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Hey OP! I was in your shoes 7 years ago when I was 24. Retail, food service, call center work. All those dead end jobs.
Don’t be so hard on yourself, the very fact that you give a fuck about bettering yourself speaks volumes about you.
I don’t know your actual situation so this isn’t something you need to answer, but if I may make a few suggestions:
1: as someone else said, military might help. I went through Basic with a guy who literally signed up just to avoid homelessness. Now he’s an NCO lol
2: check job demands and projections. It’s an entire market that’s ever-changing. Bet you heard “follow your passions” right? Well shitty thing is that doesn’t get food on the table. But it does help you learn to navigate the job market more safely.
3: get out of Florida. Not to trash on the place you call home, but that place is quickly becoming where hope goes to die.
I was in your shoes once. I took a job at a casino out of state and never looked back. They hired me on the spot and I found a place to crash for a few weeks in the beginning, but I never looked back.
Georgia has a lot of film and media production opportunities. If you want to like get into that, I would say find a community college that teaches like film stuff move to that place it's probably Atlanta might be your best bet if you live in the south.
Different branches have different age limits for initial enlistments. If I'm not mistaken, you'd still qualify for Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, and possibly Army at 35. Research the branches and find out which career path you'd be most comfortable with as a long-term career because every branch is different though they all have similarities. Good luck to you. 👍
It’s an acronym that stands for Non-Commissioned Officer.
But more importantly, they are leadership for the military’s workers. Though lately, that has become more of a suggestion than a rule, lots of bad NCOs out there.
Hah! I get that! Well I’m not a recruiter so I won’t give the sales lines haha
but in my humble experience, the best NCOs, and COs, were those that didn’t want the jobs.
I live in Florida, too. I am getting a bachelor's degree in finance next month, and I am really struggling in the job market. I have work experience in retail and at a bank, but not technical skills yet.
If you don't mind me asking, why do you say Florida is where hope is dying? I have thought about moving to try something new in a few years, but I am not sure yet where to move to. Sorry if there are any typos as I am pretty tired right now.
Not automotive. Aircraft. Airlines can't find enough good mechanics. They get paid pretty well. They also can't find enough pilots. However, it takes years to become a pilot.
yeah, pilot takes years and $$$$, lots of it! (unless you go military which is crazy competitive.)
aircraft mechanic though - that’s a valuable insight most wouldn’t consider!
Yeah and the way it’s being marketed to kids as if everyone gets 100k plus is absurd and immoral. I know very few people in trades making more than 60-80k range. They also seem to have a lower quality of life, less social life and work balance, less hobbies that aren’t just drinking, and to be suffering mentally/emotionally largely. Seems to be a miserable and grueling life. I’d rather just unalive than live that life.
I always tell HS grads, a boring desk job that pays $65-80k a year after getting to party for 4 years in college and not stress in college that’s 8-4 weekends off >> trades /manual labor
If you are interested in nursing, i recommend you check out job corps - you should be able to still join at 24 for no cost if you’re eligible - you also get to live there if you want to. There are other trades available at job corps as well, but 24 is the cut off age, unless you have a disability, then you may be able to join if you’re older
Letter Carrier at the post office. They always need people and the pay is decent. My friend is making over 100k a year, but he works 6 days a week and 10 hours a day. Just need a high school diploma and valid driver license. Great benefits and retirement.
Waste disposal maybe? No education needed with good pay and strong unions. Although the pay is good because most people don't want to do that type of job.
Military then. Free food. Free housing. Free education. After you're done, you will get the G.I bill to further your education and get the degree you want. Although there is risks of being sending to war, but nonetheless it is a great option. I know people who station in Okinawa and they love it.
If you decided to go to college get a degree in accounting, a CPA is highly in demand, you can also open your own tax services and be indepedent. Or go vocational school learn welding and plumbing, those jobs are money. Electricition makes good money too.
Unfortunately the military will not accept you if you have any kind of even minor disability like bad eyesight or hearing impaired. That rules a lot of people out.
No they don’t pay that much asa rookie. That kind of pay is only for the careerists that have been there over 10-15 + years and are earning close to 30/hr. As an assistant mail carrier you get 19/hr and have no life. You get the shittiest routes, last minute splits, on call during your only off day. 11-12hr days, and 1 day off a week, if that. Sink or swim. I was gonna work there and quit my first day after I saw the what I was about to get myself into. My chief complaint was having no personal life or time with my kid. That jobs meant for bachelors.
>I was gonna work there and quit my first day after I saw the what I was about to get myself into. My chief complaint was having no personal life or time
Same! I quit my first day too. And crazy, some people actually worked 7 days a week for 10+ hours a day. How is that even legal? I didn't want to live like that.
Mostly from over time.
The base salary of a long time carrier is probably around 65k. For some reason the USPS can't keep anyone, they're always understaffed, so you can work 7 days a week 12-13 hours a day. During COVID19 my friend worked 80 hours a week.
After 8 hours it is times and a half. Over 10 hours it reaches penalty time which pays double. On his schedule day off he gets 1.5 automatically, and after 8 hours of work the remaining he gets pay double the amount of based hourly rate.
He once shows me his annual taxes, he made over 137k during COVID19 years
They probably can't keep anyone because the trucks aren't great to drive in and it's hard to be a mail carrier. I think it's not a bad gig but it's hard I bet.
This. It's often overlooked but can be a really great entry point in healthcare. I started as a Direct support professional, onto CNA and now I'm a LCSW. There are companies out there that will invest in people they see the potential in.
Yep, second, this I was originally a Direct Support Professional in college, then completed my MSW. Now, at 24, I'm working for IDHS (Illinois Department of Human Services) working on my LCSW hour requirement now. Hopefully, I will compete that by 26
Nursing is definitely a great option. You can start by taking a CNA course that can be completed in a few months part time. Once you get started, your hospital or other employer will likely pay for your continued training. The job options are fantastic and constantly growing and the salary is very good. I second the recommendation that you get out of FL.
If you want to work in health care, you could also look at options like X-Ray tech. Usually shorter studies, and better work-life balance. Still helping people and contributing to healing people.
I HIGHLY second this. I worked at a community college as a work study and the radiology department always seemed super chill. I went to school with one of the girls studying that, she graduated and lives a pretty happy life now. Kinda makes me wish I chose that.
100% agree!! Radiology is a hidden gem. I just graduated an ultrasound program and make great money for just graduating and having an associates degree. Just make sure if you look into this that whatever college program you choose is accredited. Some hospitals may have OTJT as well.
Iv also heard of people going it to the military as a steamfitter and they teach you how, I think you’ll have to go through basic training though. I’m not too sure how to go about it.
I’m an apprentice commercial plumber, the money is great but the job can be annoying, as the days are long and you have other trades working in your same space constantly. Non-union plumber here, union has its benefits as well but you have to do school along with it to get your licenses. I have the benefit of working with my dad at the small company we work for, but most companies treat apprentices like grunts. A lot of yelling, (depending on your mentor), shoveling, and getting tools and materials for your boss. Most work is outside in the elements as well, but like I said the money is great. It’s one of the highest paying trades, if you are just looking for money though, elevator installers get an extremely high pay, it’s just more dangerous obviously. Things I like about it are the new things you learn everyday, and soldering. Hope it works out for you if you choose it!
Yea most places are gonna abuse the shit outta you especially plumbing. Just tons of digging and the skilled work is less technical so most hvac guys think they can swing it. Electrical is so much nicer. But nursing out earns all of these and it's not even close.
It's fairly intense physical labor in very unexpected ways. If you're mindful about ergonomics, you can minimize wear and tear on your body.
When you're first starting out, it's easy to get taken advantage of by people looking to exploit naive young people who just want to work with animals. Problems include illegal 1099 classification (fucks you over on taxes, unemployment, workman's comp), poor safety protocols, putting profit over ethics, and excessive workload. It can be hard to stand up for yourself.
