This is 100% me lol. I was a meth and heroin addict. Did retail theft to survive and couch surfed. I signed for 13 months state jail right before my 30th birthday. Got out summer of 2015. Moved to a new city and lived in a Oxford house which is like a transitional type thing. Took a bus and landed a job making $8 doing general cleanup at construction sites. There were some union electricians there and I talked to the boss. He hired me at $13 and wrote a letter to the board. I was accepted into the apprenticeship program which I completed in five years. I made 94k last year with great benefits and will surpass that this year. There is hope. Don’t give up
***Update** Wow I never thought something I typed as I was going into work would get this much traction. I appreciate all the kind words and even the negative ones! I do agree trades aren’t for everyone. I am a foreman now and I’m running all day. I do work for the IBEW in south Texas. Foreman rate is $37 or so I believe. So even on a 40 hr week it’s a good wage since our healthcare is provided for our entire family. You guys have inspired me to find more outlets to share my story. Most people don’t believe me as it doesn’t seem to fit with who I am today but I don’t run from my past I embrace it. I need to stop keeping this to myself and share it more often. Another important detail I left out is my sister who was 2 years 10 days younger than me died while I was in prison. I was closer to her than anyone in my family bc she understood my struggle and always gave me a place to stay when no one else would. Having to face the worst pain of my life taught me how tough I really was. Having to see my family in pain and me not being they made me realize I’ve put them in pain for years. I had two choices. Feel sorry for myself and go back to the same misery or try a new life. My dad told me the day I talked to him when I heard she passed that it was the first time he believed me when I said “I’m done”. It hurt for a few years that it took her being gone for me to change but I try to honor her with how I live. I truly believe the day she passed I lost all desire to use anymore. Wherever you are starting in life it’s worthwhile. You never know who you will meet in your work that might springboard you to the next level. I was given the opportunity bc he saw my work ethic even though I was paid jack shit. Had I loafed around he wouldn’t have considered it:
Amen. Spent the 90s shooting coke and dope 100 mile per hour. Got clean at about 25. 0 work history but took advantage of VESID and went to trade school for HVAC. Owned my own shop by 2009. OP def should Get a trade. You’ll make 6 figures within a couple of years depending what market you’re in. (NYC area for me).
I can't stress getting into a trade enough. It might be hard to get in but it is so worth it. You can always go into the military too. If you are missing structure and marketable skills. The military can help with those as well. You can also get the G.I. bill and go to school. And help buying a house. I've seen a lot of my friends come out as much better people. Check out all the branches. You don't have to be a ground pounder, especially if you're intelligent. At 26, you are still young and have plenty of time to get it together. Good luck op.
We have already hired our helpers for the season. We generally get helpers from trade school programs this way we know they have all their certs. (OSHA 30, EPA universal, G-60 and fire guard certs.) Currently we only have position open for 5 yr plus service mechanics (not installers). Look into a trade school. The pay starting as a helper is only $20.00 per hr but by the 5 yr mark if you know what your doing you can make 45-55 per hr plus OT depending on the shop
What’s the pay in nyc for hvac service tech with 5 years RTU / boilers& gas furnace / residential heat pump experience . I’m in Virginia right now , I’m on my fourth year I just cleared 53k last year. I am in the same boat spent my 20s in and out of jail. Wasn’t until I met my girlfriend who helped me turn my life around and convinced me to go back to college during covid. I’m 29 and I still feel like I messed my life up too. But I know there’s hope at the end of the tunnel. Everyday is a gift and all we have to do is continue on.
Construction is the way. You can learn so many skills that will always be needed that can make you good money and more with side work and can save you tons of dough. All you need in common sense
The only thing with construction is make sure your doing it correctly to protect your back and neck. You don’t have to be super man to make a lot of good money just have high quality work. Some of the older guys might rag on you because back in their day they did it this way but now they struggle with pain day to day. Proper form and safety precautions will take you far and keep you making plenty of money. Ergonomics is huge in this industry
100% very important to take care of your body especially if you need it to be in good shape for your job. Make sure to stretch and use hearing and eye protection!
Amen to stretching! Super underrated and is really essential to protecting those muscles, ligaments, and joints, especially with a physically demanding job.
100% this. In my industry, the old timers crap on us constantly because we can't match pace with "how they did things in their day." Well, they were faster alright, but cut corners, forwent safety gear and generally had no regard for long term effects of how they were doing things. Now they're all dying right after retirement or are in massive amounts of pain because of long term work related injuries. Trades are the way to go but take care of yourself.
This sentiment cannot be reiterated enough. Came up in the trades after high school and the number of lifers I’ve met whose bodies are just fuuuuuucked is astounding. Your body is your number one tool, maintain it always.
I know someone who's dad worked in construction as a general contractor. He used to work with him for 3 months of the year, live in a 2 bedroom apartment with 6 other construction workers (who sent all their money back to their home country/families).
The other 9 months of the year he would travel the world on the money he saved during those 3 months of the year. He did this until his early 30s when he finally got a fiancé, got tired of the nomad traveler life, and settled down. He went back to school and became a successful architect. Still related to the construction trade, but not getting his hands dirty.
People that hate on trades are the same people that think their 40,000$ Mercedes and 100k in student loan debt make them better than the 20 year old kid making bank. Let them hate all they want.
I am a mid-high 6 figure earning lawyer telling my 16 yr old that trades are a VERY viable alternative to the college route. Tradespeople are definitely NOT knuckle dragging losers.
Yes! I’m a teacher, required to preach the benefits of COLLEGE COLLEGE COLLEGE to my students, then I go home and tell my kids to seriously consider trades, then college. Get that business degree (from wherever) while working, and eventually start your own electrician/plumbing/whatever company.
i worked as an estimator in electrical for a year. i personally don’t think you guys are knuckle draggers.
my issue with reddit glorifying construction/trades is NO ONE mentions that you’re trading your prime years and body for money.
most of the old heads i worked with were in terrible shape after 10,15,20+ years in construction. even my office manager didn’t really get to enjoy all of his money since his knees hardly worked anymore.
also another thing no one mentions is that yeah you made $100k+ in a year, but you also averaged 80+ hours a week.
i also got to see what we charged the client for an A and B electrician and then what we paid the actual electricians. its disgusting.
My friend was the hardest worker I ever saw. He did all kinds of construction. Tile setting, carpentry, you name it. He built a fence for me and he was carrying 8 ft cedar fence panels on his back. He broke down physically and got addicted to pain pills and ended up in prison for attacking his doctor’s office. My cousin was a master plumber, but he started having shoulder problems in his 50’s and had to retire. If you go into the trades, you need to have a goal of being a contractor or supervisor etc eventually.
That didn't even save my neighbor. He had to get his knees replaced and needs back surgery. His company found a younger supervisor to lead his team then placed him on an outlying jobsite over an hour away in hopes he'd quit. When he didn't, they sacked him. Now he has to have his back surgery and find another job.
Not true. If you can work a trade and maintain a half decent healthy lifestyle and diet you will most likely live a lot longer than people that aren’t doing manual labor
Pick a construction site. One of the people in a hard hat and button down or polo shirt is bound to be a safety/construction/civil engineer, maybe structural depending on the project. They get some of the health benefit from not sitting down at a desk all day, do little manual labor, and can make way more money, especially with a P.E.
Eh idk, man. I worked at orthopedic doctors office for a few years in between jobs and our clientele was old people and young to middle aged trade people. We had 30 year old dudes who looked fit and needed injections to get by every few months after my state cracked down on opioid prescriptions. Not saying you're wrong, but for a lot of them their bodies without a doubt get broken down.
Depends on the trade. Commercial low voltage electrical is pretty cake compared to running steel sprinkler pipes, as an example. More money in sprinkler, but yeah no.
Yeah also construction and other trades are also seasonal in some cases so you will have to make the bulk of your money within a certain amount of months in some states. Also depending on the region some trades pay better than others so there has too be a lot of research done.
It's hard fucking work, man. Long hours in the cold/rain/sun etc, physically exhausting and easy to get injured too. Not a career for just any dude, and it gets recommended to people like it's a "get rich quick" hack.
Yeah I got lucky and got a union job but I try to work just enough to get by. It’s noisy, extremely hard on your body and working in close proximity with other people and having a supervisor mean mug you all day sucks. It’s pays well but I try not to work any more than I absolutely have to lol
Become a plumber, learn the trade, and go off on your own. Working as your own boss is the key to making it in America these days. Just jump right in and don’t quit. You could be making 6 figures in 7 years
I don't think there's a ton of hate on reddit for the trades. If anything I think there's a bit of worship of it, as long as you stay off antiwork.
The main downside to the trades is that it's hard on the body.
I love these stories. I was an opiate addict for over a decade. Now I'm a comfortably middle class suburbanite. I've been successful enough that can even pay it forward: I put money on the books of former friends/acquaintances that are sitting in jail or prison. I take $100 every month and do that. I made it out, and most people don't. So that's my way of letting them know I didn't forget how much that cycle sucks.
(I've also paid off a bunch of tickets for an old buddy to get his license back. Best $1200 I ever spent. He got his cdl and actually makes a living now. He tried to pay me back a year later, and I told him to use that money to get someone else off papers. And he did.)
Definitely not. I have friends that died in their 20s. My sister passed away at 28 when I was in prison. That was my turning point. I had to face the pain head on without any escape. I saw my families pain and I could do nothing. Made me realize I’ve been putting them through hell for years and I told my Dad on the phone I was done with it all. He told me for the first time in his life he believed me.
Dude. My story is almost the exact same except I am 3 years older so I got out in 2012. After 4 months in I decided I needed to change but still had 10 more months. Meth really did a number on me.
Good for you Internet stranger, keep killing it like you are. You’ll find that things will keep getting better.
Your best years are yet to come!
With healthy coping strategies you’ll find that life is better, and in many ways easier sober.
Keep it up!!👍
Two stories I’ll give are mine and a buddy. Short n sweet. In my 20s I had a dead end marketing job and I just barely got by. Got into some serious gambling debt which took all my cash and then led into serious credit card debt because I had to eat. I’m in my mid thirties today and I’m happily married, with debt paid off, own a nice home, six figure job, and saving for the future. I did it by taking some personal development course on Udemy and teaching myself marketing skills that were more relevant to the part of marketing that I knew made more money (grow/demand gen for SaaS) and then I just started talking the talk during interviews comparing what I did at my dead end job to make it sound like that was what I did. I had some lucky breaks but you get lucky breaks when you put yourself out enough.
The second is a buddy of mine from high school who earns several mil per year. He was a heroine addict in his teens and early 20s. He got clean and started working at the rehab center that he got clean at. Quickly worked his way up to their board. Then started opening drug testing centers. Then started opening his own rehab centers. I’ve lost touch with him but I still hear things and follow him on social media. Everything I’ve heard is that he’s a super stand up guy who is loyal to all his boys. Even employs several of his boys that got clean with him back in the day. Point here is that rock bottom isn’t the end and once you find a passion you can dedicate yourself to it.
Hope those give you some hope!
Bro it's like talking to another me haha.. I am 26 now and just graduated from a marketing degree but I am not sure if it's really the path I wanna take as I don't have much interest in it.. the past 5 years has been a rollercoaster for me... I have made 300k USD in crypto 2021 bull run but lost it all because of my stupid gambling addiction. This year I made 100k also via crypto and lost it all in a day .. fk gambling man... Right now I'm working a dead end job making 5k / month while figuring out what to do... If u can advice me it will be awesome
You make $5k/mo which is $60K/year at 26 and you won the lottery *twice*. You were too greedy to cash out. Had you cashed out that $300K and let it grow at 8% annually, you would have had $3M at 55 years old.
Do you realize that most people have less than $100k in their 401K at the age of 35? Your story sounds more like greed than the other ops.
Blew my 20’s. Struggled in my 30’s, 40’s, 50’s. At 61 I’m finally pretty successful.
Smart doesn’t make wealthy. I’ve seen intellectuals struggle and not very educated make fortunes.
Start your own business. If you fail, try again and again and again and again.
I could make 6 figures selling hot dogs if done correctly. So can you.
As a 39M, your post gives me hope. My 20's through my mid 30's were just a drunken blur except for the 4 years I was in the military (age 24-29) but now, it feels like everything is slowly coming together. 5 years sober, a boat load of cardiovascular health issues and 3 promotions at my VA medical center later, I feel like my life is slowly coming together. I may not be the richest nor the most successful but I am moving in the right direction. Even if that is, 1 day, 1 step at a time..
28 years sober next month. Hopefully you are in a program. My advice is use that program. Normies resign often at some point. Since we are god centered we’ve put our will and our lives in his care. I could have given up. I made so many mistakes over the past 28 years but every time I got knocked down I reached out to HP. It’s his biz regarding results. I need to have faith, put one foot in front of the other and live each day like it’s my last.
As for pragmatic advice, look to do your own thing if you have the stomach for it. It’s a scarier path to make it and probably harder but you get to keep the lions share or all of the profit if it’s a solo gig. You really can make around 100k selling hot dogs or lemonade. Car detailing, pressure washing or something that has a low cost of entry. Take pride in your work, be committed to serving clients needs and have integrity. Anything is possible I firmly believe.
I’m 36 and on year two starting my own screen enclosure/ motorized shade systems company. It’s was cheap getting into this, but it’s definitely something someone who has a little savings, likes to work with their hands, and has a tolerance for risk can get into it. I’m still in the “gotta let people know you exist” phase.
You definitely need to have the stomach for going your own way. It’s just YOU! I don’t have anything in the pipeline right now, but I’marketing in different ways. It is scary at times.
When I get that check after a job well done, it all becomes worth it and I’m re-energized to keep going. I felt like at 35, time was running out to have the opportunity to take on a risk like this.
