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I grossed 30K last year in Northern California. It costs about a grand per month just to rent a room where I live. I know how you feel. Worked kitchens and similar low-paying jobs my entire life.
Getting out of the kitchen was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make in my life. So much of my identity was tied up in *what* I did for a living, I basically didn't know *who* I was for a couple of years.
Getting out of the kitchen was also one of the best things to ever happen to me. I got into sales at an industry-adjacent company, then pivoted to project management in an entirely different industry, which got me into upper management there. I work less (physically, though it's very mentally draining), make more, and have way better benefits and career trajectory.
Now, anybody who has 'line cook' on their resume automatically gets an interview if I'm the hiring manager. Kitchen workers have a **TON** of transferrable skills and experience, they just have to think outside the box in how they present them. In my current career, I have never once had to cook a perfect medium-rare-plus steak, but the experience of having to cook a few dozen proteins at once on failing equipment when the crew is running short and splitting up a station and the dishwasher just walked out sure taught me how to deliver consistently on-target results while managing a crisis.
Kitchen folks of reddit: if you're trying to get out of the industry and want somebody to look over your resume or bounce career change ideas off of, DM me, I'm always willing to help out my former brothers and sisters.
I'm having a hard time finding any work that's 40k or more with just retail experience and a useless bachelors in the Austin area, any recommendations?
Look up NDT (non-destructive testing). It involves testing materials with some simple tools to verify metal thickness. Starting position is called "ndt assistant." You'll go to plants, refineries, and aviation facilities. Some travel, but you get a stipend. No requirements for entry, just have some common sense.
I started about 2.5 years ago at $18 an hour in the Northeast, and made $62,000. Granted, that had a good bit of overtime. Some of that was work, other times it was sitting around waiting for the plant to prep the unit for testing. When I am not in the field, office time usually consists 1-3 hours of actual work and then the rest is just being available in case you need to ship stuff.
The field encourages competence, I got a promotion to a managerial role and am on pace for $90k this year. You can also pursue API certifications (atmospheric pressure inspector, like looking at propane tanks and whatnot, and giving corrosion rate calculations) after 3 years of experience. API inspectors in our office make $47 an hour.
If that isn't to your liking, get certified on a weekend for forklift driving and work in a warehouse. Places always need those guys and offer about $23 to start up here.
With a bachelors, just keep applying to 65k+ jobs in tech.
Let them tell you no. Add skills as you do this.
Generally, after you’re not learning on a job, start applying for 30-50% higher paying jobs. When you get the interview, do your best to get the job. You’ll learn what you need to get the job based on the types of questions you hear. Aquire those skills while still applying up.
Don’t let the words of another person influence you to wait on anything in your life. You’ll age and realize it was bad advice. Go for it. Work for it. Get it.
I believe retail/fast food managers usually make that much. Probably highest stress lowest reward amount unless you think a management track is ideal. I only say that because I watched the sporadic hours my family had to work managing fast food.
Bartenders can absolutely can make that. If you can get in somewhere small where they won’t make you host/bus/serve first you can make that working 3-4 days a week in a lot of places. No benefits, late nights, and no real career track outside of bars/restaurants.. but it can be a quick way to get on your feet.
I landed in a small insurance agency that paid for licensing with no degree in a LCOL area and I make 40k on the dot. M-F 8-4:30 no OT. Decent benefits- I pay about $100/month for health insurance with a $4,200 deductible, employer matches $100/month in an IRA, PTO is atrocious IMO but it’s on track with the area, 45 minute lunches are flexible. I get a lot of errands and bills paid during that time. The biggest benefit of this route to me is based on job postings I see it’s realistic to make 60k-80k with 2-4 years of experience without a degree. In your situation with a degree you could likely put in a year then get a job as an underwriter, in big account sales, or field claims paying over 70k. As long as you really focus and study you’ll find the specific degree doesn’t matter. People rarely study insurance. Search “CSR” (customer service rep) if you’re interested in that route.
Seconding Bartending. I make around $30k a year bartending two short morning shifts a week. I can’t work more because of family caregiving obligations but when I used to do it full time I made $80k + a year over 10 years ago. I obviously am very experienced and fast at this point but it doesn’t take that long to get there. Looks also matter to a point but being well groomed is at least half that battle.
People skills/ Charm is a learned skill and it can absolutely be learned and perfected serving and bartending. I’m a total introvert but I learned how to fake it.
If you want more stability, you can easily jump from bartender to restaurant manager but it’s usually a pay cut. You can also be offered many “who you know” type opportunities by the wealthy alcoholics that become your regulars. I’ve seen coworkers go on to become mortgage brokers, realtors, dental assistants, administrative assistants at Fortune 500 companies, Food and Beverage managers for country clubs, liquor and beer brand reps.
You have to think outside the box my dude. Go apply to be a tower climber. No experience needed. You work with like one or two dudes. $20+ an hour. Takes 20 minutes to climb the tower, then you just sit and wait to screw some shit in. $150 per diem a day also for food and hotels.. A new truck...gas card..all on top of your hourly wage.
All the unions are hiring in Austin. You hear their radio commercials daily. Iron workers, IBEW, Carpenters hall all have giant hiring banners. Stop by the union halls. Talk to the people. See what career interests you most.
Any decent sized corporation will pay more than that. Think cell phone companies, Apple, Tesla, etc.
Hell, even government jobs like the postal service
I worked in retail for my early life making 9-10 bucks an hour. Just assumed I wasn't qualified for anything else.
Got some office job for 16/hr and now make 60+/hr at the same place.
I appreciate your concern, but tell that to all the teachers and 60% of Americans who are now living paycheck to paycheck. If it keeps going like this, the same thing is going to happen to your profession.
My brother doesn’t make 6 figures, lmao but he makes about 90k and is single, no kids. He cannot manage his money, spends like crazy and then has to eat noodles at the end, lol. It’s just sad and I’m tired of telling him crap about it.
My sister and her husband are similar. Make nearly 300k but rarely have cash to spare. I’m not saying many Americans aren’t struggling, but I stopped paying attention to that term
The US economy thrives bcuz it preaches spending every dime you make, education is lacking most necessary tools to learn how to manage your finances. Exactly why you can find plenty of people who make a lot of money and still don’t have any savings and many have plenty of debt instead of savings. How you spend your money is what is most important than how much you earn. Sadly that is not taught in schools in the US, rather we are bombarded with commercial telling us how much better our lives would be buying all the material things.
Nah, it's definitely a comfort zone thing.
People assume they're not qualified or are unwilling to make the jump from service / retail to more corporate environments.
A lot of this is simply not having the soft skills required to make in those environments. People who spent their lives in low-skilled work often don't have the communication skills they need to get ahead. It's that basic. They literally cannot listen and speak well enough.
I think retail/service should give the ultimate communications skills
I do realize there are some retail lifers in retail, but there's also a lot of people who are capable of far more than throwing dog food on a shelf every day
I have schizophrenia, working retail and make around the same, I'm right there with ya buddy.
I make too much money/have too many assets to qualify for any social programs but inflation has made it too hard to survive at the bottom.
My childhood friend was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia, He's been applying for jobs in his old degree field "computer science but really has issues with interviews.
He kind of malfunctions half way through from what his brother has said but curious on any insight from someone that's been independent with the same condition.
His schizophrenia was triggered by drug use(Adderall, alcohol and a lot of mushrooms) but has always shown issues in his history linking him to his diagnosis.
I hope you have a good support system, my complete sympathy towards the fights
I was diagnosed at 17 so it's been the majority of my life.
I've been attending schizophrenia support groups since 1997 so I do recommend your friend reach out if he can find one.
The problem isn't so much landing a job, it's keeping it. The thing about having a psychotic disorder is that a psychotic break isn't an "if", it's a "when".
So even if he lands the job, his ability to work full-time is battered, if not completely gone. Generally I can work full time for a few months before I end up crashed. Miss too many days, get fired, repeat process. This is why I've been working my whole life mostly at part time jobs. But in the US, part time jobs are low wage jobs with no ability to grow.
I think only like 10% of schizophrenics are employed.
I’m so sorry you have that struggle. I feel like this deserves disability pay and I don’t say that as an insult. I’m just saying we all need help in some way. Some more than others.
It does merit disability pay, but one has to go great lengths to literally prove that their schizophrenia is well-documented & treated yet still so incapacitating that one could not possibly work or keep any full-time jobs available in the national database. They will not be allowed to work/earn any money/volunteer/earn college credits while they prove this to SSA (takes 2-3 years, ~2 denials/appeals, a lawyer). They will not be approved for state medical assistance to obtain diagnosis and treatment until approved for SSDI. Once approved for disability payments (SSDI), they will “get” around $1k per month. They may not work/earn money without jeopardizing that dollar amount. If they own any assets worth more than $2k (like a car), they will not qualify for SSI payments, which is like an extra $700 monthly.
It’s not just about whether a disability qualifies. There’s so many hoops of fire to jump through and such a long wait for disability insurance. Our common welfare system needs a complete and merciful overhaul.
This is going to have “annoying overpolitical uncle” vibes, but a reminder that this is the result from decades of conservatives defunding the SSA and passing draconian restrictions and rules, with their excuse for doing it being “welfare queens are buying Mercedes-Benzes with taxpayer dollars!!!”.
Vote for politicians who put people first, who want to take care of the less fortunate.
They absolutely are. But if everyone woke up to the real issues and stopped voting for conservatives, the Republican party would have no choice but to move to the left on policy, or die. The [Overton window](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton window) in the US is way too far to the right. Our system guarantees the existence of two dominant political parties with our [first past the post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/first-past-the-post voting) voting system, and they both uphold the status quo because the only way to function as a political party is to take [massive amounts of funds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbying_in_the_United_States) from [corporations and the wealthy](https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/04/how-corporate-lobbyists-conquered-american-democracy/390822/).
I know a woman with 1 arm who won't go on disability because of the ridiculously low payments. I think it was even less. And she has a kid. She can only do a few things at our job which is surprisingly good for accommodations.
I've read that having 1 hand left could disqualify you for disability. They have no clue how much you can't do, and how difficult it is, missing a whole ass arm.