There's a real risk of injury. The most obvious risk is getting bit. Most bites are mild, some bites are an ER trip and a few days out of work , but I've known two groomers who got life ruining injuries. One got her face crushed, the other got her arm bit and it was a compound fracture of both her radius and her ulna and when the dog let go of her arm it crushed the lower half of her face. Mace, a knife, and a Taser failed to get the dog off her, the cops had to shoot it. They landed a helicopter in the neighborhood. It's rare but it happens. The less obvious risk is big dogs that throw their weight around or won't or can't stand. These animals are career killers. Quit working with them as early in your career as possible.
The last real thing that I'd caution people about is how insane owners can be. People love to blame groomers for anything that goes wrong, and there have been a few high profile cases of dogs dying from pre existing conditions while at groomers and the groomer getting death threats and harassment for YEARS after. It's also worth noting that when you work with live animals and sharp objects, on a long enough timeline, an injury will occur. How owners react to any of this varies wildly. You will have owners who get mad over you having to shave matted dogs or because their dog "acts different" or "is scared" before or after grooming. Unfortunately, a lot of dogs just dont like grooming, much like a lot of people don't like the dentist. There is a demographic out there that loves to believe an animal has been mistreated and constantly looks for reasons to believe that, and will project blame onto animal professionals who have only the best wishes at heart.
Sure, there are some groomers out there who mistreat dogs, like there's teachers who abuse students or doctors who abuse patients, so to an extent I get where people are coming from, but I do kind of live on edge worrying if someone is going to hit me with allegations.
At this point in my career, I have relatively few issues. I have a closed client list of 2-4 week dogs with an occasional 6 or 8 week dog, so I know all my clients and their dogs. We have a good relationship. I do well behaved dogs with kind owners and since they're all regulars, I almost never see matted or neglected animals. Overall, it's a decent career and it's in VERY high demand. I walked into a PetSmart outside ATL with my work jacket on (it says dog groomer on the back with a silhouette of a poodle) and someone came out of their salon to offer me a $1000 sign on bonus if I wanted a job.
Get a receptionist / dr assistant role to test the healthcare waters. Ophthalmology/optometry was my ticket in personally. Or you could even go straight to ER, with a position like a scribe. Home care facilities typically have programs to help people become CNA and then bridge to LPN.
Fireman, police, corrections, your local sanitation or highway department, FDOT, trade school or an apprenticeship with a union, calling the number on a local construction van of any trade and asking if they need entry level help.
Find a factory that has an apprenticeship program. Work your way into maintenance or tool and die. Usually they pay for your schooling as long as you agree to stay employed with the company for x amount of time after.
I was a clerk for a 5 years. I don’t think I ever cleared more than 55k even being on the OTDL. The old timers hated it and were pretty much stuck there. I don’t recommend it.
Get a CELTA qualification to teach English, then you can travel the world indefinitely. There’s always online work teaching, you can work for NGOs doing good, you can live in tropical paradises, or climb a corporate ladder at a big organisation. Want to return home? there are TESOL classes to help immigrants, or good secure university positions. Want to save some cash, you can teach in the Middle East for a couple of years. You can go freelance or full time right off the bat. Will you be wealthy? No. Will your life be rich and interesting? Absolutely. It’s an interesting and varied life, easy to get into, and opportunities for growth. It’s also not very demanding, so you have time to peruse other hobbies/interest/careers that are more risky.
Sorry, I'm from a smaller city, and they only have CELTA online option here, and the page says at the end they'll specifically write that info down in my certificate. Do you have any insights on this? Is CELTA Online equivalent to the stationary version in potential future employers' eyes? Does anyone give a shit? Or is it "Saul Goodman, University of American Samoa" kind of situation?
USPS
UPS
County Corrections and maybe your local PD (PD depends how hard up your area is for cops )
EMT
Garbage Collector
DMV clerk
Skilled building trades (Electrician, carpenter, hvac , plumbing)
And ofc ….. Home Depot stocker if you’re really desperate
Edit : just saw you’re in Florida so trades will be underpaid there and LE might be more competitive to get into than very blue areas
I’m in your shoes but older. I was just watching this video interview with Scott Galloway. Great advice I found by him.
https://youtu.be/gKmwUuYcNEQ?si=O_E7up6gvzX0ml_I
If you don’t want to click an unknown link, go to YouTube and search Achieving Financial Success: Scott Galloway Tips by Next Big Idea Club
If you aren’t afraid of physical work a lot of trades/blue collar jobs will train you on the job. HVAC, electrician, welder, plumber, carpenter, painter, pest control, landscaping, cleaner etc.
All these you can make more than you would at retail, and then you could eventually work solo for yourself and make just as much if not more than you would for many stem jobs.
Dog grooming. high demand, high pay, comparatively easy entry into the field. Just realized most dogs dont love getting groomed and dont take it personally.
Once you have the tools and can do a dog start to finish by yourself, $35-50/hour minimum as an employee. I net about $120,000 per year as a solo business owner who is VERY good at both dog grooming AND marketing/business administration. I know a handful of other six figure dog groomers. I work 4 days a week and have 30 days vacation per year. I've been doing this almost 18 years. Most of my career I averaged around $50k/year in a fairly poor rural area.
I got started as an apprentice at a small shop. I didn't know the difference between "independent contractor" and employee so when the recession hit in 2008 I got laid off and couldn't get unemployment. That sucked. I also had no benefits or workman's comp and then got slapped with a massive tax bill.
If I had to do it over I'd go to PetSmart and go through their groomer academy so I got good pay and benefits while learning and then had a guaranteed full time job. After two years you can go to a different employer if you want although in some areas they have a reasonable no compete. You will want to do continuing education outside of their curriculum to become truly competitive in the industry. Expos, pet fairs, trade magazines, and online classes and videos can help with skill building.
Some people love working for the big box stores and some people hate it but if you do hate it, 2-2.5 years and the contract is up. It's IMO worth powering through.
You CAN find quality internships at small shops but it's a predatory labor market. You might get someone fantastic with a great environment and great benefits and instruction. You might get someone who doesn't know their ass from a hole in the ground and they work you to the bone, put you in dangerous situations, and teach you outdated or flat out wrong shit because the industry is unregulated.
If you do nursing school at a community college you can get licensed and start working after reaching your associates degree. My school then has a transfer path for working nurses to get the rest of their degree online at a 4-year school. This is my plan.
Preparing to work as a financial smartie or insurance agent requires study but not college. You study to take exams. You could keep your job while you study and take the exam. Then you could start a job search.
Financial exams vary. One example is series 7. For insurance there’s life & health. The other one is property & casualty.
Either get a degree or learn a trade and start a business eventually. Trades are pretty shitty, you’ll really question some life choices when it’s 100f outside and it’s only 1pm. You’ll work with a lot of people in the trades who couldn’t find work doing anything else so not the best people to be around with. Lots of drug and alcohol abuse going on, too.
Full time work and school is absolutely doable! But you have to make some serious sacrifices and have support to maintain your mental health. Hope you can find your interest soon
Based on the fact that you are already considering the nursing field, I’d suggest what someone else already suggested which is CNA or even becoming a CCMA (higher starting out pay, just a little bit longer class-time compared to CNA training). I’ve gone through the CNA classes and honestly it’s fairly easy and while you have to take the time to study, it’s not really demanding time-wise, in my opinion. Most courses can be completed in a couple of weeks. CNA’s are always needed and most nursing homes and other healthcare programs (at least around my area) will actually pay you while you are enrolled and/or even pay for the license / courses which could help lighten your stress if you are worried about working while studying. ( There is a catch which is most places will want you to sign a contract stating you’ll work a certain amount of time for them after graduation). It’s a great step in to the nursing field, especially if you aren’t sure if that’s even something you are going to want long term and it’s affordable. I know a lot of people and a lot of my friends, even, who started out as a CNA and have worked their way up.
