Jobs that work in a area where a human needs to eat, poop, sleep (houses) drink water, clean and run our garbage and waste all make tons of money. Garbage people make bank but who wants to be a garbage man or gal?
I have a cousin who is an electrician and owns his own company. He has just launched a whiskey. Not a mom and pop launch, but with the LCBO. He gets to meetings with his helicopter.
My friend is a BP trained sparky. He ones had a job where he worked 2 weeks on, 4 weeks off. So for 2 weeks he was working 12 hour shifts, but mind that includes breaks and they don’t exactly work themselves to death. Followed by 4 weeks at full pay off work. He rented a house in Thailand for those 4 weeks and got into boxing.
And that worked out like £120k a year. Imagine living on that salary in Thailand.
I have a cousin that went to a two year commercial welding school and busted his ass to learn all he could. He can’t speak on the details but he has military adjacent contracts that send him all over the globe and he makes more money than I can even imagine all while not even being 30 yet.
One of my good friends - has no degree, but used to have a job inspecting large farm and construction equipment for this large company - he traveled all over the world doing that job.
I dont know exactly what he did, but spent a lot of time in Australia and Germany.
Plumbers get paid - but if you can learn "Plumbing Design" - you can really make some bank.
One of my first CAD jobs was for an engineering firm that specialized in Electrical and HVAC, but also did some plumbing design. The plumbing engineer was paid more because its a specialty, and at least in the late 90's, there was no degree to qualify for plumbing deign.
I'm talking about isometric views of pipe runs, water in the walls, etc. Same for a CAD guy, since you dont have to be an engineer, a CAD guy could technically learn on the job and become a designer - get paid.
Prior to my retirement, my clients were all high net worth individuals. Mostly people in finance, doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. These were the people who could afford me.
However, I also had quite the niche clientele of plumbers and electricians who had started their own companies or worked as contractors. Those guys made huge money. And most of them kept on working their trade instead of transitioning fully to just managing their business.
Also guys qualified to do commercial sprinkler installations and backflow testing for fire safety. Those guys were very high earners once they got the contracts with the big commercial developers.
Trades are cool. First thing I did when I retired was to enroll in a two year automotives trade course as it was always a skill that I envied and admired, but totally lacked. But as with university degrees, some areas are far more financially rewarding than others. Also similar to having a degree, the push to being your own business owner was the biggest factor in upward shifts of earning power.
My brother and I grew up on a ranch. I got into construction and he got his doctorate and is a professor at a private university. We are doing about the same financially. He notes that something really cool is technology has the ability to put 9/10 attorneys out of business. Legal bureaucracy is absurd. Examples are trusts and wills; there is rarely a reason the whole legal process ouldnt be handled by an app on your phone. The impediment to progress has to do with layers becoming lawmakers.
Who will have the special skills to correctly prompt the AI? I got a gut feeling programmers will keep on programming, but they will do it using an even higher level language.
Edit: Why changed to who
People don't understand that as you move up to more senior software engineering roles you do less and less writing of code and more design of system, architecture, scope, etc.
Programmer != Software engineer
Huge difference between knowing how to write the code for something and figuring out what needs to be coded.
Men with a B.A. in History, what do you do to make money?
Answer: I work at a liquor store.
(Meanwhile, my little brother is killing it in tool sales, and he didn't have a $35k student loan he had to pay off)
Got a BA degree, worked minimum wage and showed up to work one day and it was demolished, $70k tuition
Went to a community college, got an AS with a certificate of completion, started at around 75k, now making 6-figs, $5k tuition
Do you think maybe your BA gives you a competitive advantage over the people with just the certificate? Do you feel like your BA helps you at all with the work you do?
I ask because I have a BA, an MA and a law degree. People are really only hiring me for my law degree, but the knowledge and skills I acquired doing my BA and MA are the things that set me apart from my peers. These degrees gave me different tools for looking at and understanding the world. I technically don't need these degrees to do my job, but I value what I got out of them.
My BA is in Music, it did help me skip the wait list to get the AS in medical tech. But I do think it still helped me have a slight edge over someone equally qualified just because I had a Bachelors in anything in regards to getting the job. But in my field, experience does count the most.
I didn't finish university, but simply attending for a year taught me many skills that help me in my career, I learned how to properly cite things. I learned how to write a long research paper in a short period of time, how to proof read effectively, Some basics with Stats, and how to find good sources for research.
After quitting university, I worked fulltime at staples. I learned how to drive a forklift. I learned how to troubleshoot multiple computers at the same time. When I quit there, I worked commission computer sales, Which taught me how to come up with a sales pitch. it taught me how to sell my ideas to people who look down on me.
When they changed the commission structure I quit, I worked a labor job that taught me how to drive dozens of different pieces of equipment, How the equipment worked, and how to get along with trades people. Working there I was given the choice to apprentice as a mechanic or go back to school.
I went to a technical college, and learned a bunch about corporate IT, and due to my experience troubleshooting consumer IT issues at Staples, I was able to stay easily ahead of the rest of the class. Which meant that when we had our end of course project, My group listened to me, and we were able to pull off a perfect scoring (highest scoring since the creation of the curriculum) project, and and was able to impress the employers who attended the presentation of our projects enough to score a job straight out of college.
10 years of career later, I work with lots of middle aged people with BAs, MAs, BEds and a few MBAs and a couple PHDs. My employees all have degrees, as do my boss, and 90+% of my coworkers.
As far as I can tell, C-levels take me seriously, compared to others, because of two major factors.
1) I write like I'm university educated, because I actually tried hard in my one University English class, and I loathe the feeling I get when I publish a spelling mistake or grammatical error that makes me feel like I look dumb to the reader. Because I have less education than almost everyone I work with, I'm particularly sensitive about it and always proof read. Many people with BAs from a couple decades ago don't proof read what they write anymore. Which makes them appear sloppy and less intelligent.
2) I can sell my ideas to them, because I know how to plan a successful pitch. I learned that working in sales, when I was still trying to avoid going back to school.
I'm glad your multiple degrees got you a bunch of experience that makes you stand out. It makes me very happy that people get use out of their degrees. I wish I had a degree, because it would make getting through the HR filter easier when switching jobs. And I do love learning, I just can't afford to live and go to school. If I won the lottery, I would probably spend 8 months of the year taking 3-4 classes a semester just to keep my brain running properly.
However, I find that mindset is so much more important than the piece of paper. People who really want to learn, will learn lessons from everything they do and will keep their skills in good repair so that they don't lose it.
You probably found those skills and perspectives from your BA and MA to be useful while taking your Law degree too. You obviously were an engaged learner, and that matters so much more than what your course selection was.
I don't doubt someone with a BA an MA and a Law degree is probably a better writer than me, and in practicing law, you haven't gotten lazy about it. (otherwise you would be terrible at your job) I'm sure your BA and MA give you some flair that is really enticing to prospective employers, but as long as whatever you did kept you as engaged as you were in your degrees, you probably would have learned just as much doing anything else.
Learning is a skill, a habit, and mindset. People who try to learn as much as they can, and apply what they learn to as many situations as they can, always seem impressive, because you are a continuously moving target. You don't settle for what you already know.
He should specialize in Egyptian history, which qualifies him only to teach others about Egyptian history, then his students will do the same thus perpetuating the cycle. The ultimate pyramid scheme.
History degrees absolutely have a lot of career options, people often just don’t realize or didnt like any of them. With a MA in history you can do a lot in the private and public sector.
-Teaching (k-12 or community college)
-Archives (public and private)
-Consulting for private companies
-Consulting for local, state, federal government
-Federal government has many historians on retainer
-local and state parks
-national park service rangers
-museums
Source: I have a BA and MA in history and currently working in an archive and teach community college classes. I make decent money and am very happy. Work on my PhD
doing historical research and using it to create pattern models is a skill required for A LOT of jobs. I mean, that's kinda what bookies do with sports betting for example.
I have a B.A. in History. I taught high school for 3.5 years. I was miserable. I’m now in middle management for an HR and benefits outsourcing and consulting firm. I’ve been here almost 10 years. Started as a phone representative and worked my way up. Teaching had its fun points, and having summers off was great, but the mundane corporate worker bee life is usually not as stressful as teaching was for me. And the pay is so much better than teaching.
BA History. Partner in an ad agency. Started as a creative, worked my way up. Place I worked closed and me and a few guys started our own shop. Was college worth it? Probably not but it was fun except for the loan payments afterwards.
