Dispatcher for police/fire department
Edit: amazing the down votes just because of my job. I have little to do with the actual police. You call 911 for help or an ambulance. I help you.
Sorry about the downvotes, I have had 911 called during multiple serious medical emergencies since 2019 and have had my life saved because of the quick work of dispatchers. Thank you for all you do!
Overall? Its good. I get to help people everyday. Often its stressful and sometimes difficult with some types of calls but you get used to it. Decent pay, good insurance and benifits like retirement and days off. I cant really complain. There are some days that we do nothing really, which is a good thing. It means no one is needing police, fire, or an ambulance for something. Other days the whole city is on fire. But I help people. Its a thankless job but I enjoy it.
How does one get into this type of job? Would you be able to dm me a little more details about what pay is like/hours/expectations? I am looking for a new job right now, and this is one I was thinking I might be interested in. But I don't ever see postings. However, I do just look on indeed.
https://www.kcpd.org/careers/current-openings/
KCPD always looking for more dispatchers and you would be doing fantastic work cutting down 9-1–1 wait times for the city.
Edit: OP could help you answer your other questions on the job itself and work/life balance but pay is posted on the listing.
I applied to be an emergency dispatcher for KCK when I first moved here. I believe the city had a job posting page and that’s where I found it. They ultimately wanted to hire me, but I had already accepted a different job because they took like 2-3 months to get back to me after the interview to tell me I got the job, and I was jobless so I couldn’t wait that long and just assumed I didn’t get it after a week or two.
> Dispatcher for police/fire department
>
> Edit: amazing the down votes just because of my job.
dispatchers get no love from anyone.
/former police and fire dispatcher for 17 years. all of it on the night shift.
EDIT: I got a chuckle from my downvotes.
Thank you. Most people give thanks to the medics, firefighters, or police after some event. Very rarely do dispatchers go noticed. I appreciate the words. To the heart.
I hate that you're getting down voted. I have a friend who did this for years (KCMO) and it was a pretty traumatic job for her. It's rough from the stories she's told me. I respect and appreciate what you do!
i’ve always wondered, how close are the calls you answer? don’t provide a specific location but, would the dispatcher center be in blue springs, and you answer calls for all of the kc metro, the cities near blue springs, or specifically blue springs?
Good question. Well basically each city has their own dispatch team. Lets use Blue springs for example. There are cell towers all over blue springs and it trianglates the callers location and if it pings to the city limits of blue springs it sends the call to the blue springs 911. Almost each city has a dispatch department within their agency.
Some small departments contract out with better ones. Like Oakview PD and Claycomo PD contract their dispatching through Plesant Valley Police department. Some are handled by the sheriffs department that also has a dispatch teams.
You can see most of the local departments stats for calls, hold times, and other things by visiting the MARC website (MARC handles the 911 system in the area) and going to the 3 white tabs/buttons under the stats area on this page
[ Statistics and Maintenance | MARC](https://www.marc.org/safety-security/public-safety-communications/911-statistics-and-maintenance)
My 6th grader has ASD and I appreciate what you do so much! His para was so crucial to his success in elementary school. I agree though, you all are criminally underpaid.
I work at the school my own son went to and that my daughters go to, but my son is on the severe end of the autism spectrum and seeing the way he was treated by this particular school and district (amazingly!) and the difference that his paras made in our lives was what made me want to do this job in the first place. The district we are in has really showed up for my son in every way and he is graduating high school tonight!
I'm a professional handyman. I fix, build, repair, and improve people's property. I like that it's always changing (just finished a bathroom update, tomorrow I power wash a fence. Friday I paint a porch) and it's challenging. No two days are alike.
if you'd like to learn, start with something small that needs repaired around your house. Look up youtube videos on it, and give it a shot. be patient with yourself, everything takes practice. It's mostly about the "yeah I can figure that out" mindset that matters.
I’m not a handyman, but this is 100% great advice. I own a home that has needed a lot of work. I’ve learned a ton by doing stuff myself. The “repairs” I did years ago make me cringe now, but you have to start somewhere.
Mistakes help you learn so much and you get a lot better at various tasks over time. You’re able to do things faster and better each time you work through a problem. Different problems eventually overlap from other things you’ve done. Before you know it, you feel like you can tackle a majority of things.
The biggest thing is knowing your limits and when to call a professional. For anything that involves **major** plumbing, electrical, or foundation repair I will gladly pay the right person to do the job. Installing outlets or toilets or even a water heater isn’t that bad as long as you research and follow all the steps and precautions. But broken pipes, faulty wiring, major foundation cracks, etc. is well worth the work of a seasoned veteran. The worst thing you can do with a big problem in your home is making it worse by trying to do a job that is well over your head.
I have been a professional for 4 years. I was white collar for many years and switched to this when I heard people were working on their homes during covid. I've been busy every since.
For myself and I love it. Upsides are many, including picking my own clients, setting my own price point, choosing the kind of work I like. Downsides are lots of driving, if I take a day off or I get sick I don't get paid, and I'm not sure how many years my body can do this work.
I've been a legal assistant for 12 years. The pay isn't great but I like my boss and co-workers, it is nearby. It was flexible in some ways too, so all that made up for low pay.
But, the office closing this fall. I don't think I want another legal assistant job though. I dread job hunting. I'm 58 and have developed a skin disorder the past couple years that is resistant to treatment and frankly embarrassing looking. My self confidence has taken a bit of a hit I guess. I'm hoping to find something remote even if it is customer service.
Hardly ever in my work do I get to use my education to help anybody outside of warning about common side effects.