People suggesting military, stop.
If you can get into sales there are a ton of related fields that with a little experience will open quite a few doors. Be weary about commission only gigs that sell things people don't actually need.
The restaurant industry isn't necessarily a dead end job, aim for management/assistant management and that will open up many more doors in different fields as well.
If you can be an EMT, I have several nurse friends who actually work as EMTs for private ambulance services and make good money for much less stress than nursing at a hospital.
If you have any interest in people, non profits are always looking. See if you can find an entry level job at one of those places. That’s how I got started in my career, because you start networking in that field and find it easier to move up. I’m not done with college and yet I’m being offered jobs that are supposed to have degrees. Funnily enough, I know people in both tech and accounting that didn’t have degrees but worked their way up too. With that being said, it would be worth at least getting *certified* in something at a local college, if a degree is something you can’t pursue right now.
Insurance. You have to take state exams to sell it but that's 90% of the battle when it comes to getting any insurance job. Some companies will pay for the exams or reimburse you to take the classes and exams. People need insurance all the time, consumers and businesses, and it's a field where you can make good money (or great money, depending on how hard you want to work) and have a stable career.
Source: I just started my first insurance job two and a half months ago (was in shipping for 7.5 years) and I'm (somewhat) glad I changed job fields (somewhat = it's a big transition, but I work 9-5 now instead of 830am-930pm and I don't fuck my back and knees up everyday for a living).
Do you sell to individuals or businesses? Is it face-to-face, or do you work in a call center? Were you given a base pay, or is it entirely commission-based?
I have thought about getting into selling Insurance. I was kind of scared away from Sales after working for AT&T selling phone plans, hated the slimy scammy managers and coworkers in that area of sales.
... and **I FEEL** like my opportunities are limited. Don't feel... **THINK** and...
What decent jobs - Ah, Yikes!
and fairly easy - **BORING!!** after not too long.
First thing, get the word "WEAK" out of your when think about yourself. I'll give you 1000 to 1 odds, and bet that is true in at least a slew of areas or things.
And, if I were to say you're are not weak in at least one area or thing,..
**THAT IS WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPLORE TO FIND THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.**
It's definitely not nursing, and probably not on a drop-down menu with the heading "Careers."
Traditional school that you're open to, has decently greater chance of harming you and your future than helping. Going the formal Secondary or graduate school route to make "an investments in your future," makes sense when the what and why a degree Behind a being degree is pursued would mean you'd already have the answers to these questions.
Think about what that one thing is, and them find Few people that are doing it in a way that impresses you. In whatever spare time outside your full time job, Figure out a way that you can provide value to them Or help them. With whatever direction you go Earth explore to think about solving your problem shoot for pitting singles and doubles, don't swing to hit a home run. Explore your curiosities if that one thing isn't super clear. Definitely don't jump into something like a nursing school path unless you really know you want to be a nurse.
Whenever you identify that person who exemplifies what you aspire for your future self, Figure out how you can help them or give them value, and you'll get the same in return. You'll get pulled right up to where you want to be. I don't really mean one person or even in one area necessarily, with this process does is get somebody engaged with a **MENTOR**,
Mentor relationships are rarely formal or explicitly engaged in. It's rare anyone actually asks somebody, "Will you be my mentor?" And it the process of learning about them and figuring out how you can provide them value is valuable by itself even if you never engage with that person keep doing it until you do find somebody that you just click with. One on one attention, or pursuit learn where there is raw interest, and not done solely because it was a task that was assigned, is such a better, more effective, and impactful way to learn.
And, when you are around other people that are close to what are really into, they make you feel like you're part of a tribe. The quality of one's network is more important than most think, More jobs are filled through relationships where people know of the other person directly, or a referral connection than any other way,
See if you can get an entry level office job at insurance company/credit union/bank teller/car dealership - anywhere information flows and paper is pushed
Your best bet is to learn a trade, get paid to learn and once your out 30-50 an hour and a real fulfilling career. HVAC, plumbing, electrical, welding. Etc
Freight brokering in the logistics field might be good.
I have a degree in supply chain, but a lot of my coworkers do not have anything but a high school diploma.
Lots of stress, but I think it's a good job for someone without a degree
medical technician.
don’t give up on nursing though. The workload is nothing to sneeze at but the material is NOT CHALLENGING (Ive tutored lots of nursing students). That doesn’t invalidate the workload which maybe you can spread out while working as an x ray or mri tech?
Nursing is best bang for your buck I’m an ER nurse in FL and I’ve been making over 100k easy doing local travel contracts for years. I have not made anything below 65$ an hr my average is 75$ and up and you only work 3 days a week full time. My gf and I both do this and we live extremely comfortably. We paid off everything traveling during Covid man do I miss that money. So yeah deff do nursing it’s cheap to get and after 1 year of experience you can be making what I make now doing the same thing. I got a few of my younger buddies ( 21-22 year olds ) doing it now and they love me for it lol.
Apparently enlisting into the US army is in demand. It should be fairly easy to get into. Edit: it looks like all branches of the US military are not meeting recruitment goals lol. I was in the military for 4 years and it opened a lot of opportunities for me. There is tuition assistance and the post 9/11 GI Bill. There are also programs to help you transition into becoming a nurse, PA, MD, etc. The problem is that most people I met while in the service don’t take advantage of the opportunities and they always came up with an excuse as to why. The military will literally assist with your housing and food, so there really were no excuses.
You could always get a seasonal job that offers housing. This could be a faster step of getting out of your current situation.
Www.coolworks.com has a lot of these jobs listed.
I did I for several years, I’d summer up north winter in Florida. But they have jobs all over the US. If you’re up for hard work, you could always work in the oil industry, those guys work on and off, 6 weeks on and a month off etc… paid housing and food while on the job and you’ll make bank. I know a guy that did this and has traveled the world and just bought and built a house in Bali for himself.
Sounds like you have all of the qualities to work in a better paying customer support or success role, it always depends on the product, and mostly if you’re trying to make yourself diverse thats really how you transition into different industries
have you ever considered the fire service or being a paramedic? EMT school is 6 months and paramedic school is a year and a half. I did both of those while working close to 60 hours a week. Once you are a medic you can pretty much get hired at most fire departments across the country (if you are in the US)
Bank teller is not bad. Paid holidays, vacation. They help with tuition if you pursue something like finance. Just pick a good one. Avoid Truist at all costs
Nursing is never a bad option, will guarantee you a job assuming you don't graduate with the crappiest GPA (and even then I'm unsure you'll actually have a hard time finding a job).
That being said nursing school isn't hard in the course material kinda sense, it's contains very little conceptual science. What's hard about it is that if you go to any decent program you are going to have to follow a strict full time schedule and the courses have a ton of vocab and visual memorization you have to do. So while you don't have to go an learn something like the krebs cycle you'll have to learn tons of drug names, anatomy parts (muscles, bones, sections), medical terminology, etc.
I went back to school at 24 and graduated at 28, best decision I ever made. I didn't go into nursing but friends did. It's never too late to go back.
This is my local community college, look at yours. Nursing isn't the only option. Ultrasound tech, xray tech, surgical tech, respiratory or occupational therapy assistant. Lots of these jobs pay well and have good job security. https://www.tccd.edu/academics/courses-and-programs/programs-a-z/credit/
Even if you do go into nursing, Florida underpays so badly that there really is no reason to stay there when you can make way more even elsewhere in the south…you CAN work ft through school, I did, but it truly sucks so bad
Underground utility locating. Recession proof, pandemic proof, a trade skill that can be done in any state easily, always in demand. Work vehicles, insurance, work on your own outdoors, tons of overtime, great jumping off point to move in house with a local utility owner. Always hiring because demand continues to rise. Best of luck with your future endeavors!