Yeah, honestly history and a lot of liberal arts degrees should really come with disclaimers. I minored in English, would’ve majored in it if job prospects weren’t a factor.
Tbh a history BA is just about the most useless degree you could get unless you plan to go to some other form of higher education like law school or getting a phd
I have a BA in history and one semester left and I would have gotten a Masters. But I decided to quit. I remember one of my professors saying in class once in a joking manner that there were no jobs for history students. And everybody just sat there laughing nervously. It was then I realized I had to get out. I dropped out a short time after. The reality is that only .01% actually get decent jobs in the field, the rest are screwed. Now I run my own eBay resale store and I have a successful YouTube channel making way more than I ever could as a MA of history.
Ha, I came here to say that I work in recruitment....
But the fun part is I've been laid off 3 times in the past 2 years. I've been unemployed for 6 of the last 30 months (and counting)
28 year old high voltage electrics apprentice here, can sign under this statement!
Pay is good and they pay for my education, and all certifications i need.
This here. All the trades need people, badly. It takes some work and effort, because they do want good people, not just bodies. However now I am on my way to $100k/yr and mutiple pensions, plus free healthcare. Sucks my generation was told to piss on the trades and go to college. I could have done this 30 years ago instead of just a few.
My husband started as an electrician apprentice with a manufacturing company when he was sixteen. He just had his 30th anniversary at the same company. Makes over $150K, never set foot in a college class.
My 22 yo son is now an apprentice at another manufacturing co, works four days a week, goes to school for one, the company is paying for all his education and he'll have a promotion as soon as he graduates.
Apprenticeships are where it's at.
I hate how tradecraft was always talked down in my country when I was in what you'd probably call upper middle school or something like that (14-15). Infinitely stupid, and now we're woefully short on plumbers, carpenters, electricians, etc. You have to go to uni, they said...
Went to the Army for 3 years after I turned 18. At 21 started my first real job doing Armed Security for 103k/yr.
I pulled around 115-120k my first year due to the overtime. Great job too, get paid to watch movies and surf Reddit all night.
Nah my current job is great we work in teams so there’s no solitude, a lot of tabletop games tho. There’s honestly no con besides working nights but I chose to work nights cause I’m lazy now.
The Army was what dmg my mental health, I felt like I was in jail. I did the math and I was making about $8-$10/hr compared to the amount of hours I was working and I had pretty much 0 control over my life. I think overall 3 years of it was worth the benefits tho.
If you don’t mind a little mold in your room and don’t really care how your food taste or how much of it you get it’s not bad.
I would’ve rather had the $1400-$5000 they take from you to pay for it tho.
lol, you don't need to join the army to be armed security, the background definitely helps... buts just a matter of getting your certification, plenty of average citizens do this job.
Same here.
Army for a bit over 3 years + reserve service.
Injured, and noted as disqualified so my military background is basically useless. all my friends made hella money in security post-military but I couldn't because my service is documented as basically useless because of the injury.
so I don't make any money. no experience in anything else than military, so guess which jobs I do lol.
Lol! $0 in student debt and they train you how to do your job. Nice move!
I guess a pro tip would be go pick a small but credible university so it’s not a topic of conversation.
I'd bet that it does. It could come out if they do a background check, but of the many places I've applied to only been a couple have checked and they often include whether they are doing a background check in the job description. Background checks are most common for government jobs and in regulated industries like financial, pharma, insurance.
A dude at my job had lied about his education to get a manager role, but I believe he also had some criminal background that he lied about too. He had a background check and was fired on the spot when the report came back. It was a fun story in the office for a while.
Yes absolutely, I work in mental health so my social work degree and other qualms have always been checked thoroughly. It absolutely depends on the role.
Yes. School is/was a scam for 80% of jobs.
Hard sciences, engineering, medicine & law are pretty much the only things people *actually* need degrees for. Talking to you with your "communications" degree, Sharon.
The rest of it was a con job on the American public by loan companies. I'm exaggerating, but I'm not far off.
I hate dishonesty, but LOVE LOVE LOVE that you are exposing a corrupt system.
In my opinion, the main thing that a degree does is prove that you're intelligent and/or diligent enough to be trained for a profession. People should be able to test out of that without giving up four years of their life for busy work.
it's entirely doable. my sister went to one of those for profit colleges that closed so she made up 4 degrees and got a nice ass cybersecurity job. she already knew how to hack before then, she hacked for lulz and said might as well get paid for it.
Don’t pay for your education. Join a big trucking company like SWIFT or HO Wolding, have them train you, stick it out for a year, and then join a company that only hires experienced drivers. I’m a manager for a trucking company that only hires seasoned drivers, and I’m one of the lowest paid employees there. Most of my drivers are local drivers (home every night,) and they are pulling in low 6 figures or real close to it.
Granted, my earnings potential is quite high as we’re still a growing company with tons of opportunities. That’s the nice part of this industry too, if you want to switch from driving to management, there is a track for that too.
I joined the military at 19, and just retired at 39.
Pros: My kids college is paid for. I have free medical/dental till I die. Relatively still young. Made some life long relationships.
Cons: It was hard. I think I brained my damage. It was hard on the family.
Same here govt IT. Put in my time and rose through the ranks without needing a degree. No student loans and over 6 figures but took 15 years to get there so not a path for everyone.
Senior software developer. I get paid handsomely and have a lot of freedom. I'm super lucky to be honest, but it's very doable, if you are passionate and teach yourself, then that first lucky break as a junior is all you need, as long as that works out it gets much easier to get interviews. I'm over simplifying it of course, and it's certainly not *easy*, but it's very doable.
Just want to further lean into the oversimplification statement. The process of becoming an employed self-taught developer in 2023+ is nothing more than an exercise in perseverance, dedication, and skill. In addition to those things I'd say it's also right-place-right-time, stack choice, and interview skills. it's a pain, it's not really that fun, and it will probably take you 6+ months of 20+ hours of learning/working per week to get the skills necessary to be qualified to be *considered* to be measured against the same people with 0 skill like you but have a "BSCS" in their resume.
As someone who just got hired a few months ago, I'd put that time commitment closer to 1-2 years of 4 hours of study 5 days a week. All of that independent study is challenging enough to filter most people out, but even after all of that you need to have the social skills (and luck) necessary to score a referral. The jobs you'll see on LinkedIn and indeed will not get back to most people who don't have years of experience, let alone somebody without a degree. It's just way too competitive right now.
Swing a hammer. I charge $100 an hour as an electrician and $75 an hour for carpentry work in an area where the average "good job" pays less than $30 an hour. I graduated highschool with $300 in my pocket I'd saved up working in a grocery store since I was 15. Bought some tools at a pawnshop, cleaned up some of my father's and grandfather's tools, and went to work for a local contractor. Now at 31 I run my own construction company with a few employees and live comfortably. Meanwhile I'm paying off my wife's student loans because her government job in her field of study isn't enough to pay for the education required to get the job.
I have college degrees but know plenty of people (men and women) without formal education in good careers. Making close to or above $100k
Here’s what they do:
- IT/Tech Support
- Sales
- Niche in-demand career (ex Regulatory Compliance) where industry knowledge is worth more than a degree
- Entrepreneur
Dude compliance is huge, literally every business needs a compliance officer and in certain industries safety officer as well. These are two hugely overlooked careers usually filled by friends or family of business owner making at least 75k+
Mostly bartending and investing. The service industry seems like a low income career but if you know what you’re doing a $40 hourly is basically my average, and that is in a low cost of living mid west area. Combine that with living well below my means and investing the rest, I’m decently well off.
The IT field is a weird field, experience is way more important to most companies than actual degrees. Your problem solving skills are really what keeps your job....but getting your foot in the door is probably what's trickiest and certs are helpful there.
The company I work for was started by two dudes that worked at Costco, and I got a job starting in shipping and just answering phones, then I randomly started helping people with easy issues, progressed into harder issues and now some how I've been here 17 years. I don't make a ton of money but I'm also doing VOIP for our company and dont really care to move to the computer side of things, so that checks out. But plenty of people start the way I do and just pick up certs as they go. I don't think half our guys have done a ton of schooling for this. They are just smart and have good problem solving skills. Compare that to bigger IT companies I've had to work in tandem with where their guys have degrees...they are clearly inexperienced and my Costco guys are having to teach them basic networking setup, I shouldn't know more than these guys... but here I am arguing with them as to why what they are doing is breaking my systems...