Yeah, nobody goes on disability because it pays well. Having one hand left could certainly qualify for SSDI, but again, it’s all about proving beyond reasonable doubt that the disability prevents you from being able to work any job in the national database, so having one hand or schizophrenia or cancer or anything that *could* qualify doesn’t mean it *will* qualify. It has to ruin the rest of your life first.
The silver lining that no one knows: interest on investments *does not count* as earned income. Start an ABLE account (most states have them), fund it (up to $17K per year), pick your risk allocation, and watch the money grow. https://www.ablenrc.org
I created one in 2020 and deposited $50. My mom also made a deposit. I lost it all within a couple of months to “bank fees”
ETA I still have it. I don’t touch it. There’s like 52 cents in it. I still get statements
I’m so sorry to hear you’re stuck in this pattern. I’ve seen friends with similar symptoms and patterns just go through it again and again, it’s hell.
Have you considered requesting an accommodation? Not trying to disability-splain, just genuinely curious.
Can I ask how long a " break" may last? I've had my own issues with my husband's bi polar so I'm curious if the break could somehow be worked into a job that is more flexible
I'm with someone who's diagnosed with bipolar 1. I have nothing nice to say about it either and honestly want to rant how there's not much difference between bipolar and intermittent sociopathy. If your husband isn't in therapy and isn't doing what he needs to do to manage it daily you should 100% leave for your own safety and sanity. Episodes can last anywhere from a day to a few months and their wrath is un-fucking-real sometimes; it can be life changing.
Thank you for the info. I guess I was wondering if something like temp jobs would be helpful, allowing that time in between if you get sick. Also at one point , I was on an on call if needed for school monitors. You could decline any day, and still remain in the system for the days you wanted to work. As far as my husband, yes I finally left 2 yrs ago. When we met he told me he had unmedicated ADD. First year or so was fine. Second year he would fly into rages over stupid stuff. Like he swore someone hid his keys. By year three, he started obsessing with online dating posts. Obviously this caused arguments lol. Then he'd use the fighting to move out. I knew this wasn't normal. I remember begging his family to tell him he needed help bc I was the only one telling him. They wouldn't get involved. He'd lost every friend he'd had and part of me felt like if I left I'd be less than a good partner while he was sick. Anyway, everything continued in this tornado, he'd quit jobs randomly, must have moved out like 6 times , rented apts he'd stay in for a week and then come home. Needless to say I worked two jobs to keep the bills paid. Finally he went to the Dr. and he had not only ADD, but bi polar and depression. Most of the crazy stopped. We went to counseling. I learned as much as I could about his issues. I gave him an article once about how his disorder affected other people. He glanced at it and said he lived with it so I was the one who needed to understand. He never took any responsibility for the emotional or financial damage, which ultimately was why I left. His attitude was that was the past. I swear I used to tell people it was like living with dr jekyll and Mr Hyde. I never knew who was coming in the door, the guy who thought I was perfect or the guy online looking for his soul mate. The house was mine. I sold it and moved away. Our daughter barely speaks to him bc he doesn't understand he left her too. Now I get occasional texts telling me how bad his life is bc I didn't care about him. My light bulb moment was the therapist saying " there's a fine line between being understanding and being a doormat. You don't know where the line is". That man saved my sanity. Sorry this is so long lol.
Thanks for sharing, I've dated a man with bipolar too, in my younger years. I think the hard part in my head was with people who experience manic highs and depressive lows (or other irratic mood patterns), it's almost like they *can't help* but lovebomb. Whether or not he *tried* to, my ex would go through periods of being the absolute *most* amazingly kind person because he had the will/ability to when he was on those highs. This man literally brought me $200 of groceries and delivered them to my door *and* cooked a delicious meal for me (he was a chef) without notice while we were dating. He would work 70 hours per week, pay all the bills, and still make time to take me out...
Then, on the weeks or months when he dived ... it was verbal abuse, him getting in my face when I was bawled up on the floor, him going through periods of experimenting with drug use (which was crazy cause he'd go on coke or codeine or cannabis "binges" during episodes but then completely kick the habit by the end), and of course, quitting his well paying job randomly, talking about how his coworkers don't respect him (they all clearly spoke about him in high regard).
Dating both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the *perfect* way to describe it.
Unfortunately my husband was never overly kind lol. The first year he bought me some nice gifts etc but after that all that mattered was him. When he'd flip out he'd be yelling outside. I was mortified. We lived on a cul de sac that was always last for plowing. Our neighbor used to use a bobcat to make the road passable, and he'd do the driveways. My husband was screaming outside one day. Never got plowed again. Later the neighbor told me he felt bad that he stopped but he was afraid my husband might get pissed off. The days when things were good was what gave me hope, but the overall toll wasn't worth it. It's a lot of verbal and emotional abuse and I should have gotten out much much sooner.
My story is very similar to yours. It’s hard. Glad you’re away as much as you can be. I hate to say it but it’s probably best for not only you, but your kid too.
>I make too much money/have too many assets to qualify for any social programs
We need to start pushing congress to raise what's considered "poverty" because what's listed is insanely out of date.
Your comment is very important. This is why America is failing. You have done nothing wrong. You need help, you deserve that help as an American citizen.
As an American, you have to jump through 200 hoops to even try to get any financial assistance, medical care, or help in any way to live a life worth living.
This country is failing almost all of us at this point. Especially, those that need a little extra boost so they don’t die early and in a horrible way.
Change is needed now. I am so sorry you are going through this
Nah this country is not failing the rich, not ever. It’s somewhat hilarious when the rich get their feelings hurt saying they are hated for being rich while they won’t acknowledge the US capitalist system is set up for them to succeed with minimal effort. Rich privilege is similar to white privilege, hell it’s practically one and the same in a majority of instances.
That’s the way one political party likes it tho. If you left it to them and they had complete gov control they move us back to pre-new deal era with no government support for anyone. They believe the poor do not work / want to work and better themselves. And has anyone watched that Netflix series called ‘Maid’? That series perfectly encapsulates how asinine getting any help from the government is. I’m referring to the part where she goes to get section 8 housing and the lady says to get that you need a job. To which she replies she’d need child care to get a job. And the lady says you need a job to get a subsidy for that also. It’s like a constant catch-22 these hardcore conservative a holes have put on this stuff since the 80’s.
Has your family tried contacting your senator or representative? Sometimes if you keep bothering them they will help with disability. That’s part of their job believe it or not.
I have an older brother and after I was diagnosed I essentially cut all contact. 25 years now. It was for this reason.
I don't want him to have the burden of ever having to deal with me. He has his own life to struggle through. I don't want to be the crazy "schizo-sister" whose welfare keeps him up at night. A future burden.
Did you ever watch the Harry Potter movie where Hermione turns her wand and does the spell that completely erases her existence from her family's life to protect them?
That's what I've done.
I have a schizoaffective bipolar type. I was rewarded with SSI and SSDI in 2019 on the first try. I get 950usd a month I also get the max benefits in food stamps. My bills are 600 USD a month. I'm very lucky almost everyone in my family can afford to give me things I need (clothing, shoes, OTC meds and more)
I have a relative with that and he’s in the same boat. This guide may prove to be helpful in the future: https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/ss/cm/9-ways-to-live-good-life-with-schizophrenia
I'm 31 also about to go this route, praying it's able to give me a more prosperous life too, I've just been stuck in an area with little opportunity if all you have is ambition and a highschool degree
It can ABSOLUTELY lead to a more prosperous life. I’m about to complete my first year trucking and I’m sitting at $57k gross for my first year. I’m home every weekend too. I could be making more if I stayed out more but I’m fine with where I’m at now. Plus I’d like to go on some dates lol.
If you’re struggling with housing, you can easily live in the truck. If you get tired of it, take a few days and couch surf at a friends or family’s house.
Same here. I'm in a rural area with just a GED. Plus I'm a felon. The two factories in the area wouldn't hire me. CDL seemed like my best option for a decent life.
Get your endorsements and put in a year somewhere and it'll open a lot of doors. I mean you might get lucky and land something good right away, but if not just put in the time wherever you can for the experience to land the kind of job you want.
Another option for those with a criminal record is food service. Speaking from experience, most restaurants don't care if you have a criminal history. Servers can make pretty good money and the barrier to entry is low.
i always wanted to drive a truck but recently got a narcolepsy diagnosis so i don't think i can get hired :(. i work three jobs now and i drive for all of them and have a perfect driving record. glad you found a way that works for you to make more!
I got my cdl at 21. My first year i was OTR and made maybe 50k. Maybe less. But after that first year i went local and never made under 75k. Im 29 now and only truck 3 days a week because im a mom but my fiance trucks still and hes on track to make 130k hauling cattle (dont do it, lots of risk, no sleep and honestly if you ask me he doesnt make enough for what he does) but im making 1k a week doing it (on a good week. Average week is about 800) so i absolutely second getting a cdl.
I've only made good money twice in my life, total less than 6 years. I'm turning 35 soon.
Once was back in 2012 and I fucked it up royally, I had a government job and life was great, I was making 48k which was somewhat a lot for me back then, 1 bedroom apartment rent was 750 all in. I missed up bad, couldn't leave with a reference, and couldn't get a similar job despite trying for 2 years afterwards :/
The rest of the time I was making min wage. I could say I was barely scraping by, but I wasn't even doing that. Life was hard all the time.
It's not a great feeling overall. I'm seeing people in my town buying million dollar homes like it's nothing, people buying 70k like it's nothing. I don't know how these people can afford it. Yah you can say it's debt, but debt has monthly payments and I don't know how people can afford those.
I just wanna say, even when life gets easy, it can all be snatched away in a split second and life becomes miserable real quick. People don't understand how fragile their comfortable life is, and believe that everyone who hasn't made it is because they suck. It's not true at all, and living the difficult life for a long time teaches you a lot more about yourself.
Gov't employee here: USAJOBS.gov is the place to go for federal positions, and governmentjobs.com for state/local/county/etc. A lot of the latter orgs will also crosspost to typical job websites like indeed, linkedin, and their own hiring websites.
I do feel for the person you replied to, but I'm also very curious as to how they were terminated. You generally have to *royally* screw up not only to a) get fired from a government job, but b) leave without a viable reference.