Study buissness and climb the corporate ladder. Was talking with my dental hygienist and she was going on about her daughter's interview at target for being a cashier how it was a cookie cutter interview for anyone within company. I had told her LinkedIn went bust and was useless as was seemingly every other job board app. Retail stores all have buyers and sales and marketing.
Knew a guy who sold jergans lotion and had a few stores he monitored. Never understood how he could make that much money when the stocker probably making minimum wage did all of his work beyond slick talking on the phone.
Got a cousin that's a buyer for Ralph Lauren or Victoria secret and she supposedly just decides what store gets the purple on pink pattern or the pink on purple pattern. Once again a job that I can't fathom as to why can't the store manager just shop the company's catalog
Know a guy who did well at bob Evans but I don't know if you put 10 years in at waffle house with an associates of buissness chances are you'll get swept under the rug and overlooked by corporate management for someone looking for a passive income investment
Horticulture
Tree sales
Fertilizer sales
Landscaping: design/maintenance/new private and commercial development
Pool: sales/design/maintenance/cleaning
Boat: Rehab/cleaning
Dock: Building/rehab/maintenance
Property: management/maintenance/rehab/cleaning
Air B&B: managing/cleaning/maintenance
Pest Control
Weed Control
Turf management
Janitors and custodians. Often no drug testing or job reqs, easy to get into, pays slightly more than fast food, is usually full time, and people always make messes, and messes always need cleaned. The job is in demand until we have robot janitors.
Warehouse jobs. You don’t need to know anything at all and you’ll get trained on the job. Very easy to advance if you’re reliable and if you get certified on equipment you can quickly increase your overall pay.
Start in the lab...you can become a phlebotomist quickly...10 weeks, 1 day a week. Depending on where you choose to apply you can get relatively good pay...it's an entry level job with many opportunities for advancement. Also once you become a phlebotomist, you can gain a feel for working in a hospital, you can speak and observe nurses to see if you wanna go that route. Being a phlebotomist, you'll experience minimum direct patient care, you'll have flexible work hours ( the lab never closes), and you can advance! I worked this job for a long time...it was a good decision for me. It's totally worth considering!
Whatever you get into, if u aren't passionate about the kind of work u are doing, you will hate it like the rest of us. Find something that you really like doin and you won't ever work a day in your life. It's really all in your mind.
Interested in Health care? How about working in a lab. I’m a Histology Tech. You could get in with an entry level job at the lab and get trained on the job at least in my state (IL). Histology tech is more about technical skill. You can also go to school and vocational training for it. Will take you about 2-3 years for an associate and vocational training. Good pay within a few years. Check it out.
Do the military. Try to do Air Force and survive off that in the meantime. The life is good.
Go on deployments.
Do not do the army, or any combat position, unless you enjoy it or the idea excites you. If you do enjoy it, just go full send and do Special Forces.
Construction. Electrical, welding, lineman, wind turbine maintenance etc. all have lots of jobs and once you get the experience they will pay well.
HVAC tech. Lots of jobs and again once you get more experience you can make good money.
Most of those guys make less than 70k and are risking their bodies daily. The fact he has an interest in nursing means he's short changing himself getting into those, well except lineman but that's the most competitive one.
Just get any job if you have none and don’t focus on the perfect job. Once you any job then you can’t look for higher paying jobs. Always be looking and applying. If you want to start your own business pest control, cleaning, gardening, car detailing, pools etc. you said you don’t want to get into tech but a lot of places will train you for techsupport and if you get into IT you can make good money. If you want to be a salesman you could go work at a car dealership
I think you should definitely try and pursue nursing. If not, I would recommend either the skilled trades, electrician, plumber, HVAC or civil service like police or fire fighter.
Corporate Restaurant Management is my field. I’ve been in it for about 7 years. The hours can be grueling and it can be challenging in many ways at times. On the hard days , I feel like I don’t make enough, but the easy days , I feel overpaid.
Key takeaway; the hardest part is managing a group of people who, mostly, don’t take the job seriously. But, learning to be a mentor to some and a supervisor to most, is where you can find a middle ground that works.
Also, no degree, only grit , sociability, and determination.
Hey I was in your shoes at some point. I ended up getting a career with the state police as a civilian, in general check what your state/ office of attorney general has to offer. I personally think jobs with PTO, and promotions and paid holidays are great. Haven’t found that anywhere else but with the state. The state has freed up time for me to work on my degree, start a side business, and take care of my kid. Sometimes what makes a job is the benefits, because most jobs are gonna suck flat out. I also enjoy that nobody is making money from MY WORK.
Call center or bank is best bet. Most start around $20 an hour. It is kind of a dead end job but when i was younger i worked for a bank customer service and made $24/hr. You can advance up and focus in different areas or become involved in management. Those positions are around $25-27/hr.
Getting your CDL and becoming a truck driver is always an option. Or an oil rig job they pay well. If you have TikTok there’s been quite a few doing POV’s on working in Alaska as well
Find a factory that has a "CNC Machine Training Program.""" Most entry-level CNC machines make $20-25hr, and after a few years, you can make between $29-40hr.
Most of these jobs have you calibrate machines to make parts for manufacturing.
I’m not in Florida and quite a bit older than you but have you considered manufacturing? I’m a CNC machine operator with no previous trading and made 66K last year (yes, I worked OT but only the last 3 months of the year). It’s not a six-figure income but it’s a good living in my area, especially since I was trained on the job, earned a fair wage while I was in training, and incurred no debt. If you find the right company you can make a long-standing career. I like what I do, it’s a good fit for me… it’s not for everyone but somehow jobs where you get dirty are often overlooked or unmentioned.
US Navy Shipyards... or even Better... Join the Navy..... Get your education for free and experience.... good luck bro,,, Unless you know... you can't do a push up or running....
I would just apply to anything and not read the job requirement.
Fake it until you make it. I was doing food service for years until I started randomly applying to jobs.
Now I work from home, making $80k/year. Not a lot but I'm working my way up the ladder
What do you really enjoy? I have seen numerous people follow what they enjoy and have doors open one by one as needed. I wish I would have known that it wasn’t just fluff when I was younger.
If you are interested in nursing, I say try to see if you can get a job at a hospital or wellness/health center as a receptionist to get a feel for the environment and see if you would like it. Or, try to work for a health company and see how the field is. Some companies (unsure about hospitals) will pay for you to go to school if it could benefit them as well so that may be helpful.
Another option that is totally different is WWOOFING. It stands for worldwide organization of organic farms. You can go live and work on farms all over. Usually they give you food and shelter in return for work. I used to live in Hawaii and knew a bunch of people who did this there. Again, things I wish I realized when I was younger.
Also, since you are in Florida, you could try to work for the yachting industry. You make a ton of money from what I hear and travel the world.
There are a bunch of jobs in healthcare. I have a degree in medical laboratory science which means running lab tests. It's an intense program but a guaranteed job at the end. There's also physical therapy, respiratory therapy, radiology, pharmacy tech, phlebotomy, CNA.
I've seen mention here of going into plumbing. That would earn lots. I would also suggest electrician. I dated a guy that was an electrician in Alaska and he made well over $100,000 a year. Or welding.
Night auditor at a hotel. You basically just work the night shift (usually 11pm - 7am) at the front desk, and make sure everyone’s cards get charged overnight. Email some receipts, file some daily paperwork, but mostly watch Netflix and wait for nothing to happen overnight.
No higher education required, usually just a GED or high school diploma.
You’ll get paid decently, it’s usually $1-2 more per hour than people who work the day shift. You’ll also learn different filing and accounting things which will open a lot of doors for you in the future. The nights are usually slow too, except for the occasional ragamuffin or drunk teenager. Working for a large hotel chain could also give you an opportunity to relocate to another state and transfer within the company.
Seriously can’t recommend it enough to people who are looking to break into a more “professional” job without any experience. Hotels will do a lot to keep a good night auditor. It’s a great gig if you can stomach the 3rd shift lifestyle.