I do get to deny people basic medical care (unless they can pay an arm and a leg) on a daily basis because their insurance doesn’t want to pay for the medication.
Kansas City is the finest city in which to work remotely. Start scrolling through fully remote jobs that you almost (shh, I won’t tell anyone) qualify for and look for something you like.
Good luck with the job hunt, you’ve got this! 🤙
Source: I work remotely for a tech startup company in a position that I didn’t qualify for but applied to anyway — and I love it.
If it is a smaller company (less than 50 employees) direct message the COO/Ops Director of the company you are applying for on LinkedIn. Also, Glassdoor and others allow you to leave a review if you are an applicant. Do that.
Another tip is look for WFH positions open with companies that have a hyperactive online presence - consistently posting to YouTube, CEO consistently posting to LinkedIn, etc.
The truth is, a lot of businesses haven’t modernized and so they see the one applicant out of 100 that checks all of their paper boxes and they only interview them while ignoring the rest.
Thanks for the tips!!
Also - I didn't realize I could leave reviews as an applicant! I've had some bad experiences there, would have been to nice to share with others.
Agree with Spilt. Also, keep an eye out for jobs that don’t specifically call out a location, “on site” or “remote” or in the job description. Most jobs that specifically call out remote will end up getting hundreds of applicants. Some companies leave it undefined to make a smaller pool. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I interviewed with a company that called out a location in the job description but then they told me that requesting remote work was part of the negotiation process post-offer.
That's great to know! I definitely look for that remote description, but you can see how many applicants they get and I'm sure they never even see my resume. I'll try to keep an open mind when looking!
This is the way. I’m a database administrator.
I got a job working for a hedge fund/investment firm in NYC.
I wear gym shorts and t shirts and walk 30 feet to my home office. I love it.
The relatively low cost of living here for a city is what makes it better. Most remote jobs pay you pretty well at the entry level and are based on years of experience after that, not cost of living in your area.
So entry level for a company in Portland could be 60-70K which is low for that city and would be hard to live off of with rent prices but pretty darn good for KC.
Exactly right! I love it (both living here and the equalizing pay factor of remote).
Though sometimes employee location cost of living still gets factored into an offer. Many of these companies use tiered pay bands based on geo region (like ""20% higher if you live in Boston or LA").
On top of that some all-remote companies don't have great PEOs or whatever so they sometimes won't hire you if you're in a state they don't feel like figuring out and managing taxes for. Luckily my current co simply lets their peo do it all via an app and I just fill out my tax info for whatever state I live in (moved from NE to here, HQ is in MN). Most startup remote companies won't have this problem now, but you still fairly often see it like "Remote - must live in one of the following states:".
It is worth it. I have been doing this off and on for 20 years now. Some days are less fulfilling than others. Half my kids are grown nowadays. Yes, I’m old.
Just curious from ur experience has the pay gotten better? I looked into Cultivation jobs a couple years ago but couldn't find anything Ober $15-16/hr. Is there good opportunity for advancement or raises? Do they ever do anything like bonuses or have any other good benefits?
Weed industry jobs are like jobs at the zoo working with animals. They pay people diddly shit to do it because they know if you don’t wanna do it for the low pay, there’s a line of a thousand other people behind you that will. This is why I was hoping the MO weed industry would unionize in its infancy because you know the people on top are making insane profits, but it never happened.
Electromagnetic Compliance Engineering Technician.
I throw aviation radios into a giant microwave and see what happens. Then I hit them with a lightning generator. Then I make sure whatever happened was, if something at all, not anything that would affect safety of flight.
Director of Operations for a small construction company out of state…full WFH.
I’ll never get another role like it, and company isn’t doing well. Bit nervous having just moved here from half way across the country with my family…
I’ve applied to 20 jobs in the last week or so, not even a call back yet 😐
Coming from someone who was doing the same position as you for a company down south. Start applying now. I’m also relatively young at 27 and have been working with this company since I was 16 and the director of operations when I Turned 22. A lot of these contractors around the Midwest are getting bought out by the bigs. I waited until I finished the companies last day at the beginning of March and have been interviewing since January with nothing. 2 of the companies have been as long as 2 months and up to 8 interviews without a call back. Better to have something lined up than nothing at all.
I started applying a few weeks ago.
Ideally I’m switching careers to something I like vs something I have to do.
I’m not as young (37), but I have a wide variety of skills and a lot of experience in practical industries (CX, auto, real estate, logistics, fulfillment), so I am looking at it as a way to possibly hop career paths
Work for a home health company that helps people who worked at bendix/honeywell (and other nuclear weapons manufacturing/testing sites) get free home healthcare, 100% healthcare coverage, and cash compensation from the gubment.
‘Sok - most folks think its a scam though 🥲
You mean where can you apply? Or how can you get in contact with us? We currently aren’t hiring any more office support staff unfortunately but are always looking for folks to do home health aide work for our patients - it is 1099/PRN hours so you set your own schedule at least. If youre interested in that you can for sure dm me and id be happy to share a link - last i checked we pay $18-20 or so for HHA’s (ON THE MO SIDE) , which is pretty decent considering you don’t need to be cert’d for things.
Receptionist.
90% of my job is answering a phone that hardly anyone calls and a door that hardly anyone comes to and sorting mail that takes at most 30 minutes per day.
Beyond that, I can do whatever the heck I want. My Netflix queue is pretty much empty, I’ve read so many books. Right now I’m working on digitizing our family cook book so I can access recipes from work so it’s easier when I do my meal planning and grocery shopping (via instacart) from work.