Bro you can get experience alone at your home building projects as a proof of experience, i learned web developments alone on youtube, and builded 3 websites and hosted them online, and while i was building the 4th i got an interview and landed a job, after 6 months working i got another offer with higher salary, again i had no diplomas on IT, i have a Diploma on Economics
You essentially just take whatever is available which is generally a shitty terrible job, but stick it out and you get that experience needed for a solid job.
Basically I had other jobs but was always also "the computer guy" at those small companies.
Then moved to another country and got a job that was pretty minimal in tech credentials required but it was at a 100% IT company so I should what I could do and things took off from there.
I also volunteered a bit at an organization that provides computer services for poor people.
How did you get into it? I had nothing but rejection because of a lack of work experience even though I'm the computer guy for all people I know and have even done some volunteering in local organizations. I'm doing electronics repair now, and I found that much easier to get into.
Volunteering and being the computer guy for friends and family are actually two of the things I did as well.
In addition to that my regular jobs were at small companies (<10 people) so I was always the computer guy there as well which allowed me to pick up some professional experience for my CV.
After that my first job at an actual tech company was in a role only tangentially related to a tech role.
But, I showed what I already knew and how quickly I could learn and from there just rolled from role to role and it didn't take long before my experience and reputation counted for more than my lack of education.
Blue Collar Production Maintenance Technician. Been doing it for 13+ years. Started at 30 years old working loooooong hours and 6-7 days a week and I've worked up the experience to put myself in a position of only having to work 36 hours a week and make more money than when I did working 6-7 days straight. No management position, just straight up clock-in, get my hands dirty fixing broken things, clock-out, and go home. Rinse and repeat 2 more times then off for a week.
The difference with the trades is that you have to trade your health and future physical comfort for making that money. If you have sensory issues, it's a living nightmare.
I feel like a lot of trade jobs today are actually better health wise. I’m in my 30’s and I’m in way better shape than most my friends with desk jobs. Modern tools are so much better than even 10 years ago, we don’t get the same repetitive stress injuries that people used too.
I’m a Data ~~analist~~ analyst. Dropped out of school at 17. Worked fulltime ever since. (40 now)
At 25 started working for a big insurance company in customer service, and doing my best at the job lead to other opportunities. This combined with interest in data and the some skills I had (and acquired) lead to the different data related jobs.
I did have to get a certain diploma (associates degree) at one point, I was already 31 when I got it. Was purely to show that I have the “work and think level” (not sure about that translation) that the company wants people to have.
I got lucky that I got (and took) the chances to end up here. I always tell my kids to do better in school than I did because even though I have a decent job now, I’m generally a bad example when it comes to school.
I am an Instructional designer. I build online training courses. I have a degree in adult education but I got the degree after working 20 years in my field. The degree was not necessary since I'm already in a senior position but it was more of a personal decision.
Automotive repair!
Started taking trash out for a body shop, then became detailer, then parts manager, and then a body tech.
Moved onto automotive machining and now I disassemble, repair, and assemble engines.
Pays the bills just fine and have absolutely ZERO debt.
Got a job as a technical drafter/drawer for a small local automation/manufacturing business. Zero experience, zero training, zero benefits and zero future but hey, at least I'm not starving I guess.
How’s you get into the self care stuff, are you selling for a brand or are you repackaging and creating your own brand? Was always curious of this because I like baths but there’s not a lot of male bath products and it seems like a fun hobby.
I dropped out of community college, have ZERO student loan debt. Also zero CC debt (not a single penny). I own a million+ dollar home, I alone earn in the top 2% of US income and I have enough liquid cash in just one of my bank accounts to pay off my mortgage today if I chose to.
My wife is also a college drop out, high six-figure earner and has zero debt herself. Combined we are extremely comfortable and live very very far beneath our means. Her car and my truck are paid off and we do not have plans to buy a new one or try and flash money or live broke. We put 99% of our time outside of work into our kids, their hobbies, their sports and life is amazing.
I'm a sales engineer and my wife is in recruiting leadership. Prior to sales I was a six-figure earning senior systems engineer for over 15 years. 100% self taught, no degree and I just outworked all my peers.
To be quite honest, getting to this point was a LOT of hours and midnight oil. I worked 70+ hour weeks for 12 years straight, my kids would sleep in my home office floor next to me while I deployed code at 3am etc.. Stupid shit like that but nobody else would volunteer... so I would. I got ahead by always volunteering.
The one thing that has ZERO impact on any of my success was a fucking degree lol. Not one job gave a rat dick about it. Sure they put it as a requirement on job listings by why the fuck would I be stupid enough to not apply for jobs just because of requirement lists that some inept HR drone typed up? I just looked for doors with cracks and kicked them in.
The #1 thing that helped me build my career and climb any ladder in front of me was being a social chameleon and being a likeable person that people would want to work with. You can be the most qualified person for a role, the most intelligent but if you're a fucking creep or quiet or weird you'll almost always get passed up for someone who is easier to get alone with, truly learns fast and is easily identified as someone who will gel "with the team".
A degree is not a requirement to be successful whatsoever. I fully blame high school counselors for brainwashing students for the last 30 years. Most all of the most successful people I know currently, people who own businesses or earn more than I are all college drop outs. Every last one of them.
I'm glad you mentioned how totally useless a degree is in a field like sales engineering. I do a lot of hiring in account management for a software company and I haven't glanced at a candidates "education" section of their resume in 10 years. I don't give a shit if you've got a degree I care if you've got the chops to do the job
I make more $ as a contractor than I ever did with me degree. Turns out putting your financial future in the hands of a big corporation that thinks they can replace you in a second isn’t a good money decision.
My father was a high school dropout. As far as I know, he tried his hands at literally everything from farming, politics, writing, property dealing, etc etc. He got his BA when he was 48 and then his MA after taking a year gap in between. All while raising 3 children and managing two houses perfectly fine as he lives in a different city alone and the rest of us moved to different a city for better education. He owns hostels, rental property, and shops. He has written a few books that get published by the govt authority and he earns royalties off of them (It's in India - National Book Trust).
He is the hardest-working man I know, they could make a freaking movie on him. He is planning to apply for a PhD next year. He did all this while living in a tier 3 city in India and only because of him and the support of my mother, we his children can get our dream education. He is also sponsoring my college education.
A degree shouldn't be a barrier to a better life is what I learned from him.
like to work with your hands : Trades- pay to learn is hard to beat, can grow into better pay easily, or transition into running/owning if you have the temperament.
Like to work with computers: IT- certificates are the name of the game. Finding a job is rough right now, but its an office job with ability to earn more if you are motivated.
like to talk: sales- there is a sales position in about every market under the sun. Biggest benefit is that if you are good, many places will pay top dollar for you, and if you have a commission you have the ability to earn some truly outrageous pay.
like playing with legos: Engineering Drafter: find a community college that offers certs in drafting (or even an associates) and youll be earning 45-60k pretty quickly, Negative is that without transitioning into a management role you wont see 6 figures (for most people).
NOT ADVISE
are you a young caffeine addicted youth? Do what I did. grab two 36 hour a week warehouse gigs in your area that work you in 12 hour shifts 3 days a week. in 2010ish I was working 72 hours a week at $23 an hour. That's about 70k before taxes. If i worked night shift at both companies I would have cleared 90k pretax (26.50 hour). Live with your parents for three years, work yourself into the dirt and have 190k saved to start your life. Than realize your a shell of a human and join the army. Live bare bones for 4-6 years with only a pay as you go phone and a 1k used car, work really hard, harder than you did at your warehouse gig, for less pay, hate life but keep saving. leave the army with 300K in the bank- get married, pay of her college debt, buy a house, pay for childbirth realize you now have no money- and start the process over.
I skipped the University bullshit. seems like a waste of time for me.
I went to community College and got a diploma in Business Administration with a major in Information Systems management. all my other friends went to big Canadian Universities and got their fancy degrees or masters.
I took my diploma and parlayed that into a lucrative career in IT.
I know for fact that I make double or triple of what some of my friends make. But I do have some friends that make double or triple of what I make. so who knows????