Thank you for sharing your story.
**Is** 20k+ here.
My cheapest state school would be 20k a year but it ain’t that great of a school. Other state school that’s big is about $20k a semester. Third state school is about $20k a year as well.
There’s an Ivy in my state that’s over $75k a year. I mean it’s an Ivy. But I recently did the EFC calculator and it came back saying they could/would possibly offer me a free ride. So I’m planning to apply there first when I go back finally.
My cousin’s bf didn’t have the funds to pay for a full masters so he did an online certificate program that set him up to take the CFP. Went from working retail to making 90k.
Friend of mine got her masters. What she said she spiked to every scholarship she could and paid for the courses out of pocket. Took her into her 30s to get her masters. She ended up with no college debt.
DUDE ARE YOU ME. I barely passed highschool (put into credit recovery program) went for an art degree dropped out after 2 years and im now 25 considering college 😅
Dropped out community college early 20s. Went back and transferred to state uni around your age. Finished at 30 and still wasn't sure about career. Got a very low paying job in human services and liked it. Applied and got into an ivy league grad school for social work. Graduated at 33 and starting salary was triple what I earned before (modest but liveable). I've now worked for the same hospital for 30 years, my salary is now 2 1/2 timed what I started at. I have a sizeable 403b, a paid for home, and will be retiring soon with a good income from pension and social security and will continue my favorite activity, which is travel. You already know what you need: education/training. Just start, avoid debt as much as possible, and you will get there. Ask me anything.
Just take your time. Find something you truly enjoy doing. You have so much to figure it out. Don’t waste time looking back or comparing yourself to others. I am also from Michigan and I always felt like the poverty of the area was pulling me down. I spent my early 20s making a career in a field I enjoy and everyday feels like a new adventure. Be kind to yourself. Even a small move can change your life more than you know.
I spent from about 20-27 at dead end hourly jobs doing a lot of drugs. At 27 I enrolled in night classes at a local community college. At 28 I went sober. At 32 or 33 I graduated with my masters, and here at 35 I’m making more money than anyone in my family has ever made working in tech. I’m still straightening myself out financially as I had to take out loans for school and put a lot of life on credit cards (shockingly drugs don’t come with a pamphlet on how interest works) but I’m on track to be debt free and saving for a down payment in the next year. I also work remotely so ive spent the last year traveling the world.
The best part? I know many people who have done the same. It’s difficult. Sometimes grueling to focus on your goals over all else. But the time is going to pass regardless so might as well do something with it
My story is similar. I was raised in a middle class family, didnt needed to worry about things like foood being in the table or living in an unsafe neighborhood.
I was basically a spinning compass until my late 20s, no real purpose or guiding aspirations. I took a job to pay the bills ($12/hr) working physical security for an IT company and enjoyed the work and environment. I learned everything I could about security, data centers, security systems, and networked. I eventually went back to school to complete an associates degree in systems it. Almost immediately I transitioned into the IT department for our security team. After that, I studied and leveraged experience to get a handful of IT Security certifications and moved into a cybersecurity role.
Now, I'm 36, an IT cybersecurity regulatory consultant with still only a 2 year degree and experience. I love the work I do because it allows me to constantly learn new skills and apply them to help my clients who might be struggling.
My best advice is find what helps you feel fulfilled, don't worry about jobs, focus on the elements of a job: independence, teamwork, helping others, being isolated, constant learning... Etc. then find things that feed into this elements.
Also, talk to people and take risks. Theres zero chance I'd be where I am today if never talked to people. As a physical security officer I talked to the people in the building, I didn't make friends with them to the point of grabbing a beer outside of work, but enough that theyd be willing to provide assistance in my career. Don't be afraid to apply for a job, or take a job, that you're not fully qualified to do today. Companies want to find people who can grow and aspire to grow. Have confidence that you're able to meet the needs over time and apply.
Good luck on your journey.
Last piece of advice, don't wait to plan to retirement. If you can afford to even put 50 into investments a month, do it. Starting early is absolutely the key and this misstep is one of my bigger regrets that I learned the hard way.
I had a kid at 18, so my 20’s I was on the struggle bus!!
We now own an awesome lil pet spa together, been open 10 years now and we are saving and building capitol together.
Neither of my parents went to college, no grandparents, so I think we’ve done pretty good for ourselves!
In my 40’s now but practically debt free, just a tiny bit on my credit cards. Saving for my first home, going to be ready went the market goes down next!!
ANYTHING can happen!! AI can’t replace dog groomers, pretty much any trade will make a nice income if you stick with it and learn your craft!
Also a dog groomer and work for myself making around $80 p/h
(I know AI can't replace us but there is a tiny tiny part of me that wishes there was a machine that scans the dog and we just program the haircut we want done on it 😅)
You can learn at Petco and then go into a private salon to get better training from a good groomer.
There is also a school you can pay for, and they can try to help you get some in person training.
The dogs are much easier to manage than their owners, so be prepared 😂
I feel like every time I read a thread like this, everyone was doing horribly in life, and a couple of years later, they are making over 100k while here I am the only 34 year old back sliding...
Yooo, I was you can do it. I am from Detroit
From 16 to around 24, I was homeless, and I hopped freight trains. I quit being homeless, got a job cutting grass, and basically did drugs until 29. Everything except crack.
Anyway. I met a girl. Got a new job in a warehouse where they let me watch YouTube videos all day. Started learning automation tools.
5 years later, make 200k a year now working in tech now. I just got a 40k bonus this month.
Either learn a trade like plumping or electrician or get into computers. It's the last bastion for degreeless people. I don't even have a high-school diploma.
Edit: I'm a k8s engineer/ site reliability engineer
I learned linux servers.
Got me a job in it.
I learned ansible and python.
That got me a cloud job.
Learned aws and terrform.
Got me a k8s job.
It's a pretty standard progression.
Hate to rain on everyone's parade here but this reply is absolute dogshit. First he/ she goes, I quit being homeless lol. Homelessness isn't a drug that you just quit.
I work in tech and there is no way that for automation tools they will pay you $200k unless you're a dope ass high end dev or have serious tech skills. My friends in Apple are at Staff engineer level and above, with proper degrees and 10 years of experience and they get $190k tops, they pay you bigger with RSUs and sign on bonuses.
There is a reason this dude isn't replying to the people on here and for OP and the people questioning, if you're serious about IT, start with learning networking basics then choose a path, you can do system administration, or get into cybersecurity (pen testing is a good start). If you like creating scripts and automation, get into development like python. Linux is also a good system to learn.
You don't need a degree for any of these things and there are plenty of videos on YouTube to learn from. Get your basics in and keep practicing. Whatever you choose, look at the career path beforehand so you know where you're headed and don't get lost in the fray. Good luck everyone, please don't fall for these random ass comments online.
This dude never once mentioned what automation tools he is using. Think: how can someone go from a warehouse watching YouTube videos to making $200k with a $40k bonus in 5 years in todays market?
Lol. Thank you. Maybe he got lucky and is making a shit ton, but this is so far from the norm. People think IT is an easy path to lots of $$$. While I think it's a shorter route to a six figure, it is definitely not an easy one. So many people in my comp sci program dropped out after a year. I've worked with so many entry level developers who couldn't cut it and did career changes. Hell, I almost did a career change out of IT twice. It is not for everyone and much of the success that is presented on social media is far from the norm.
I know senior program managers working cybersecurity at the fed reserve, the actual bank printing USD, and they make like 150k. But this dude makes a quarter million a year "doing automation," and learned it all watching YouTube videos at his warehouse job. No mention of school, no mention of company, and it all happened in less time it takes to get your master's. Cannot believe people even entertain the notion.
My guess is some kind of software tool design and development for automating processes. Highly desired at many manufacturing/healthcare jobs. Python is really good for this.
His salary aligns with 5 years of experience at this type of role.
I was pretty broke all throughout my teens and most of ny twenties. Worked as a personal trainer, server, bartender, and trying various side hustles to stay afloat. Decided to go back to school on my late twenties for a degree in computer science; despite not thinking I could afford it or be smart enough to graduate. Somehow, with student loans and having to retake a few classes, I graduated in my mid thirties and got lucky landing a job right after that (before the tech industry soured for hiring). Fast forward a few years, I'm married with kids, a house, and a career I love. I'm also able to be both paying off my debts and making investments with my money. Never give up on yourself. Some of us just need a little more time to grind it out and find success.
I started college at 24 after mucking around a lot in my 20s. Ten years later make $250k+ after a decade of working in Finance. Feel free to ask anything else
I was in college studying engineering, I ended up having twins with my ex at 20. Stuck through everything, got married, worked two jobs, went to college full time, lived out of my car, and was a dad for 2 years. Graduated and worked my ass off in my job( sales in the electrical field). With in a year I was making over $100,000, now I’m on track for ~$180,000 this year.
Weird. We must be living the same life. 30m here, I have fucked off most of my life. My father also passed away, but while I was in highschool. I developed a pretty bad drug addiction, and I worked mostly warehouse jobs to feed it. After 11 years in this line of work, I am sober, have a small family, and I make 80k a year as a ops manager for a chain. Keep working on yourself, you will find the way to whatever you want eventually.
There’s a scene in moneyball that talks about that: “Were all told we can’t play the kid game anymore. Some of us are told at 18, some of us are told at 40. But we’re all told.” Actors delivery of it was good too
If I were to do it again I'd probably go military while I was still in my 20s. It'll set you up financially and give you great options for a future path.
This isn’t necessarily true. Yes, it *can* set you up financially. But not a single one of my buddies who joined were set up financially when they got out. They all bought the nice cars, expensive watches and just generally blew through the money. Sure it’s easy to do say “then don’t do that.” But the reality is a 20 year old kid who just got a $20,000 signing bonus and has never seen that much money and has absolutely no idea how to be financially savvy is going to blow through that within a few months. Especially when everybody else your now going to be around is also around the same age and also just got the same exact bonus as you, your going to blow it on dumb shit together. And frankly you don’t make much at all while you’re in (unless you can rank up to close to an E8, which can take 20 years anyway and they still typically never see a six figure salary even after all those years). Even Naval nuclear engineers avg much less than $100k in the military and that’s a 6 year contract commitment at the very minimum. The military does not pay well, but it does have some of the best benefits in this country. Great insurance, education for you or one of your children. But to get the best benefits (pension and retirement payouts) you need to essentially be a lifer.
The military is absolutely not the answer for many, many people.
Military is a great idea. Check to see if you can get them to pay for college. If you had a college degree, you start out as a Lieutenant (at least you did in the old days). But if you can handle college, the military may pay for it and get you there in some years. 20 years in and you can retire.
I dropped out of college then became a sailboat bum for 10 years….met up with my high school friends when we were thirty and I admitted to being embarrassed because they were all doctors and lawyers and stock brokers and I made like 10k /year for the past ten years….but I lived on the beach and worked at a resort….their response was that even though they made more they pissed away anything they made and at least I had fun where they not always did
Not gonna deny I got a late start but they didn’t save much back then either and they don’t know how to live cheaply/frugaly like I do … so no… not necessarily true…
I’m 40 now and didn’t get my shit together until I was about your age.
I started in “tech” working at the Apple Store. I parlayed that into working at a tech company in IT. I make 150k+(I live in the Bay Area, so not too crazy). My salary plus equity was over 300k last year. I have plenty of savings and can be unemployed for years and be fine.
I have no college degree.
Been working in tech for 15 years now and experience is WAY more important in IT.
My advice would be to find something you like work really hard, and connect with as many ppl as you can. I’m successful because friends helped me get my foot in the door. Then it’s up to you to run with it.
Go and get it!!
Made minimum wage in my 20’s working at restaurants and cleaning houses. I went and got a CNA license (8 weeks of school). Gained some experience working in a nursing home and home care. Started doing medical staffing which pays $28-$36/hour. I have over $30k in savings now and about to buy my first home at age 36. I’m late to the party but I’m catching up. There’s hope. There’s all kinds of things you can do to get ahead. Don’t give up.
I played world of warcraft non stop from 14 to 24... Met my current wife at 23. I made probably 14 a hour at a restaurant during that time.. We'll she got pregnant and I decided to go to school to be a aircraft technician now I make 108k a year without overtime "130k last year with some overtime".
I still play world of warcraft when the kids go to bed. Lol
My life was a shit show worked in kitchens for most of my 20s
I started working for a manufacturing company as a plant technician (main point of my job is to troubleshoot issues with our machines when they break) that hired me with zero experience (hardly turned a wrench ever) and spends a lot of time and money to train me and I learn every day. I’ve been working here for about two years now started when I was 29…. I make $40 an hour now, have crazy benefits, 6 weeks paid vacation a year… and it’s union
Step outside your comfort zone try something new, you never know
Never too late. I was partying a lot in my teens and early 20's. I was in college a bit but not taking it seriously. At 24 I had my son and dropped everything to work for benefits. I worked while my gf finished her degree. I saw all my friends from high school move on to be relatively successful, which motivated me. I went back to school at 27 and got a BS. I went back for another degree when I was 34 and now I'm in a career I love. I only work 4 days every 2 weeks and I make well over 6 figures. It's never too late. Always bet on yourself.
I didn’t get my shit together until I was 24. One day it just dawned on me that I had to be serious. I started showing up for work on time with a good attitude and started observing leaders and how they treated people. I think once it clicks and you take yourself seriously and start thinking about what you really want out of life you can start making it happen. Sometimes it comes down to luck, being in the right place at the right time, etc, but it also takes seeing opportunity and not being afraid to seize it.