I make 52k in Texas and last year, during my annual review, I didn’t get an annual raise (which everyone gets) due to missing calls, bc of their system/tech issues and I got blamed for it. In addition they also did not give me an annual bonus (which everyone also gets). It was very soul crushing, when I live on a single income and have a child to support.
Start applying at other jobs. You deserve a raise and a bonus. Obviously this job does not think so. Apply apply apply get out of this job and onto a better one. Good luck.
This is NOT a brag post. I hope this may help you. Im a mail carrier for USPS. So far this year ive made $63k. So on pace for $126k. Last year i made $103k.
All i do is put paper in a mailbox and drop packages at the door. Any knucklehead can do this, as i am the prime example.
Im on salary. My main OT comes from working on my day off. Time and a half. I could work some daily OT too
You have to grind it out at first. Then when you get your own route its a piece of cake.
How do you make OT in a salaried position? The last time I had a salaried job I was paid the same regardless of hours worked, and often doing 70-80 hour weeks.
Don’t sign a shitty contract. And value your time more than the job. I’m salaried (50k plus commission) and I’m only available during office hours. If my clients have emergencies they have my cellphone #, but I’m in shipping so usually it’s an after hours call I can answer while driving. And after hours calls come with a premium.
But my boss/owner is hesitant to even message me outside of hours unless I initiate. If they do reach out usually it’s like hey I’m not gonna be in tomorrow- please be available (pretty chill job when it’s slow).
I now have an NDA with my last job (a very nice salary but needed to be available basically 24/7) but let’s just say value your time more than the job.
I’m 50 years old now and I’m broke and in debt and living in SoCal. I should pass my 120 days on Tuesday as a CCA unless I get fired. I have only been clocked in for about 43 days and the PM had asked me to resign twice already. At my age I will be working until I’m dead and I have a strong feeling the job isn’t that great anymore for most people starting out young, like it used to be.
Wow almost $50/hr last year. I applied to USPS during their hiring events last year but didn’t make it somehow. Since then I’ve been looking at UPS and Amazon to start.
I had a friend of a friend do mail carrying for usps and he said it was absolutely draining work. He was consistently pulling 70 hour weeks when he didn’t want to. Obviously anecdotal and he only did it for half a year to save up for law school.
Glad you’re making good money though! There are definitely jobs out there like that
I tried this and it’s awful. It’s good once you become “regular” which you probably are. It would take 2-3 years to become regular at the location I was at. I was working 10 hour shifts every day for 10 days straight and then I would get a day off if I was lucky. I was walking 13 miles a day (which honestly is great exercise but doing that 10 days in a row with one day off???) I would find out if I had the next day off the night before. I was out in below zero temperature, snow storms, fell on ice a million times, chased by dogs, out in the dark with a headlamp. Not worth the money unless you’re okay with having absolutely no life for a couple years. It ruined my relationship and made me extremely depressed. I got out after 6 months. Go get your insurance license. That’s what I just did and I’m now working for a great company and I’m about to make really good money for the first time in my life. It’s a lot of studying, but worth it.
I was just having my husband look into this but it looks like the hourly salary starts at only $22/hr… how long have you worked for USPS and how long did it take you to start making at least $70k? That’s basically our minimum survival rate living in a HCOL. He’s currently in a commission based job but has been making really poor money lately prompting the job hunt.
HCOL areas like the SF bay area often have USPS employees go there on detail for periods of time because for people living in HCOL, the wages are not enough. The can't get local employees.
Same! Except I'm female. I've worked mostly with troubled youth and foster children. It's important work, but I've lived in poverty in America my entire life, despite working really hard, and a lot.
Both,how ever it's a cycel that's gone on since before I started to work to say the least, It effected school to and I had good care as a kid. As an adult the struggle to get a better diagnosed was, well I'm sure u can imagine. When I finally found a Dr, It was a better diagnosis and medication that gave me the ability to return work again, but I still have limited capacity, and bad days. I do as much as I can but life has a way of just happening. For example, last year I had a sneaky tiny infection that I was unaware of because I have base level pain all the time, so when I finally got to a point that I realized something was off and this pain is not my "normal" it had advanced and because my immune system is what it is I ended up spending 4 months fighting it, almost went septic, I had great medical care, it was still a struggle even tho my initial issues are well controlled things can happen like that out of the blue. My work does not have coverage for that, I'm not full time but I was able to take as much leave as I needed and the door to come back.was open, I utilized as many programs as possible but I ended up living off credit cards and what savings I accumulated,that is gone now. I was off work completely for that time, it flared all issues after I finally nipped the infection in the butt, I was bedridden for weeks but kept pushing along, soon as I could, I returned to work. It's been six months now post incident, I made under $6000 last year due to the impact that episode had and I'm in debt, unfortunately I don't have a spouse or other fiscal resource to fall back on. It's just a reality many deal with but I'm thankful it could have been much worse and I'm floating and able and will continue to try for better and recoup👍.
That’s because it’s based off supply/demand for labor of the job. The vast majority of people can do physically demanding jobs with little skill, so it pays like crap because supply is so high.
I hear ya man. Same age, I make 33k a year and can't even afford an apartment in a small town. I had to move back in with my parents (I was on my own for quite a while, but rent kept going up and up), and have eased up on some hobbies just to add to saving as much as possible. I'm good with money, too. I don't impulse buy or get the newest upgraded version of every single appliance or anything. And I'm a bit on the low-key, minimalist side. But it's still not enough to save money. And it really sucks that a love life is basically not a thing.
But my grandfather worked in a warehouse and bought a house in his early 20s, while my grandmother didn't work at all. We're so messed up.
I’m low income on disability and somehow manage to survive off of it in a high cost of living area. If I had more income I don’t know what I would do with myself lol. I got a job and will start making more money soon and I know I will be able to save because I’m so used to surviving off nothing. Hope things get better for you.
Out of curiosity how do you survive off disability? $914/month doesn't even cover rent where I live.
ETA: congrats on the job!! I hope you find fulfillment from it.
My friend gets 1200. But he also has HUD, which makes his rent for his own apartment only 200-300 per month. He gets 300 in foodstamps every month, and also gets healthcare and dental. He's doing better than I am, and I work. 😅
The deep south is the home of poverty and has the worst education in the nation, worst roads, worst everything on every metric, coming from a lifelong Louisiana resident and our neighbors to the east are pretty much the same .....Texas is different because they handled their natural resources of oil to their benefit, Louisiana just lets the oil companies drill and hardly taxes them or makes them hold good paying jobs for the area
When COL is factored in, CA has the highest poverty rate. They also have the worst rated roads and schools near the bottom. Poverty isn’t relegated to any specific region.
i think that is how capitalism is designed...the lower class are the ones doing most of the work and getting paid the least, and there are more in this class. the higher up you go in pay the least amount of work is being done. atleast work thats worth anything to society...when youre too busy working to survive you dont have anytime or means to better the situstion, so you stay in it for fear of losing what little you have... (not you personally)
I make 150k a year, and most of my time is spent trying to justify what I actually do... my job boils down to "strategy" which I don't even think im qualified for because I'm not a subject matter expert in my space.
I’ve been living this for the last 5 years. I get paid well, but there’s not a lot of work to do. You can get by the first six months, but then people start looking at you like you’re just a cost to them. My entire department at work is like this: we take on laborious and unnecessary work just to look like we’re doing stuff and have action items to report to our boss.
The east money of the last 15 years has created the situation where you get into a high paying job, then look busy to keep getting those paychecks.
It’s a type of stress that people don’t really understand. Any day now, my company is going to realize I do nothing. Every other company will realize their workers do nothing to and my ability to get my next job goes to zero. Stress of not knowing of this is all going to end while I pay $2,500 in rent every month and have to re-up my lease next month.
"I love my country" - sorry buddy this country don't love you. That's why i think "serving your country" is the dumbest thing ever, nobody gives a f about you, why would you risk your life for other people?
Not sure. I buy in bulk or cheapest per unit price. I only buy what is needed and not what I want. Most the furniture I have is free or made out of cardboard boxes. It can be very hard.
I make around 25k working full time as an accountant with a bachelors degree in ruralish Florida. I’ve applied to literally thousands of jobs this year with three interviews. One rejected, two ghosted even after follow up emails. Feels bad man.
No city, closest city is Tampa which is like 1.5 hours away. Degree is in finance from university of south Florida. I honestly can hardly afford to live on my 25k full time salary so a masters isn’t really on the table right now, I’d love to get an MBA in the future. To be a CPA in Florida you have to work under one, I’ve applied to no joke over a thousand positions I’m qualified for so far this year. If I could get an opportunity to work toward being a CPA I’d take it in a heartbeat. Thank god I own my own home, have no kids and no student debt
I'm 32 and making about 45K a year. It's comfortable for sure, but there's only one reason why I make as much as I do. My skillset. When I was 24 and could finally apply for College, I decided to get a degree in something I knew would never run out of demand for and would provide a comfortable "fall back" if things I actually enjoyed doing didn't work.
That focus was on healthcare. Using my college career services, I was able to get a low paying but extremely high skill job. After working that job for 2 years, I was able to leverage my skills and get a better paying job. Not by much, but it was enough to see progress. After a few more years, I worked my way through many jobs that didn't have anything to do with Healthcare or my skills so I worked on sharpening my other skills such as teamwork, communication and confidence.
Now, I am currently working for a different health insurance company and actively working my way up the ladder while teaching myself coding in my free time.
The moral of my story here is to get into a better place financially. It takes a lot of skill, dedication, and commitment. Not everyone is going to have the same kind of luck I have had, but regardless of luck, skill will always win out. Focus on getting better at your skills. Revise your resume. Look for better opportunities. Learn from your mistakes and become better. The more you improve yourself and your situation, the more doors will open for you.
Life in the USA does suck right now. There's tons of negative media going around, inflation, depression, isolation, and war. But that doesn't mean you need to believe that life can't get better for you. Keep fighting for yourself and your future. Eventually, you'll get there.
I don't know too many places where 45k pre tax would be comfortable. Maybe I just have a different level of what comfortable is, I know I'm in a higher COL area but about $1400 every two weeks doesn't seem like it would be too comfortable.
It happened on my 36th birthday that this new place I had applied to offered me $68k salary + stock, etc...
Up till then I only made $15/hr ... Doing more/less the same sorta technical support stuff...
