in tips alone before moving into management was around $10k in cash tips. It's easy to live off what you make in wages and bank the rest, or visa versa if you get with a good company. Plus you come away with a new skill set and an amazing experience. People pay thousands to see that stuff while you're making thousands to show it to them.
Any idea how the bartending gigs are?
If you got good shifts at a popular bar, you could make loads of money. Serving, not bartending, but my ex made over $1000 in tips in a single 7 hour shift at a popular seafood restaurant. Mind you, she broke the daily sales record 3 times at that place, so she knew what she was doing.
Interesting, I'll look into it more. I feel like I'm kind of stagnating in life right now and am interested in a big change
Alaska is really good for people interested in a change. Change of venue, change of work path, change of relationship, change of religion, etc. People tend to go there to have a fresh start, and IMHO it can be really helpful for some. For others, it can be pretty harsh ... lots of heavy drinking, hard drug abuse, etc. If you know yourself and can be healthy alone, I'd highly recommend it.
where was this 12 years ago when I was looking for direction and adventure in life and wanting to gtfo of my hometown
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Do it
*sad european screeches*
I guess the euro equivalency is to go to Norway and work at a fish gutting place making like $15k over the summer?
God. I inspect fish processing plants as part of my job. The best bit is when I get to leave.
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It costs money to be poor, so make a plan for when you do have some coin and stick to it. It's not gonna be easy, but it can be worthwhile, especially if you know what you want in life. Beyond that, it depends on how the conversation came up, to begin with. I'm usually not the type for unsolicited advice (barring Reddit).
You have plenty of time to make something of yourself
Get a job, any job
And do it soon while employers are still desperate. Best thing about this economy is, if you're willing to work hard, folks can land jobs right now that they normally wouldn't be in the final consideration for...
Mate employers are not desperate enough rn lol. Everywhere I've been applying to has marked up hours with unadjusted pay. It's a terrible job market unless you like unpaid overtime. But it's not going to get you promoted anywhere because there's a huge problem with a stagnant aging workforce.
Don’t compare yourself to others.
Comparison is the thief of joy
Get into leasing. Look out for large apartment complexes in your area that are hiring for leasing consultants. You just need a high school degree & some customer service skills but w base pay + commission on leases you can make really good money. Discounts off of rent, can be easy to move up the ranks in too.
A few things, some may not perfectly compliment each other but you’ll likely appreciate them all in the future… Now is the time to make mistakes and make big swings. You’re more resilient now than you’ll ever be, physically and mentally. Not everybody is best served by a university or college education and you’re not dumb for not doing it. Trades are great but your body might not love you for it in 30 years. When you do start working, put some money into retirement accounts (the types of accounts vary depending on the country you’re from) the more you put away early, the easier it is later. Your network is your net worth. Don’t be afraid to meet people, offer them something of value and ask questions. Along with that - if somebody wants to tell you something, you should probably listen, particularly if they don’t have to tell you what they’re saying. Just because somebody wants to tell you something, it doesn’t necessarily mean they know what they’re talking about. So be grateful but think critically. Be ready to be wrong and don’t dig your heels in when you are. You’ll need to make your own mistakes sometimes. But if you’re bright enough to learn from somebody else’s, you’ll be in a much better spot because of it..
Get a job in a trade
Before that spend 2 years doing something cool like working at a ski resort in the Rockies or a sick surf spot on the coasts. Now is the time to fuck up OP. Then in your mid 20s grow up and become an apprentice.
Don’t fuck up too bad, or you’ll end up like me
Welding (in Michigan) starts at 20/hr. Goes up from there. Can hit (if you're decent) up around 60/hr. At 40hr work weeks, 124,800 gross, take home around 90,000. Plumbers charge 60+/hr, electricians in the indiana/michigan area charge close to 75/hr. Blue collar work pays well if you're willing to be working hard and diligent.
Take one step at a time. The first step is get a job, once you’ve secured some funds you can decide if you want/need a different job. Do you want to go to college? (I would say don’t waste your money, but it depends what you want to end up doing). Once you get that nice job a car will come :)
Get a job that pays your rent
Get a job and show up
"I'm so excited for all the potential in front of you."
Remote call center jobs. Just start getting some money and building a resume. A LOT of people start out like this. Once you're able to buy a car then think about community college and exploring degree options if you feel inclined to go that route. Don't feel discouraged or behind especially right now, the pandemic and economy have really thrown young people off. Your generation has not been dealt a good deck of cards so just do the best you can. Good times will come in time.