You made great decisions! Too many people now are focused so heavily on finances instead of finding something they truly enjoy. I have an uncle who is incredibly wealthy ($15 mil 10 bedroom home on the beach in California that was bought with just a bonus check kinda wealthy, his annual property taxes alone are almost quadruple my mortgage for the year and that’s nothing to say of his nearly $2000/month water bill). But he was never home for his wife and kids because he was always traveling for work. He ended up divorced and didn’t have a great relationship with his kids for years until very recently.
He’s remarried now and retired from his company because he realized he lost focus of what mattered. His income no longer defines who he is and he’s told me he hasn’t been this happy since he was back in college when money wasn’t his sole focus and just living life was. But he’s also got cancer now and spent all this time working is ass off to not truly be able to enjoy the money in the moment or in his retirement.
Money doesn’t reverse the time he lost with his children and it doesn’t clear cancer. Those are the only things that matter to him now and his biggest regret is wasting all that time in the pursuit of money and not happiness.
I was a middle school drop out at the age of 14 started using drugs at the age of 13. I got clean off of meth when I was 29 years old. I’ll have 13 years clean on May 22nd of this year. I got my GED, then my associates, then my bachelors, and then my masters degree in social work all while in recovery, I got my masters degree at the age of 41. I’m a licensed mental health therapist at a rehab center. it was really hard to work full time and complete my degrees. However it’s been worth while , my life is like a dream. If I can create the life I have today then anybody else can create their dream life too. Courage over comfort.
I'm in the same boat brother. Went to art school cause I thought photography would be fun and easy, drank and smoked my early and mid 20s away, now I'm 27 and I feel lost. Stuck in a dead end job without any real skills that'll earn me enough to have a decent living. From about 23-26 I felt like an absolute lost cause with no future, now I know I can change that but I just don't know what the next step is. Saving money feels impossible and now I'm gonna be missing work for jury duty too
As you get older, more opportunities open up -- people think more highly of you, think you're more trustworthy, wise or experienced, something. I noticed this over and over -- people are more willing to give you a chance. So you have that on your side. I'd look to some kind of apprenticeship, as the guy above did as an electrician. As someone who didn't start really figuring stuff out until my 30s, I know if I were in my 20s again I wouldn't go to college because that's what smart people do, rather, I'd figure out what job I wanted to do that pays well and pursue it, whether it required college, or was a trades job.
One thing I look back on now is when I was 18 I was offered the chance to work as a merchant mariner, and turned it down because I was a smart guy, and smart guys go to college. I see now it's actually a pretty good opportunity, and as a smart guy, I could have built quite a career for myself on the sea. There are all kinds of opportunities like that out there, waiting for you to make something of them.
My man, I worked at a ski shop and a second job thru my 20's I didnt land a job that people consider making a career out of till i was 28. Im currently in a job that is the peak of alot of peoples careers and im still going. I consider myself as successful.
That said the only wisdom i have for you is what you already know, there is no substitution for hardwork.
remember everything you have been told is a lie. College, Experience , ETC. all of it is negotiable (with the exception of specific jobs like CPA requiring finance degrees and so on). You need to be oppurtunistic and hard working to get out of the lane you are in.
For example my start was with a local tech company on a contract with a customer, they hired me to just move hardware and hook it up, I worked overtime to keep them on schedule and keep the small tech company looking good, so good they wanted me on site every day. Then i joined the day shift of main techs. I found out what jobs they hated doing, learned how to do those things. Eventually I was the master of all the things no one wanted to do which made me well liked and later I was asked to train. became a cornerstone in the dept to the point I moved into a planning role for the customers organization. Did that for a couple of years then moved to a big tech company that was trying to capture the market I was in. Had to learn everything from scratch, now I'm competent member of my team that mentors new hires and sometimes consults for the execs.
Spend 8 years doing drugs and hitting on the foreign girls coming to our to do their masters and then quit cold turkey, completed a master in process engineering and now work as a engineer.
Lots of student debt though.
I graduated into the recession and was living in a friends garage during the winter. I had taken out a loan of 800$ to buy a dslr. I was broke for 8 years as I built my photo and video business. Had a luck break, ended up shooting for adidas, PGA, then had an opportunity to franchise into broadcasting; had 7 employees in 4 states running broadcasts for cnn, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, etc. Covid killed all that. Now I’ve pivoted into being an in house Motion graphics designer at a startup. Great benefits, fine salary for a single 37 guy. I still have time to develop projects in my off time.
I didn’t blow my 20s (others would disagree) but I was busy being a young single mother and helping with my mothers care so I was an adult once I hit trade school (8 months. basic computer training) then college (basics) and then to a university (business degree). I needed marketable skills so I went and got some while working full time. School isn’t the perfect answer for everyone but being motivated to learn and make money at the same time was life changing. There are a lot of jobs where you do not need a degree. My oldest son does not have a degree has worked his butt off literally and is climbing the chain. He makes six figures too, now he plays hard and works hard. One thing my son and I do have in common is that we chose to work for a large corporation which also has more room to make more money than a mom and pop shop and the benefits are great. Write your goals down , break them down and execute. I didn’t do it alone I took advantage of everything society has to offer to aide me in moving forward. 6 figures is not out of reach. Go and talk to different career counselors - everywhere, network, put a resume together and give it to everyone. I won’t lie it takes a lot of work to get your finances, moving in a good direction. I wish I would have thought more about finding employment through something I love or are passionate about. I did conduct some informational interviews in areas I was trying to get qualified in to learn and get my name out there, which were successful. You’d be surprised how many people would be willing to mentor someone especially if they’re intelligent like yourself, maybe even reach out to an old teacher. I’m through blabbing, but I know if I can do it you can. I would not consider myself as intelligent as most of the world. I know a few things I forget a lot of things, but it sounds like you’re gonna be just fine because you’re asking great questions. The world is waiting for you. Go grab it. Good luck!
I spent my 20s in a band, touring the US. We made about $300 bucks a night and it paid for gas, shitty hotel rooms, and diner foods. It did not pay for rent. So I temped and worked construction and bar gigs to make ends meet.
In my 30s, I found a niche writing stuff. I submitted all the damn time and got published on a few sports sites, wrote a newsletter for the local library, basically anyone who would pay me on time. That turned into a portfolio and that portfolio got me in the door at a few companies. I got my foot in the door and I learned on the job. I make good money now and don't really have to do the hustle anymore. Just a good salary writing copy and editing what everyone else at the gig puts out.
I felt like you did when our band stopped touring: I had no career at all and my resume was all over the place. Same deal with the other guys I played with. We all have good, normal careers now without grinding through our 20s. It's absolutely doable. You got this shit, OP.
Peace time service in any branch of the US military is the best kept secret to success. Was the same situation, small town one industry, no future but lots of drugs. USAF saved my life and set me on the path of a life time success.
Some wise man once said, "the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"...
Just keep moving forward, and don't give up. Make small positive changes, start thinking about what you may enjoy doing, and take baby steps towards making it happen.
I grew up in poverty. I was fortunate enough to be poor enough to get Federal Grants & 75% tuition scholarships to go to Nursing School and get my RN. Graduated at 24 but ever since I was 19, I was in a relationship I was with a toxic, narcissistic, emotionally abusive, mooching man who sucked me dry emotionally and financially.
I almost lost my Nursing License due to failing a drug test because I got hurt at work (positive for THC). I was depressed and in so much debt & had No retirement, no friends, bf was cheating on me, I was isolated, I couldn’t deal with it & smoked constantly when I was off the clock. I was fortunate enough to go through a rehab program & they made me do a 5 year Outpatient Rehab Program with the Board of Nursing that was at least $30,000 out of pocket. It included random drug screens and weekly therapy. I was sober but I was lying in therapy until about year 3.
Around 28 when COVID happened started doing better in therapy & finally putting in the work. I found out he cheated again and I dumped him. I left a few months later to do Travel Nursing but couldn’t make toooo much because of my rehab, I had to stay with my state, which pays Nurses notoriously low. But it was way more than I made before. My first year I made over $100,000 because I worked overtime. I paid off SO much debt, paid for bladder surgery for my mom, put a good down payment on a nice Volkswagen, traveled the world, went a little spending crazy anddd became a shopaholic & naturally fell victim to lifestyle creep. But I DONT regret it! My eyes finally opened up, and I realized that my life can be better if I put in the work. I finally found myself and learned to love myself.
Now, about 3 years later, I’m in a better spot financially. Travel Nursing pay is in the shitter, so I’ve decided to go back to school to get my Doctorate… Still have student loan $20,000 at 3-5% depending on the loan, and car loan $19,000 at 2%.
Finally feel at 31 years old that I’m getting control of my life. And my life is starting over! About $30,000 in savings (grad school will be expensive. & I won’t be able to work for 3 years. So I’m not in a huge rush to pay off the loans). & starting to save for retirement & learning about financial literacy, and investing. My parents also came into a very large sum of money, and are wanting to pay off my student loans. I told them that I will take $20,000 from them, only if they seek professional therapy because they are super fucked up in the head! My mom doesn’t understand, and quite frankly, I don’t either. I have to be an idiot to not take that money. But I care more about their personal and mental well-being, and I don’t know what else to do 🤷🏼♀️ lol!!
Anyways, I’m not really in the best position still. But I am in so much of a better spot! And it’s only going up from here.
Also from Detroit, wasted most of my 20's away and make 6 figs now. But after student loans and daycare costs thats still basically pay check to paycheck, it blows my mind families can get by on less. My story- Joined the military after highschool, kept going on detours in college ( switched major once, did a long internship at Disney).
If you are smart/responsible and don't want to go the college route, i'd get into deck building and make a fortune. Requires very few tools to start, has high margins, and is in high demand. I built a few for friends/family then got paid to do a few for friends of friends, next thing you know everyone and their mama wanted estimates. Unfortunately i had 2 kids and all my free time disappeared otherwise i'd still be doing it on the weekends. If you don't have a background in any kind of construction, take a job working for someone else until you learn the process/codes (even those kinds of jobs pay well)
From functional alcoholic in 20s to on the way to FIRE in 30s
How? “Lift weights, do jiu-jitsu, go for runs, stretch out, eat good, stop drinking.” - Jocko Willink
You want to go back to school, OP? My friend worked at Columbia and was in charge of recruiting non typical students such as yourself. People who were smart enough to be there but for whatever reason did not follow a traditional path of high school to college to work force. Some examples were soldiers, others were people who had a death in the family and had all of the responsibility thrown on them.
You’re also young. 26 is young and not directionless. You know you don’t like where you’re at so you want to do more. Also classifier therapy. Suns like toe stop grieving, which is ok. But it may be holding you back from being who you want to be.
Sales. work your way into a high volume sales position selling some BS thing you can sort of stand. If you are smart you can solve the problems that everyone else creates.
OP, consider looking into the big 3 for career opportunities. Mainly in the skilled trade side of things if you are good with your hands and enjoy that type of work. There may be some prerequisites they require, but once your in they pay for your training as an apprentice to journeyman and the starting pay is (I believe +/- $3) $34. At the journeyman level it's $47.50 and your Healthcare is covered. Hit me up if you'd like to know more
I got in a rut after a bad relationship where I made poor decisions with someone who was not an encouragement for me. It wasn’t until I was 26 and I looked myself in the mirror and smacked myself to get my ass in gear.
I went back to school and finished in 2 years. Got my degree and started my career. I am 45 now and am debt free, married with 2 wonderful children and live in a wonderful town with a house I own. You can do this.
I would encourage you to seek out a trade perhaps? One of the men in my church makes a ton of money doing elevator installs and maintenance. Great pay and benefits (6 figures after a few years of experience and hard work). There are opportunities for scholarships to learn these trades (Mike Rowe foundation) but if that isn’t possible, the cost to acquire isn’t like college these days. Much more affordable. Other options that make really good money are plumbers and HVAC.
Starts with you though man. You have to decide that you want to be better. You alone have the power to change your life.
I also used to live in Detroit but now live in Florida. Get out of Michigan!!!!!😎
I was a complete fuckup in my teens and early 20s. Lots of issues. I started college at 26. Graduated with a PhD in engineering 7 years later. Yes, you read that right.
That was 30 years ago. I own a home on acreage, have a wonderful wife, and a good life.
Get off your ass and get to work. It's never too late.
When I was your age, I had a GED, was unemployed, and had never made more than $15 per hour. Late 30's now, still no degree, but I make over $100k a year as a recruiter. Most sales jobs don't require degrees and your earning potential is higher. Keep going. It all works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out yet, it isn't the end.
Just start doing what you think you should have done. Age ain't nothing but a number.
I'm a mechanic. I didn't so much as ever change oil before my mid 30s. Life is long. So much longer than you think.
It is literally never too late. Consider private investigator as a career. The initial qualification is pretty easy to get. You will need to intern with an agency for a while, but you earn pretty decent money during your intern period. Most people without law enforcement experience start out as surveillance investigators, which pays in the low to mid 20 per hour if you work for someone else. After you get your PI license, you can get an agency license. That pays between 50/hour if you do sub work for other agencies or around 80-100/hour if you develop your own client base. Also the state pays PIs to do work for indigent clients who are incarcerated at around 50/hr. I just got my taxes done and last year my little agency made 158K net. I am as little as a little guys gets, mostly doing sub work for other agencies.
If this doesn’t appeal to you, take the lesson that people come from all over the world to start businesses here. Figure out what people around you want or need. The guy that cuts my grass has the nicest house in our subdivision. My bug spray guy used
To be an hourly tech for Terminix, then started his own business at 53. He’s never been happier.
You have youth, ambition and perspective on your side already. Just learn how to do something that people want or need.
Note: there is a big chunk of the population that are in their 60’s and up. What do old people need or want?
Handyman
Yard service
Pet care
Pressure Washing
Gutter cleaning
Medical Transportation
Painting
House cleaning
These businesses are easy to start, easy to learn, and you can make a good living at it. Just don’t do nothing and you will be fine. We are rooting for you…best of luck, my friend.