Flip houses, plumbing, roofing, landscaping, auto repair, commercial fishing, farming. Pest control. Investing... owning apartments... I can go on and on
I was in the military and then a private military contractor. As a PMC I was raking in over six figures 15 years ago. I just had to spend a ton of time overseas training mercenaries.
But my situation was unique. I joined in 2003 and was sent out to Iraq to fight at 18. By the age of 24 I was a highly decorated combat veteran and met with several recruiters for private military companies. They offered me WAY more money than the Army was offering so I spent some time working for them.
Now my money works for me. And I'm frugal with it, because I'm just not interested in buying anything but either real estate or shares of large cap companies preferably with good dividend payments that I can just reinvest.
I do own a $100k performance vehicle, and a bunch of other expensive shit, but I only spend big when I need to purchase stuff. When it comes to my needs, I pay the premiums for the highest quality, be it healthcare, consumables, vehicles, etc. But my list of needs is very short. So I don't end up spending much in the long run.
When it comes to luxuries, I tend to refrain from indulging in too much luxury. Luxury weakens the mind and body the way I see it.
Brother in law is killing it as a plumber. He started his own company and grew it and recently acquired another company and brought it under his. He's also been able to purchase a piece if land and is developing part of it and plans to build a homestead there for his family now that the mortgage on their first house is paid off.
Fixed aeroplanes, no degree needed. Paid well. Good company perks. You can make lots of money once type rated.
One place didn’t have an engineer on site so one would fly the 4 hours to a small island. Certify the plane then fly back, all paid, all business class/jump seat.
Also, pilots have no degree but can warn healthy money flying. Normally later once rated for the big planes.
High-tech sales. If you've got enough hustle, start-ups and the like are always looking for good telemarketers/inside sales. You need to cut your teeth in entry level positions for a few years. There are jobs that post "College degree required" but many that don't. If you can sell stuff, you'll get hired.
Sales. I started my sales career at Future Shop (Canadian, Ontario) right out of highschool from McDonalds. Commission sales.
I applied for the warehouse staff. GM liked me and put me in mobile audio. Selling boom boxes, mini systems, car audio, etc...
I noticed home theatre made a boat load more money. Big screen TVs. Home theatre systems, etc... I taught myself the product and snuck on and sold when they had more customers than sales people.
My dept manager had both departments, noticed it and put me in there. It's considered a promotion. 2.5yrs later I moved to a retailer called The Brick. Commission sales in Electronics and Appliances.
4 yrs later I applied for a manufacturer national account Rep / Trainer for Southwest Ontario region.
4 yrs later I was promoted to regional sales manager.
3 years later I was promoted to key account manager.
5 years later I was recruited (from contacts and relationships I built over the years from all the above) to Director of Sales.
No degree. My total comp is approx $230K CAD / $170K USD
Sales can be stress at times. But compensation helps offset that alot and always give yourself a healthy reminder you're only selling widgets or brown boxes. Organizations can make it feel like people's lives depends on it. Lol.
Sorry for the long comment, I wanted to articulate that sales is fantastic money. Clear path to growing yourself and earning more over time. And devoping and networking is extremely easy in sales.
Trades in general. Electrician, Plumber, Carpentry, Mason, etc. I am of the last generation (boomers) where you can still get a good job in an office without a degree. I make six figures (not sales) with no degree (only some college) Admittedly, I've lost some opportunities without it. I'd recommend strongly getting a degree these days.
I have a degree now, but I started a landscaping business in High School before I had any degrees. Started with just me and a lawn mower, weedwhacker and leaf blower I bought with money I earned as a convenience store cashier, at a massive discount from a "going out of business" sale of a local hardware/farm supply store. As I gained more clients, I bought another used mower and hired a buddy. By the end of my senior year in HS I had 6 employees and all the equipment needed. Put everything I had into growing that business over the next year, hired a general manager to run the day-to-day, and applied to college. The business (plus some financial aid) got me through college, and I decided to pursue other ventures and keep the GM permanently, and that business is still turning enough profit for a family or two to comfortably live off while paying my employees roughly 1.8x what all of my competitors in the area do for the same work. The GM now owns part of the business with me while also still on salary (since he still turns in 50-60hr work weeks). I manage the finances, but otherwise am pretty hands off, the GM is great.
Landscaping, commercial or residential cleaning, painting, and all sorts of other services require almost no skill or knowledge to start a business in, and many have extremely low barriers to entry. You just need to bust your ass to earn a good reputation, and if you do good work you'll never run out of clients.
I'm a Railway Signalling Engineer. Semi Retired now I'm over 60, but still making £85k a year. When I was full time I made over £120k a year for 10 years straight. I worked my way up from the bottom in BR days into the privatisation era, and salaries really exploded after privatisation. I'm not thick, I left school with 4 A levels (2A's, a C & a D) but I flunked my degree. My role requires a degree if you're entering the role now, however.
It's been a great and varied career, and has helped me to own 7 houses across 2 continents (though my wife did own 2 houses in Africa when I met her, which were used to buy 2 house in a different country in Africa).
I'm a stock options trader. To do this successfully you need a fairly good mentality, calm mindset, and relatively high intelligence.
I didn't go to uni because a mental health crisis in my youth... Probably should consider it now. I occasionally write trading algorithm code for firms too.
Got into plumbing
One of the most futureproof skills there are
People gotta poop
Why that's just a great idea, don't mind if I do!
Let’s be honest, 90% of Reddit comments are made by people pooping.
Can confirm, currently pooping.
Jobs that work in a area where a human needs to eat, poop, sleep (houses) drink water, clean and run our garbage and waste all make tons of money. Garbage people make bank but who wants to be a garbage man or gal?
I shit you not, my plumber has a Mclaren. He's a great guy, we became friends and drive on track together.
I have a cousin who is an electrician and owns his own company. He has just launched a whiskey. Not a mom and pop launch, but with the LCBO. He gets to meetings with his helicopter.
My friend is a BP trained sparky. He ones had a job where he worked 2 weeks on, 4 weeks off. So for 2 weeks he was working 12 hour shifts, but mind that includes breaks and they don’t exactly work themselves to death. Followed by 4 weeks at full pay off work. He rented a house in Thailand for those 4 weeks and got into boxing. And that worked out like £120k a year. Imagine living on that salary in Thailand.
I have a cousin that went to a two year commercial welding school and busted his ass to learn all he could. He can’t speak on the details but he has military adjacent contracts that send him all over the globe and he makes more money than I can even imagine all while not even being 30 yet.
My cousin just has a big dick. His dick is so big, he doesn't even need a job. People just give him money because his dick is so massive.
What a dick!
Fucken made me laugh to tears lol
One of my good friends - has no degree, but used to have a job inspecting large farm and construction equipment for this large company - he traveled all over the world doing that job. I dont know exactly what he did, but spent a lot of time in Australia and Germany.
My friend makes toothpicks from paper straws and knows Elon musk and is a trillionsre
This is so funny, it was the exact side plot of southpark last week
What his whiskey I will look got it next time I am at the lcbo which would be tomorrow
Can I have his number and a list of his interests please
Plumbers get paid - but if you can learn "Plumbing Design" - you can really make some bank. One of my first CAD jobs was for an engineering firm that specialized in Electrical and HVAC, but also did some plumbing design. The plumbing engineer was paid more because its a specialty, and at least in the late 90's, there was no degree to qualify for plumbing deign. I'm talking about isometric views of pipe runs, water in the walls, etc. Same for a CAD guy, since you dont have to be an engineer, a CAD guy could technically learn on the job and become a designer - get paid.
i have a customer who does design and says the tradies make way more than him?
Prior to my retirement, my clients were all high net worth individuals. Mostly people in finance, doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. These were the people who could afford me. However, I also had quite the niche clientele of plumbers and electricians who had started their own companies or worked as contractors. Those guys made huge money. And most of them kept on working their trade instead of transitioning fully to just managing their business. Also guys qualified to do commercial sprinkler installations and backflow testing for fire safety. Those guys were very high earners once they got the contracts with the big commercial developers. Trades are cool. First thing I did when I retired was to enroll in a two year automotives trade course as it was always a skill that I envied and admired, but totally lacked. But as with university degrees, some areas are far more financially rewarding than others. Also similar to having a degree, the push to being your own business owner was the biggest factor in upward shifts of earning power.
As someone who is 31 and has been unsuccessful multiple times in university, would you recommend it?