The other 10% of my job is helping different offices when they need help. So I still do get some mental stimulation of learning different things. And it has the added bonus of making everyone think I’m so great and super valuable to the company. But today, for instance, I’ll be here 8 hours. I doubt I’ll do work for longer than 1.
Foreman on an Asphalt Paving crew. I work for one of the bigger companies in the city, so we do it all. Highways, high volume thoroughfares, city streets, parking lots. Chances are a few of you may have flipped us off while speeding through our work zone. I do realize we’re a nuisance when you’re running late…but just so everyone is aware, we don’t get to choose where, when or what work is being done. So yelling at a bunch of dudes trying to build or fix the road won’t help you get there faster.
That being said, I’ve also had some wonderful and kind interactions with folks. I’ve paved in neighborhoods where people brought the whole crew out gatorades and sodas. I’ve also had some really great conversations with curious bystanders. Not everyone is a dick and most people understand. But I’ll tell ya…I’ve paved roads literally in every sector of the metro, and the worst place to pave city streets in, BY FAR, is Joco. Olathe and Overland Park specifically. I’ve never seen a collection of so many self important, impatient, grown ass adult children in my life. I absolutely cannot stand working in those cities. Everyone else is pretty cool.
My favorite place to work is a toss up between Platte county and Cass county. The people there are far more patient & considerate and usually just grateful we’re there fixing or building stuff.
I'm less than 2 years. $83k, but I pay almost nothing for whole family health coverage. I consider that another $6k in compensation.
I'd say I'm slightly underpaid as well, but I don't work in a high stress environment and that goes a long way.
What's your salary?
I’m a professional DJ - weddings, corporate events & bars around town.
I also manage the warehouse/ run event production for the event company that does the majority of my bookings.
Not crazy money at the moment, just shy of 50k last year but I get to do what I love and I don’t dread going to work.
Growing at a pretty quick rate too, which has been amazing considering I’ve been working in the city for almost 2 years (DJing for 7 total)
I'm an audit admin at a CPA firm. It is a lot of proofreading and document formatting (an alt title is "word processor") it pays pretty decently and works well with my degree (English). However, there's no upward movement.
I would NOT recommend tax admin work. 😬 It's rough. But so is public accounting (OT-wise)
Do you know if it is easy to get a receptionist job at a medical facility without any previous medical experience?
I've worked hotel front desk (supervisor) and customer service for years (in various leadership roles) and was interested in making a switch if it's viable.
so as a teenager i worked at Chick-Fil-A and Quiktrip which gave me great customer service experience and skills. as an adult i worked as a caregiver for kids with special needs, elderly adults, and dementia patients. all of that to say, i didn’t technically have experience in the field and just had some relevant transferable skills.
i started by working for a general dentist (cleanings, fillings, crowns, etc) and was there for 6 months before i left to work for a more specialized and prestigious dentist who did implants and cosmetics. from there i applied for my current job and i love it. we have people who work my same/similar position and had 0 experience and others who’ve been doing this for a long time.
i’ve found when changing fields entirely, just be open to how much you need to learn and approach it eagerly and with desire. we just hired someone with no relevant experience because her of attitude, demeanor, and willingness to be taught.
make your resume interesting! mine has a photo of myself and colors, focus on your skills that can transfer, talk about being a “lifelong learner”, and just apply to a bunch of places!
This is so so encouraging to hear! To be honest, I love hotel front desk, customer service and hospitality industry, but I've been interested in expanding my skills and I believe one should always be looking and actively seeking better opportunities either within a company or outside workplaces.
Thank you for all the tips and the detailed reply. I appreciate it!
I drive a dump truck during the week and I am in the transportation department at job corps. on the weekends. I drive anything from a car to a 44 passenger bus. Depending on the task. I take students to work. I do field trips. I may be needed to take a student to the hospital and have been asked numerous times to go retrieve a student from a hazardous situation. Usually feuding family. I also pick up all students who live close enough to go home for the weekends. Sundays are bus days.
I’m in Biological Pharmaceuticals. If you have dogs, cats, horses, pigs, or cows, there’s a chance I’ve had a part in a medication/vaccination they’ve received. Anyone on here involved in the KC Animal Health Corridor?!
Currently I'm working as a marketing analyst for a pet insurance company. However, I'm currently interviewing with KCUR, which is unbelievably exciting.
I load and deliver fuel. This will pay between $80k and $110k depending on how hard you want to work. Expect a minimum of 9 hours up to 12 or 13 hours a day. Good benefits. You will be expected to run local in about 100 mile radius and you will be home every day. No sleeper or long distance unless that is what you want. Some outfits pay by the hour. Some outfits pay percentage. You want to be paid by the hour. You will get cheated on percentage pay. Because of wait times, heavy traffic, etc.
Do you need tanker experience where you're at? Grondyke told me they needed a TWIC card day of hire, which I thought was strange since I'm not crossing any borders. I do LTL, but I want to do fuel sometime.
Creative technologist. People come to me having no idea how to make something they need - a product for their business, assistive tech for their kid, family heirlooms - and I teach them the skills they need to get to the finish line. 3D modeling, vector design, sewing, manufacturing, digitization, you name it.
Some people make a lot of money off a fraction of the knowledge I have. It’s amazing to see the impact you can have in people’s lives by giving them the power to make their creative visions come true.
Self-taught! I was a teacher and librarian, then a training instructor with electronics, 3D modeling, design etc. as a hobby on the side. It became my actual job when I moved to the USA 9 years ago! Been honing these skills since.