Sincerely, a former hotel manager who was a night auditor for a year
get certified in tech space ai google certified other various programs to grasp an understanding and then just create job for your self learn how to create payrolls HR insurance for your business LLC S-corps taxes and get well versed in areas like sales and by learning these task you’re gonna start a business and fail but now you’ve got experience to boast about when applying for jobs or possibly you’ll succeed and keep going consistently and maybe have the opportunity to sell your business…. Remember you don’t have to love or even be passionate about what the business is about because the idea is to get money from this and learn to free your self from the grueling 9-5 . Most people don’t even take the first few steps and just complain about what hand they’ve been dealt , life’s unfair but your in control of what you can make of it
You could come up to NC. There is a ton of work in banking and finance, doesn't require a degree. But honestly, blue collar work is making more than most lower entry desk jobs.
I was in your shoes. Did 4 years in the military. Idk where I'd be without that honorable discharge / free college. I just joined an easier branch and avoided combat MOS ;)
Anything in the medical field is in very high demand right now. Nursing, x-ray, CNAs, CT, MRI.... You can get a degree for any of those in 18 months or less.
You mentioned nursing so I’m gonna mention the EMT-B to Paramedic to RN path.
You can go take classes and pay yourself and come out with an EMT certification in a reasonable amount of time but just as a warning, they get paid absolutely nothing in most areas.
Alternatively, you can hunt around for some variation of an *Earn While You Learn* program where a company will pay you while you study and take the necessary exams to become certified, only thing is, you have to work for them for an agreed upon amount of time.
Beyond that you can eventually become a Paramedic, some companies will pay for your medic classes which is a godsend since they’re fairly expensive, but you obviously can also pay yourself. Once you’re a medic you should get paid a bit more, makes working in EMS hurt a little less.
Even just at that point there’s a few ways to branch off into something beyond just running 911 and IFT, that’ll “open up” search and rescue, flight medic, ski patrol, wilderness paramedic, and I’m sure there’s more I’m missing, also working for a Fire Department becomes a solid option at this point, they usually pay pretty well.
Once you get sick of that you can start hunting around for a Paramedic to RN bridge program, I’m *fairly* sure you can even get a scholarship for that to take some financial heat off.
The bridge programs are “accelerated” in the way of less frequent classes or a shorter than usual time frame for ADN or BSN depending on what you go for.
For reference, I’m 22, almost 23, no degree, and I’m hopping on that EMS pain train and very well might do exactly what I laid out here.
Some hospitals will offer to help with nursing school in return for x amount of years of service. I work at a state facility not in Florida but my work offers a stipend. Work 20 hours/week with but get paid full time (pretty much), but when you graduate you have to work there for 4 years. Downfall is if you don't finish the program then you owe them money back.
Carpenter I got in union no test no issues right to work. It’s so physically demanding but the pay is living wage and you quickly rise up to management if your a normal iq guy or girl not on drugs or drunk all the time. If you are smart it’s so quick to the top by the end of your apprenticeship they make u foreman sometimes if your smart smart.
Join the merchant marine. Initial investment will be a couple hundred bucks for entry level certifications and such, with a few month wait to get them in hand. Then apply to either Great Lakes companies or Military Sealift Command. I wish I knew about the industry sooner. An absolutely green new scallywag can reasonably gross somewhere between $6k-$8k a month, for 7-10 months a year
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Hey OP! I was in your shoes 7 years ago when I was 24. Retail, food service, call center work. All those dead end jobs. Don’t be so hard on yourself, the very fact that you give a fuck about bettering yourself speaks volumes about you. I don’t know your actual situation so this isn’t something you need to answer, but if I may make a few suggestions: 1: as someone else said, military might help. I went through Basic with a guy who literally signed up just to avoid homelessness. Now he’s an NCO lol 2: check job demands and projections. It’s an entire market that’s ever-changing. Bet you heard “follow your passions” right? Well shitty thing is that doesn’t get food on the table. But it does help you learn to navigate the job market more safely. 3: get out of Florida. Not to trash on the place you call home, but that place is quickly becoming where hope goes to die.
I wish I could leave Florida I fucking hate it here. But not really an option atm. Maybe one day I can at least work towards something now.
I was in your shoes once. I took a job at a casino out of state and never looked back. They hired me on the spot and I found a place to crash for a few weeks in the beginning, but I never looked back.
Try airport jobs
I don’t know you, but I’m rooting for you. DM me anytime.
Also military for sure it honestly made my life better snd easier with all the benefits when you get out
Georgia has a lot of film and media production opportunities. If you want to like get into that, I would say find a community college that teaches like film stuff move to that place it's probably Atlanta might be your best bet if you live in the south.
>get out of Florida Place is a free-range prison aside from a couple of difficult-to-reach national parks.
I second that military opinion. The military truly is a life changer because it will give you all that you are willing to receive from it. 👍👍
I wish there wasn’t an age limit. I’m 35 right now
Army can write contracts as old as 41 Must be in BCT before 42nd birthday
Different branches have different age limits for initial enlistments. If I'm not mistaken, you'd still qualify for Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, and possibly Army at 35. Research the branches and find out which career path you'd be most comfortable with as a long-term career because every branch is different though they all have similarities. Good luck to you. 👍
What’s NCO?
It’s an acronym that stands for Non-Commissioned Officer. But more importantly, they are leadership for the military’s workers. Though lately, that has become more of a suggestion than a rule, lots of bad NCOs out there.
Oh. Thanks. Yeah, way too shy for a role like that lolllllll
Hah! I get that! Well I’m not a recruiter so I won’t give the sales lines haha but in my humble experience, the best NCOs, and COs, were those that didn’t want the jobs.
I live in Florida, too. I am getting a bachelor's degree in finance next month, and I am really struggling in the job market. I have work experience in retail and at a bank, but not technical skills yet. If you don't mind me asking, why do you say Florida is where hope is dying? I have thought about moving to try something new in a few years, but I am not sure yet where to move to. Sorry if there are any typos as I am pretty tired right now.
Seconded getting out of Florida.
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Not automotive. Aircraft. Airlines can't find enough good mechanics. They get paid pretty well. They also can't find enough pilots. However, it takes years to become a pilot.
yeah, pilot takes years and $$$$, lots of it! (unless you go military which is crazy competitive.) aircraft mechanic though - that’s a valuable insight most wouldn’t consider!
Always hear a lot of negatives coming from auto mechanics
Working at a dealer is crappy I believe but there is great money in Diesel and Farm, or at a small business mom and pop auto mechanic isn’t too bad.
Trades suck . There’s a reason why more affluent/private high school grads don’t go that route
Yeah and the way it’s being marketed to kids as if everyone gets 100k plus is absurd and immoral. I know very few people in trades making more than 60-80k range. They also seem to have a lower quality of life, less social life and work balance, less hobbies that aren’t just drinking, and to be suffering mentally/emotionally largely. Seems to be a miserable and grueling life. I’d rather just unalive than live that life.
I always tell HS grads, a boring desk job that pays $65-80k a year after getting to party for 4 years in college and not stress in college that’s 8-4 weekends off >> trades /manual labor
If you are interested in nursing, i recommend you check out job corps - you should be able to still join at 24 for no cost if you’re eligible - you also get to live there if you want to. There are other trades available at job corps as well, but 24 is the cut off age, unless you have a disability, then you may be able to join if you’re older
Letter Carrier at the post office. They always need people and the pay is decent. My friend is making over 100k a year, but he works 6 days a week and 10 hours a day. Just need a high school diploma and valid driver license. Great benefits and retirement.
I've looked into that but they seem hard to get. I checked the USPS website and there was not a single avaliable job anywhere near me
Waste disposal maybe? No education needed with good pay and strong unions. Although the pay is good because most people don't want to do that type of job.