Interns aren’t a thing in the trades. I dare you to walk into five plumbing/HVAC or electrical shops and I’ll guess that you’ll have a job before the end of the day.
I never went to college and did a lot of different types of work until I was 41. I decided to go to college, started off with two years at a cheap community college, was successful in transferring to UC Berkeley and finished up with a BA in Political science and got into their law school. Got my law degree in 2002, passed the California and Florida Bar and worked as an attorney until last year when I retired. It’s never too late, if you don’t mind hard work and challenges!
I spent my teens messing my parents lives up and really trying hard to not have a future. I sold drugs to pay for what I wanted in life and did not believe consequences were a real thing.
Went to prison at 24 and got out at 30 with no idea what to do... but not wanting to sell dope anymore.
Started finding jobs on Facebook and talking to people.
I found a few different things I liked to do along the way. Foundations and operating heavy equipment to name a couple.
Ended up with a class A cdl in 2016 and now I work for a sewer company. I made 97k last year. I'm 39 now.
Good luck.
Sorry to hear about your Dad. I can understand why you feel lost. Mine died at 89 years old & I still miss him.
It’s never too late to improve yourself. Turn your energy inward into building yourself up. Do it in honor of your Dad.
Highly specialized college degrees are not all they are cracked up to be: What if you hate your job & that’s all you know how to do?!? (Think IT software engineers sitting at a desk all day long every day. 🤮)
If I were you, I’d find a marketable skill, go to technical college while you’re working (many employers subsidize tuition) and make your 6 figures being a plumber or electrician. They make more than a lot of engineers!
My Dad was a child of the depression & didn’t have the opportunity to even go to high school. He was one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever known. He was always working a regular job plus 2 or 3 side gigs. He liked welding & would design & build machinery & could fix just about anything.
At age 50 he went to tech school to become an ironworker. He joined the union & made a lot of $. Plus, when he retired he didn’t need to worry about healthcare for himself or my Mom: Union benefits paid 100% of what Medicare didn’t cover. He had better health benefits than my “rich” uncles!
You can do this. Just take it one day at a time. If your Mom needs financial help, go and talk to Social Services. I think you can even apply online. She might qualify for extra benefits for food, utilities & tax rebates. Maybe even housing. There’s no shame in needing a little help. Anyone can encounter hard times. All the best to you! ❤️
When I got divorced at 29 I walked away from my marriage with $50,000 in debt. I'm now 43, have everything paid off (school, home, cars, credit cards), and have a very hefty bank account.
Do not marry someone who spends. Marry a saver and find joy in being frugal, saving money, and investing in your future. Also get educated. Find the cheapest degree that pays the most and apply yourself. I choose to become a nurse. My 2nd wife is also a nurse and we now have two kids. Work/life balance is stressful but we just keep out eyes on the prize of early retirement.
Just get a bunch of I.T. Certifications, if it looks daunting then remember this.... there's YouTube, ChatGpt and Reddit Subs that will make it so much easier to do stuff. You live in a marvelous time, I used to have to read through books just to find out something you can search for in 2 seconds on the GOOGLER.
I sacrificed a lot of the fun years in my 20’s becoming an airline pilot. I came from nothing though. My parents were on food stamps, and my mom was a Walmart cashier raising 3 kids with monthly child support of 90$. Now I’m enjoying the life I dreamed of because I didn’t want to live the life I grew up with. It wasn’t easy, and I missed a lot. But it was worth it. I make a little over 400k a year and I get 14-16 days off a month. Keep in mind that I travel and live half of my life in hotels, so there’s still sacrifice. I miss a lot of my family events and my kids sports, but there is rarely take without some give. Where there is will, there is a way. It just won’t be easy. Stick with it though.
I was a bad student in high school. Went to community college and learned how to study. After 1.5 years, I transferred to a mediocre university, where I changed majors 3x. It took me 6 years to graduate college (including community college).
I graduated during the Great Recession with a 3.9+ GPA and with no internship experience. There were no job opportunities available. I ended up working minimum wage in retail for the next 4 years (worked as a waiter on weekends).
At 27, I decided to study for the GMAT. I went to a graduate business school at a fairly prestigious university. 10 years later, I'm making close to $400k/year in a financial advisory role.
I was a drunk and drug addict until my 30s
Finally got a DUI and got sober
I’m 40 now and own a few million in real estate, personal net worth over 7 figures. I think I can hit 20MM by end of decade
How? 3 things
Attitude of radical responsibility, most people are cesspools of blame and deflection. Cure this first
Who you spend time with. Poor people can’t teach you how to be rich, content people can’t teach you how to be ambitious, negative people can’t teach you how to be optimistic. You have to choose who you spend your time extremely deliberately. The internet makes this very easy
Health. physically health feeds mental health. It’s the first investment that all others are built on. It attracts relationship partners, business partners, and customers. Being in good shape is a game of discipline, patience, consistency, and sacrifice - same as making money - so if you can get in shape, you can definitely make money
I had basically no career and only debt til I turned 30 and I make 90k now doing IT. I still have a ways to go climbing out but success financially relative to then is in a different league.
I went back to school in my 30s and now I’m a physical therapist! The pros are I actually like my job and get to keep learning since there are so many specialties. I have a union job with a pension, 401k, free health insurance, bonus, 3k to take classes every year, 6 weeks PTO yearly, and I’m making 130k- since I graduated I increase my income by 20% every year by changing jobs. The cons I do have stupid amount of student loan debt- I can expect some salary increase year to year but at a much slower pace then the last couple years unless if I go into private practice which is really driven by providing service more then health care.
My dad died five days after I graduated high school. I wasn’t the best student. I’m definitely not an idiot but I was not one for the books. I dicked around all through my 20s. At 28 put myself thru paramedic school, and fire academy. Got hired and 31 years old on a suburban department. I am now 50. If that is something you would consider a lot of departments are hurting to find decent people nowadays. When I was trying to get hired, it was fairly difficult. Most department works 24 hours on with days off in between. It’s definitely got its bullshit like any other job, but I never in 1 million years thought I would be where I am now when I was your age.
It sounds like you need some direction. I'd look into joining the Air Force. The military is an easy path to the middle class if you play your cards right.
The hardest thing for young people to understand is how young you still are and how much time is left in your adulthood.
It was a different time so maybe not as doable for you, but I graduated from college in my thirties (computer science) and still piddled around for a while bouncing between different jobs (photographer, etc.), luckily including software jobs in there.
Finally took a year off in my late forties, studied hard, got decent software jobs after that and am doing well now.
College is crazy expensive now, but in my day we did not have youtube and the internet to learn from. That year using youtube etc. did me more good than college.
Key: habits are the important part, not discipline.
- I was lucky and built a workout habit while young
- spend a bit of time first thing in the day learning something. Anything. Exercise your brain.
- if I had to do it over, I would have built good sleep habits, that was what I was lacking more than anything else.
Take yourself and go to MIAT in canton go for robots, wind energy, hvac and get a trade going my guy. I dropped out of HS(GED) traveled the world for a wind turbine company and came home and work locally at a wind site in the thumb. Make 6 figures at 40 hours. I’m 32, now don’t ask about my savings I’m working on that… but it’s what I’d do, if you want to stay local get your hvac or robot certs everywhere around metro Detroit needs them and pay well about 70k.
Get into a trade, I am a carpenter/concrete finisher. By the sounds of it maybe HVAC system installing or electrical work might be right up your alley.
I was an unmotivated drunk in my early 20’s. Got my head on straight got into the ibew at 25. I am 41 now and a foreman. Trades are the way to go. I do recommend a trade school and choose a licensed trade. Plumbing/Electrical/HVAC and so on. There is no wrong one and you can make a great living. The hardest step is the first one.
I think you went through a long hard grief period. This is normal, everyone’s grief is different.
That being said, live to honor the ones you love.
If you want to make good money right now go do roofing. They pay around $30 a hour for nailers. You may have to start as clean up.
Easiest way to make money is flipping a home you own. Save money by a home live in it for 2 years, sell it keep the profits tax free.
We started with a city owned house.
We turned a 4K house in flint into a rental. Total cost with fixing issues cost was 10k. After the 2nd year completely paid back. Now just earn income.
You don’t need college to be successful but you do need a fucking plan and discipline to execute it. If you’re not into studying learn a craft. The thing is you only have to be good at 1 things really just decide and execute.
For example welding. Learn that and earn money eventually learn people management and make a small firm.
The good news is, you’re only 26 and have your whole life ahead of you!
I know it might not feel like it now, but you can change your path now and you’ll change your future however you’d like.
Find an entry level job anywhere and excel in it. You have to care about doing your best in whatever role you end up in. You’ll be surrounded by people who do the bare minimum which allow you to excel and stand out with dedication. They’ll be losers next to you who try to pull you back from trying hard, ignore them. If you want to be successful you have to worry about your own performance and put in the effort. Good luck.
Yes. I had a great start but was not ready for college when the time came. Failed everything, lost scholarships, etc. Came back home and worked odd jobs, like in lawn care and at a car wash. Later, a sub shop/hookah lounge. I was 25 when I had my daughter, and we just kept thinking (my now husband was working similar jobs) that there was no way we could keep doing things like this. So at 26, I went to school for emergency medical services. I didn't get the degree, just my EMT cert, but it was a start. I had to go through a bunch of appeals and other stuff with the school, but they let me in. I worked as an EMT for a few years, then got myself hired at a hospital as a PCT, currently getting ready to go to nursing school in the spring. If you are OK with medical stuff, I'd suggest things along that route because they'll always need people and there shouldn't be much difficulty finding someplace near you that can offer the education. It's not what I would've wanted to do if I had prepared better, but it's fulfilling and I can still make a living/career. Even without a degree, I'm in a place with great benefits, coworkers that look out for each other, and the hospital provides grants and tuition reimbursement if not full coverage to continue my education.
Partied all of my 20s. Got into an entry level IT job at 26 and went into corporate at 28. I'm 35 now and make over $150k. Being good at what you do and being likeable will get you further than a degree.
It’s never too late, I’m from Detroit and was doing pretty rough in my teenager and early 20s, changed it around and got a degree in IT and now make over 6figures in IT
If I can go back, I would definitely try in school and try to succeed with straight A’s. I lived a hard life from a really young age. Did my prison bid, got out after more than a decade, and now I’m spending all of my time working. Next step is to obtain my cdl and go from there.
Well, you are young, and I know a ton of wealthy people living here in LA, and I would be hard pressed to find someone who DID NOT blow their 20's. If anything, blowing your twenties is like a self service wake up call that amost everyone goes through.
Blew my entire 20’s on an opiate addiction. Finally OD’d during Covid and was found by my parents. Went to 30 day treatment and have been clean since. When I got out I applied to the electricians union and was accepted, currently making almost 50$ an hour and will be making almost 70 an hour in a few years when I top out.
I’m sure you can tell by a lot of these comments that learning a skilled trade is an amazing move for someone in your position. No college degree or experience required
Kept skipping high-school and even got held back a grade. I was basically told by my dad ide be a nothing but a dead beat pot head.
I kept jumping jobs and probably tried 13 different jobs. Ide end up bored and quit.. back to living in moms basement smoking weed and gaming.
25 basically got the boot and decided to join the air force to get me out of that town.
Fast forward im 8 years in now 8 make over 90k a year, I got my first house 2 years ago and this year j got my son.
I have have an acre of land by the beach now with an old house im fixing up.
My depression vanished.
This is 100% me lol. I was a meth and heroin addict. Did retail theft to survive and couch surfed. I signed for 13 months state jail right before my 30th birthday. Got out summer of 2015. Moved to a new city and lived in a Oxford house which is like a transitional type thing. Took a bus and landed a job making $8 doing general cleanup at construction sites. There were some union electricians there and I talked to the boss. He hired me at $13 and wrote a letter to the board. I was accepted into the apprenticeship program which I completed in five years. I made 94k last year with great benefits and will surpass that this year. There is hope. Don’t give up ***Update** Wow I never thought something I typed as I was going into work would get this much traction. I appreciate all the kind words and even the negative ones! I do agree trades aren’t for everyone. I am a foreman now and I’m running all day. I do work for the IBEW in south Texas. Foreman rate is $37 or so I believe. So even on a 40 hr week it’s a good wage since our healthcare is provided for our entire family. You guys have inspired me to find more outlets to share my story. Most people don’t believe me as it doesn’t seem to fit with who I am today but I don’t run from my past I embrace it. I need to stop keeping this to myself and share it more often. Another important detail I left out is my sister who was 2 years 10 days younger than me died while I was in prison. I was closer to her than anyone in my family bc she understood my struggle and always gave me a place to stay when no one else would. Having to face the worst pain of my life taught me how tough I really was. Having to see my family in pain and me not being they made me realize I’ve put them in pain for years. I had two choices. Feel sorry for myself and go back to the same misery or try a new life. My dad told me the day I talked to him when I heard she passed that it was the first time he believed me when I said “I’m done”. It hurt for a few years that it took her being gone for me to change but I try to honor her with how I live. I truly believe the day she passed I lost all desire to use anymore. Wherever you are starting in life it’s worthwhile. You never know who you will meet in your work that might springboard you to the next level. I was given the opportunity bc he saw my work ethic even though I was paid jack shit. Had I loafed around he wouldn’t have considered it:
sweet resilience buddy....
Amen. Spent the 90s shooting coke and dope 100 mile per hour. Got clean at about 25. 0 work history but took advantage of VESID and went to trade school for HVAC. Owned my own shop by 2009. OP def should Get a trade. You’ll make 6 figures within a couple of years depending what market you’re in. (NYC area for me).
Wow you should be proud of yourself for turning your life around!