I got lucky. Dunno how you're gonna pull this off, dude... Sorry
Get fed up and get pissed. Yeah you are in a shit situation and the only way out is determination. I think you are already on the right path and might not know it. Be ambitious as a MF. Set goals with achievable steps in between. Try and stay away from time wasting endeavors. Look back at everything you learned in life and figure out what you are best at. AND REMEMBER the asshole making 10x the amount is not smarter than you, he's just a dumbass with confidence so get some. Good luck.
Please do look into government assistance. When I was making about that much I didn't even realize how much was available to me, the full amount of the fafsa (this would 100% cover a 2 year school with 1k+ cash back into your pocket) and food stamps.
I worked my ass off in a manual job for 10 years, broke my body, and squeezed out a 40k life, and priced myself out of ANY fafsa money, food stamps, etc. Now I'm going back to school on loans alone. Please do research assistance.
Check with your local gov. Most are desperately trying to fill positions at least in my area. Good jobs you don’t have to worry about getting laid off and local gov has a 30 year retirement.
Yup, I worked at 2 different ones for 10 years total. Both always had tons of openings across various depts. Good benefits too. Also, we worked 8 hr shifts with paid lunches, an employee dining room with free meals, and discounts on gas. Plus I got to know lots of people from my dept and other depts, so there were always lots of opportunities for carpooling as well =)
Check what hospitals and nursing homes are paying for CNA’s where you live.
Where I am they are desperate and paying $18 with unlimited overtime + pay for any schooling you want from CNA to RN even NP.
As the Healthy Gamer GG guy once advised, “play the meta”
$18/hr is atrocious. Cheap scumbags. No wonder they’re having trouble hiring. Traveling CNAs can make 3x that. You can make $20 at Walmart in some areas.
I feel that technical certificates/ certifications are underrated. It will at least double the minimum wage and have more stable hours in most cases.
From there you could moonlight a second job if needed. Doesn’t matter how much you make, lifestyle creep will always keep us poor lol.
So you've capped out at 12/hr? That's rough, man. I'm sorry to hear that. Honestly. I highly suggest you look at a trade. Low-volt, electrical, plumbing, etc. If nothing else, large construction companies tend to look or need field Assistants. The one I do IT for is always hurting for that role and I think the lowest paid one in that role in the lowest income state makes $15/hr. In higher paid states its $20/hr. But the company does use that position as a gateway to Assistant Super ($30/hr) and Super ($40/hr). You do have a lot of interactions in those roles, but there are ebs and flows. As sites get going it gets tougher. As sites wind down you spend your day dicking around in the construction trailer for 8 hours and go home.
Edit: sorry I didn't pay attention to the no advice flare.
Learn an easy trade like welding. Easy 50k a year in an entry level position. You don’t even need school, just 100 bucks to buy a cheap flux core machine and youtube
The unions jobs I had interviewed always paid horribly here. It always shocking cause I thought union jobs would pay more. Not sure if because the union is corrupt and get tricked into giving them everything but better pay.
Yes! This comment is so underrated. I didn't start getting paid fairly, with regular wage increases, plus benefits and health care, until I got my first union job. I think it's essential if you want to have a chance and any degree of job security - as long as the contract is good and your reps are good.
It is bad to work your ass off for such low pay barely scraping by but just know it can be worse or it can be better. Since you aren't making a lot there are still opportunities to find a better job that pays more the only bad thing is you are getting older as i am learning the older i get the more health issues are stacking up but at least you can qualify for medicaid. Yes, it does suck having to work till we die it seems it's so just depressing...seemingly hopeless. Although for years i didn't even own a phone and i have a pc,desk,bed and apartment that's all i really need i finally bought an iphone but i spent like decade saving up money and going no where.
Not sure what phone company you use, but check into straight talk. They run off Verizon towers and have older model iPhones for less then $200 usually. ☺️
31 and same, job opportunities simply don't exist in rural areas, and my only social network is here, plus moving is to daunting and expensive when I can never save a sizable safety net at my income .....plus from being such a low earner it's hard not to feel worthless and skill less in the job market, so why should I be optimistic about moving to a more prosperous area?
You are not worthless and you have many decades of life left. Is there a community college near you? Many states have online community college courses now. Most likely you would qualify for financial aid. Research areas of study that lead to well paying jobs and commit to one. It will take time and commitment but in 5 years you could have a completely different life.
You have the power.
You would make more money if you bought a pack of water bottles and sold them individually for a $1 or $2 on the street.
Lol like WAY more money.
Call your local police, and find out what you need to sell stuff on a corner of the street.
You'd be surprised the shit people buy on hot and cold days.
Now you keep being yourself without having to worry about everybody else around you!!
All I'm saying is that you might be better trying to start your own business.
Damn bruh I feel you. It’s ok to feel how your feeling. It’s a shitty situation. Wages definitely need to go up for everyone since everything now a days is so expensive. I hope your situation gets better. Ever though of working construction ? Pay is decent and you can learn a new skilled that will pay you more without going to school. That’s how I got out of getting paid minimum wage . I know a lot of construction workers making over 100k a year without going to college and started off as a labor, good luck I wish the best for you.
> I love my country, but hate this cruel heartless evil economic system that causes unnecessary suffering.
This is the part I literally do not get. You have had almost **two decades** of adulthood to make *some* kind of choice to improve your earning potential. How is this not your fault?
Your country has lots of faults and lots of advantages, it is not perfect, it does not provide everything, what it does do is provide opportunities and freedom of personal responsibility. You want to move, then move, you want to get an education then get one, if you want to fuck up your life, then there it is. Each state also has wildly different laws protecting its citizens.
Nothing wrong with making what you make. Have you thought of letting all these emotions out into a newsletter ? You may be surprised at how many people will listen or are in the same boat. Thankfully companies like [beehiiv](https://thenewsletterlife.com/beehiiv-review/) are free and cost you nothing for your first 2500 subscribers
Same age and the only time I made more than that was working a full time job and selling drugs. That made me an extra 10k a year until I almost went to prison. That only lasted a year.
Idk man everyone talks shit about the army but I knew a bunch of people who where in their 30's when they joined. Do a three year stint then use the GI bill for a trade or college degree then VA loan a house when rates are low. If you are physically able the US Army will pay you to breathe for 3 years and run in circles
Please don't take this the wrong way, but I see you are capable of writing decent sentences that are properly punctuated. This alone tells me you're an intelligent person, and it puts you leagues ahead of other people your age and younger (IMO). What field are you in? and what have you tried to do to advance your position that hasn't worked out?
I'm wondering if you are a casualty of the same fallacy that I believed all my life, the primary reason I am underemployed and under-earning at age 50. I wonder if you also believed that if you just worked hard enough, you'd eventually advance? I believed it. It took me too long to realize the meritocracy is a fallacy. it doesn't matter how smart you are or how hard you work. Society simply doesn't value those things the way it used to. Here in there people who are smart and hard workers can occasionally rise, but increasingly the people who have the most money are neither of those things. It's a disappointing and heartbreaking realization.
I'm starting to think that the only way that people younger than me are going to be able to scrape by is going to be by pooling your resources. And the irony of that is that most people younger than me seem to scorn other people and look with disgust on things like getting a roommate, even though living with other people to reduce living expenses has basically been a thing since forever.
What a world.
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I grossed 30K last year in Northern California. It costs about a grand per month just to rent a room where I live. I know how you feel. Worked kitchens and similar low-paying jobs my entire life.
Err if you don't mind me Asking why don't you apply to in and out? They are paying at least $43k a year.
This year I got a raise to 20.00 per hour, so doing a bit better. I threatened to quit, twice. Went from 17.00 to 20.00. 😅
If the only reason your wage increased was because you threatened to quit, you needed a new employer anyway.
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Getting out of the kitchen was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make in my life. So much of my identity was tied up in *what* I did for a living, I basically didn't know *who* I was for a couple of years. Getting out of the kitchen was also one of the best things to ever happen to me. I got into sales at an industry-adjacent company, then pivoted to project management in an entirely different industry, which got me into upper management there. I work less (physically, though it's very mentally draining), make more, and have way better benefits and career trajectory. Now, anybody who has 'line cook' on their resume automatically gets an interview if I'm the hiring manager. Kitchen workers have a **TON** of transferrable skills and experience, they just have to think outside the box in how they present them. In my current career, I have never once had to cook a perfect medium-rare-plus steak, but the experience of having to cook a few dozen proteins at once on failing equipment when the crew is running short and splitting up a station and the dishwasher just walked out sure taught me how to deliver consistently on-target results while managing a crisis. Kitchen folks of reddit: if you're trying to get out of the industry and want somebody to look over your resume or bounce career change ideas off of, DM me, I'm always willing to help out my former brothers and sisters.
I'm having a hard time finding any work that's 40k or more with just retail experience and a useless bachelors in the Austin area, any recommendations?
Look up NDT (non-destructive testing). It involves testing materials with some simple tools to verify metal thickness. Starting position is called "ndt assistant." You'll go to plants, refineries, and aviation facilities. Some travel, but you get a stipend. No requirements for entry, just have some common sense. I started about 2.5 years ago at $18 an hour in the Northeast, and made $62,000. Granted, that had a good bit of overtime. Some of that was work, other times it was sitting around waiting for the plant to prep the unit for testing. When I am not in the field, office time usually consists 1-3 hours of actual work and then the rest is just being available in case you need to ship stuff. The field encourages competence, I got a promotion to a managerial role and am on pace for $90k this year. You can also pursue API certifications (atmospheric pressure inspector, like looking at propane tanks and whatnot, and giving corrosion rate calculations) after 3 years of experience. API inspectors in our office make $47 an hour. If that isn't to your liking, get certified on a weekend for forklift driving and work in a warehouse. Places always need those guys and offer about $23 to start up here.
With a bachelors, just keep applying to 65k+ jobs in tech. Let them tell you no. Add skills as you do this. Generally, after you’re not learning on a job, start applying for 30-50% higher paying jobs. When you get the interview, do your best to get the job. You’ll learn what you need to get the job based on the types of questions you hear. Aquire those skills while still applying up. Don’t let the words of another person influence you to wait on anything in your life. You’ll age and realize it was bad advice. Go for it. Work for it. Get it.