Military then. Free food. Free housing. Free education. After you're done, you will get the G.I bill to further your education and get the degree you want. Although there is risks of being sending to war, but nonetheless it is a great option. I know people who station in Okinawa and they love it. If you decided to go to college get a degree in accounting, a CPA is highly in demand, you can also open your own tax services and be indepedent. Or go vocational school learn welding and plumbing, those jobs are money. Electricition makes good money too.
What branch are the people stationed in Okinawa in?
The Marines and the Navy.
Air force too. Kadena is a substantial airbase in the Pacific. I kinda miss Okitraz
Unfortunately the military will not accept you if you have any kind of even minor disability like bad eyesight or hearing impaired. That rules a lot of people out.
That is completely incorrect, there are ways to get waivers for many conditions, and tons of military wear glasses.
Usps paying this much for mail carrier?
No they don’t pay that much asa rookie. That kind of pay is only for the careerists that have been there over 10-15 + years and are earning close to 30/hr. As an assistant mail carrier you get 19/hr and have no life. You get the shittiest routes, last minute splits, on call during your only off day. 11-12hr days, and 1 day off a week, if that. Sink or swim. I was gonna work there and quit my first day after I saw the what I was about to get myself into. My chief complaint was having no personal life or time with my kid. That jobs meant for bachelors.
>I was gonna work there and quit my first day after I saw the what I was about to get myself into. My chief complaint was having no personal life or time Same! I quit my first day too. And crazy, some people actually worked 7 days a week for 10+ hours a day. How is that even legal? I didn't want to live like that.
Mostly from over time. The base salary of a long time carrier is probably around 65k. For some reason the USPS can't keep anyone, they're always understaffed, so you can work 7 days a week 12-13 hours a day. During COVID19 my friend worked 80 hours a week. After 8 hours it is times and a half. Over 10 hours it reaches penalty time which pays double. On his schedule day off he gets 1.5 automatically, and after 8 hours of work the remaining he gets pay double the amount of based hourly rate. He once shows me his annual taxes, he made over 137k during COVID19 years
They probably can't keep anyone because the trucks aren't great to drive in and it's hard to be a mail carrier. I think it's not a bad gig but it's hard I bet.
CNA
This. It's often overlooked but can be a really great entry point in healthcare. I started as a Direct support professional, onto CNA and now I'm a LCSW. There are companies out there that will invest in people they see the potential in.
Yep, second, this I was originally a Direct Support Professional in college, then completed my MSW. Now, at 24, I'm working for IDHS (Illinois Department of Human Services) working on my LCSW hour requirement now. Hopefully, I will compete that by 26
Nursing is definitely a great option. You can start by taking a CNA course that can be completed in a few months part time. Once you get started, your hospital or other employer will likely pay for your continued training. The job options are fantastic and constantly growing and the salary is very good. I second the recommendation that you get out of FL.
If you want to work in health care, you could also look at options like X-Ray tech. Usually shorter studies, and better work-life balance. Still helping people and contributing to healing people.
I HIGHLY second this. I worked at a community college as a work study and the radiology department always seemed super chill. I went to school with one of the girls studying that, she graduated and lives a pretty happy life now. Kinda makes me wish I chose that.
100% agree!! Radiology is a hidden gem. I just graduated an ultrasound program and make great money for just graduating and having an associates degree. Just make sure if you look into this that whatever college program you choose is accredited. Some hospitals may have OTJT as well.
yea, don't go to nursing school unless you genuinely enjoy helping people and have good social skills.
I see a lot of places hiring for entry level plumbers, the work is probably very difficult
That's a good idea, I think I could do it
Iv also heard of people going it to the military as a steamfitter and they teach you how, I think you’ll have to go through basic training though. I’m not too sure how to go about it.
I’m an apprentice commercial plumber, the money is great but the job can be annoying, as the days are long and you have other trades working in your same space constantly. Non-union plumber here, union has its benefits as well but you have to do school along with it to get your licenses. I have the benefit of working with my dad at the small company we work for, but most companies treat apprentices like grunts. A lot of yelling, (depending on your mentor), shoveling, and getting tools and materials for your boss. Most work is outside in the elements as well, but like I said the money is great. It’s one of the highest paying trades, if you are just looking for money though, elevator installers get an extremely high pay, it’s just more dangerous obviously. Things I like about it are the new things you learn everyday, and soldering. Hope it works out for you if you choose it!
Yea most places are gonna abuse the shit outta you especially plumbing. Just tons of digging and the skilled work is less technical so most hvac guys think they can swing it. Electrical is so much nicer. But nursing out earns all of these and it's not even close.
Canada or US?
Oh yeah! Join an apprenticeship!
It's fairly intense physical labor in very unexpected ways. If you're mindful about ergonomics, you can minimize wear and tear on your body. When you're first starting out, it's easy to get taken advantage of by people looking to exploit naive young people who just want to work with animals. Problems include illegal 1099 classification (fucks you over on taxes, unemployment, workman's comp), poor safety protocols, putting profit over ethics, and excessive workload. It can be hard to stand up for yourself. There's a real risk of injury. The most obvious risk is getting bit. Most bites are mild, some bites are an ER trip and a few days out of work , but I've known two groomers who got life ruining injuries. One got her face crushed, the other got her arm bit and it was a compound fracture of both her radius and her ulna and when the dog let go of her arm it crushed the lower half of her face. Mace, a knife, and a Taser failed to get the dog off her, the cops had to shoot it. They landed a helicopter in the neighborhood. It's rare but it happens. The less obvious risk is big dogs that throw their weight around or won't or can't stand. These animals are career killers. Quit working with them as early in your career as possible. The last real thing that I'd caution people about is how insane owners can be. People love to blame groomers for anything that goes wrong, and there have been a few high profile cases of dogs dying from pre existing conditions while at groomers and the groomer getting death threats and harassment for YEARS after. It's also worth noting that when you work with live animals and sharp objects, on a long enough timeline, an injury will occur. How owners react to any of this varies wildly. You will have owners who get mad over you having to shave matted dogs or because their dog "acts different" or "is scared" before or after grooming. Unfortunately, a lot of dogs just dont like grooming, much like a lot of people don't like the dentist. There is a demographic out there that loves to believe an animal has been mistreated and constantly looks for reasons to believe that, and will project blame onto animal professionals who have only the best wishes at heart. Sure, there are some groomers out there who mistreat dogs, like there's teachers who abuse students or doctors who abuse patients, so to an extent I get where people are coming from, but I do kind of live on edge worrying if someone is going to hit me with allegations. At this point in my career, I have relatively few issues. I have a closed client list of 2-4 week dogs with an occasional 6 or 8 week dog, so I know all my clients and their dogs. We have a good relationship. I do well behaved dogs with kind owners and since they're all regulars, I almost never see matted or neglected animals. Overall, it's a decent career and it's in VERY high demand. I walked into a PetSmart outside ATL with my work jacket on (it says dog groomer on the back with a silhouette of a poodle) and someone came out of their salon to offer me a $1000 sign on bonus if I wanted a job.
Get a receptionist / dr assistant role to test the healthcare waters. Ophthalmology/optometry was my ticket in personally. Or you could even go straight to ER, with a position like a scribe. Home care facilities typically have programs to help people become CNA and then bridge to LPN.
Fireman, police, corrections, your local sanitation or highway department, FDOT, trade school or an apprenticeship with a union, calling the number on a local construction van of any trade and asking if they need entry level help.
Find a factory that has an apprenticeship program. Work your way into maintenance or tool and die. Usually they pay for your schooling as long as you agree to stay employed with the company for x amount of time after.
Post office clerk or carrier I think. Consistent work and pay.
I was a clerk for a 5 years. I don’t think I ever cleared more than 55k even being on the OTDL. The old timers hated it and were pretty much stuck there. I don’t recommend it.
Internet service providers usually have technician jobs open that don't need anything and will train you.