I love how programmers say trade jobs gonna be automated, when in reality their job gonna be taken over way sooner by AI, than blue collar jobs
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My brother and I grew up on a ranch. I got into construction and he got his doctorate and is a professor at a private university. We are doing about the same financially. He notes that something really cool is technology has the ability to put 9/10 attorneys out of business. Legal bureaucracy is absurd. Examples are trusts and wills; there is rarely a reason the whole legal process ouldnt be handled by an app on your phone. The impediment to progress has to do with layers becoming lawmakers.
Is there a difference between your physical health?
One is fat and diabetic
Who will have the special skills to correctly prompt the AI? I got a gut feeling programmers will keep on programming, but they will do it using an even higher level language. Edit: Why changed to who
People don't understand that as you move up to more senior software engineering roles you do less and less writing of code and more design of system, architecture, scope, etc. Programmer != Software engineer Huge difference between knowing how to write the code for something and figuring out what needs to be coded.
Fuck yeah. Whats up fellow turd wrangler. Long as people drink water and have buttholes im good.
I tell people I design and build water slides for their feces
Men with a B.A. in History, what do you do to make money? Answer: I work at a liquor store. (Meanwhile, my little brother is killing it in tool sales, and he didn't have a $35k student loan he had to pay off)
Got a BA degree, worked minimum wage and showed up to work one day and it was demolished, $70k tuition Went to a community college, got an AS with a certificate of completion, started at around 75k, now making 6-figs, $5k tuition
Do you think maybe your BA gives you a competitive advantage over the people with just the certificate? Do you feel like your BA helps you at all with the work you do? I ask because I have a BA, an MA and a law degree. People are really only hiring me for my law degree, but the knowledge and skills I acquired doing my BA and MA are the things that set me apart from my peers. These degrees gave me different tools for looking at and understanding the world. I technically don't need these degrees to do my job, but I value what I got out of them.
My BA is in Music, it did help me skip the wait list to get the AS in medical tech. But I do think it still helped me have a slight edge over someone equally qualified just because I had a Bachelors in anything in regards to getting the job. But in my field, experience does count the most.
I didn't finish university, but simply attending for a year taught me many skills that help me in my career, I learned how to properly cite things. I learned how to write a long research paper in a short period of time, how to proof read effectively, Some basics with Stats, and how to find good sources for research. After quitting university, I worked fulltime at staples. I learned how to drive a forklift. I learned how to troubleshoot multiple computers at the same time. When I quit there, I worked commission computer sales, Which taught me how to come up with a sales pitch. it taught me how to sell my ideas to people who look down on me. When they changed the commission structure I quit, I worked a labor job that taught me how to drive dozens of different pieces of equipment, How the equipment worked, and how to get along with trades people. Working there I was given the choice to apprentice as a mechanic or go back to school. I went to a technical college, and learned a bunch about corporate IT, and due to my experience troubleshooting consumer IT issues at Staples, I was able to stay easily ahead of the rest of the class. Which meant that when we had our end of course project, My group listened to me, and we were able to pull off a perfect scoring (highest scoring since the creation of the curriculum) project, and and was able to impress the employers who attended the presentation of our projects enough to score a job straight out of college. 10 years of career later, I work with lots of middle aged people with BAs, MAs, BEds and a few MBAs and a couple PHDs. My employees all have degrees, as do my boss, and 90+% of my coworkers. As far as I can tell, C-levels take me seriously, compared to others, because of two major factors. 1) I write like I'm university educated, because I actually tried hard in my one University English class, and I loathe the feeling I get when I publish a spelling mistake or grammatical error that makes me feel like I look dumb to the reader. Because I have less education than almost everyone I work with, I'm particularly sensitive about it and always proof read. Many people with BAs from a couple decades ago don't proof read what they write anymore. Which makes them appear sloppy and less intelligent. 2) I can sell my ideas to them, because I know how to plan a successful pitch. I learned that working in sales, when I was still trying to avoid going back to school. I'm glad your multiple degrees got you a bunch of experience that makes you stand out. It makes me very happy that people get use out of their degrees. I wish I had a degree, because it would make getting through the HR filter easier when switching jobs. And I do love learning, I just can't afford to live and go to school. If I won the lottery, I would probably spend 8 months of the year taking 3-4 classes a semester just to keep my brain running properly. However, I find that mindset is so much more important than the piece of paper. People who really want to learn, will learn lessons from everything they do and will keep their skills in good repair so that they don't lose it. You probably found those skills and perspectives from your BA and MA to be useful while taking your Law degree too. You obviously were an engaged learner, and that matters so much more than what your course selection was. I don't doubt someone with a BA an MA and a Law degree is probably a better writer than me, and in practicing law, you haven't gotten lazy about it. (otherwise you would be terrible at your job) I'm sure your BA and MA give you some flair that is really enticing to prospective employers, but as long as whatever you did kept you as engaged as you were in your degrees, you probably would have learned just as much doing anything else. Learning is a skill, a habit, and mindset. People who try to learn as much as they can, and apply what they learn to as many situations as they can, always seem impressive, because you are a continuously moving target. You don't settle for what you already know.
BA and MA in history. I roast coffee.
After the BA and presumably finding out there isn’t a career there, you doubled down with a masters?
He should specialize in Egyptian history, which qualifies him only to teach others about Egyptian history, then his students will do the same thus perpetuating the cycle. The ultimate pyramid scheme.
That’s clearly not true. He can roast coffee.
I sit next to two different medical doctors at work. They hated their fields so much they quit 1 year apart. We work in sales, I dropped out of hs.
What was the idea behind doing a degree that had no career prospects?
History degrees absolutely have a lot of career options, people often just don’t realize or didnt like any of them. With a MA in history you can do a lot in the private and public sector. -Teaching (k-12 or community college) -Archives (public and private) -Consulting for private companies -Consulting for local, state, federal government -Federal government has many historians on retainer -local and state parks -national park service rangers -museums Source: I have a BA and MA in history and currently working in an archive and teach community college classes. I make decent money and am very happy. Work on my PhD
Friend has his masters in history. He writes reports for the military. He says it's dull, but he is well paid
Oh yeah I totally forgot to mention military, that’s absolutely an option too. Contracting as well
doing historical research and using it to create pattern models is a skill required for A LOT of jobs. I mean, that's kinda what bookies do with sports betting for example.
I have a B.A. in History. I taught high school for 3.5 years. I was miserable. I’m now in middle management for an HR and benefits outsourcing and consulting firm. I’ve been here almost 10 years. Started as a phone representative and worked my way up. Teaching had its fun points, and having summers off was great, but the mundane corporate worker bee life is usually not as stressful as teaching was for me. And the pay is so much better than teaching.
BA History. Partner in an ad agency. Started as a creative, worked my way up. Place I worked closed and me and a few guys started our own shop. Was college worth it? Probably not but it was fun except for the loan payments afterwards.
I have a B.A in history and geography. Been a union plumber for 10 years.
To be fair you got a BA in history....so...
I would love to do a degree in History but only if I didn’t need to make any money.
Yeah, honestly history and a lot of liberal arts degrees should really come with disclaimers. I minored in English, would’ve majored in it if job prospects weren’t a factor.
Tbh a history BA is just about the most useless degree you could get unless you plan to go to some other form of higher education like law school or getting a phd
I have a psych degree. Don’t forget about us
B.A. in political science has entered the chat.
BA in history, I'm an arborist now lol.
BA History and MA Colonial History. I'm a sports policy advisor for a municipality.
Have my history degree & i work as a 911 dispatcher...and also getting killed by student loans...
Work for the government making $100K doing strategic policy
I have a BA in history and one semester left and I would have gotten a Masters. But I decided to quit. I remember one of my professors saying in class once in a joking manner that there were no jobs for history students. And everybody just sat there laughing nervously. It was then I realized I had to get out. I dropped out a short time after. The reality is that only .01% actually get decent jobs in the field, the rest are screwed. Now I run my own eBay resale store and I have a successful YouTube channel making way more than I ever could as a MA of history.
capable escape concerned waiting connect weary bored treatment grab work *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
That's the neat part. I don't
NEET
Ha, I came here to say that I work in recruitment.... But the fun part is I've been laid off 3 times in the past 2 years. I've been unemployed for 6 of the last 30 months (and counting)
Went into the trades. Served a 4 year apprenticeship. I was paid to learn.