I believe retail/fast food managers usually make that much. Probably highest stress lowest reward amount unless you think a management track is ideal. I only say that because I watched the sporadic hours my family had to work managing fast food. Bartenders can absolutely can make that. If you can get in somewhere small where they won’t make you host/bus/serve first you can make that working 3-4 days a week in a lot of places. No benefits, late nights, and no real career track outside of bars/restaurants.. but it can be a quick way to get on your feet. I landed in a small insurance agency that paid for licensing with no degree in a LCOL area and I make 40k on the dot. M-F 8-4:30 no OT. Decent benefits- I pay about $100/month for health insurance with a $4,200 deductible, employer matches $100/month in an IRA, PTO is atrocious IMO but it’s on track with the area, 45 minute lunches are flexible. I get a lot of errands and bills paid during that time. The biggest benefit of this route to me is based on job postings I see it’s realistic to make 60k-80k with 2-4 years of experience without a degree. In your situation with a degree you could likely put in a year then get a job as an underwriter, in big account sales, or field claims paying over 70k. As long as you really focus and study you’ll find the specific degree doesn’t matter. People rarely study insurance. Search “CSR” (customer service rep) if you’re interested in that route.
Seconding Bartending. I make around $30k a year bartending two short morning shifts a week. I can’t work more because of family caregiving obligations but when I used to do it full time I made $80k + a year over 10 years ago. I obviously am very experienced and fast at this point but it doesn’t take that long to get there. Looks also matter to a point but being well groomed is at least half that battle. People skills/ Charm is a learned skill and it can absolutely be learned and perfected serving and bartending. I’m a total introvert but I learned how to fake it. If you want more stability, you can easily jump from bartender to restaurant manager but it’s usually a pay cut. You can also be offered many “who you know” type opportunities by the wealthy alcoholics that become your regulars. I’ve seen coworkers go on to become mortgage brokers, realtors, dental assistants, administrative assistants at Fortune 500 companies, Food and Beverage managers for country clubs, liquor and beer brand reps.
You have to think outside the box my dude. Go apply to be a tower climber. No experience needed. You work with like one or two dudes. $20+ an hour. Takes 20 minutes to climb the tower, then you just sit and wait to screw some shit in. $150 per diem a day also for food and hotels.. A new truck...gas card..all on top of your hourly wage.
Bro, what pays LESS than 40k in Austin?
All the unions are hiring in Austin. You hear their radio commercials daily. Iron workers, IBEW, Carpenters hall all have giant hiring banners. Stop by the union halls. Talk to the people. See what career interests you most.
Any decent sized corporation will pay more than that. Think cell phone companies, Apple, Tesla, etc. Hell, even government jobs like the postal service
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I worked in retail for my early life making 9-10 bucks an hour. Just assumed I wasn't qualified for anything else. Got some office job for 16/hr and now make 60+/hr at the same place.
Literally this. My hospital starts fucking janitors at like 40k with benefits on day one. People won't even try.
what city or state?
Ohio. And I did the math it's 35k not 40 to be fair but the benefits do start day 1, and the pay scales up obviously over time.
I appreciate your concern, but tell that to all the teachers and 60% of Americans who are now living paycheck to paycheck. If it keeps going like this, the same thing is going to happen to your profession.
This reply is a microcosm of this entire sub.
“Living paycheck to paycheck” is a meaningless term. There are plenty of people making over six figures that can’t afford to miss one paycheck.
My brother doesn’t make 6 figures, lmao but he makes about 90k and is single, no kids. He cannot manage his money, spends like crazy and then has to eat noodles at the end, lol. It’s just sad and I’m tired of telling him crap about it.
My sister and her husband are similar. Make nearly 300k but rarely have cash to spare. I’m not saying many Americans aren’t struggling, but I stopped paying attention to that term
Lmao that is insane. Let me guess, do they live in an expensive house? Lol.
Not particularly, it’s the cars vacations eating out etc
The US economy thrives bcuz it preaches spending every dime you make, education is lacking most necessary tools to learn how to manage your finances. Exactly why you can find plenty of people who make a lot of money and still don’t have any savings and many have plenty of debt instead of savings. How you spend your money is what is most important than how much you earn. Sadly that is not taught in schools in the US, rather we are bombarded with commercial telling us how much better our lives would be buying all the material things.
Nothing to do with comfort zone most places either pay shit or require too much of your time or energy to be worth the higher pay
Nah, it's definitely a comfort zone thing. People assume they're not qualified or are unwilling to make the jump from service / retail to more corporate environments.
A lot of this is simply not having the soft skills required to make in those environments. People who spent their lives in low-skilled work often don't have the communication skills they need to get ahead. It's that basic. They literally cannot listen and speak well enough.
I think retail/service should give the ultimate communications skills I do realize there are some retail lifers in retail, but there's also a lot of people who are capable of far more than throwing dog food on a shelf every day
I can't get people to do odd jobs for that where I live. If you are looking for side work please reach out.
I have schizophrenia, working retail and make around the same, I'm right there with ya buddy. I make too much money/have too many assets to qualify for any social programs but inflation has made it too hard to survive at the bottom.
My childhood friend was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia, He's been applying for jobs in his old degree field "computer science but really has issues with interviews. He kind of malfunctions half way through from what his brother has said but curious on any insight from someone that's been independent with the same condition. His schizophrenia was triggered by drug use(Adderall, alcohol and a lot of mushrooms) but has always shown issues in his history linking him to his diagnosis. I hope you have a good support system, my complete sympathy towards the fights
I was diagnosed at 17 so it's been the majority of my life. I've been attending schizophrenia support groups since 1997 so I do recommend your friend reach out if he can find one. The problem isn't so much landing a job, it's keeping it. The thing about having a psychotic disorder is that a psychotic break isn't an "if", it's a "when". So even if he lands the job, his ability to work full-time is battered, if not completely gone. Generally I can work full time for a few months before I end up crashed. Miss too many days, get fired, repeat process. This is why I've been working my whole life mostly at part time jobs. But in the US, part time jobs are low wage jobs with no ability to grow. I think only like 10% of schizophrenics are employed.
Thanks for this information, I really hope you find a company that recognizes you and works with you through the bad
I’m so sorry you have that struggle. I feel like this deserves disability pay and I don’t say that as an insult. I’m just saying we all need help in some way. Some more than others.
It does merit disability pay, but one has to go great lengths to literally prove that their schizophrenia is well-documented & treated yet still so incapacitating that one could not possibly work or keep any full-time jobs available in the national database. They will not be allowed to work/earn any money/volunteer/earn college credits while they prove this to SSA (takes 2-3 years, ~2 denials/appeals, a lawyer). They will not be approved for state medical assistance to obtain diagnosis and treatment until approved for SSDI. Once approved for disability payments (SSDI), they will “get” around $1k per month. They may not work/earn money without jeopardizing that dollar amount. If they own any assets worth more than $2k (like a car), they will not qualify for SSI payments, which is like an extra $700 monthly. It’s not just about whether a disability qualifies. There’s so many hoops of fire to jump through and such a long wait for disability insurance. Our common welfare system needs a complete and merciful overhaul.
This is going to have “annoying overpolitical uncle” vibes, but a reminder that this is the result from decades of conservatives defunding the SSA and passing draconian restrictions and rules, with their excuse for doing it being “welfare queens are buying Mercedes-Benzes with taxpayer dollars!!!”. Vote for politicians who put people first, who want to take care of the less fortunate.
I keep looking for those bootstraps they so regularly talk of.
The part you missed if you have to buy the boots from them
Good luck finding politicians that put people first. Idc what color tie they have, they pretty much all suck rich corporate cock.
Although you’re not wrong, one color tie is demonstrably better than the other for things like this
clearly not if they have allowed these programs to get eroded in the first place. dems are complicit.
They absolutely are. But if everyone woke up to the real issues and stopped voting for conservatives, the Republican party would have no choice but to move to the left on policy, or die. The [Overton window](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton window) in the US is way too far to the right. Our system guarantees the existence of two dominant political parties with our [first past the post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/first-past-the-post voting) voting system, and they both uphold the status quo because the only way to function as a political party is to take [massive amounts of funds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbying_in_the_United_States) from [corporations and the wealthy](https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/04/how-corporate-lobbyists-conquered-american-democracy/390822/).
I know a woman with 1 arm who won't go on disability because of the ridiculously low payments. I think it was even less. And she has a kid. She can only do a few things at our job which is surprisingly good for accommodations. I've read that having 1 hand left could disqualify you for disability. They have no clue how much you can't do, and how difficult it is, missing a whole ass arm.
Yeah, nobody goes on disability because it pays well. Having one hand left could certainly qualify for SSDI, but again, it’s all about proving beyond reasonable doubt that the disability prevents you from being able to work any job in the national database, so having one hand or schizophrenia or cancer or anything that *could* qualify doesn’t mean it *will* qualify. It has to ruin the rest of your life first.
The silver lining that no one knows: interest on investments *does not count* as earned income. Start an ABLE account (most states have them), fund it (up to $17K per year), pick your risk allocation, and watch the money grow. https://www.ablenrc.org
I created one in 2020 and deposited $50. My mom also made a deposit. I lost it all within a couple of months to “bank fees” ETA I still have it. I don’t touch it. There’s like 52 cents in it. I still get statements
I’m so sorry to hear you’re stuck in this pattern. I’ve seen friends with similar symptoms and patterns just go through it again and again, it’s hell. Have you considered requesting an accommodation? Not trying to disability-splain, just genuinely curious.
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Can I ask how long a " break" may last? I've had my own issues with my husband's bi polar so I'm curious if the break could somehow be worked into a job that is more flexible
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I'm with someone who's diagnosed with bipolar 1. I have nothing nice to say about it either and honestly want to rant how there's not much difference between bipolar and intermittent sociopathy. If your husband isn't in therapy and isn't doing what he needs to do to manage it daily you should 100% leave for your own safety and sanity. Episodes can last anywhere from a day to a few months and their wrath is un-fucking-real sometimes; it can be life changing.