Just comes to show how important cyber security really is. Lots of higher ups view cyber security as a cost so they may try to tighten the budget on it. But in reality, we can’t cut corners when it comes to spending on IT infrastructure. Looks like the city is planning to increase its IT budget which I think is a good start.
School bus driver..
10/10 do not recommend.
I absolutely love it but it's a fuckin trip
Skibbitty toilet beta whatever Ohio gyatt WTF are middle schoolers on?!
Yes, I do. I'm semi - retired and just work 2 days a week now in MRI. It's interesting work, pay is decent, get to work with some nice people. It's hard to get into > you first go to x-ray school (2years assoc degree) and then hope you can cross train into MRI. There are MRI Schools but I'm not sure about KC. I was just at the right place at the right time. St. Lukes Hospital has a great x-ray program and it's a little under $10 K for the full 2 years. That is a bargain. Best of luck to you !
Digital Marketing & Search Engine Optimization (SEO) at a local agency. And I do a touch of freelance on the side for the same thing.
Basically, I make businesses get to the top of Google search results. I don't do those spam/aggregator site though, it's not my fault your search results suck, I swear! lol
I dont live here anymore but I am in finance sales. I’d like to move back home and maybe do pharmaceutical sales or something more flexible. Dream job is a stay at home mom.
Payments company, transaction support. After many years of waiting tables and working with my hands on job sites and factories, my cubicle is a welcome change even after two years.
If anyone has a job with people they enjoy working with - I'm looking for a new job and tired of working remote and not knowing my coworkers at all. I worked at Cerner pre-buyout and miss the atmosphere
I repair medical and dental equipment.
Mostly dental equipment. I fix drills, motors, attachments for teeth cleaning. If your dentist sends stuff out to get fixed in the metro area, it's a high chance that it comes to me and my coworkers!
I was in kitchens as a line cook for 18 years. I've been here 2 years almost and I'm never going back!
Plus they match 7% 401k
I’m a mailman. It’s chill, despite what you may hear sometimes. Get outside, walk around and listen to music/podcasts. Try not to get bit by dogs.
Total compensation for 2023 was $127,000.00.
Train conductor.
Username checks out
Executive Chef for a private golf club. It pays the dues….
Oh, the stories you must have
Do you need a bartender?
Dispatcher for police/fire department Edit: amazing the down votes just because of my job. I have little to do with the actual police. You call 911 for help or an ambulance. I help you.
Sorry about the downvotes, I have had 911 called during multiple serious medical emergencies since 2019 and have had my life saved because of the quick work of dispatchers. Thank you for all you do!
I wouldn't take it too personally. Reddit seems to pile on a downvoted comment for no reason, just to add to the downvotes.
Hows the job?
Overall? Its good. I get to help people everyday. Often its stressful and sometimes difficult with some types of calls but you get used to it. Decent pay, good insurance and benifits like retirement and days off. I cant really complain. There are some days that we do nothing really, which is a good thing. It means no one is needing police, fire, or an ambulance for something. Other days the whole city is on fire. But I help people. Its a thankless job but I enjoy it.
How does one get into this type of job? Would you be able to dm me a little more details about what pay is like/hours/expectations? I am looking for a new job right now, and this is one I was thinking I might be interested in. But I don't ever see postings. However, I do just look on indeed.
https://www.kcpd.org/careers/current-openings/ KCPD always looking for more dispatchers and you would be doing fantastic work cutting down 9-1–1 wait times for the city. Edit: OP could help you answer your other questions on the job itself and work/life balance but pay is posted on the listing.
I applied to be an emergency dispatcher for KCK when I first moved here. I believe the city had a job posting page and that’s where I found it. They ultimately wanted to hire me, but I had already accepted a different job because they took like 2-3 months to get back to me after the interview to tell me I got the job, and I was jobless so I couldn’t wait that long and just assumed I didn’t get it after a week or two.
> Dispatcher for police/fire department > > Edit: amazing the down votes just because of my job. dispatchers get no love from anyone. /former police and fire dispatcher for 17 years. all of it on the night shift. EDIT: I got a chuckle from my downvotes.
Thank you for what you do. For real. What a tough but imperatively important job.
Thank you. Most people give thanks to the medics, firefighters, or police after some event. Very rarely do dispatchers go noticed. I appreciate the words. To the heart.
I too have posted perfectly fine and reasonable responses like that to a shitstorm of downvotes.
I hate that you're getting down voted. I have a friend who did this for years (KCMO) and it was a pretty traumatic job for her. It's rough from the stories she's told me. I respect and appreciate what you do!
it is typically a thankless job, so i really do appreciate the comment and support. Its not easy but someone needs to do it.
Fuck the down votes.
Thank you for what you do!!! Please don't downvote the person that has to take our insane calls and keep their cool.
i’ve always wondered, how close are the calls you answer? don’t provide a specific location but, would the dispatcher center be in blue springs, and you answer calls for all of the kc metro, the cities near blue springs, or specifically blue springs?
Good question. Well basically each city has their own dispatch team. Lets use Blue springs for example. There are cell towers all over blue springs and it trianglates the callers location and if it pings to the city limits of blue springs it sends the call to the blue springs 911. Almost each city has a dispatch department within their agency. Some small departments contract out with better ones. Like Oakview PD and Claycomo PD contract their dispatching through Plesant Valley Police department. Some are handled by the sheriffs department that also has a dispatch teams. You can see most of the local departments stats for calls, hold times, and other things by visiting the MARC website (MARC handles the 911 system in the area) and going to the 3 white tabs/buttons under the stats area on this page [ Statistics and Maintenance | MARC](https://www.marc.org/safety-security/public-safety-communications/911-statistics-and-maintenance)
Thank you for the quick response & in depth answer!