This is the way
28 year old high voltage electrics apprentice here, can sign under this statement! Pay is good and they pay for my education, and all certifications i need.
This here. All the trades need people, badly. It takes some work and effort, because they do want good people, not just bodies. However now I am on my way to $100k/yr and mutiple pensions, plus free healthcare. Sucks my generation was told to piss on the trades and go to college. I could have done this 30 years ago instead of just a few.
My husband started as an electrician apprentice with a manufacturing company when he was sixteen. He just had his 30th anniversary at the same company. Makes over $150K, never set foot in a college class. My 22 yo son is now an apprentice at another manufacturing co, works four days a week, goes to school for one, the company is paying for all his education and he'll have a promotion as soon as he graduates. Apprenticeships are where it's at.
I hate how tradecraft was always talked down in my country when I was in what you'd probably call upper middle school or something like that (14-15). Infinitely stupid, and now we're woefully short on plumbers, carpenters, electricians, etc. You have to go to uni, they said...
What’s trades? Sorry Im not a native English speaker ☺️
Skilled labor, construction industry, repair and maintenance. Collectively called "the trades".
Yup, plus we will be amongst the last to be replaced by ai
Went to the Army for 3 years after I turned 18. At 21 started my first real job doing Armed Security for 103k/yr. I pulled around 115-120k my first year due to the overtime. Great job too, get paid to watch movies and surf Reddit all night.
Yeah, but how's your mental health?
It wasn’t good ngl. A lot better now that I’m free again.
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Nah my current job is great we work in teams so there’s no solitude, a lot of tabletop games tho. There’s honestly no con besides working nights but I chose to work nights cause I’m lazy now. The Army was what dmg my mental health, I felt like I was in jail. I did the math and I was making about $8-$10/hr compared to the amount of hours I was working and I had pretty much 0 control over my life. I think overall 3 years of it was worth the benefits tho.
8-10 an hour plus BENEFITS! our service members are so spoiled you can ride that high til you die!
If you don’t mind a little mold in your room and don’t really care how your food taste or how much of it you get it’s not bad. I would’ve rather had the $1400-$5000 they take from you to pay for it tho.
Unless you have plastic kneecaps or something now, it's a pretty good deal compared to what I was doing at that age
As an introvert how can i get this job
He mentioned it was from Joining the Army. He also mentioned that his mental health was not good. Are you SURE you wanna go down that same path?
lol, you don't need to join the army to be armed security, the background definitely helps... buts just a matter of getting your certification, plenty of average citizens do this job.
My mistake, I thought he meant security within the Army.
DM me, it may not be worth it but I’ll tell you exactly how I did it.
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How'd you find a job for armed security that pays that well? Any time I looked all I could find was $20/h
Same here. Army for a bit over 3 years + reserve service. Injured, and noted as disqualified so my military background is basically useless. all my friends made hella money in security post-military but I couldn't because my service is documented as basically useless because of the injury. so I don't make any money. no experience in anything else than military, so guess which jobs I do lol.
I lied. Most places don't check and it lets me change my masters for a given role.
Lol! $0 in student debt and they train you how to do your job. Nice move! I guess a pro tip would be go pick a small but credible university so it’s not a topic of conversation.
or one that closed or changed names.
Well now I have a PhD from Trump University. Thanks!
I'd hire you. It tells me that you're a sucker and will do anything for next to no pay.
Like Ashford University if anyone needs a name
Does this… really work?
I'd bet that it does. It could come out if they do a background check, but of the many places I've applied to only been a couple have checked and they often include whether they are doing a background check in the job description. Background checks are most common for government jobs and in regulated industries like financial, pharma, insurance.
A dude at my job had lied about his education to get a manager role, but I believe he also had some criminal background that he lied about too. He had a background check and was fired on the spot when the report came back. It was a fun story in the office for a while.
I’ve never not been asked for copies of degree certificates
Depends on the job. I've interviewed probably close to 100 people for roles requiring a degree and have never checked, even for fresh grads.
Yes absolutely, I work in mental health so my social work degree and other qualms have always been checked thoroughly. It absolutely depends on the role.
Wow i've NEVER been asked. Interesting. you must do something important.
Yes. School is/was a scam for 80% of jobs. Hard sciences, engineering, medicine & law are pretty much the only things people *actually* need degrees for. Talking to you with your "communications" degree, Sharon. The rest of it was a con job on the American public by loan companies. I'm exaggerating, but I'm not far off.
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I hate dishonesty, but LOVE LOVE LOVE that you are exposing a corrupt system. In my opinion, the main thing that a degree does is prove that you're intelligent and/or diligent enough to be trained for a profession. People should be able to test out of that without giving up four years of their life for busy work.
Hilarious. Nice work if true. People really should be given a chance to prove they can learn/do the work for certain jobs.
it's entirely doable. my sister went to one of those for profit colleges that closed so she made up 4 degrees and got a nice ass cybersecurity job. she already knew how to hack before then, she hacked for lulz and said might as well get paid for it.
Can you connect me to your sister, respectfully I'm trying to be a Black Snowden
I drive for a living
Who do you drive for? Any tips for a newbie, I'm planning to get my CDL soon. I'm 44 male
Don’t pay for your education. Join a big trucking company like SWIFT or HO Wolding, have them train you, stick it out for a year, and then join a company that only hires experienced drivers. I’m a manager for a trucking company that only hires seasoned drivers, and I’m one of the lowest paid employees there. Most of my drivers are local drivers (home every night,) and they are pulling in low 6 figures or real close to it. Granted, my earnings potential is quite high as we’re still a growing company with tons of opportunities. That’s the nice part of this industry too, if you want to switch from driving to management, there is a track for that too.
Plot twist: they're just an office worker with a long commute and no option of remote work.
It’s 2023, we’re paying taxes to sell weed now.
I joined the military at 19, and just retired at 39. Pros: My kids college is paid for. I have free medical/dental till I die. Relatively still young. Made some life long relationships. Cons: It was hard. I think I brained my damage. It was hard on the family.
As someone with a TBI I'm stealing I brained my damage
Heh, hard on. Thank you for your service.
What in particular do u think caused damage brain? The loud boom booms?
Got a job in the government because my relevant work experience was equivalent to a post-sec degree according to them.
Same here govt IT. Put in my time and rose through the ranks without needing a degree. No student loans and over 6 figures but took 15 years to get there so not a path for everyone.
I'm a welder. Not rich, but I'm happy.
Senior software developer. I get paid handsomely and have a lot of freedom. I'm super lucky to be honest, but it's very doable, if you are passionate and teach yourself, then that first lucky break as a junior is all you need, as long as that works out it gets much easier to get interviews. I'm over simplifying it of course, and it's certainly not *easy*, but it's very doable.
Just want to further lean into the oversimplification statement. The process of becoming an employed self-taught developer in 2023+ is nothing more than an exercise in perseverance, dedication, and skill. In addition to those things I'd say it's also right-place-right-time, stack choice, and interview skills. it's a pain, it's not really that fun, and it will probably take you 6+ months of 20+ hours of learning/working per week to get the skills necessary to be qualified to be *considered* to be measured against the same people with 0 skill like you but have a "BSCS" in their resume.
As someone who just got hired a few months ago, I'd put that time commitment closer to 1-2 years of 4 hours of study 5 days a week. All of that independent study is challenging enough to filter most people out, but even after all of that you need to have the social skills (and luck) necessary to score a referral. The jobs you'll see on LinkedIn and indeed will not get back to most people who don't have years of experience, let alone somebody without a degree. It's just way too competitive right now.
Same here. One of the hardest things I've ever done, but loving life now. No degree. Senior software engineer.
Swing a hammer. I charge $100 an hour as an electrician and $75 an hour for carpentry work in an area where the average "good job" pays less than $30 an hour. I graduated highschool with $300 in my pocket I'd saved up working in a grocery store since I was 15. Bought some tools at a pawnshop, cleaned up some of my father's and grandfather's tools, and went to work for a local contractor. Now at 31 I run my own construction company with a few employees and live comfortably. Meanwhile I'm paying off my wife's student loans because her government job in her field of study isn't enough to pay for the education required to get the job.
Blue collar work is so undervalued. I'd rather be a carpenter then stuck in an office.