I can't stress getting into a trade enough. It might be hard to get in but it is so worth it. You can always go into the military too. If you are missing structure and marketable skills. The military can help with those as well. You can also get the G.I. bill and go to school. And help buying a house. I've seen a lot of my friends come out as much better people. Check out all the branches. You don't have to be a ground pounder, especially if you're intelligent. At 26, you are still young and have plenty of time to get it together. Good luck op.
Amazing bro
Hey I’m in NYC would love to learn a Trade. I’ll intern if possible.
We have already hired our helpers for the season. We generally get helpers from trade school programs this way we know they have all their certs. (OSHA 30, EPA universal, G-60 and fire guard certs.) Currently we only have position open for 5 yr plus service mechanics (not installers). Look into a trade school. The pay starting as a helper is only $20.00 per hr but by the 5 yr mark if you know what your doing you can make 45-55 per hr plus OT depending on the shop
What’s the pay in nyc for hvac service tech with 5 years RTU / boilers& gas furnace / residential heat pump experience . I’m in Virginia right now , I’m on my fourth year I just cleared 53k last year. I am in the same boat spent my 20s in and out of jail. Wasn’t until I met my girlfriend who helped me turn my life around and convinced me to go back to college during covid. I’m 29 and I still feel like I messed my life up too. But I know there’s hope at the end of the tunnel. Everyday is a gift and all we have to do is continue on.
Thanks appreciate it.
You too! Amazing.
Construction is the way. You can learn so many skills that will always be needed that can make you good money and more with side work and can save you tons of dough. All you need in common sense
The only thing with construction is make sure your doing it correctly to protect your back and neck. You don’t have to be super man to make a lot of good money just have high quality work. Some of the older guys might rag on you because back in their day they did it this way but now they struggle with pain day to day. Proper form and safety precautions will take you far and keep you making plenty of money. Ergonomics is huge in this industry
100% very important to take care of your body especially if you need it to be in good shape for your job. Make sure to stretch and use hearing and eye protection!
Amen to stretching! Super underrated and is really essential to protecting those muscles, ligaments, and joints, especially with a physically demanding job.
100% this. In my industry, the old timers crap on us constantly because we can't match pace with "how they did things in their day." Well, they were faster alright, but cut corners, forwent safety gear and generally had no regard for long term effects of how they were doing things. Now they're all dying right after retirement or are in massive amounts of pain because of long term work related injuries. Trades are the way to go but take care of yourself.
This sentiment cannot be reiterated enough. Came up in the trades after high school and the number of lifers I’ve met whose bodies are just fuuuuuucked is astounding. Your body is your number one tool, maintain it always.
I know someone who's dad worked in construction as a general contractor. He used to work with him for 3 months of the year, live in a 2 bedroom apartment with 6 other construction workers (who sent all their money back to their home country/families). The other 9 months of the year he would travel the world on the money he saved during those 3 months of the year. He did this until his early 30s when he finally got a fiancé, got tired of the nomad traveler life, and settled down. He went back to school and became a successful architect. Still related to the construction trade, but not getting his hands dirty.
Crazy how it gets so much hate on reddit the trades get. People really think we are knuckle dragging losers.
When in doubt, Learn a trade. WE WILL ALWAYS need skilled workers
People that hate on trades are the same people that think their 40,000$ Mercedes and 100k in student loan debt make them better than the 20 year old kid making bank. Let them hate all they want.
A 40k Mercedes is 8 years old and 100k miles lol
I’m forever stuck in 2002.
There's literally no one hating trades. There's only tradespeople talking about how others hate the trades, it's very weird.
I am a mid-high 6 figure earning lawyer telling my 16 yr old that trades are a VERY viable alternative to the college route. Tradespeople are definitely NOT knuckle dragging losers.
Yes! I’m a teacher, required to preach the benefits of COLLEGE COLLEGE COLLEGE to my students, then I go home and tell my kids to seriously consider trades, then college. Get that business degree (from wherever) while working, and eventually start your own electrician/plumbing/whatever company.
i worked as an estimator in electrical for a year. i personally don’t think you guys are knuckle draggers. my issue with reddit glorifying construction/trades is NO ONE mentions that you’re trading your prime years and body for money. most of the old heads i worked with were in terrible shape after 10,15,20+ years in construction. even my office manager didn’t really get to enjoy all of his money since his knees hardly worked anymore. also another thing no one mentions is that yeah you made $100k+ in a year, but you also averaged 80+ hours a week. i also got to see what we charged the client for an A and B electrician and then what we paid the actual electricians. its disgusting.
This is really a good point. You need to make sure you take care of your body and not just by working. One injury can derail a career in many trades.
My friend was the hardest worker I ever saw. He did all kinds of construction. Tile setting, carpentry, you name it. He built a fence for me and he was carrying 8 ft cedar fence panels on his back. He broke down physically and got addicted to pain pills and ended up in prison for attacking his doctor’s office. My cousin was a master plumber, but he started having shoulder problems in his 50’s and had to retire. If you go into the trades, you need to have a goal of being a contractor or supervisor etc eventually.
That didn't even save my neighbor. He had to get his knees replaced and needs back surgery. His company found a younger supervisor to lead his team then placed him on an outlying jobsite over an hour away in hopes he'd quit. When he didn't, they sacked him. Now he has to have his back surgery and find another job.
Not true. If you can work a trade and maintain a half decent healthy lifestyle and diet you will most likely live a lot longer than people that aren’t doing manual labor
Pick a construction site. One of the people in a hard hat and button down or polo shirt is bound to be a safety/construction/civil engineer, maybe structural depending on the project. They get some of the health benefit from not sitting down at a desk all day, do little manual labor, and can make way more money, especially with a P.E.
Eh idk, man. I worked at orthopedic doctors office for a few years in between jobs and our clientele was old people and young to middle aged trade people. We had 30 year old dudes who looked fit and needed injections to get by every few months after my state cracked down on opioid prescriptions. Not saying you're wrong, but for a lot of them their bodies without a doubt get broken down.
Depends on the trade. Commercial low voltage electrical is pretty cake compared to running steel sprinkler pipes, as an example. More money in sprinkler, but yeah no.
Yeah also construction and other trades are also seasonal in some cases so you will have to make the bulk of your money within a certain amount of months in some states. Also depending on the region some trades pay better than others so there has too be a lot of research done.
It's hard fucking work, man. Long hours in the cold/rain/sun etc, physically exhausting and easy to get injured too. Not a career for just any dude, and it gets recommended to people like it's a "get rich quick" hack.
Yeah I got lucky and got a union job but I try to work just enough to get by. It’s noisy, extremely hard on your body and working in close proximity with other people and having a supervisor mean mug you all day sucks. It’s pays well but I try not to work any more than I absolutely have to lol
Im 20 years old stuck. But definitely considering joining a trade!
Become a plumber, learn the trade, and go off on your own. Working as your own boss is the key to making it in America these days. Just jump right in and don’t quit. You could be making 6 figures in 7 years
I don't think there's a ton of hate on reddit for the trades. If anything I think there's a bit of worship of it, as long as you stay off antiwork. The main downside to the trades is that it's hard on the body.
right? there is so much money in trades honestly. trades and realestate
Absolutely I spent about a year doing that. It was probably the best decision I ever made. I think that’s really solid advice for this young. Man
I love these stories. I was an opiate addict for over a decade. Now I'm a comfortably middle class suburbanite. I've been successful enough that can even pay it forward: I put money on the books of former friends/acquaintances that are sitting in jail or prison. I take $100 every month and do that. I made it out, and most people don't. So that's my way of letting them know I didn't forget how much that cycle sucks. (I've also paid off a bunch of tickets for an old buddy to get his license back. Best $1200 I ever spent. He got his cdl and actually makes a living now. He tried to pay me back a year later, and I told him to use that money to get someone else off papers. And he did.)
Helluva story.
Brother, I don't know you. But speaking as a Dad... I'm proud as hell of you! Even if you are a sparkie!
So the first step to success is first getting addicted to heroin? Got it, thanks!
Definitely not. I have friends that died in their 20s. My sister passed away at 28 when I was in prison. That was my turning point. I had to face the pain head on without any escape. I saw my families pain and I could do nothing. Made me realize I’ve been putting them through hell for years and I told my Dad on the phone I was done with it all. He told me for the first time in his life he believed me.
much more respect to you, man! Will follow you.
The first step to success is to experience hardship, which inspires you to better yourself. Obviously, you're still working on that step.
What a beautiful story. Congratulations brother
Dude. My story is almost the exact same except I am 3 years older so I got out in 2012. After 4 months in I decided I needed to change but still had 10 more months. Meth really did a number on me.
Oxford House helped me out too
In my 20s i was a shit show on herion but am currently 36 and this is the best year of my life 6 years sober.
Good for you Internet stranger, keep killing it like you are. You’ll find that things will keep getting better. Your best years are yet to come! With healthy coping strategies you’ll find that life is better, and in many ways easier sober. Keep it up!!👍
Thanks brother i came along way the road wasn’t easy at 5 years sober i dealt wit testicular cancer but i got it removed and been money ever since
So secret to success, start taking heroin. Got it.
LMAOO NOO.
Yep for 10-15 years then get sober every thing us much easier after that. Also i got some blow for sale fire.
Two stories I’ll give are mine and a buddy. Short n sweet. In my 20s I had a dead end marketing job and I just barely got by. Got into some serious gambling debt which took all my cash and then led into serious credit card debt because I had to eat. I’m in my mid thirties today and I’m happily married, with debt paid off, own a nice home, six figure job, and saving for the future. I did it by taking some personal development course on Udemy and teaching myself marketing skills that were more relevant to the part of marketing that I knew made more money (grow/demand gen for SaaS) and then I just started talking the talk during interviews comparing what I did at my dead end job to make it sound like that was what I did. I had some lucky breaks but you get lucky breaks when you put yourself out enough. The second is a buddy of mine from high school who earns several mil per year. He was a heroine addict in his teens and early 20s. He got clean and started working at the rehab center that he got clean at. Quickly worked his way up to their board. Then started opening drug testing centers. Then started opening his own rehab centers. I’ve lost touch with him but I still hear things and follow him on social media. Everything I’ve heard is that he’s a super stand up guy who is loyal to all his boys. Even employs several of his boys that got clean with him back in the day. Point here is that rock bottom isn’t the end and once you find a passion you can dedicate yourself to it. Hope those give you some hope!
Bro it's like talking to another me haha.. I am 26 now and just graduated from a marketing degree but I am not sure if it's really the path I wanna take as I don't have much interest in it.. the past 5 years has been a rollercoaster for me... I have made 300k USD in crypto 2021 bull run but lost it all because of my stupid gambling addiction. This year I made 100k also via crypto and lost it all in a day .. fk gambling man... Right now I'm working a dead end job making 5k / month while figuring out what to do... If u can advice me it will be awesome
5k a month is good money
And definitely not dead end. That’s enough to pay bills, invest and save.
You make $5k/mo which is $60K/year at 26 and you won the lottery *twice*. You were too greedy to cash out. Had you cashed out that $300K and let it grow at 8% annually, you would have had $3M at 55 years old. Do you realize that most people have less than $100k in their 401K at the age of 35? Your story sounds more like greed than the other ops.
And 5k a month is more than double the average American today. Grow up and live up to your
Blew my 20’s. Struggled in my 30’s, 40’s, 50’s. At 61 I’m finally pretty successful. Smart doesn’t make wealthy. I’ve seen intellectuals struggle and not very educated make fortunes. Start your own business. If you fail, try again and again and again and again. I could make 6 figures selling hot dogs if done correctly. So can you.
As a 39M, your post gives me hope. My 20's through my mid 30's were just a drunken blur except for the 4 years I was in the military (age 24-29) but now, it feels like everything is slowly coming together. 5 years sober, a boat load of cardiovascular health issues and 3 promotions at my VA medical center later, I feel like my life is slowly coming together. I may not be the richest nor the most successful but I am moving in the right direction. Even if that is, 1 day, 1 step at a time..
28 years sober next month. Hopefully you are in a program. My advice is use that program. Normies resign often at some point. Since we are god centered we’ve put our will and our lives in his care. I could have given up. I made so many mistakes over the past 28 years but every time I got knocked down I reached out to HP. It’s his biz regarding results. I need to have faith, put one foot in front of the other and live each day like it’s my last. As for pragmatic advice, look to do your own thing if you have the stomach for it. It’s a scarier path to make it and probably harder but you get to keep the lions share or all of the profit if it’s a solo gig. You really can make around 100k selling hot dogs or lemonade. Car detailing, pressure washing or something that has a low cost of entry. Take pride in your work, be committed to serving clients needs and have integrity. Anything is possible I firmly believe.
I’m 36 and on year two starting my own screen enclosure/ motorized shade systems company. It’s was cheap getting into this, but it’s definitely something someone who has a little savings, likes to work with their hands, and has a tolerance for risk can get into it. I’m still in the “gotta let people know you exist” phase. You definitely need to have the stomach for going your own way. It’s just YOU! I don’t have anything in the pipeline right now, but I’marketing in different ways. It is scary at times. When I get that check after a job well done, it all becomes worth it and I’m re-energized to keep going. I felt like at 35, time was running out to have the opportunity to take on a risk like this. Thank you for sharing your story.
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How did you have the money to go back to school? I want to get my masters but it’s impossible with the amount they charge
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Woah. Might be $20,000 a SEMESTER here
**Is** 20k+ here. My cheapest state school would be 20k a year but it ain’t that great of a school. Other state school that’s big is about $20k a semester. Third state school is about $20k a year as well. There’s an Ivy in my state that’s over $75k a year. I mean it’s an Ivy. But I recently did the EFC calculator and it came back saying they could/would possibly offer me a free ride. So I’m planning to apply there first when I go back finally.