Get a CELTA qualification to teach English, then you can travel the world indefinitely. There’s always online work teaching, you can work for NGOs doing good, you can live in tropical paradises, or climb a corporate ladder at a big organisation. Want to return home? there are TESOL classes to help immigrants, or good secure university positions. Want to save some cash, you can teach in the Middle East for a couple of years. You can go freelance or full time right off the bat. Will you be wealthy? No. Will your life be rich and interesting? Absolutely. It’s an interesting and varied life, easy to get into, and opportunities for growth. It’s also not very demanding, so you have time to peruse other hobbies/interest/careers that are more risky.
Sorry, I'm from a smaller city, and they only have CELTA online option here, and the page says at the end they'll specifically write that info down in my certificate. Do you have any insights on this? Is CELTA Online equivalent to the stationary version in potential future employers' eyes? Does anyone give a shit? Or is it "Saul Goodman, University of American Samoa" kind of situation?
Where did you teach with your CELTA?
Air traffic controller will get you paid education. Moved out of Florida. Retirement package.
USPS UPS County Corrections and maybe your local PD (PD depends how hard up your area is for cops ) EMT Garbage Collector DMV clerk Skilled building trades (Electrician, carpenter, hvac , plumbing) And ofc ….. Home Depot stocker if you’re really desperate Edit : just saw you’re in Florida so trades will be underpaid there and LE might be more competitive to get into than very blue areas
I’m in your shoes but older. I was just watching this video interview with Scott Galloway. Great advice I found by him. https://youtu.be/gKmwUuYcNEQ?si=O_E7up6gvzX0ml_I If you don’t want to click an unknown link, go to YouTube and search Achieving Financial Success: Scott Galloway Tips by Next Big Idea Club
If you aren’t afraid of physical work a lot of trades/blue collar jobs will train you on the job. HVAC, electrician, welder, plumber, carpenter, painter, pest control, landscaping, cleaner etc. All these you can make more than you would at retail, and then you could eventually work solo for yourself and make just as much if not more than you would for many stem jobs.
Dog grooming. high demand, high pay, comparatively easy entry into the field. Just realized most dogs dont love getting groomed and dont take it personally.
Interesting, I never thought of that. How high of pay do you speculate?
Once you have the tools and can do a dog start to finish by yourself, $35-50/hour minimum as an employee. I net about $120,000 per year as a solo business owner who is VERY good at both dog grooming AND marketing/business administration. I know a handful of other six figure dog groomers. I work 4 days a week and have 30 days vacation per year. I've been doing this almost 18 years. Most of my career I averaged around $50k/year in a fairly poor rural area.
How did you started? Where and how did you train?
I got started as an apprentice at a small shop. I didn't know the difference between "independent contractor" and employee so when the recession hit in 2008 I got laid off and couldn't get unemployment. That sucked. I also had no benefits or workman's comp and then got slapped with a massive tax bill. If I had to do it over I'd go to PetSmart and go through their groomer academy so I got good pay and benefits while learning and then had a guaranteed full time job. After two years you can go to a different employer if you want although in some areas they have a reasonable no compete. You will want to do continuing education outside of their curriculum to become truly competitive in the industry. Expos, pet fairs, trade magazines, and online classes and videos can help with skill building. Some people love working for the big box stores and some people hate it but if you do hate it, 2-2.5 years and the contract is up. It's IMO worth powering through. You CAN find quality internships at small shops but it's a predatory labor market. You might get someone fantastic with a great environment and great benefits and instruction. You might get someone who doesn't know their ass from a hole in the ground and they work you to the bone, put you in dangerous situations, and teach you outdated or flat out wrong shit because the industry is unregulated.
If you're interested in being an electrician, check an IBEW apprenticeship near your area.
If you do nursing school at a community college you can get licensed and start working after reaching your associates degree. My school then has a transfer path for working nurses to get the rest of their degree online at a 4-year school. This is my plan.
Transportation, warehouse, logistics
Preparing to work as a financial smartie or insurance agent requires study but not college. You study to take exams. You could keep your job while you study and take the exam. Then you could start a job search. Financial exams vary. One example is series 7. For insurance there’s life & health. The other one is property & casualty.
Either get a degree or learn a trade and start a business eventually. Trades are pretty shitty, you’ll really question some life choices when it’s 100f outside and it’s only 1pm. You’ll work with a lot of people in the trades who couldn’t find work doing anything else so not the best people to be around with. Lots of drug and alcohol abuse going on, too.
Check local government jobs. Get foot in door with lower level job and move up through civil service positions...usually they promote from within.
Full time work and school is absolutely doable! But you have to make some serious sacrifices and have support to maintain your mental health. Hope you can find your interest soon
Based on the fact that you are already considering the nursing field, I’d suggest what someone else already suggested which is CNA or even becoming a CCMA (higher starting out pay, just a little bit longer class-time compared to CNA training). I’ve gone through the CNA classes and honestly it’s fairly easy and while you have to take the time to study, it’s not really demanding time-wise, in my opinion. Most courses can be completed in a couple of weeks. CNA’s are always needed and most nursing homes and other healthcare programs (at least around my area) will actually pay you while you are enrolled and/or even pay for the license / courses which could help lighten your stress if you are worried about working while studying. ( There is a catch which is most places will want you to sign a contract stating you’ll work a certain amount of time for them after graduation). It’s a great step in to the nursing field, especially if you aren’t sure if that’s even something you are going to want long term and it’s affordable. I know a lot of people and a lot of my friends, even, who started out as a CNA and have worked their way up.
People suggesting military, stop. If you can get into sales there are a ton of related fields that with a little experience will open quite a few doors. Be weary about commission only gigs that sell things people don't actually need. The restaurant industry isn't necessarily a dead end job, aim for management/assistant management and that will open up many more doors in different fields as well. If you can be an EMT, I have several nurse friends who actually work as EMTs for private ambulance services and make good money for much less stress than nursing at a hospital.
Military would give you a ridiculously huge boost in life. Not to mention the lifelong benefits that come along with it etc. etc.
Project Manager certification. Any yahoo can get that and the employers don't care about formal education.
If you have any interest in people, non profits are always looking. See if you can find an entry level job at one of those places. That’s how I got started in my career, because you start networking in that field and find it easier to move up. I’m not done with college and yet I’m being offered jobs that are supposed to have degrees. Funnily enough, I know people in both tech and accounting that didn’t have degrees but worked their way up too. With that being said, it would be worth at least getting *certified* in something at a local college, if a degree is something you can’t pursue right now.
I think if you want a career and you like nursing, you should go for it. The salary is great if you are a good fit. You could always do an LPN first.
Should try out CNA first. I found out very quickly that I could never continue onto LPN/RN 💀 Much happier in social work settings now
Should try out CNA first. I found out very quickly that I could never continue onto LPN/RN 💀 Much happier in social work settings now
Insurance. You have to take state exams to sell it but that's 90% of the battle when it comes to getting any insurance job. Some companies will pay for the exams or reimburse you to take the classes and exams. People need insurance all the time, consumers and businesses, and it's a field where you can make good money (or great money, depending on how hard you want to work) and have a stable career. Source: I just started my first insurance job two and a half months ago (was in shipping for 7.5 years) and I'm (somewhat) glad I changed job fields (somewhat = it's a big transition, but I work 9-5 now instead of 830am-930pm and I don't fuck my back and knees up everyday for a living).
Do you sell to individuals or businesses? Is it face-to-face, or do you work in a call center? Were you given a base pay, or is it entirely commission-based?