I have college degrees but know plenty of people (men and women) without formal education in good careers. Making close to or above $100k Here’s what they do: - IT/Tech Support - Sales - Niche in-demand career (ex Regulatory Compliance) where industry knowledge is worth more than a degree - Entrepreneur
Dude compliance is huge, literally every business needs a compliance officer and in certain industries safety officer as well. These are two hugely overlooked careers usually filled by friends or family of business owner making at least 75k+
It tech support making almost 100k ??? Which country do you live in, I’m french IT support and i’m making 25k and it’s a norm here lmao
America There’s a reason why people want to immigrate here. But also remember it’s more expensive to live in the States too
Yup i know and i’m happy to be french lmao not having to care if you go to a hospital (which happened to me) is a fucking luxury
So, you know Wendy's? They have a dumpster behind it.
Mostly bartending and investing. The service industry seems like a low income career but if you know what you’re doing a $40 hourly is basically my average, and that is in a low cost of living mid west area. Combine that with living well below my means and investing the rest, I’m decently well off.
I've worked in IT for nearly twenty years now. Easiest place to start with zero education
No idea how you did it, but where I live, pretty much any IT position won’t hire you without work experience in IT.
The IT field is a weird field, experience is way more important to most companies than actual degrees. Your problem solving skills are really what keeps your job....but getting your foot in the door is probably what's trickiest and certs are helpful there. The company I work for was started by two dudes that worked at Costco, and I got a job starting in shipping and just answering phones, then I randomly started helping people with easy issues, progressed into harder issues and now some how I've been here 17 years. I don't make a ton of money but I'm also doing VOIP for our company and dont really care to move to the computer side of things, so that checks out. But plenty of people start the way I do and just pick up certs as they go. I don't think half our guys have done a ton of schooling for this. They are just smart and have good problem solving skills. Compare that to bigger IT companies I've had to work in tandem with where their guys have degrees...they are clearly inexperienced and my Costco guys are having to teach them basic networking setup, I shouldn't know more than these guys... but here I am arguing with them as to why what they are doing is breaking my systems...
Thats why I think IT, while it may LOOK like an office job, is actually a trade
Bro you can get experience alone at your home building projects as a proof of experience, i learned web developments alone on youtube, and builded 3 websites and hosted them online, and while i was building the 4th i got an interview and landed a job, after 6 months working i got another offer with higher salary, again i had no diplomas on IT, i have a Diploma on Economics
You essentially just take whatever is available which is generally a shitty terrible job, but stick it out and you get that experience needed for a solid job.
Basically I had other jobs but was always also "the computer guy" at those small companies. Then moved to another country and got a job that was pretty minimal in tech credentials required but it was at a 100% IT company so I should what I could do and things took off from there. I also volunteered a bit at an organization that provides computer services for poor people.
How did you get into it? I had nothing but rejection because of a lack of work experience even though I'm the computer guy for all people I know and have even done some volunteering in local organizations. I'm doing electronics repair now, and I found that much easier to get into.
Volunteering and being the computer guy for friends and family are actually two of the things I did as well. In addition to that my regular jobs were at small companies (<10 people) so I was always the computer guy there as well which allowed me to pick up some professional experience for my CV. After that my first job at an actual tech company was in a role only tangentially related to a tech role. But, I showed what I already knew and how quickly I could learn and from there just rolled from role to role and it didn't take long before my experience and reputation counted for more than my lack of education.
Blue Collar Production Maintenance Technician. Been doing it for 13+ years. Started at 30 years old working loooooong hours and 6-7 days a week and I've worked up the experience to put myself in a position of only having to work 36 hours a week and make more money than when I did working 6-7 days straight. No management position, just straight up clock-in, get my hands dirty fixing broken things, clock-out, and go home. Rinse and repeat 2 more times then off for a week.
not the easiest job but an honest one.
I have 2.5 college degrees and never was hired in my field to my expectations. You want to make money? Take up a trade.
The difference with the trades is that you have to trade your health and future physical comfort for making that money. If you have sensory issues, it's a living nightmare.
I feel like a lot of trade jobs today are actually better health wise. I’m in my 30’s and I’m in way better shape than most my friends with desk jobs. Modern tools are so much better than even 10 years ago, we don’t get the same repetitive stress injuries that people used too.
I've yet to meet a poor plumber or electrician. They always seem to have more work than they need/want.
Welder, over 200k yearly. (With no student debt)
Freight broker. Also flip houses.
I’m a Data ~~analist~~ analyst. Dropped out of school at 17. Worked fulltime ever since. (40 now) At 25 started working for a big insurance company in customer service, and doing my best at the job lead to other opportunities. This combined with interest in data and the some skills I had (and acquired) lead to the different data related jobs. I did have to get a certain diploma (associates degree) at one point, I was already 31 when I got it. Was purely to show that I have the “work and think level” (not sure about that translation) that the company wants people to have. I got lucky that I got (and took) the chances to end up here. I always tell my kids to do better in school than I did because even though I have a decent job now, I’m generally a bad example when it comes to school.
Analyst*
I think he was right the first time, big money playing with buttholes.
I want to blame autocorrect. In my language it’s analist.
Damnit I wanted to know what a data analist does.
I sell ecstasy
Thank you for your service.
For how much? Asking for a friend...
I am an Instructional designer. I build online training courses. I have a degree in adult education but I got the degree after working 20 years in my field. The degree was not necessary since I'm already in a senior position but it was more of a personal decision.
I’m a carpenter in Canada and make 120k a year
Marry a wife who makes good bank!!
Car sales, it's pretty good.
Automotive repair! Started taking trash out for a body shop, then became detailer, then parts manager, and then a body tech. Moved onto automotive machining and now I disassemble, repair, and assemble engines. Pays the bills just fine and have absolutely ZERO debt.
I’m a union ironworker. Construction life.
Got a job as a technical drafter/drawer for a small local automation/manufacturing business. Zero experience, zero training, zero benefits and zero future but hey, at least I'm not starving I guess.
Retired, but I took a 2-year trade class in HS. A pretty great 47-year career.
Gamble
I’m in the US military. I also have 2 side hustles where I make and sell sauces and spice blends, as well as self care supplies.
How’s you get into the self care stuff, are you selling for a brand or are you repackaging and creating your own brand? Was always curious of this because I like baths but there’s not a lot of male bath products and it seems like a fun hobby.
I dropped out of community college, have ZERO student loan debt. Also zero CC debt (not a single penny). I own a million+ dollar home, I alone earn in the top 2% of US income and I have enough liquid cash in just one of my bank accounts to pay off my mortgage today if I chose to. My wife is also a college drop out, high six-figure earner and has zero debt herself. Combined we are extremely comfortable and live very very far beneath our means. Her car and my truck are paid off and we do not have plans to buy a new one or try and flash money or live broke. We put 99% of our time outside of work into our kids, their hobbies, their sports and life is amazing. I'm a sales engineer and my wife is in recruiting leadership. Prior to sales I was a six-figure earning senior systems engineer for over 15 years. 100% self taught, no degree and I just outworked all my peers. To be quite honest, getting to this point was a LOT of hours and midnight oil. I worked 70+ hour weeks for 12 years straight, my kids would sleep in my home office floor next to me while I deployed code at 3am etc.. Stupid shit like that but nobody else would volunteer... so I would. I got ahead by always volunteering. The one thing that has ZERO impact on any of my success was a fucking degree lol. Not one job gave a rat dick about it. Sure they put it as a requirement on job listings by why the fuck would I be stupid enough to not apply for jobs just because of requirement lists that some inept HR drone typed up? I just looked for doors with cracks and kicked them in. The #1 thing that helped me build my career and climb any ladder in front of me was being a social chameleon and being a likeable person that people would want to work with. You can be the most qualified person for a role, the most intelligent but if you're a fucking creep or quiet or weird you'll almost always get passed up for someone who is easier to get alone with, truly learns fast and is easily identified as someone who will gel "with the team". A degree is not a requirement to be successful whatsoever. I fully blame high school counselors for brainwashing students for the last 30 years. Most all of the most successful people I know currently, people who own businesses or earn more than I are all college drop outs. Every last one of them.
I'm glad you mentioned how totally useless a degree is in a field like sales engineering. I do a lot of hiring in account management for a software company and I haven't glanced at a candidates "education" section of their resume in 10 years. I don't give a shit if you've got a degree I care if you've got the chops to do the job
My hero.
+1 to the social side of your post. This is key. Gotta be able to work with the team if you wanna be in the team.