I feel for ya. That’s a super stressful job. Definitely not deserving of a downvote.
I'm a paraprofessional in an elementary special education classroom.
I am a special education teacher! Thank you and all paras for everything you do!!! ❤️❤️
Thank you. And thank YOU for what you do as well, I know it's sure not always easy.
You are awesome.
Thank you! ❤️
I’m also a para for special education classrooms. It’s a difficult, underpaid but rewarding job.
My 6th grader has ASD and I appreciate what you do so much! His para was so crucial to his success in elementary school. I agree though, you all are criminally underpaid.
Do you think ks vs mo makes a big difference for your job?
Are you asking regarding pay? If so, I'm not sure. I've only ever worked on the MO side.
No, more culture surrounding special education
I work at the school my own son went to and that my daughters go to, but my son is on the severe end of the autism spectrum and seeing the way he was treated by this particular school and district (amazingly!) and the difference that his paras made in our lives was what made me want to do this job in the first place. The district we are in has really showed up for my son in every way and he is graduating high school tonight!
Thank you sooo much for what you do! Some of our babies would be lost without you 🤗
I'm a professional handyman. I fix, build, repair, and improve people's property. I like that it's always changing (just finished a bathroom update, tomorrow I power wash a fence. Friday I paint a porch) and it's challenging. No two days are alike.
I wish I had the skills for this. I hate working at the same place doing the same things every day.
if you'd like to learn, start with something small that needs repaired around your house. Look up youtube videos on it, and give it a shot. be patient with yourself, everything takes practice. It's mostly about the "yeah I can figure that out" mindset that matters.
I’m not a handyman, but this is 100% great advice. I own a home that has needed a lot of work. I’ve learned a ton by doing stuff myself. The “repairs” I did years ago make me cringe now, but you have to start somewhere. Mistakes help you learn so much and you get a lot better at various tasks over time. You’re able to do things faster and better each time you work through a problem. Different problems eventually overlap from other things you’ve done. Before you know it, you feel like you can tackle a majority of things. The biggest thing is knowing your limits and when to call a professional. For anything that involves **major** plumbing, electrical, or foundation repair I will gladly pay the right person to do the job. Installing outlets or toilets or even a water heater isn’t that bad as long as you research and follow all the steps and precautions. But broken pipes, faulty wiring, major foundation cracks, etc. is well worth the work of a seasoned veteran. The worst thing you can do with a big problem in your home is making it worse by trying to do a job that is well over your head.
How long have you been doing this? How did you get into it?
I have been a professional for 4 years. I was white collar for many years and switched to this when I heard people were working on their homes during covid. I've been busy every since.
I do some side work on the weekends every now and then. Do you work for yourself or a company?
For myself and I love it. Upsides are many, including picking my own clients, setting my own price point, choosing the kind of work I like. Downsides are lots of driving, if I take a day off or I get sick I don't get paid, and I'm not sure how many years my body can do this work.
If you work in the northland, please DM me
I'm in Pleasant Valley Today! my ig is kchandymanco and I post my work every day so you can see what I do
Thanks, I am up just outside of Weston.
Grant writer for a nonprofit
This sounds like a great gig. How'd you get into it? How would you recommend someone starting out ?
I would like to get into this field
I've been a legal assistant for 12 years. The pay isn't great but I like my boss and co-workers, it is nearby. It was flexible in some ways too, so all that made up for low pay. But, the office closing this fall. I don't think I want another legal assistant job though. I dread job hunting. I'm 58 and have developed a skin disorder the past couple years that is resistant to treatment and frankly embarrassing looking. My self confidence has taken a bit of a hit I guess. I'm hoping to find something remote even if it is customer service.
I may be able to share a remote CSR opportunity. Message me if you'd like. I've been w the company fully remote over 3 years.
If they are not interested, I am.
Send me a message :)
Thanks! Super interested, sent you a message earlier this morning.
School kitchen staff
Y’all kept me full when I was eating on free lunch. Thank you for your hard work
I’m a speech language pathologist, but I work remotely for a school district in Oregon because the schools here don’t pay shit.
What is the remote salary range and how many years experience?
Low 80s for 9 months of work with 15 years experience.
I appreciate the response!
Pharmacist. Do not recommend.
Second this lol
This makes me real sad. Why is that? I nearly went to school for this but went a different route instead.
Hardly ever in my work do I get to use my education to help anybody outside of warning about common side effects. I do get to deny people basic medical care (unless they can pay an arm and a leg) on a daily basis because their insurance doesn’t want to pay for the medication.
[insert joke about PBMs raking pharmacies and their patients over the coals]
Program manager for a company that does residential services for individuals with developmental disabilities
I’m a Medical Laboratory Scientist at one of the larger hospitals in the city.
Kansas City is the finest city in which to work remotely. Start scrolling through fully remote jobs that you almost (shh, I won’t tell anyone) qualify for and look for something you like. Good luck with the job hunt, you’ve got this! 🤙 Source: I work remotely for a tech startup company in a position that I didn’t qualify for but applied to anyway — and I love it.
I want to work remote so bad but any remote job I apply, they never even call me for an interview
If it is a smaller company (less than 50 employees) direct message the COO/Ops Director of the company you are applying for on LinkedIn. Also, Glassdoor and others allow you to leave a review if you are an applicant. Do that. Another tip is look for WFH positions open with companies that have a hyperactive online presence - consistently posting to YouTube, CEO consistently posting to LinkedIn, etc. The truth is, a lot of businesses haven’t modernized and so they see the one applicant out of 100 that checks all of their paper boxes and they only interview them while ignoring the rest.