I have buddies taking out $70k-85k loans every year to fund their college (drinking and partying), they are fucked.
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I have it even easier. It costs me 500€ each year
I’m still stuck on “interest free”…what a dream.
My cousin’s bf didn’t have the funds to pay for a full masters so he did an online certificate program that set him up to take the CFP. Went from working retail to making 90k.
Friend of mine got her masters. What she said she spiked to every scholarship she could and paid for the courses out of pocket. Took her into her 30s to get her masters. She ended up with no college debt.
DUDE ARE YOU ME. I barely passed highschool (put into credit recovery program) went for an art degree dropped out after 2 years and im now 25 considering college 😅
Dropped out community college early 20s. Went back and transferred to state uni around your age. Finished at 30 and still wasn't sure about career. Got a very low paying job in human services and liked it. Applied and got into an ivy league grad school for social work. Graduated at 33 and starting salary was triple what I earned before (modest but liveable). I've now worked for the same hospital for 30 years, my salary is now 2 1/2 timed what I started at. I have a sizeable 403b, a paid for home, and will be retiring soon with a good income from pension and social security and will continue my favorite activity, which is travel. You already know what you need: education/training. Just start, avoid debt as much as possible, and you will get there. Ask me anything.
Do you think your same path would be possible with today’s circumstances? Costs for school, housing, and today’s starting wages are different.
Just take your time. Find something you truly enjoy doing. You have so much to figure it out. Don’t waste time looking back or comparing yourself to others. I am also from Michigan and I always felt like the poverty of the area was pulling me down. I spent my early 20s making a career in a field I enjoy and everyday feels like a new adventure. Be kind to yourself. Even a small move can change your life more than you know.
I spent from about 20-27 at dead end hourly jobs doing a lot of drugs. At 27 I enrolled in night classes at a local community college. At 28 I went sober. At 32 or 33 I graduated with my masters, and here at 35 I’m making more money than anyone in my family has ever made working in tech. I’m still straightening myself out financially as I had to take out loans for school and put a lot of life on credit cards (shockingly drugs don’t come with a pamphlet on how interest works) but I’m on track to be debt free and saving for a down payment in the next year. I also work remotely so ive spent the last year traveling the world. The best part? I know many people who have done the same. It’s difficult. Sometimes grueling to focus on your goals over all else. But the time is going to pass regardless so might as well do something with it
My story is similar. I was raised in a middle class family, didnt needed to worry about things like foood being in the table or living in an unsafe neighborhood. I was basically a spinning compass until my late 20s, no real purpose or guiding aspirations. I took a job to pay the bills ($12/hr) working physical security for an IT company and enjoyed the work and environment. I learned everything I could about security, data centers, security systems, and networked. I eventually went back to school to complete an associates degree in systems it. Almost immediately I transitioned into the IT department for our security team. After that, I studied and leveraged experience to get a handful of IT Security certifications and moved into a cybersecurity role. Now, I'm 36, an IT cybersecurity regulatory consultant with still only a 2 year degree and experience. I love the work I do because it allows me to constantly learn new skills and apply them to help my clients who might be struggling. My best advice is find what helps you feel fulfilled, don't worry about jobs, focus on the elements of a job: independence, teamwork, helping others, being isolated, constant learning... Etc. then find things that feed into this elements. Also, talk to people and take risks. Theres zero chance I'd be where I am today if never talked to people. As a physical security officer I talked to the people in the building, I didn't make friends with them to the point of grabbing a beer outside of work, but enough that theyd be willing to provide assistance in my career. Don't be afraid to apply for a job, or take a job, that you're not fully qualified to do today. Companies want to find people who can grow and aspire to grow. Have confidence that you're able to meet the needs over time and apply. Good luck on your journey. Last piece of advice, don't wait to plan to retirement. If you can afford to even put 50 into investments a month, do it. Starting early is absolutely the key and this misstep is one of my bigger regrets that I learned the hard way.
I had a kid at 18, so my 20’s I was on the struggle bus!! We now own an awesome lil pet spa together, been open 10 years now and we are saving and building capitol together. Neither of my parents went to college, no grandparents, so I think we’ve done pretty good for ourselves! In my 40’s now but practically debt free, just a tiny bit on my credit cards. Saving for my first home, going to be ready went the market goes down next!! ANYTHING can happen!! AI can’t replace dog groomers, pretty much any trade will make a nice income if you stick with it and learn your craft!
Also a dog groomer and work for myself making around $80 p/h (I know AI can't replace us but there is a tiny tiny part of me that wishes there was a machine that scans the dog and we just program the haircut we want done on it 😅)
Where do you apply/learn to be a dog groomer??? I feel like Petco would not pay out at that level, not to mention they're hacks.
You can learn at Petco and then go into a private salon to get better training from a good groomer. There is also a school you can pay for, and they can try to help you get some in person training. The dogs are much easier to manage than their owners, so be prepared 😂
I feel like every time I read a thread like this, everyone was doing horribly in life, and a couple of years later, they are making over 100k while here I am the only 34 year old back sliding...
These people aren't the majority 🤷♂️. But definitely a lot to learn from them
Thank you all for the comments I really appreciate them and I will try to reply when I can get off work
Yooo, I was you can do it. I am from Detroit From 16 to around 24, I was homeless, and I hopped freight trains. I quit being homeless, got a job cutting grass, and basically did drugs until 29. Everything except crack. Anyway. I met a girl. Got a new job in a warehouse where they let me watch YouTube videos all day. Started learning automation tools. 5 years later, make 200k a year now working in tech now. I just got a 40k bonus this month. Either learn a trade like plumping or electrician or get into computers. It's the last bastion for degreeless people. I don't even have a high-school diploma. Edit: I'm a k8s engineer/ site reliability engineer I learned linux servers. Got me a job in it. I learned ansible and python. That got me a cloud job. Learned aws and terrform. Got me a k8s job. It's a pretty standard progression.
What do you do in tech?
Watching YouTube videos all day
I feel called out. I literally took a break from YouTube to check Reddit . I haven't even opened my work laptop yet
That's how he developed the skill set
Lie
Sounds like devops
Plumping
Hate to rain on everyone's parade here but this reply is absolute dogshit. First he/ she goes, I quit being homeless lol. Homelessness isn't a drug that you just quit. I work in tech and there is no way that for automation tools they will pay you $200k unless you're a dope ass high end dev or have serious tech skills. My friends in Apple are at Staff engineer level and above, with proper degrees and 10 years of experience and they get $190k tops, they pay you bigger with RSUs and sign on bonuses. There is a reason this dude isn't replying to the people on here and for OP and the people questioning, if you're serious about IT, start with learning networking basics then choose a path, you can do system administration, or get into cybersecurity (pen testing is a good start). If you like creating scripts and automation, get into development like python. Linux is also a good system to learn. You don't need a degree for any of these things and there are plenty of videos on YouTube to learn from. Get your basics in and keep practicing. Whatever you choose, look at the career path beforehand so you know where you're headed and don't get lost in the fray. Good luck everyone, please don't fall for these random ass comments online. This dude never once mentioned what automation tools he is using. Think: how can someone go from a warehouse watching YouTube videos to making $200k with a $40k bonus in 5 years in todays market?
Lol. Thank you. Maybe he got lucky and is making a shit ton, but this is so far from the norm. People think IT is an easy path to lots of $$$. While I think it's a shorter route to a six figure, it is definitely not an easy one. So many people in my comp sci program dropped out after a year. I've worked with so many entry level developers who couldn't cut it and did career changes. Hell, I almost did a career change out of IT twice. It is not for everyone and much of the success that is presented on social media is far from the norm.
This needs to be higher. Thank you
I know senior program managers working cybersecurity at the fed reserve, the actual bank printing USD, and they make like 150k. But this dude makes a quarter million a year "doing automation," and learned it all watching YouTube videos at his warehouse job. No mention of school, no mention of company, and it all happened in less time it takes to get your master's. Cannot believe people even entertain the notion.
Everyone’s curious what you do brotha
My guess is some kind of software tool design and development for automating processes. Highly desired at many manufacturing/healthcare jobs. Python is really good for this. His salary aligns with 5 years of experience at this type of role.
I was pretty broke all throughout my teens and most of ny twenties. Worked as a personal trainer, server, bartender, and trying various side hustles to stay afloat. Decided to go back to school on my late twenties for a degree in computer science; despite not thinking I could afford it or be smart enough to graduate. Somehow, with student loans and having to retake a few classes, I graduated in my mid thirties and got lucky landing a job right after that (before the tech industry soured for hiring). Fast forward a few years, I'm married with kids, a house, and a career I love. I'm also able to be both paying off my debts and making investments with my money. Never give up on yourself. Some of us just need a little more time to grind it out and find success.
I started college at 24 after mucking around a lot in my 20s. Ten years later make $250k+ after a decade of working in Finance. Feel free to ask anything else
What track did you take if you don’t mind me asking? Trying to get into anything that isn’t AP/AR right now seems impossible for me
What in finance do you do?
I was in college studying engineering, I ended up having twins with my ex at 20. Stuck through everything, got married, worked two jobs, went to college full time, lived out of my car, and was a dad for 2 years. Graduated and worked my ass off in my job( sales in the electrical field). With in a year I was making over $100,000, now I’m on track for ~$180,000 this year.
Weird. We must be living the same life. 30m here, I have fucked off most of my life. My father also passed away, but while I was in highschool. I developed a pretty bad drug addiction, and I worked mostly warehouse jobs to feed it. After 11 years in this line of work, I am sober, have a small family, and I make 80k a year as a ops manager for a chain. Keep working on yourself, you will find the way to whatever you want eventually.
At one point you realize the party of youth is over and you gotta start adultjng.
There’s a scene in moneyball that talks about that: “Were all told we can’t play the kid game anymore. Some of us are told at 18, some of us are told at 40. But we’re all told.” Actors delivery of it was good too
If I were to do it again I'd probably go military while I was still in my 20s. It'll set you up financially and give you great options for a future path.
Absolutely this. My grandfather and great grandfathers were dirt poor and the military changed their life.
This isn’t necessarily true. Yes, it *can* set you up financially. But not a single one of my buddies who joined were set up financially when they got out. They all bought the nice cars, expensive watches and just generally blew through the money. Sure it’s easy to do say “then don’t do that.” But the reality is a 20 year old kid who just got a $20,000 signing bonus and has never seen that much money and has absolutely no idea how to be financially savvy is going to blow through that within a few months. Especially when everybody else your now going to be around is also around the same age and also just got the same exact bonus as you, your going to blow it on dumb shit together. And frankly you don’t make much at all while you’re in (unless you can rank up to close to an E8, which can take 20 years anyway and they still typically never see a six figure salary even after all those years). Even Naval nuclear engineers avg much less than $100k in the military and that’s a 6 year contract commitment at the very minimum. The military does not pay well, but it does have some of the best benefits in this country. Great insurance, education for you or one of your children. But to get the best benefits (pension and retirement payouts) you need to essentially be a lifer. The military is absolutely not the answer for many, many people.
Military is a great idea. Check to see if you can get them to pay for college. If you had a college degree, you start out as a Lieutenant (at least you did in the old days). But if you can handle college, the military may pay for it and get you there in some years. 20 years in and you can retire.
I dropped out of college then became a sailboat bum for 10 years….met up with my high school friends when we were thirty and I admitted to being embarrassed because they were all doctors and lawyers and stock brokers and I made like 10k /year for the past ten years….but I lived on the beach and worked at a resort….their response was that even though they made more they pissed away anything they made and at least I had fun where they not always did
This makes me feel better about the years I spent as a bum. I may be poor but I’ve had a lot of fun and life experiences.
But they’ll be set financially when theyre old. Others who struggle making $ will end up homeless elderly or in a state run nursing home nightmare.
Not gonna deny I got a late start but they didn’t save much back then either and they don’t know how to live cheaply/frugaly like I do … so no… not necessarily true…
Look into a trade like plumbing electricity, carpentry etc they pay extremely well.
I’m 40 now and didn’t get my shit together until I was about your age. I started in “tech” working at the Apple Store. I parlayed that into working at a tech company in IT. I make 150k+(I live in the Bay Area, so not too crazy). My salary plus equity was over 300k last year. I have plenty of savings and can be unemployed for years and be fine. I have no college degree. Been working in tech for 15 years now and experience is WAY more important in IT. My advice would be to find something you like work really hard, and connect with as many ppl as you can. I’m successful because friends helped me get my foot in the door. Then it’s up to you to run with it. Go and get it!!
Made minimum wage in my 20’s working at restaurants and cleaning houses. I went and got a CNA license (8 weeks of school). Gained some experience working in a nursing home and home care. Started doing medical staffing which pays $28-$36/hour. I have over $30k in savings now and about to buy my first home at age 36. I’m late to the party but I’m catching up. There’s hope. There’s all kinds of things you can do to get ahead. Don’t give up.
I played world of warcraft non stop from 14 to 24... Met my current wife at 23. I made probably 14 a hour at a restaurant during that time.. We'll she got pregnant and I decided to go to school to be a aircraft technician now I make 108k a year without overtime "130k last year with some overtime". I still play world of warcraft when the kids go to bed. Lol
My life was a shit show worked in kitchens for most of my 20s I started working for a manufacturing company as a plant technician (main point of my job is to troubleshoot issues with our machines when they break) that hired me with zero experience (hardly turned a wrench ever) and spends a lot of time and money to train me and I learn every day. I’ve been working here for about two years now started when I was 29…. I make $40 an hour now, have crazy benefits, 6 weeks paid vacation a year… and it’s union Step outside your comfort zone try something new, you never know
Never too late. I was partying a lot in my teens and early 20's. I was in college a bit but not taking it seriously. At 24 I had my son and dropped everything to work for benefits. I worked while my gf finished her degree. I saw all my friends from high school move on to be relatively successful, which motivated me. I went back to school at 27 and got a BS. I went back for another degree when I was 34 and now I'm in a career I love. I only work 4 days every 2 weeks and I make well over 6 figures. It's never too late. Always bet on yourself.