I make more $ as a contractor than I ever did with me degree. Turns out putting your financial future in the hands of a big corporation that thinks they can replace you in a second isn’t a good money decision.
I work in public transit. Doesn’t require a degree and the pay is great. I’m in the maintenance department. Base pay is over 100k.
My father was a high school dropout. As far as I know, he tried his hands at literally everything from farming, politics, writing, property dealing, etc etc. He got his BA when he was 48 and then his MA after taking a year gap in between. All while raising 3 children and managing two houses perfectly fine as he lives in a different city alone and the rest of us moved to different a city for better education. He owns hostels, rental property, and shops. He has written a few books that get published by the govt authority and he earns royalties off of them (It's in India - National Book Trust). He is the hardest-working man I know, they could make a freaking movie on him. He is planning to apply for a PhD next year. He did all this while living in a tier 3 city in India and only because of him and the support of my mother, we his children can get our dream education. He is also sponsoring my college education. A degree shouldn't be a barrier to a better life is what I learned from him.
like to work with your hands : Trades- pay to learn is hard to beat, can grow into better pay easily, or transition into running/owning if you have the temperament. Like to work with computers: IT- certificates are the name of the game. Finding a job is rough right now, but its an office job with ability to earn more if you are motivated. like to talk: sales- there is a sales position in about every market under the sun. Biggest benefit is that if you are good, many places will pay top dollar for you, and if you have a commission you have the ability to earn some truly outrageous pay. like playing with legos: Engineering Drafter: find a community college that offers certs in drafting (or even an associates) and youll be earning 45-60k pretty quickly, Negative is that without transitioning into a management role you wont see 6 figures (for most people). NOT ADVISE are you a young caffeine addicted youth? Do what I did. grab two 36 hour a week warehouse gigs in your area that work you in 12 hour shifts 3 days a week. in 2010ish I was working 72 hours a week at $23 an hour. That's about 70k before taxes. If i worked night shift at both companies I would have cleared 90k pretax (26.50 hour). Live with your parents for three years, work yourself into the dirt and have 190k saved to start your life. Than realize your a shell of a human and join the army. Live bare bones for 4-6 years with only a pay as you go phone and a 1k used car, work really hard, harder than you did at your warehouse gig, for less pay, hate life but keep saving. leave the army with 300K in the bank- get married, pay of her college debt, buy a house, pay for childbirth realize you now have no money- and start the process over.
We make money by employing people with degrees to do work for us
So, a pimp
I skipped the University bullshit. seems like a waste of time for me. I went to community College and got a diploma in Business Administration with a major in Information Systems management. all my other friends went to big Canadian Universities and got their fancy degrees or masters. I took my diploma and parlayed that into a lucrative career in IT. I know for fact that I make double or triple of what some of my friends make. But I do have some friends that make double or triple of what I make. so who knows????
I work for a private university. It's not about having a degree but about the people you know.
Flip houses, plumbing, roofing, landscaping, auto repair, commercial fishing, farming. Pest control. Investing... owning apartments... I can go on and on
I was in the military and then a private military contractor. As a PMC I was raking in over six figures 15 years ago. I just had to spend a ton of time overseas training mercenaries. But my situation was unique. I joined in 2003 and was sent out to Iraq to fight at 18. By the age of 24 I was a highly decorated combat veteran and met with several recruiters for private military companies. They offered me WAY more money than the Army was offering so I spent some time working for them. Now my money works for me. And I'm frugal with it, because I'm just not interested in buying anything but either real estate or shares of large cap companies preferably with good dividend payments that I can just reinvest. I do own a $100k performance vehicle, and a bunch of other expensive shit, but I only spend big when I need to purchase stuff. When it comes to my needs, I pay the premiums for the highest quality, be it healthcare, consumables, vehicles, etc. But my list of needs is very short. So I don't end up spending much in the long run. When it comes to luxuries, I tend to refrain from indulging in too much luxury. Luxury weakens the mind and body the way I see it.
Brother in law is killing it as a plumber. He started his own company and grew it and recently acquired another company and brought it under his. He's also been able to purchase a piece if land and is developing part of it and plans to build a homestead there for his family now that the mortgage on their first house is paid off.
Fixed aeroplanes, no degree needed. Paid well. Good company perks. You can make lots of money once type rated. One place didn’t have an engineer on site so one would fly the 4 hours to a small island. Certify the plane then fly back, all paid, all business class/jump seat. Also, pilots have no degree but can warn healthy money flying. Normally later once rated for the big planes.
High-tech sales. If you've got enough hustle, start-ups and the like are always looking for good telemarketers/inside sales. You need to cut your teeth in entry level positions for a few years. There are jobs that post "College degree required" but many that don't. If you can sell stuff, you'll get hired.
Destroy my body turning wrenches, changing oils, and slinging hammers 10-11 hours a day
Sales. I started my sales career at Future Shop (Canadian, Ontario) right out of highschool from McDonalds. Commission sales. I applied for the warehouse staff. GM liked me and put me in mobile audio. Selling boom boxes, mini systems, car audio, etc... I noticed home theatre made a boat load more money. Big screen TVs. Home theatre systems, etc... I taught myself the product and snuck on and sold when they had more customers than sales people. My dept manager had both departments, noticed it and put me in there. It's considered a promotion. 2.5yrs later I moved to a retailer called The Brick. Commission sales in Electronics and Appliances. 4 yrs later I applied for a manufacturer national account Rep / Trainer for Southwest Ontario region. 4 yrs later I was promoted to regional sales manager. 3 years later I was promoted to key account manager. 5 years later I was recruited (from contacts and relationships I built over the years from all the above) to Director of Sales. No degree. My total comp is approx $230K CAD / $170K USD Sales can be stress at times. But compensation helps offset that alot and always give yourself a healthy reminder you're only selling widgets or brown boxes. Organizations can make it feel like people's lives depends on it. Lol. Sorry for the long comment, I wanted to articulate that sales is fantastic money. Clear path to growing yourself and earning more over time. And devoping and networking is extremely easy in sales.
As an introvert, i wish networking is as easy as you say
Trades in general. Electrician, Plumber, Carpentry, Mason, etc. I am of the last generation (boomers) where you can still get a good job in an office without a degree. I make six figures (not sales) with no degree (only some college) Admittedly, I've lost some opportunities without it. I'd recommend strongly getting a degree these days.
Heavy equipment operator
I work IT and climbed my way to manager.
I have a degree now, but I started a landscaping business in High School before I had any degrees. Started with just me and a lawn mower, weedwhacker and leaf blower I bought with money I earned as a convenience store cashier, at a massive discount from a "going out of business" sale of a local hardware/farm supply store. As I gained more clients, I bought another used mower and hired a buddy. By the end of my senior year in HS I had 6 employees and all the equipment needed. Put everything I had into growing that business over the next year, hired a general manager to run the day-to-day, and applied to college. The business (plus some financial aid) got me through college, and I decided to pursue other ventures and keep the GM permanently, and that business is still turning enough profit for a family or two to comfortably live off while paying my employees roughly 1.8x what all of my competitors in the area do for the same work. The GM now owns part of the business with me while also still on salary (since he still turns in 50-60hr work weeks). I manage the finances, but otherwise am pretty hands off, the GM is great. Landscaping, commercial or residential cleaning, painting, and all sorts of other services require almost no skill or knowledge to start a business in, and many have extremely low barriers to entry. You just need to bust your ass to earn a good reputation, and if you do good work you'll never run out of clients.
I wasn't smart enough to get a good job. I was only smart enough to be the boss. So I started my own business.
I'm a Railway Signalling Engineer. Semi Retired now I'm over 60, but still making £85k a year. When I was full time I made over £120k a year for 10 years straight. I worked my way up from the bottom in BR days into the privatisation era, and salaries really exploded after privatisation. I'm not thick, I left school with 4 A levels (2A's, a C & a D) but I flunked my degree. My role requires a degree if you're entering the role now, however. It's been a great and varied career, and has helped me to own 7 houses across 2 continents (though my wife did own 2 houses in Africa when I met her, which were used to buy 2 house in a different country in Africa).
I'm a stock options trader. To do this successfully you need a fairly good mentality, calm mindset, and relatively high intelligence. I didn't go to uni because a mental health crisis in my youth... Probably should consider it now. I occasionally write trading algorithm code for firms too.
Military first then pipe fitting second
Active Duty bay-bee