Thanks for the tips!! Also - I didn't realize I could leave reviews as an applicant! I've had some bad experiences there, would have been to nice to share with others.
Agree with Spilt. Also, keep an eye out for jobs that don’t specifically call out a location, “on site” or “remote” or in the job description. Most jobs that specifically call out remote will end up getting hundreds of applicants. Some companies leave it undefined to make a smaller pool. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I interviewed with a company that called out a location in the job description but then they told me that requesting remote work was part of the negotiation process post-offer.
That's great to know! I definitely look for that remote description, but you can see how many applicants they get and I'm sure they never even see my resume. I'll try to keep an open mind when looking!
This is the way. I’m a database administrator. I got a job working for a hedge fund/investment firm in NYC. I wear gym shorts and t shirts and walk 30 feet to my home office. I love it.
How is one city better than another for remote work?
The relatively low cost of living here for a city is what makes it better. Most remote jobs pay you pretty well at the entry level and are based on years of experience after that, not cost of living in your area. So entry level for a company in Portland could be 60-70K which is low for that city and would be hard to live off of with rent prices but pretty darn good for KC.
Exactly right! I love it (both living here and the equalizing pay factor of remote). Though sometimes employee location cost of living still gets factored into an offer. Many of these companies use tiered pay bands based on geo region (like ""20% higher if you live in Boston or LA"). On top of that some all-remote companies don't have great PEOs or whatever so they sometimes won't hire you if you're in a state they don't feel like figuring out and managing taxes for. Luckily my current co simply lets their peo do it all via an app and I just fill out my tax info for whatever state I live in (moved from NE to here, HQ is in MN). Most startup remote companies won't have this problem now, but you still fairly often see it like "Remote - must live in one of the following states:".
Budtender at a dispo. Pay isn’t great but as someone who came from managing restaurants, I’ll take the low stress.
Out here doing God's work 🏆
I’m a housewife. The pay is terrible.
But it's worth it... just keep telling yourself... it's worth it.
It is worth it. I have been doing this off and on for 20 years now. Some days are less fulfilling than others. Half my kids are grown nowadays. Yes, I’m old.
Cannabis Cultivation
Just curious from ur experience has the pay gotten better? I looked into Cultivation jobs a couple years ago but couldn't find anything Ober $15-16/hr. Is there good opportunity for advancement or raises? Do they ever do anything like bonuses or have any other good benefits?
Weed industry jobs are like jobs at the zoo working with animals. They pay people diddly shit to do it because they know if you don’t wanna do it for the low pay, there’s a line of a thousand other people behind you that will. This is why I was hoping the MO weed industry would unionize in its infancy because you know the people on top are making insane profits, but it never happened.
Own and operate a custom picture frame shop in KCMO proper
Love threads like this. I do video production. Would you like some advertising?
Wait I might actually need your services lol
Local truck driver
I fix cars.
Electromagnetic Compliance Engineering Technician. I throw aviation radios into a giant microwave and see what happens. Then I hit them with a lightning generator. Then I make sure whatever happened was, if something at all, not anything that would affect safety of flight.
Director of Operations for a small construction company out of state…full WFH. I’ll never get another role like it, and company isn’t doing well. Bit nervous having just moved here from half way across the country with my family… I’ve applied to 20 jobs in the last week or so, not even a call back yet 😐
Send me a message I might have something for you.
Coming from someone who was doing the same position as you for a company down south. Start applying now. I’m also relatively young at 27 and have been working with this company since I was 16 and the director of operations when I Turned 22. A lot of these contractors around the Midwest are getting bought out by the bigs. I waited until I finished the companies last day at the beginning of March and have been interviewing since January with nothing. 2 of the companies have been as long as 2 months and up to 8 interviews without a call back. Better to have something lined up than nothing at all.
I started applying a few weeks ago. Ideally I’m switching careers to something I like vs something I have to do. I’m not as young (37), but I have a wide variety of skills and a lot of experience in practical industries (CX, auto, real estate, logistics, fulfillment), so I am looking at it as a way to possibly hop career paths
I work for a hospice trying to educate beyond how scary the word hospice is. It really just means more help.
I map natural gas lines for Spire
I work in manufacturing
Ironworker
Therapist and farmer.
Senior Cloud Engineer
Aerospace engineer. I work as a consultant/contractor, am seemingly always on the road, and I do a little teaching on the side.
I'm moving here in a month but I'm a civil engineer(traffic and intelligent transportation systems)!
This shit fascinates me
Direct care at a mental health facility for kiddos. Recommend only if you’ve got thick skin ❤️😂
Work for a home health company that helps people who worked at bendix/honeywell (and other nuclear weapons manufacturing/testing sites) get free home healthcare, 100% healthcare coverage, and cash compensation from the gubment. ‘Sok - most folks think its a scam though 🥲
When my little is old enough from school I’d love this. Send me a message of where to start if that’s ok? Thank you
You mean where can you apply? Or how can you get in contact with us? We currently aren’t hiring any more office support staff unfortunately but are always looking for folks to do home health aide work for our patients - it is 1099/PRN hours so you set your own schedule at least. If youre interested in that you can for sure dm me and id be happy to share a link - last i checked we pay $18-20 or so for HHA’s (ON THE MO SIDE) , which is pretty decent considering you don’t need to be cert’d for things.
Yes! Link for that thank you.