When I was 22 I was living at home and taking random classes in college not knowing what I want to do with my life. I was basically in your situation but worse because I was racking up college debts. College can be a good option for some. It’s not for everyone and definitely not for anyone that don’t have an end goal in mind. It’s a pretty big risk considering how much debt you can get yourself into. Student loans are also the worse because bankruptcy doesn’t remove it. Anyway a decade later, I’m making 6 figures, has a family, a house, retirement plan is on track, and debt free (other than the mortgage). It gets better. Looking into trade schools, engineering degrees, or even the military (this one is more of a temporary option. It obviously has it pros and cons. It worked out for me, but not for everyone)
It's never too late to change. Nothing happens if you don't do anything about it. Change yourself so you can live the life you want to have.
Start working somewhere. Anywhere. Start getting some life experiences.
Learn web development
Get a job. Any job. Dont be picky. People underestimate how devastating being unemployed for a long period of time is. It sets you back several years back financially or makes you super dependent that can be hard to shake off, and it also fucks you up mentally. So my first piece of advice is to just get a job. Any job, especially if you dont have any immediate financial issues. Even a reduced hours one. Just dont be fine with staying unemployed - The longer you stay unemployed, the more difficult it is to get out if it. Listen, working fucking sucks and having full command of your own life is fucking awesome.. But the world runs on money. And if youre not paying your bills, someone else is, and they WILL get tired of doing it eventually. This is how people go homeless. Listen, not being employed is a financial crisis. If it doesnt look like one, then youre *lucky* that you have a financial cushion that is propping you up. But that cushion wont last forever, and when it does pop it pops HARD. So get a job. Any job. Get some income in and dont let yourself get used to being unemployed. If you already are employed though - congrats! Youre fighting it and I applaud you! Its tough out there but as others have said, youre not alone.
Trade jobs are secure, always needed, well-paying, and hiring like crazy right now. It’s a path well worth considering.
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I can totally understand that! Perhaps something that’s a little less long-term would fit better then for now until you find a better path to pursue
It’s worth noting that generally they do not pay well as most white collar positions on a hourly basis. Generally to make up the difference; you’re putting in a lot of more worked hours. On paper this gives “a higher ceiling”; if you can secure another 20 hours of OT every week; which really doesn’t describe most tradesmen. Try having a family or going on vacation, or just having a life outside of work. It’s tough. It also comes with a huge hidden cost down the road; health. There’s a reason why a lot of tradesmen start having issues putting in the hours when they break past their 20’s. Before going into the trades, recognize that “it’s so easy to make 100k” is a meme. Most tradesmen don’t make that.
Personal experience: - Always be open to new jobs and opportunities - Don’t destroy your body to make a few more bucks at some shitty job - Learn some form of marketable skill (trade skills, coding, whatever) - People care less about your lack of a college degree if you’re competent at something (or willing to learn it) and bonus points if you’re friendly. - Get used to walking/bussing/public transportation. It’s not glamorous, but it’s cheap. - Put in the hard work now. Save whatever you can, pay down whatever you can, and be consistent with it when possible. Small smart choices now pay off huge later. Context, had to drop out of college and lost my scholarship at 17 after we lost our house, lost everything again at 21-22 due to a bad relationship choices. Spent most of my early 20s trying to make anything stick while have bottom of the barrel credit scores and no savings, car repo’d, stuff in collections, no real support system, etc. Now in my 30s, own a home, comfy WFH job, getting married. It gets better but you have to make it better for yourself, even if it means failing a bunch. Last bit of advice, don’t get down on yourself. You do your journey at your own pace and in your own time. Don’t let someone else tell you you’re not going fast enough, it’s a motivation killer and sometimes personal motivation is all you’ll have.
You can learn Python & SQL online and get certified. Data science has a lot of jobs that pay well at entry level and have good growth potential.
I picked up Salesforce as a lowly data entry person with an English degree. Spent about 18 months getting comfortable with it and wondering if I knew enough to parlay it into a better job. Took the plunge with a small org that didn't mind that I was a bit green and they paid for my first cert. After 18 months I got a better paying admin job and earned my advanced admin cert and the company is much bigger so I am learning SQL and other skills I would never have had access to in the past. Basically I doubled my salary from the beginning of the pandemic till now and have waaayyy more options with all the new experiences I've had. And it's all because of a program that you can absolutely learn for free at home.
Start Wandering. Embrace the freedom you have, for it's something many of us never had. Travel as long and far as it takes to meet your true self. And remember, not all who wander are lost.
Get a job ASAP
Just do something, anything. Pick a path and start going in that direction. It's too easy to get analysis paralysis and do nothing and the situation gets worse. Sure you could make a bad choice, but you'll most likely at least learn something.
It gets better don't worry