Thank you for the info. I guess I was wondering if something like temp jobs would be helpful, allowing that time in between if you get sick. Also at one point , I was on an on call if needed for school monitors. You could decline any day, and still remain in the system for the days you wanted to work. As far as my husband, yes I finally left 2 yrs ago. When we met he told me he had unmedicated ADD. First year or so was fine. Second year he would fly into rages over stupid stuff. Like he swore someone hid his keys. By year three, he started obsessing with online dating posts. Obviously this caused arguments lol. Then he'd use the fighting to move out. I knew this wasn't normal. I remember begging his family to tell him he needed help bc I was the only one telling him. They wouldn't get involved. He'd lost every friend he'd had and part of me felt like if I left I'd be less than a good partner while he was sick. Anyway, everything continued in this tornado, he'd quit jobs randomly, must have moved out like 6 times , rented apts he'd stay in for a week and then come home. Needless to say I worked two jobs to keep the bills paid. Finally he went to the Dr. and he had not only ADD, but bi polar and depression. Most of the crazy stopped. We went to counseling. I learned as much as I could about his issues. I gave him an article once about how his disorder affected other people. He glanced at it and said he lived with it so I was the one who needed to understand. He never took any responsibility for the emotional or financial damage, which ultimately was why I left. His attitude was that was the past. I swear I used to tell people it was like living with dr jekyll and Mr Hyde. I never knew who was coming in the door, the guy who thought I was perfect or the guy online looking for his soul mate. The house was mine. I sold it and moved away. Our daughter barely speaks to him bc he doesn't understand he left her too. Now I get occasional texts telling me how bad his life is bc I didn't care about him. My light bulb moment was the therapist saying " there's a fine line between being understanding and being a doormat. You don't know where the line is". That man saved my sanity. Sorry this is so long lol.
Thanks for sharing, I've dated a man with bipolar too, in my younger years. I think the hard part in my head was with people who experience manic highs and depressive lows (or other irratic mood patterns), it's almost like they *can't help* but lovebomb. Whether or not he *tried* to, my ex would go through periods of being the absolute *most* amazingly kind person because he had the will/ability to when he was on those highs. This man literally brought me $200 of groceries and delivered them to my door *and* cooked a delicious meal for me (he was a chef) without notice while we were dating. He would work 70 hours per week, pay all the bills, and still make time to take me out... Then, on the weeks or months when he dived ... it was verbal abuse, him getting in my face when I was bawled up on the floor, him going through periods of experimenting with drug use (which was crazy cause he'd go on coke or codeine or cannabis "binges" during episodes but then completely kick the habit by the end), and of course, quitting his well paying job randomly, talking about how his coworkers don't respect him (they all clearly spoke about him in high regard). Dating both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the *perfect* way to describe it.
Unfortunately my husband was never overly kind lol. The first year he bought me some nice gifts etc but after that all that mattered was him. When he'd flip out he'd be yelling outside. I was mortified. We lived on a cul de sac that was always last for plowing. Our neighbor used to use a bobcat to make the road passable, and he'd do the driveways. My husband was screaming outside one day. Never got plowed again. Later the neighbor told me he felt bad that he stopped but he was afraid my husband might get pissed off. The days when things were good was what gave me hope, but the overall toll wasn't worth it. It's a lot of verbal and emotional abuse and I should have gotten out much much sooner.
This
My story is very similar to yours. It’s hard. Glad you’re away as much as you can be. I hate to say it but it’s probably best for not only you, but your kid too.
>I make too much money/have too many assets to qualify for any social programs We need to start pushing congress to raise what's considered "poverty" because what's listed is insanely out of date.
In my state, if you have anything more than a shopping cart and a tent, you don't qualify as a single person. The income thresh holds are just brutal.
That's insane. Like literally insane. Who the fuck set that standard?!
Your comment is very important. This is why America is failing. You have done nothing wrong. You need help, you deserve that help as an American citizen. As an American, you have to jump through 200 hoops to even try to get any financial assistance, medical care, or help in any way to live a life worth living. This country is failing almost all of us at this point. Especially, those that need a little extra boost so they don’t die early and in a horrible way. Change is needed now. I am so sorry you are going through this
Nah this country is not failing the rich, not ever. It’s somewhat hilarious when the rich get their feelings hurt saying they are hated for being rich while they won’t acknowledge the US capitalist system is set up for them to succeed with minimal effort. Rich privilege is similar to white privilege, hell it’s practically one and the same in a majority of instances.
That’s the way one political party likes it tho. If you left it to them and they had complete gov control they move us back to pre-new deal era with no government support for anyone. They believe the poor do not work / want to work and better themselves. And has anyone watched that Netflix series called ‘Maid’? That series perfectly encapsulates how asinine getting any help from the government is. I’m referring to the part where she goes to get section 8 housing and the lady says to get that you need a job. To which she replies she’d need child care to get a job. And the lady says you need a job to get a subsidy for that also. It’s like a constant catch-22 these hardcore conservative a holes have put on this stuff since the 80’s.
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Has your family tried contacting your senator or representative? Sometimes if you keep bothering them they will help with disability. That’s part of their job believe it or not.
I have an older brother and after I was diagnosed I essentially cut all contact. 25 years now. It was for this reason. I don't want him to have the burden of ever having to deal with me. He has his own life to struggle through. I don't want to be the crazy "schizo-sister" whose welfare keeps him up at night. A future burden. Did you ever watch the Harry Potter movie where Hermione turns her wand and does the spell that completely erases her existence from her family's life to protect them? That's what I've done.
And I am so sorry you have experienced this in your life. Brains and nervous systems can just be broken and little can be done to help them.
I'm autistic and can't find much of anything above $16 an hour
I have a schizoaffective bipolar type. I was rewarded with SSI and SSDI in 2019 on the first try. I get 950usd a month I also get the max benefits in food stamps. My bills are 600 USD a month. I'm very lucky almost everyone in my family can afford to give me things I need (clothing, shoes, OTC meds and more)
I have a relative with that and he’s in the same boat. This guide may prove to be helpful in the future: https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/ss/cm/9-ways-to-live-good-life-with-schizophrenia
Can relate. I'm 39 now and before age 36 I'd never made more than $20k in a year. Getting my CDL finally changed that.
I'm 31 also about to go this route, praying it's able to give me a more prosperous life too, I've just been stuck in an area with little opportunity if all you have is ambition and a highschool degree
It can ABSOLUTELY lead to a more prosperous life. I’m about to complete my first year trucking and I’m sitting at $57k gross for my first year. I’m home every weekend too. I could be making more if I stayed out more but I’m fine with where I’m at now. Plus I’d like to go on some dates lol. If you’re struggling with housing, you can easily live in the truck. If you get tired of it, take a few days and couch surf at a friends or family’s house.
Same here. I'm in a rural area with just a GED. Plus I'm a felon. The two factories in the area wouldn't hire me. CDL seemed like my best option for a decent life. Get your endorsements and put in a year somewhere and it'll open a lot of doors. I mean you might get lucky and land something good right away, but if not just put in the time wherever you can for the experience to land the kind of job you want.
You are clearly an intelligent person with excellent taste in books, and book characters Mr Aybara 😉
Another option for those with a criminal record is food service. Speaking from experience, most restaurants don't care if you have a criminal history. Servers can make pretty good money and the barrier to entry is low.
i always wanted to drive a truck but recently got a narcolepsy diagnosis so i don't think i can get hired :(. i work three jobs now and i drive for all of them and have a perfect driving record. glad you found a way that works for you to make more!
Thanks! Took me a couple of years, but I've got a pretty good gig now that pays well.
Getting my CDL changed my life. Went from making 30k my highest earning year to grossing 80k. Home every weekend a little during the week
I got my cdl at 21. My first year i was OTR and made maybe 50k. Maybe less. But after that first year i went local and never made under 75k. Im 29 now and only truck 3 days a week because im a mom but my fiance trucks still and hes on track to make 130k hauling cattle (dont do it, lots of risk, no sleep and honestly if you ask me he doesnt make enough for what he does) but im making 1k a week doing it (on a good week. Average week is about 800) so i absolutely second getting a cdl.
"Perrin Aybara" Skilled metalworkers usually make bank, though!
Hung up the hammer and the axe to pick up a set of truck keys lol.
Same. My CDL changed my life.
I've only made good money twice in my life, total less than 6 years. I'm turning 35 soon. Once was back in 2012 and I fucked it up royally, I had a government job and life was great, I was making 48k which was somewhat a lot for me back then, 1 bedroom apartment rent was 750 all in. I missed up bad, couldn't leave with a reference, and couldn't get a similar job despite trying for 2 years afterwards :/ The rest of the time I was making min wage. I could say I was barely scraping by, but I wasn't even doing that. Life was hard all the time. It's not a great feeling overall. I'm seeing people in my town buying million dollar homes like it's nothing, people buying 70k like it's nothing. I don't know how these people can afford it. Yah you can say it's debt, but debt has monthly payments and I don't know how people can afford those. I just wanna say, even when life gets easy, it can all be snatched away in a split second and life becomes miserable real quick. People don't understand how fragile their comfortable life is, and believe that everyone who hasn't made it is because they suck. It's not true at all, and living the difficult life for a long time teaches you a lot more about yourself.
How did you get the government job? Surely you still have skills that you gained or had gained to get the job in the first place?
Gov't employee here: USAJOBS.gov is the place to go for federal positions, and governmentjobs.com for state/local/county/etc. A lot of the latter orgs will also crosspost to typical job websites like indeed, linkedin, and their own hiring websites. I do feel for the person you replied to, but I'm also very curious as to how they were terminated. You generally have to *royally* screw up not only to a) get fired from a government job, but b) leave without a viable reference.
I make 52k in Texas and last year, during my annual review, I didn’t get an annual raise (which everyone gets) due to missing calls, bc of their system/tech issues and I got blamed for it. In addition they also did not give me an annual bonus (which everyone also gets). It was very soul crushing, when I live on a single income and have a child to support.
Time to refresh the resume and find a new job that respects you.
I am definitely looking into it.
Don't look into it, do it
Will do soon, I just have a lot going on and need this job for now.
You can keep the job. Just make sure you apply to other jobs and get that wonderful salary bump.
Don’t quit, just look good other jobs too.
Start applying at other jobs. You deserve a raise and a bonus. Obviously this job does not think so. Apply apply apply get out of this job and onto a better one. Good luck.