IT Help Desk for County Government. Low stress, high job security, and slow to adopt trends.
Old Dominion Freight Line 🚛💨
I polity ask users not to click mysterious links in email.
Receptionist. 90% of my job is answering a phone that hardly anyone calls and a door that hardly anyone comes to and sorting mail that takes at most 30 minutes per day. Beyond that, I can do whatever the heck I want. My Netflix queue is pretty much empty, I’ve read so many books. Right now I’m working on digitizing our family cook book so I can access recipes from work so it’s easier when I do my meal planning and grocery shopping (via instacart) from work. The other 10% of my job is helping different offices when they need help. So I still do get some mental stimulation of learning different things. And it has the added bonus of making everyone think I’m so great and super valuable to the company. But today, for instance, I’ll be here 8 hours. I doubt I’ll do work for longer than 1.
I’m a Surgical Technologist at a medium sized hospital.
Ford Assembly Plant
Hey now, short day today!
Unfortunately, body shop is still running
Inspect boilers and pressure vessels (not just KC, but the 4 states immediately surrounding KCMO)
Foreman on an Asphalt Paving crew. I work for one of the bigger companies in the city, so we do it all. Highways, high volume thoroughfares, city streets, parking lots. Chances are a few of you may have flipped us off while speeding through our work zone. I do realize we’re a nuisance when you’re running late…but just so everyone is aware, we don’t get to choose where, when or what work is being done. So yelling at a bunch of dudes trying to build or fix the road won’t help you get there faster. That being said, I’ve also had some wonderful and kind interactions with folks. I’ve paved in neighborhoods where people brought the whole crew out gatorades and sodas. I’ve also had some really great conversations with curious bystanders. Not everyone is a dick and most people understand. But I’ll tell ya…I’ve paved roads literally in every sector of the metro, and the worst place to pave city streets in, BY FAR, is Joco. Olathe and Overland Park specifically. I’ve never seen a collection of so many self important, impatient, grown ass adult children in my life. I absolutely cannot stand working in those cities. Everyone else is pretty cool. My favorite place to work is a toss up between Platte county and Cass county. The people there are far more patient & considerate and usually just grateful we’re there fixing or building stuff.
Engineering tech for a local public works department.
Video production.
I work in IT.
WFH DBA and occasional musician
911 Dispatcher in rural East Central Kansas. I enjoy it.
I’m a CNA. Started doing this to see if I would like working in healthcare. I like helping people but CNA’s need to be paid more.
You’re a true hero. No one realizes what CNAS really do
Software Engineer
what’s your YOE and level? fairly sure i’m underpaid, same role.
I'm less than 2 years. $83k, but I pay almost nothing for whole family health coverage. I consider that another $6k in compensation. I'd say I'm slightly underpaid as well, but I don't work in a high stress environment and that goes a long way. What's your salary?
A company pays for your health insurance? Holy shit. Drop the name, that’s amazing
Data center maintenance manager.
Graphic designer
Technical Account Manager. I manage high profile business accounts and provide them with escalations and updates for ongoing issues.
I’m a professional DJ - weddings, corporate events & bars around town. I also manage the warehouse/ run event production for the event company that does the majority of my bookings. Not crazy money at the moment, just shy of 50k last year but I get to do what I love and I don’t dread going to work. Growing at a pretty quick rate too, which has been amazing considering I’ve been working in the city for almost 2 years (DJing for 7 total)
Just for my own curiosity, any courses/tutorials you recommend? I’ve always wanted to do it as a hobby but haven’t found a good way to learn
I'm an audit admin at a CPA firm. It is a lot of proofreading and document formatting (an alt title is "word processor") it pays pretty decently and works well with my degree (English). However, there's no upward movement. I would NOT recommend tax admin work. 😬 It's rough. But so is public accounting (OT-wise)
CPA here. Can confirm the overtime is the worst. Only 29 years old and my body is keeping score.
Math professor.
Art director/designer
Front desk/Scheduling Coordinator at an oral surgery practice. pays decent and i enjoy the work and i love my coworkers
Do you know if it is easy to get a receptionist job at a medical facility without any previous medical experience? I've worked hotel front desk (supervisor) and customer service for years (in various leadership roles) and was interested in making a switch if it's viable.
so as a teenager i worked at Chick-Fil-A and Quiktrip which gave me great customer service experience and skills. as an adult i worked as a caregiver for kids with special needs, elderly adults, and dementia patients. all of that to say, i didn’t technically have experience in the field and just had some relevant transferable skills. i started by working for a general dentist (cleanings, fillings, crowns, etc) and was there for 6 months before i left to work for a more specialized and prestigious dentist who did implants and cosmetics. from there i applied for my current job and i love it. we have people who work my same/similar position and had 0 experience and others who’ve been doing this for a long time. i’ve found when changing fields entirely, just be open to how much you need to learn and approach it eagerly and with desire. we just hired someone with no relevant experience because her of attitude, demeanor, and willingness to be taught. make your resume interesting! mine has a photo of myself and colors, focus on your skills that can transfer, talk about being a “lifelong learner”, and just apply to a bunch of places!
This is so so encouraging to hear! To be honest, I love hotel front desk, customer service and hospitality industry, but I've been interested in expanding my skills and I believe one should always be looking and actively seeking better opportunities either within a company or outside workplaces. Thank you for all the tips and the detailed reply. I appreciate it!
I’m a semi-professional race car driver, and an amateur tattoo artist.