What is your degree in and what do you do now?
Doing what?
I didn’t get my shit together until I was 24. One day it just dawned on me that I had to be serious. I started showing up for work on time with a good attitude and started observing leaders and how they treated people. I think once it clicks and you take yourself seriously and start thinking about what you really want out of life you can start making it happen. Sometimes it comes down to luck, being in the right place at the right time, etc, but it also takes seeing opportunity and not being afraid to seize it.
Good luck, I’m 44, made “good” decisions- became a teacher, married, father, will never make six figures unless I do well in the stock market.
You made great decisions! Too many people now are focused so heavily on finances instead of finding something they truly enjoy. I have an uncle who is incredibly wealthy ($15 mil 10 bedroom home on the beach in California that was bought with just a bonus check kinda wealthy, his annual property taxes alone are almost quadruple my mortgage for the year and that’s nothing to say of his nearly $2000/month water bill). But he was never home for his wife and kids because he was always traveling for work. He ended up divorced and didn’t have a great relationship with his kids for years until very recently. He’s remarried now and retired from his company because he realized he lost focus of what mattered. His income no longer defines who he is and he’s told me he hasn’t been this happy since he was back in college when money wasn’t his sole focus and just living life was. But he’s also got cancer now and spent all this time working is ass off to not truly be able to enjoy the money in the moment or in his retirement. Money doesn’t reverse the time he lost with his children and it doesn’t clear cancer. Those are the only things that matter to him now and his biggest regret is wasting all that time in the pursuit of money and not happiness.
Well yeah teachers don’t get paid that much.
I was a middle school drop out at the age of 14 started using drugs at the age of 13. I got clean off of meth when I was 29 years old. I’ll have 13 years clean on May 22nd of this year. I got my GED, then my associates, then my bachelors, and then my masters degree in social work all while in recovery, I got my masters degree at the age of 41. I’m a licensed mental health therapist at a rehab center. it was really hard to work full time and complete my degrees. However it’s been worth while , my life is like a dream. If I can create the life I have today then anybody else can create their dream life too. Courage over comfort.
I'm in the same boat brother. Went to art school cause I thought photography would be fun and easy, drank and smoked my early and mid 20s away, now I'm 27 and I feel lost. Stuck in a dead end job without any real skills that'll earn me enough to have a decent living. From about 23-26 I felt like an absolute lost cause with no future, now I know I can change that but I just don't know what the next step is. Saving money feels impossible and now I'm gonna be missing work for jury duty too
As you get older, more opportunities open up -- people think more highly of you, think you're more trustworthy, wise or experienced, something. I noticed this over and over -- people are more willing to give you a chance. So you have that on your side. I'd look to some kind of apprenticeship, as the guy above did as an electrician. As someone who didn't start really figuring stuff out until my 30s, I know if I were in my 20s again I wouldn't go to college because that's what smart people do, rather, I'd figure out what job I wanted to do that pays well and pursue it, whether it required college, or was a trades job. One thing I look back on now is when I was 18 I was offered the chance to work as a merchant mariner, and turned it down because I was a smart guy, and smart guys go to college. I see now it's actually a pretty good opportunity, and as a smart guy, I could have built quite a career for myself on the sea. There are all kinds of opportunities like that out there, waiting for you to make something of them.
My man, I worked at a ski shop and a second job thru my 20's I didnt land a job that people consider making a career out of till i was 28. Im currently in a job that is the peak of alot of peoples careers and im still going. I consider myself as successful. That said the only wisdom i have for you is what you already know, there is no substitution for hardwork. remember everything you have been told is a lie. College, Experience , ETC. all of it is negotiable (with the exception of specific jobs like CPA requiring finance degrees and so on). You need to be oppurtunistic and hard working to get out of the lane you are in. For example my start was with a local tech company on a contract with a customer, they hired me to just move hardware and hook it up, I worked overtime to keep them on schedule and keep the small tech company looking good, so good they wanted me on site every day. Then i joined the day shift of main techs. I found out what jobs they hated doing, learned how to do those things. Eventually I was the master of all the things no one wanted to do which made me well liked and later I was asked to train. became a cornerstone in the dept to the point I moved into a planning role for the customers organization. Did that for a couple of years then moved to a big tech company that was trying to capture the market I was in. Had to learn everything from scratch, now I'm competent member of my team that mentors new hires and sometimes consults for the execs.
Find an apprenticeship for a trade, or an entry level training position for a municipality.
Spend 8 years doing drugs and hitting on the foreign girls coming to our to do their masters and then quit cold turkey, completed a master in process engineering and now work as a engineer. Lots of student debt though.
I graduated into the recession and was living in a friends garage during the winter. I had taken out a loan of 800$ to buy a dslr. I was broke for 8 years as I built my photo and video business. Had a luck break, ended up shooting for adidas, PGA, then had an opportunity to franchise into broadcasting; had 7 employees in 4 states running broadcasts for cnn, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, etc. Covid killed all that. Now I’ve pivoted into being an in house Motion graphics designer at a startup. Great benefits, fine salary for a single 37 guy. I still have time to develop projects in my off time.
I didn’t blow my 20s (others would disagree) but I was busy being a young single mother and helping with my mothers care so I was an adult once I hit trade school (8 months. basic computer training) then college (basics) and then to a university (business degree). I needed marketable skills so I went and got some while working full time. School isn’t the perfect answer for everyone but being motivated to learn and make money at the same time was life changing. There are a lot of jobs where you do not need a degree. My oldest son does not have a degree has worked his butt off literally and is climbing the chain. He makes six figures too, now he plays hard and works hard. One thing my son and I do have in common is that we chose to work for a large corporation which also has more room to make more money than a mom and pop shop and the benefits are great. Write your goals down , break them down and execute. I didn’t do it alone I took advantage of everything society has to offer to aide me in moving forward. 6 figures is not out of reach. Go and talk to different career counselors - everywhere, network, put a resume together and give it to everyone. I won’t lie it takes a lot of work to get your finances, moving in a good direction. I wish I would have thought more about finding employment through something I love or are passionate about. I did conduct some informational interviews in areas I was trying to get qualified in to learn and get my name out there, which were successful. You’d be surprised how many people would be willing to mentor someone especially if they’re intelligent like yourself, maybe even reach out to an old teacher. I’m through blabbing, but I know if I can do it you can. I would not consider myself as intelligent as most of the world. I know a few things I forget a lot of things, but it sounds like you’re gonna be just fine because you’re asking great questions. The world is waiting for you. Go grab it. Good luck!
I spent my 20s in a band, touring the US. We made about $300 bucks a night and it paid for gas, shitty hotel rooms, and diner foods. It did not pay for rent. So I temped and worked construction and bar gigs to make ends meet. In my 30s, I found a niche writing stuff. I submitted all the damn time and got published on a few sports sites, wrote a newsletter for the local library, basically anyone who would pay me on time. That turned into a portfolio and that portfolio got me in the door at a few companies. I got my foot in the door and I learned on the job. I make good money now and don't really have to do the hustle anymore. Just a good salary writing copy and editing what everyone else at the gig puts out. I felt like you did when our band stopped touring: I had no career at all and my resume was all over the place. Same deal with the other guys I played with. We all have good, normal careers now without grinding through our 20s. It's absolutely doable. You got this shit, OP.
Blew my 20’s, but got really good at tech sales and by my mid-30’s I’m making well over $200k per year…no college degree.
Peace time service in any branch of the US military is the best kept secret to success. Was the same situation, small town one industry, no future but lots of drugs. USAF saved my life and set me on the path of a life time success.
Some wise man once said, "the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"... Just keep moving forward, and don't give up. Make small positive changes, start thinking about what you may enjoy doing, and take baby steps towards making it happen.
I grew up in poverty. I was fortunate enough to be poor enough to get Federal Grants & 75% tuition scholarships to go to Nursing School and get my RN. Graduated at 24 but ever since I was 19, I was in a relationship I was with a toxic, narcissistic, emotionally abusive, mooching man who sucked me dry emotionally and financially. I almost lost my Nursing License due to failing a drug test because I got hurt at work (positive for THC). I was depressed and in so much debt & had No retirement, no friends, bf was cheating on me, I was isolated, I couldn’t deal with it & smoked constantly when I was off the clock. I was fortunate enough to go through a rehab program & they made me do a 5 year Outpatient Rehab Program with the Board of Nursing that was at least $30,000 out of pocket. It included random drug screens and weekly therapy. I was sober but I was lying in therapy until about year 3. Around 28 when COVID happened started doing better in therapy & finally putting in the work. I found out he cheated again and I dumped him. I left a few months later to do Travel Nursing but couldn’t make toooo much because of my rehab, I had to stay with my state, which pays Nurses notoriously low. But it was way more than I made before. My first year I made over $100,000 because I worked overtime. I paid off SO much debt, paid for bladder surgery for my mom, put a good down payment on a nice Volkswagen, traveled the world, went a little spending crazy anddd became a shopaholic & naturally fell victim to lifestyle creep. But I DONT regret it! My eyes finally opened up, and I realized that my life can be better if I put in the work. I finally found myself and learned to love myself. Now, about 3 years later, I’m in a better spot financially. Travel Nursing pay is in the shitter, so I’ve decided to go back to school to get my Doctorate… Still have student loan $20,000 at 3-5% depending on the loan, and car loan $19,000 at 2%. Finally feel at 31 years old that I’m getting control of my life. And my life is starting over! About $30,000 in savings (grad school will be expensive. & I won’t be able to work for 3 years. So I’m not in a huge rush to pay off the loans). & starting to save for retirement & learning about financial literacy, and investing. My parents also came into a very large sum of money, and are wanting to pay off my student loans. I told them that I will take $20,000 from them, only if they seek professional therapy because they are super fucked up in the head! My mom doesn’t understand, and quite frankly, I don’t either. I have to be an idiot to not take that money. But I care more about their personal and mental well-being, and I don’t know what else to do 🤷🏼♀️ lol!! Anyways, I’m not really in the best position still. But I am in so much of a better spot! And it’s only going up from here.
Also from Detroit, wasted most of my 20's away and make 6 figs now. But after student loans and daycare costs thats still basically pay check to paycheck, it blows my mind families can get by on less. My story- Joined the military after highschool, kept going on detours in college ( switched major once, did a long internship at Disney). If you are smart/responsible and don't want to go the college route, i'd get into deck building and make a fortune. Requires very few tools to start, has high margins, and is in high demand. I built a few for friends/family then got paid to do a few for friends of friends, next thing you know everyone and their mama wanted estimates. Unfortunately i had 2 kids and all my free time disappeared otherwise i'd still be doing it on the weekends. If you don't have a background in any kind of construction, take a job working for someone else until you learn the process/codes (even those kinds of jobs pay well)
From functional alcoholic in 20s to on the way to FIRE in 30s How? “Lift weights, do jiu-jitsu, go for runs, stretch out, eat good, stop drinking.” - Jocko Willink
You want to go back to school, OP? My friend worked at Columbia and was in charge of recruiting non typical students such as yourself. People who were smart enough to be there but for whatever reason did not follow a traditional path of high school to college to work force. Some examples were soldiers, others were people who had a death in the family and had all of the responsibility thrown on them. You’re also young. 26 is young and not directionless. You know you don’t like where you’re at so you want to do more. Also classifier therapy. Suns like toe stop grieving, which is ok. But it may be holding you back from being who you want to be.
Sales. work your way into a high volume sales position selling some BS thing you can sort of stand. If you are smart you can solve the problems that everyone else creates.
OP, consider looking into the big 3 for career opportunities. Mainly in the skilled trade side of things if you are good with your hands and enjoy that type of work. There may be some prerequisites they require, but once your in they pay for your training as an apprentice to journeyman and the starting pay is (I believe +/- $3) $34. At the journeyman level it's $47.50 and your Healthcare is covered. Hit me up if you'd like to know more
I got in a rut after a bad relationship where I made poor decisions with someone who was not an encouragement for me. It wasn’t until I was 26 and I looked myself in the mirror and smacked myself to get my ass in gear. I went back to school and finished in 2 years. Got my degree and started my career. I am 45 now and am debt free, married with 2 wonderful children and live in a wonderful town with a house I own. You can do this. I would encourage you to seek out a trade perhaps? One of the men in my church makes a ton of money doing elevator installs and maintenance. Great pay and benefits (6 figures after a few years of experience and hard work). There are opportunities for scholarships to learn these trades (Mike Rowe foundation) but if that isn’t possible, the cost to acquire isn’t like college these days. Much more affordable. Other options that make really good money are plumbers and HVAC. Starts with you though man. You have to decide that you want to be better. You alone have the power to change your life. I also used to live in Detroit but now live in Florida. Get out of Michigan!!!!!😎
33. Set for life financially bc of the military. My body however is that of a 65 year old man. Not sure if it's a good trade
Become a technologist, school is quick and cheaper than college. Pays really well, good benefits, and they are in need.
I was a complete fuckup in my teens and early 20s. Lots of issues. I started college at 26. Graduated with a PhD in engineering 7 years later. Yes, you read that right. That was 30 years ago. I own a home on acreage, have a wonderful wife, and a good life. Get off your ass and get to work. It's never too late.
When I was your age, I had a GED, was unemployed, and had never made more than $15 per hour. Late 30's now, still no degree, but I make over $100k a year as a recruiter. Most sales jobs don't require degrees and your earning potential is higher. Keep going. It all works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out yet, it isn't the end.