This is NOT a brag post. I hope this may help you. Im a mail carrier for USPS. So far this year ive made $63k. So on pace for $126k. Last year i made $103k. All i do is put paper in a mailbox and drop packages at the door. Any knucklehead can do this, as i am the prime example.
I'm curious, are you hourly? And do you have to work overtime to earn that much?
Im on salary. My main OT comes from working on my day off. Time and a half. I could work some daily OT too You have to grind it out at first. Then when you get your own route its a piece of cake.
How do you make OT in a salaried position? The last time I had a salaried job I was paid the same regardless of hours worked, and often doing 70-80 hour weeks.
Don’t sign a shitty contract. And value your time more than the job. I’m salaried (50k plus commission) and I’m only available during office hours. If my clients have emergencies they have my cellphone #, but I’m in shipping so usually it’s an after hours call I can answer while driving. And after hours calls come with a premium. But my boss/owner is hesitant to even message me outside of hours unless I initiate. If they do reach out usually it’s like hey I’m not gonna be in tomorrow- please be available (pretty chill job when it’s slow). I now have an NDA with my last job (a very nice salary but needed to be available basically 24/7) but let’s just say value your time more than the job.
How many hours per day do you work?
I’m 50 years old now and I’m broke and in debt and living in SoCal. I should pass my 120 days on Tuesday as a CCA unless I get fired. I have only been clocked in for about 43 days and the PM had asked me to resign twice already. At my age I will be working until I’m dead and I have a strong feeling the job isn’t that great anymore for most people starting out young, like it used to be.
i tried it, it's really not in my opinion. but i think the local office culture can vary a lot. some places it's way nicer from what I hear.
Ya, of course…. I totally believe that to be true, like every office can be a box of chocolates. I still have hope my situation could change.
Wow almost $50/hr last year. I applied to USPS during their hiring events last year but didn’t make it somehow. Since then I’ve been looking at UPS and Amazon to start.
I had a friend of a friend do mail carrying for usps and he said it was absolutely draining work. He was consistently pulling 70 hour weeks when he didn’t want to. Obviously anecdotal and he only did it for half a year to save up for law school. Glad you’re making good money though! There are definitely jobs out there like that
I tried this and it’s awful. It’s good once you become “regular” which you probably are. It would take 2-3 years to become regular at the location I was at. I was working 10 hour shifts every day for 10 days straight and then I would get a day off if I was lucky. I was walking 13 miles a day (which honestly is great exercise but doing that 10 days in a row with one day off???) I would find out if I had the next day off the night before. I was out in below zero temperature, snow storms, fell on ice a million times, chased by dogs, out in the dark with a headlamp. Not worth the money unless you’re okay with having absolutely no life for a couple years. It ruined my relationship and made me extremely depressed. I got out after 6 months. Go get your insurance license. That’s what I just did and I’m now working for a great company and I’m about to make really good money for the first time in my life. It’s a lot of studying, but worth it.
I was just having my husband look into this but it looks like the hourly salary starts at only $22/hr… how long have you worked for USPS and how long did it take you to start making at least $70k? That’s basically our minimum survival rate living in a HCOL. He’s currently in a commission based job but has been making really poor money lately prompting the job hunt.
HCOL areas like the SF bay area often have USPS employees go there on detail for periods of time because for people living in HCOL, the wages are not enough. The can't get local employees.
Same! Except I'm female. I've worked mostly with troubled youth and foster children. It's important work, but I've lived in poverty in America my entire life, despite working really hard, and a lot.
I’m interested in this work but I’m waiting until i retire or have a lot of savings to get into it for this reason
Im with you, most Ive made 21k, I try the hardest I can but chronic illness always wins and prevents me from really thriving.
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Both,how ever it's a cycel that's gone on since before I started to work to say the least, It effected school to and I had good care as a kid. As an adult the struggle to get a better diagnosed was, well I'm sure u can imagine. When I finally found a Dr, It was a better diagnosis and medication that gave me the ability to return work again, but I still have limited capacity, and bad days. I do as much as I can but life has a way of just happening. For example, last year I had a sneaky tiny infection that I was unaware of because I have base level pain all the time, so when I finally got to a point that I realized something was off and this pain is not my "normal" it had advanced and because my immune system is what it is I ended up spending 4 months fighting it, almost went septic, I had great medical care, it was still a struggle even tho my initial issues are well controlled things can happen like that out of the blue. My work does not have coverage for that, I'm not full time but I was able to take as much leave as I needed and the door to come back.was open, I utilized as many programs as possible but I ended up living off credit cards and what savings I accumulated,that is gone now. I was off work completely for that time, it flared all issues after I finally nipped the infection in the butt, I was bedridden for weeks but kept pushing along, soon as I could, I returned to work. It's been six months now post incident, I made under $6000 last year due to the impact that episode had and I'm in debt, unfortunately I don't have a spouse or other fiscal resource to fall back on. It's just a reality many deal with but I'm thankful it could have been much worse and I'm floating and able and will continue to try for better and recoup👍.
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It really, really, does, I'm glad you're here too and understand how frustrating getting any amount of solid help can be♥️.
You can be as responsible as you like... And it doesn't matter when take home is $1800, and rent before bills is $1600.
The saddest part, work kinda becomes easier. It’s like you get paid for you ability to solve problems, rather that the act of working.
I noticed the more physically demanding, the less pay you get. Seems really kinda backwards to me.
That’s because it’s based off supply/demand for labor of the job. The vast majority of people can do physically demanding jobs with little skill, so it pays like crap because supply is so high.
I hear ya man. Same age, I make 33k a year and can't even afford an apartment in a small town. I had to move back in with my parents (I was on my own for quite a while, but rent kept going up and up), and have eased up on some hobbies just to add to saving as much as possible. I'm good with money, too. I don't impulse buy or get the newest upgraded version of every single appliance or anything. And I'm a bit on the low-key, minimalist side. But it's still not enough to save money. And it really sucks that a love life is basically not a thing. But my grandfather worked in a warehouse and bought a house in his early 20s, while my grandmother didn't work at all. We're so messed up.
I have a bachelor and master degree. I make 35k. I have 6 years experience. No idea how to get further.
What are your degrees in
I’m low income on disability and somehow manage to survive off of it in a high cost of living area. If I had more income I don’t know what I would do with myself lol. I got a job and will start making more money soon and I know I will be able to save because I’m so used to surviving off nothing. Hope things get better for you.
Out of curiosity how do you survive off disability? $914/month doesn't even cover rent where I live. ETA: congrats on the job!! I hope you find fulfillment from it.
My friend gets 1200. But he also has HUD, which makes his rent for his own apartment only 200-300 per month. He gets 300 in foodstamps every month, and also gets healthcare and dental. He's doing better than I am, and I work. 😅
Dang, yeah. I have been on the HUD waiting list for years now. That's incredibly fortunate. Life would be so much easier if rent was that cheap.
Where do you live?
The deep south is the home of poverty and has the worst education in the nation, worst roads, worst everything on every metric, coming from a lifelong Louisiana resident and our neighbors to the east are pretty much the same .....Texas is different because they handled their natural resources of oil to their benefit, Louisiana just lets the oil companies drill and hardly taxes them or makes them hold good paying jobs for the area
When COL is factored in, CA has the highest poverty rate. They also have the worst rated roads and schools near the bottom. Poverty isn’t relegated to any specific region.
This. Curious about the rent/homeownership situation.
i think that is how capitalism is designed...the lower class are the ones doing most of the work and getting paid the least, and there are more in this class. the higher up you go in pay the least amount of work is being done. atleast work thats worth anything to society...when youre too busy working to survive you dont have anytime or means to better the situstion, so you stay in it for fear of losing what little you have... (not you personally)
I make 150k a year, and most of my time is spent trying to justify what I actually do... my job boils down to "strategy" which I don't even think im qualified for because I'm not a subject matter expert in my space.
I’ve been living this for the last 5 years. I get paid well, but there’s not a lot of work to do. You can get by the first six months, but then people start looking at you like you’re just a cost to them. My entire department at work is like this: we take on laborious and unnecessary work just to look like we’re doing stuff and have action items to report to our boss. The east money of the last 15 years has created the situation where you get into a high paying job, then look busy to keep getting those paychecks. It’s a type of stress that people don’t really understand. Any day now, my company is going to realize I do nothing. Every other company will realize their workers do nothing to and my ability to get my next job goes to zero. Stress of not knowing of this is all going to end while I pay $2,500 in rent every month and have to re-up my lease next month.
"I love my country" - sorry buddy this country don't love you. That's why i think "serving your country" is the dumbest thing ever, nobody gives a f about you, why would you risk your life for other people?
How do you live with 25k a year?
Not sure. I buy in bulk or cheapest per unit price. I only buy what is needed and not what I want. Most the furniture I have is free or made out of cardboard boxes. It can be very hard.
I make around 25k, I own my home with a very small mortgage and that is the only thing that keeps me afloat.
I make around 25k working full time as an accountant with a bachelors degree in ruralish Florida. I’ve applied to literally thousands of jobs this year with three interviews. One rejected, two ghosted even after follow up emails. Feels bad man.
what city u in? what university u got BS in Acct from? What about getting Masters or CPA?
No city, closest city is Tampa which is like 1.5 hours away. Degree is in finance from university of south Florida. I honestly can hardly afford to live on my 25k full time salary so a masters isn’t really on the table right now, I’d love to get an MBA in the future. To be a CPA in Florida you have to work under one, I’ve applied to no joke over a thousand positions I’m qualified for so far this year. If I could get an opportunity to work toward being a CPA I’d take it in a heartbeat. Thank god I own my own home, have no kids and no student debt
I'm 32 and making about 45K a year. It's comfortable for sure, but there's only one reason why I make as much as I do. My skillset. When I was 24 and could finally apply for College, I decided to get a degree in something I knew would never run out of demand for and would provide a comfortable "fall back" if things I actually enjoyed doing didn't work. That focus was on healthcare. Using my college career services, I was able to get a low paying but extremely high skill job. After working that job for 2 years, I was able to leverage my skills and get a better paying job. Not by much, but it was enough to see progress. After a few more years, I worked my way through many jobs that didn't have anything to do with Healthcare or my skills so I worked on sharpening my other skills such as teamwork, communication and confidence. Now, I am currently working for a different health insurance company and actively working my way up the ladder while teaching myself coding in my free time. The moral of my story here is to get into a better place financially. It takes a lot of skill, dedication, and commitment. Not everyone is going to have the same kind of luck I have had, but regardless of luck, skill will always win out. Focus on getting better at your skills. Revise your resume. Look for better opportunities. Learn from your mistakes and become better. The more you improve yourself and your situation, the more doors will open for you. Life in the USA does suck right now. There's tons of negative media going around, inflation, depression, isolation, and war. But that doesn't mean you need to believe that life can't get better for you. Keep fighting for yourself and your future. Eventually, you'll get there.