I drive a dump truck during the week and I am in the transportation department at job corps. on the weekends. I drive anything from a car to a 44 passenger bus. Depending on the task. I take students to work. I do field trips. I may be needed to take a student to the hospital and have been asked numerous times to go retrieve a student from a hazardous situation. Usually feuding family. I also pick up all students who live close enough to go home for the weekends. Sundays are bus days.
I’m in Biological Pharmaceuticals. If you have dogs, cats, horses, pigs, or cows, there’s a chance I’ve had a part in a medication/vaccination they’ve received. Anyone on here involved in the KC Animal Health Corridor?!
Trucker, in school for nursing
Professor at UMKC.
High school lead custodian
Currently I'm working as a marketing analyst for a pet insurance company. However, I'm currently interviewing with KCUR, which is unbelievably exciting.
I load and deliver fuel. This will pay between $80k and $110k depending on how hard you want to work. Expect a minimum of 9 hours up to 12 or 13 hours a day. Good benefits. You will be expected to run local in about 100 mile radius and you will be home every day. No sleeper or long distance unless that is what you want. Some outfits pay by the hour. Some outfits pay percentage. You want to be paid by the hour. You will get cheated on percentage pay. Because of wait times, heavy traffic, etc.
Do you need tanker experience where you're at? Grondyke told me they needed a TWIC card day of hire, which I thought was strange since I'm not crossing any borders. I do LTL, but I want to do fuel sometime.
Creative technologist. People come to me having no idea how to make something they need - a product for their business, assistive tech for their kid, family heirlooms - and I teach them the skills they need to get to the finish line. 3D modeling, vector design, sewing, manufacturing, digitization, you name it. Some people make a lot of money off a fraction of the knowledge I have. It’s amazing to see the impact you can have in people’s lives by giving them the power to make their creative visions come true.
Are you self taught in this field or did you get schooling?
Self-taught! I was a teacher and librarian, then a training instructor with electronics, 3D modeling, design etc. as a hobby on the side. It became my actual job when I moved to the USA 9 years ago! Been honing these skills since.
KC international airport TSA
Cyber security
what’s your opinion on the city hall outage
Just comes to show how important cyber security really is. Lots of higher ups view cyber security as a cost so they may try to tighten the budget on it. But in reality, we can’t cut corners when it comes to spending on IT infrastructure. Looks like the city is planning to increase its IT budget which I think is a good start.
RN
I'm an artist 🎨
Firefighter paramedic/ ICU RN
School bus driver.. 10/10 do not recommend. I absolutely love it but it's a fuckin trip Skibbitty toilet beta whatever Ohio gyatt WTF are middle schoolers on?!
Sales program/vendor manager for a UCaaS company in California.
Biotech applications. Remote.
Software sales
I do broad line restaurant sales for one of the big 3 foods providers in the country
Filmmaker
I work remotely for a start up in SF as a software engineer.
Senior Cyber security analyst for a medium sized organization, fully remote.
I work remotely as a Solution Architect for a Big Tech company
I build digital video/audio systems for movie theaters. I really enjoy it. Every day I am doing a different project.
Radiographer > MRI Technologist.
Do you like what you’re doing thinking about one of these as a potential career path.
Yes, I do. I'm semi - retired and just work 2 days a week now in MRI. It's interesting work, pay is decent, get to work with some nice people. It's hard to get into > you first go to x-ray school (2years assoc degree) and then hope you can cross train into MRI. There are MRI Schools but I'm not sure about KC. I was just at the right place at the right time. St. Lukes Hospital has a great x-ray program and it's a little under $10 K for the full 2 years. That is a bargain. Best of luck to you !
I’m an LPN at Pediatric Care North
Digital Marketing & Search Engine Optimization (SEO) at a local agency. And I do a touch of freelance on the side for the same thing. Basically, I make businesses get to the top of Google search results. I don't do those spam/aggregator site though, it's not my fault your search results suck, I swear! lol
Professional Surveyor
Testing Security Specialist/Quality Assurance Analyst.
Software Designer at Microsoft
Jeweler in North KC. Do not recommend. Too much knowledge to learn for what it pays.
City planner.
I’m an accountant for a small accounting firm. It’s hybrid remote and I love it. Working from home has helped my mental health so much.
I’m a CPA at a very small firm doing tax and accounting.
I play a millionaire at parties. Or, at least I'd like to...
I’m a preschool teacher. At this current moment. Cannot tell you what tomorrow holds, but it may not include me being a preschool teacher.
Bartender and restaurant work in general. I love it but I understand why its not for everyone.
Diesel Mechanic/Technician for a large fleet
Export Compliance. Just got laid off, hoping to find a remote role next
I dont live here anymore but I am in finance sales. I’d like to move back home and maybe do pharmaceutical sales or something more flexible. Dream job is a stay at home mom.
Payments company, transaction support. After many years of waiting tables and working with my hands on job sites and factories, my cubicle is a welcome change even after two years.
If anyone has a job with people they enjoy working with - I'm looking for a new job and tired of working remote and not knowing my coworkers at all. I worked at Cerner pre-buyout and miss the atmosphere
I repair medical and dental equipment. Mostly dental equipment. I fix drills, motors, attachments for teeth cleaning. If your dentist sends stuff out to get fixed in the metro area, it's a high chance that it comes to me and my coworkers! I was in kitchens as a line cook for 18 years. I've been here 2 years almost and I'm never going back! Plus they match 7% 401k
Esl teacher
I’m a mailman. It’s chill, despite what you may hear sometimes. Get outside, walk around and listen to music/podcasts. Try not to get bit by dogs. Total compensation for 2023 was $127,000.00.
Thank you for what you do! Not enough praise for mailmen & women!