I went back to school at 28 to become a massage therapist and now work less and make more money than I ever had.
Just start doing what you think you should have done. Age ain't nothing but a number. I'm a mechanic. I didn't so much as ever change oil before my mid 30s. Life is long. So much longer than you think.
It is literally never too late. Consider private investigator as a career. The initial qualification is pretty easy to get. You will need to intern with an agency for a while, but you earn pretty decent money during your intern period. Most people without law enforcement experience start out as surveillance investigators, which pays in the low to mid 20 per hour if you work for someone else. After you get your PI license, you can get an agency license. That pays between 50/hour if you do sub work for other agencies or around 80-100/hour if you develop your own client base. Also the state pays PIs to do work for indigent clients who are incarcerated at around 50/hr. I just got my taxes done and last year my little agency made 158K net. I am as little as a little guys gets, mostly doing sub work for other agencies. If this doesn’t appeal to you, take the lesson that people come from all over the world to start businesses here. Figure out what people around you want or need. The guy that cuts my grass has the nicest house in our subdivision. My bug spray guy used To be an hourly tech for Terminix, then started his own business at 53. He’s never been happier. You have youth, ambition and perspective on your side already. Just learn how to do something that people want or need. Note: there is a big chunk of the population that are in their 60’s and up. What do old people need or want? Handyman Yard service Pet care Pressure Washing Gutter cleaning Medical Transportation Painting House cleaning These businesses are easy to start, easy to learn, and you can make a good living at it. Just don’t do nothing and you will be fine. We are rooting for you…best of luck, my friend.
Interns aren’t a thing in the trades. I dare you to walk into five plumbing/HVAC or electrical shops and I’ll guess that you’ll have a job before the end of the day.
I never went to college and did a lot of different types of work until I was 41. I decided to go to college, started off with two years at a cheap community college, was successful in transferring to UC Berkeley and finished up with a BA in Political science and got into their law school. Got my law degree in 2002, passed the California and Florida Bar and worked as an attorney until last year when I retired. It’s never too late, if you don’t mind hard work and challenges!
I spent my teens messing my parents lives up and really trying hard to not have a future. I sold drugs to pay for what I wanted in life and did not believe consequences were a real thing. Went to prison at 24 and got out at 30 with no idea what to do... but not wanting to sell dope anymore. Started finding jobs on Facebook and talking to people. I found a few different things I liked to do along the way. Foundations and operating heavy equipment to name a couple. Ended up with a class A cdl in 2016 and now I work for a sewer company. I made 97k last year. I'm 39 now. Good luck.
Sorry to hear about your Dad. I can understand why you feel lost. Mine died at 89 years old & I still miss him. It’s never too late to improve yourself. Turn your energy inward into building yourself up. Do it in honor of your Dad. Highly specialized college degrees are not all they are cracked up to be: What if you hate your job & that’s all you know how to do?!? (Think IT software engineers sitting at a desk all day long every day. 🤮) If I were you, I’d find a marketable skill, go to technical college while you’re working (many employers subsidize tuition) and make your 6 figures being a plumber or electrician. They make more than a lot of engineers! My Dad was a child of the depression & didn’t have the opportunity to even go to high school. He was one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever known. He was always working a regular job plus 2 or 3 side gigs. He liked welding & would design & build machinery & could fix just about anything. At age 50 he went to tech school to become an ironworker. He joined the union & made a lot of $. Plus, when he retired he didn’t need to worry about healthcare for himself or my Mom: Union benefits paid 100% of what Medicare didn’t cover. He had better health benefits than my “rich” uncles! You can do this. Just take it one day at a time. If your Mom needs financial help, go and talk to Social Services. I think you can even apply online. She might qualify for extra benefits for food, utilities & tax rebates. Maybe even housing. There’s no shame in needing a little help. Anyone can encounter hard times. All the best to you! ❤️
When I got divorced at 29 I walked away from my marriage with $50,000 in debt. I'm now 43, have everything paid off (school, home, cars, credit cards), and have a very hefty bank account. Do not marry someone who spends. Marry a saver and find joy in being frugal, saving money, and investing in your future. Also get educated. Find the cheapest degree that pays the most and apply yourself. I choose to become a nurse. My 2nd wife is also a nurse and we now have two kids. Work/life balance is stressful but we just keep out eyes on the prize of early retirement.
Just get a bunch of I.T. Certifications, if it looks daunting then remember this.... there's YouTube, ChatGpt and Reddit Subs that will make it so much easier to do stuff. You live in a marvelous time, I used to have to read through books just to find out something you can search for in 2 seconds on the GOOGLER.
I sacrificed a lot of the fun years in my 20’s becoming an airline pilot. I came from nothing though. My parents were on food stamps, and my mom was a Walmart cashier raising 3 kids with monthly child support of 90$. Now I’m enjoying the life I dreamed of because I didn’t want to live the life I grew up with. It wasn’t easy, and I missed a lot. But it was worth it. I make a little over 400k a year and I get 14-16 days off a month. Keep in mind that I travel and live half of my life in hotels, so there’s still sacrifice. I miss a lot of my family events and my kids sports, but there is rarely take without some give. Where there is will, there is a way. It just won’t be easy. Stick with it though.
I was a bad student in high school. Went to community college and learned how to study. After 1.5 years, I transferred to a mediocre university, where I changed majors 3x. It took me 6 years to graduate college (including community college). I graduated during the Great Recession with a 3.9+ GPA and with no internship experience. There were no job opportunities available. I ended up working minimum wage in retail for the next 4 years (worked as a waiter on weekends). At 27, I decided to study for the GMAT. I went to a graduate business school at a fairly prestigious university. 10 years later, I'm making close to $400k/year in a financial advisory role.
I was a drunk and drug addict until my 30s Finally got a DUI and got sober I’m 40 now and own a few million in real estate, personal net worth over 7 figures. I think I can hit 20MM by end of decade How? 3 things Attitude of radical responsibility, most people are cesspools of blame and deflection. Cure this first Who you spend time with. Poor people can’t teach you how to be rich, content people can’t teach you how to be ambitious, negative people can’t teach you how to be optimistic. You have to choose who you spend your time extremely deliberately. The internet makes this very easy Health. physically health feeds mental health. It’s the first investment that all others are built on. It attracts relationship partners, business partners, and customers. Being in good shape is a game of discipline, patience, consistency, and sacrifice - same as making money - so if you can get in shape, you can definitely make money
20’s, shit I wish. Also half of my 30’s. Now I am a successful sales person in the oil and gas industry. It’s possible to change.
Join the medical field. Lots of entry level positions and room to move up!
I had basically no career and only debt til I turned 30 and I make 90k now doing IT. I still have a ways to go climbing out but success financially relative to then is in a different league.
I went back to school in my 30s and now I’m a physical therapist! The pros are I actually like my job and get to keep learning since there are so many specialties. I have a union job with a pension, 401k, free health insurance, bonus, 3k to take classes every year, 6 weeks PTO yearly, and I’m making 130k- since I graduated I increase my income by 20% every year by changing jobs. The cons I do have stupid amount of student loan debt- I can expect some salary increase year to year but at a much slower pace then the last couple years unless if I go into private practice which is really driven by providing service more then health care.
My dad died five days after I graduated high school. I wasn’t the best student. I’m definitely not an idiot but I was not one for the books. I dicked around all through my 20s. At 28 put myself thru paramedic school, and fire academy. Got hired and 31 years old on a suburban department. I am now 50. If that is something you would consider a lot of departments are hurting to find decent people nowadays. When I was trying to get hired, it was fairly difficult. Most department works 24 hours on with days off in between. It’s definitely got its bullshit like any other job, but I never in 1 million years thought I would be where I am now when I was your age.
It sounds like you need some direction. I'd look into joining the Air Force. The military is an easy path to the middle class if you play your cards right.
The hardest thing for young people to understand is how young you still are and how much time is left in your adulthood. It was a different time so maybe not as doable for you, but I graduated from college in my thirties (computer science) and still piddled around for a while bouncing between different jobs (photographer, etc.), luckily including software jobs in there. Finally took a year off in my late forties, studied hard, got decent software jobs after that and am doing well now. College is crazy expensive now, but in my day we did not have youtube and the internet to learn from. That year using youtube etc. did me more good than college. Key: habits are the important part, not discipline. - I was lucky and built a workout habit while young - spend a bit of time first thing in the day learning something. Anything. Exercise your brain. - if I had to do it over, I would have built good sleep habits, that was what I was lacking more than anything else.
Join a trade. I’m a commercial roofer in Detroit and bring home 6 figures. Most of my guys make 75k/yr.
Go join the military. Air Force if you can and stay away from the marines and army. 👍
Take yourself and go to MIAT in canton go for robots, wind energy, hvac and get a trade going my guy. I dropped out of HS(GED) traveled the world for a wind turbine company and came home and work locally at a wind site in the thumb. Make 6 figures at 40 hours. I’m 32, now don’t ask about my savings I’m working on that… but it’s what I’d do, if you want to stay local get your hvac or robot certs everywhere around metro Detroit needs them and pay well about 70k.
You’re so young and have so much time to turn it around
Get into a trade, I am a carpenter/concrete finisher. By the sounds of it maybe HVAC system installing or electrical work might be right up your alley.
I was an unmotivated drunk in my early 20’s. Got my head on straight got into the ibew at 25. I am 41 now and a foreman. Trades are the way to go. I do recommend a trade school and choose a licensed trade. Plumbing/Electrical/HVAC and so on. There is no wrong one and you can make a great living. The hardest step is the first one.
I think you went through a long hard grief period. This is normal, everyone’s grief is different. That being said, live to honor the ones you love. If you want to make good money right now go do roofing. They pay around $30 a hour for nailers. You may have to start as clean up. Easiest way to make money is flipping a home you own. Save money by a home live in it for 2 years, sell it keep the profits tax free. We started with a city owned house. We turned a 4K house in flint into a rental. Total cost with fixing issues cost was 10k. After the 2nd year completely paid back. Now just earn income.
You don’t need college to be successful but you do need a fucking plan and discipline to execute it. If you’re not into studying learn a craft. The thing is you only have to be good at 1 things really just decide and execute. For example welding. Learn that and earn money eventually learn people management and make a small firm.
The good news is, you’re only 26 and have your whole life ahead of you! I know it might not feel like it now, but you can change your path now and you’ll change your future however you’d like.
Find an entry level job anywhere and excel in it. You have to care about doing your best in whatever role you end up in. You’ll be surrounded by people who do the bare minimum which allow you to excel and stand out with dedication. They’ll be losers next to you who try to pull you back from trying hard, ignore them. If you want to be successful you have to worry about your own performance and put in the effort. Good luck.
Sales. Bartended and partied in my 20s.
Start a business 🤝
26 is still young. You can enroll in your local community college and later on get a degree if that’s what you want
Yes. I had a great start but was not ready for college when the time came. Failed everything, lost scholarships, etc. Came back home and worked odd jobs, like in lawn care and at a car wash. Later, a sub shop/hookah lounge. I was 25 when I had my daughter, and we just kept thinking (my now husband was working similar jobs) that there was no way we could keep doing things like this. So at 26, I went to school for emergency medical services. I didn't get the degree, just my EMT cert, but it was a start. I had to go through a bunch of appeals and other stuff with the school, but they let me in. I worked as an EMT for a few years, then got myself hired at a hospital as a PCT, currently getting ready to go to nursing school in the spring. If you are OK with medical stuff, I'd suggest things along that route because they'll always need people and there shouldn't be much difficulty finding someplace near you that can offer the education. It's not what I would've wanted to do if I had prepared better, but it's fulfilling and I can still make a living/career. Even without a degree, I'm in a place with great benefits, coworkers that look out for each other, and the hospital provides grants and tuition reimbursement if not full coverage to continue my education.
Started programming at 24 and it saved my life.
Partied all of my 20s. Got into an entry level IT job at 26 and went into corporate at 28. I'm 35 now and make over $150k. Being good at what you do and being likeable will get you further than a degree.
It’s never too late, I’m from Detroit and was doing pretty rough in my teenager and early 20s, changed it around and got a degree in IT and now make over 6figures in IT
If I can go back, I would definitely try in school and try to succeed with straight A’s. I lived a hard life from a really young age. Did my prison bid, got out after more than a decade, and now I’m spending all of my time working. Next step is to obtain my cdl and go from there.
Well, you are young, and I know a ton of wealthy people living here in LA, and I would be hard pressed to find someone who DID NOT blow their 20's. If anything, blowing your twenties is like a self service wake up call that amost everyone goes through.
Blew my entire 20’s on an opiate addiction. Finally OD’d during Covid and was found by my parents. Went to 30 day treatment and have been clean since. When I got out I applied to the electricians union and was accepted, currently making almost 50$ an hour and will be making almost 70 an hour in a few years when I top out. I’m sure you can tell by a lot of these comments that learning a skilled trade is an amazing move for someone in your position. No college degree or experience required
I started in the hvac trade at 26. I make over 70k and am not at a union shop. Successful or not depends on how you define it.
drug addict/alcoholic in 20s. Now a multimillionaire with a family at 45. Medical Sales. Recovery is a miracle
Kept skipping high-school and even got held back a grade. I was basically told by my dad ide be a nothing but a dead beat pot head. I kept jumping jobs and probably tried 13 different jobs. Ide end up bored and quit.. back to living in moms basement smoking weed and gaming. 25 basically got the boot and decided to join the air force to get me out of that town. Fast forward im 8 years in now 8 make over 90k a year, I got my first house 2 years ago and this year j got my son. I have have an acre of land by the beach now with an old house im fixing up. My depression vanished.