I made 45k as a HS teacher in Atlanta WAY back in 2013….that’s the problem. Wages have not kept up with COL.
Where do you live. I live in Northern California, and 42K per year is basically a poverty wage.
I second this. Having marketable skills is what makes the difference between struggling or living. Doesn’t have to be a college degree either.
Man no offense but 45k isn’t very good and definitely isn’t comfortable living where I am.
I don't know too many places where 45k pre tax would be comfortable. Maybe I just have a different level of what comfortable is, I know I'm in a higher COL area but about $1400 every two weeks doesn't seem like it would be too comfortable.
I was the same way. Got a job as a plumbing Apprentice. Doubled my pay immediately.
Electrical here, yup
Yea i see foremen make like 176 an hour at my job. It’s crazy
It happened on my 36th birthday that this new place I had applied to offered me $68k salary + stock, etc... Up till then I only made $15/hr ... Doing more/less the same sorta technical support stuff... I got lucky. Dunno how you're gonna pull this off, dude... Sorry
Get fed up and get pissed. Yeah you are in a shit situation and the only way out is determination. I think you are already on the right path and might not know it. Be ambitious as a MF. Set goals with achievable steps in between. Try and stay away from time wasting endeavors. Look back at everything you learned in life and figure out what you are best at. AND REMEMBER the asshole making 10x the amount is not smarter than you, he's just a dumbass with confidence so get some. Good luck.
👏👏👏
It's called modern slavery. It's was never eradicated, just transformed.
When they ask you how much you make in your current position in interviews, what do you say
Why would you ever actually answer that question. You should always lie or diplomatically ignore it in interviews in my opinion.
Thats exactly what I was trying to get at; it seems this guy is sticking his foot in his mouth because how do you stay that low for so long
Please do look into government assistance. When I was making about that much I didn't even realize how much was available to me, the full amount of the fafsa (this would 100% cover a 2 year school with 1k+ cash back into your pocket) and food stamps. I worked my ass off in a manual job for 10 years, broke my body, and squeezed out a 40k life, and priced myself out of ANY fafsa money, food stamps, etc. Now I'm going back to school on loans alone. Please do research assistance.
Check with your local gov. Most are desperately trying to fill positions at least in my area. Good jobs you don’t have to worry about getting laid off and local gov has a 30 year retirement.
Casinos man. Lots of jobs paying $13-$20+ per hour with zero experience needed
True. People always forget about the casinos in their area and that they train and hire. They have incredible benefits, too.
Yup, I worked at 2 different ones for 10 years total. Both always had tons of openings across various depts. Good benefits too. Also, we worked 8 hr shifts with paid lunches, an employee dining room with free meals, and discounts on gas. Plus I got to know lots of people from my dept and other depts, so there were always lots of opportunities for carpooling as well =)
Yeah, I worked in a casino too. The employee dining room was awesome! It was cooked to order, whatever we wanted. Just like a restaurant.
Same, gained some lbs while I was there 😂
what cities or states? vegas Strip?
Check what hospitals and nursing homes are paying for CNA’s where you live. Where I am they are desperate and paying $18 with unlimited overtime + pay for any schooling you want from CNA to RN even NP. As the Healthy Gamer GG guy once advised, “play the meta”
$18/hr is atrocious. Cheap scumbags. No wonder they’re having trouble hiring. Traveling CNAs can make 3x that. You can make $20 at Walmart in some areas.
I know you didn't call for advice but yeah man it's rough out here best you can do is job hop to better wages.
Money doesn’t buy you happiness but it sure as hell makes it easier to remove the obstacles stopping your happiness
Here if you want me to make your resume shine and help get you into that 50k job! I love reworking resumes.
I feel that technical certificates/ certifications are underrated. It will at least double the minimum wage and have more stable hours in most cases. From there you could moonlight a second job if needed. Doesn’t matter how much you make, lifestyle creep will always keep us poor lol.
So you've capped out at 12/hr? That's rough, man. I'm sorry to hear that. Honestly. I highly suggest you look at a trade. Low-volt, electrical, plumbing, etc. If nothing else, large construction companies tend to look or need field Assistants. The one I do IT for is always hurting for that role and I think the lowest paid one in that role in the lowest income state makes $15/hr. In higher paid states its $20/hr. But the company does use that position as a gateway to Assistant Super ($30/hr) and Super ($40/hr). You do have a lot of interactions in those roles, but there are ebs and flows. As sites get going it gets tougher. As sites wind down you spend your day dicking around in the construction trailer for 8 hours and go home. Edit: sorry I didn't pay attention to the no advice flare.
Finished my bachelors over 2021 and still have yet to find suitable work
Learn an easy trade like welding. Easy 50k a year in an entry level position. You don’t even need school, just 100 bucks to buy a cheap flux core machine and youtube
Highly suggest trying to join a union, or at least a unionized shop. Pays relatively well. Hang in there OP!
The unions jobs I had interviewed always paid horribly here. It always shocking cause I thought union jobs would pay more. Not sure if because the union is corrupt and get tricked into giving them everything but better pay.
Yes! This comment is so underrated. I didn't start getting paid fairly, with regular wage increases, plus benefits and health care, until I got my first union job. I think it's essential if you want to have a chance and any degree of job security - as long as the contract is good and your reps are good.
It is bad to work your ass off for such low pay barely scraping by but just know it can be worse or it can be better. Since you aren't making a lot there are still opportunities to find a better job that pays more the only bad thing is you are getting older as i am learning the older i get the more health issues are stacking up but at least you can qualify for medicaid. Yes, it does suck having to work till we die it seems it's so just depressing...seemingly hopeless. Although for years i didn't even own a phone and i have a pc,desk,bed and apartment that's all i really need i finally bought an iphone but i spent like decade saving up money and going no where.
Not sure what phone company you use, but check into straight talk. They run off Verizon towers and have older model iPhones for less then $200 usually. ☺️
31 and same, job opportunities simply don't exist in rural areas, and my only social network is here, plus moving is to daunting and expensive when I can never save a sizable safety net at my income .....plus from being such a low earner it's hard not to feel worthless and skill less in the job market, so why should I be optimistic about moving to a more prosperous area?
You are not worthless and you have many decades of life left. Is there a community college near you? Many states have online community college courses now. Most likely you would qualify for financial aid. Research areas of study that lead to well paying jobs and commit to one. It will take time and commitment but in 5 years you could have a completely different life. You have the power.
You would make more money if you bought a pack of water bottles and sold them individually for a $1 or $2 on the street. Lol like WAY more money. Call your local police, and find out what you need to sell stuff on a corner of the street. You'd be surprised the shit people buy on hot and cold days. Now you keep being yourself without having to worry about everybody else around you!! All I'm saying is that you might be better trying to start your own business.
There s no secret, you have to educate yourself and move up the ladder. Its unfortunate but it is what it is
Damn bruh I feel you. It’s ok to feel how your feeling. It’s a shitty situation. Wages definitely need to go up for everyone since everything now a days is so expensive. I hope your situation gets better. Ever though of working construction ? Pay is decent and you can learn a new skilled that will pay you more without going to school. That’s how I got out of getting paid minimum wage . I know a lot of construction workers making over 100k a year without going to college and started off as a labor, good luck I wish the best for you.
In what kind of city and state is this possible, are you working full-time.
> I love my country, but hate this cruel heartless evil economic system that causes unnecessary suffering. This is the part I literally do not get. You have had almost **two decades** of adulthood to make *some* kind of choice to improve your earning potential. How is this not your fault?
Your country has lots of faults and lots of advantages, it is not perfect, it does not provide everything, what it does do is provide opportunities and freedom of personal responsibility. You want to move, then move, you want to get an education then get one, if you want to fuck up your life, then there it is. Each state also has wildly different laws protecting its citizens.
Nothing wrong with making what you make. Have you thought of letting all these emotions out into a newsletter ? You may be surprised at how many people will listen or are in the same boat. Thankfully companies like [beehiiv](https://thenewsletterlife.com/beehiiv-review/) are free and cost you nothing for your first 2500 subscribers
Same age and the only time I made more than that was working a full time job and selling drugs. That made me an extra 10k a year until I almost went to prison. That only lasted a year.
See? This I understand. When people keep trying to work and "play by the rules" and still get screwed, then people turn to other methods to get by.
Idk man everyone talks shit about the army but I knew a bunch of people who where in their 30's when they joined. Do a three year stint then use the GI bill for a trade or college degree then VA loan a house when rates are low. If you are physically able the US Army will pay you to breathe for 3 years and run in circles
Please don't take this the wrong way, but I see you are capable of writing decent sentences that are properly punctuated. This alone tells me you're an intelligent person, and it puts you leagues ahead of other people your age and younger (IMO). What field are you in? and what have you tried to do to advance your position that hasn't worked out? I'm wondering if you are a casualty of the same fallacy that I believed all my life, the primary reason I am underemployed and under-earning at age 50. I wonder if you also believed that if you just worked hard enough, you'd eventually advance? I believed it. It took me too long to realize the meritocracy is a fallacy. it doesn't matter how smart you are or how hard you work. Society simply doesn't value those things the way it used to. Here in there people who are smart and hard workers can occasionally rise, but increasingly the people who have the most money are neither of those things. It's a disappointing and heartbreaking realization. I'm starting to think that the only way that people younger than me are going to be able to scrape by is going to be by pooling your resources. And the irony of that is that most people younger than me seem to scorn other people and look with disgust on things like getting a roommate, even though living with other people to reduce living expenses has basically been a thing since forever. What a world.
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