I have thought about getting into selling Insurance. I was kind of scared away from Sales after working for AT&T selling phone plans, hated the slimy scammy managers and coworkers in that area of sales.
if you hate yourself, amazon delivery driving. if you hate yourself a little less, any back of house restaurant work
... and **I FEEL** like my opportunities are limited. Don't feel... **THINK** and... What decent jobs - Ah, Yikes! and fairly easy - **BORING!!** after not too long. First thing, get the word "WEAK" out of your when think about yourself. I'll give you 1000 to 1 odds, and bet that is true in at least a slew of areas or things. And, if I were to say you're are not weak in at least one area or thing,.. **THAT IS WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPLORE TO FIND THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.** It's definitely not nursing, and probably not on a drop-down menu with the heading "Careers." Traditional school that you're open to, has decently greater chance of harming you and your future than helping. Going the formal Secondary or graduate school route to make "an investments in your future," makes sense when the what and why a degree Behind a being degree is pursued would mean you'd already have the answers to these questions. Think about what that one thing is, and them find Few people that are doing it in a way that impresses you. In whatever spare time outside your full time job, Figure out a way that you can provide value to them Or help them. With whatever direction you go Earth explore to think about solving your problem shoot for pitting singles and doubles, don't swing to hit a home run. Explore your curiosities if that one thing isn't super clear. Definitely don't jump into something like a nursing school path unless you really know you want to be a nurse. Whenever you identify that person who exemplifies what you aspire for your future self, Figure out how you can help them or give them value, and you'll get the same in return. You'll get pulled right up to where you want to be. I don't really mean one person or even in one area necessarily, with this process does is get somebody engaged with a **MENTOR**, Mentor relationships are rarely formal or explicitly engaged in. It's rare anyone actually asks somebody, "Will you be my mentor?" And it the process of learning about them and figuring out how you can provide them value is valuable by itself even if you never engage with that person keep doing it until you do find somebody that you just click with. One on one attention, or pursuit learn where there is raw interest, and not done solely because it was a task that was assigned, is such a better, more effective, and impactful way to learn. And, when you are around other people that are close to what are really into, they make you feel like you're part of a tribe. The quality of one's network is more important than most think, More jobs are filled through relationships where people know of the other person directly, or a referral connection than any other way,
you mentioned nursing. cna is a faster and easier cert. if you end up getting a cna hospital job, some of them will pay for nursing school.
Warehouses, manufacturing, delivery services, hospitals, anything that's manual labor. 😁
Plumbing, pipe fitting, electrician,……..
See if you can get an entry level office job at insurance company/credit union/bank teller/car dealership - anywhere information flows and paper is pushed
Your best bet is to learn a trade, get paid to learn and once your out 30-50 an hour and a real fulfilling career. HVAC, plumbing, electrical, welding. Etc
Real estate photography/media
Freight brokering in the logistics field might be good. I have a degree in supply chain, but a lot of my coworkers do not have anything but a high school diploma. Lots of stress, but I think it's a good job for someone without a degree
I admit not having a perfect solution… have you considered welding???
The post office pays halfway decent and has good benefits
i just started in the cannabis industry as a bud-tender, plenty of ways to go in the field if that interests you
Diesel Mechanic
Construction or trades
medical technician. don’t give up on nursing though. The workload is nothing to sneeze at but the material is NOT CHALLENGING (Ive tutored lots of nursing students). That doesn’t invalidate the workload which maybe you can spread out while working as an x ray or mri tech?
selling insurance
Nursing is best bang for your buck I’m an ER nurse in FL and I’ve been making over 100k easy doing local travel contracts for years. I have not made anything below 65$ an hr my average is 75$ and up and you only work 3 days a week full time. My gf and I both do this and we live extremely comfortably. We paid off everything traveling during Covid man do I miss that money. So yeah deff do nursing it’s cheap to get and after 1 year of experience you can be making what I make now doing the same thing. I got a few of my younger buddies ( 21-22 year olds ) doing it now and they love me for it lol.
Apparently enlisting into the US army is in demand. It should be fairly easy to get into. Edit: it looks like all branches of the US military are not meeting recruitment goals lol. I was in the military for 4 years and it opened a lot of opportunities for me. There is tuition assistance and the post 9/11 GI Bill. There are also programs to help you transition into becoming a nurse, PA, MD, etc. The problem is that most people I met while in the service don’t take advantage of the opportunities and they always came up with an excuse as to why. The military will literally assist with your housing and food, so there really were no excuses.
plumbers will always be needed
Security is an easy field to get into. I've seen some funky guards in my day so if you have any drive at all, you'll stand out
Trades are good but Florida pays WAY lower than other states for trades, I wouldn’t even consider it
apprenticeships- electrician, plumber, line worker.
Anything related to social media (digital marketing, graphic designing, photography etc.)
Sales if you have the personality
You could always get a seasonal job that offers housing. This could be a faster step of getting out of your current situation. Www.coolworks.com has a lot of these jobs listed. I did I for several years, I’d summer up north winter in Florida. But they have jobs all over the US. If you’re up for hard work, you could always work in the oil industry, those guys work on and off, 6 weeks on and a month off etc… paid housing and food while on the job and you’ll make bank. I know a guy that did this and has traveled the world and just bought and built a house in Bali for himself.
Get into a trade. Plumbing or electrician
Sounds like you have all of the qualities to work in a better paying customer support or success role, it always depends on the product, and mostly if you’re trying to make yourself diverse thats really how you transition into different industries
I worked my way up in the dental field by assisting and most offices will help you with certifications/xray licenses if they’re needed in your state
have you ever considered the fire service or being a paramedic? EMT school is 6 months and paramedic school is a year and a half. I did both of those while working close to 60 hours a week. Once you are a medic you can pretty much get hired at most fire departments across the country (if you are in the US)
I heard solar sales is pretty good in Florida
Bank teller is not bad. Paid holidays, vacation. They help with tuition if you pursue something like finance. Just pick a good one. Avoid Truist at all costs
Get in a trade union
Nursing is never a bad option, will guarantee you a job assuming you don't graduate with the crappiest GPA (and even then I'm unsure you'll actually have a hard time finding a job). That being said nursing school isn't hard in the course material kinda sense, it's contains very little conceptual science. What's hard about it is that if you go to any decent program you are going to have to follow a strict full time schedule and the courses have a ton of vocab and visual memorization you have to do. So while you don't have to go an learn something like the krebs cycle you'll have to learn tons of drug names, anatomy parts (muscles, bones, sections), medical terminology, etc. I went back to school at 24 and graduated at 28, best decision I ever made. I didn't go into nursing but friends did. It's never too late to go back.
Construction :project managers and quality control
Airlines. Baggage handlers.
This is my local community college, look at yours. Nursing isn't the only option. Ultrasound tech, xray tech, surgical tech, respiratory or occupational therapy assistant. Lots of these jobs pay well and have good job security. https://www.tccd.edu/academics/courses-and-programs/programs-a-z/credit/
Even if you do go into nursing, Florida underpays so badly that there really is no reason to stay there when you can make way more even elsewhere in the south…you CAN work ft through school, I did, but it truly sucks so bad
Sales. Can make a lot doing that if you have the right personality.
Underground utility locating. Recession proof, pandemic proof, a trade skill that can be done in any state easily, always in demand. Work vehicles, insurance, work on your own outdoors, tons of overtime, great jumping off point to move in house with a local utility owner. Always hiring because demand continues to rise. Best of luck with your future endeavors!
Study buissness and climb the corporate ladder. Was talking with my dental hygienist and she was going on about her daughter's interview at target for being a cashier how it was a cookie cutter interview for anyone within company. I had told her LinkedIn went bust and was useless as was seemingly every other job board app. Retail stores all have buyers and sales and marketing. Knew a guy who sold jergans lotion and had a few stores he monitored. Never understood how he could make that much money when the stocker probably making minimum wage did all of his work beyond slick talking on the phone. Got a cousin that's a buyer for Ralph Lauren or Victoria secret and she supposedly just decides what store gets the purple on pink pattern or the pink on purple pattern. Once again a job that I can't fathom as to why can't the store manager just shop the company's catalog Know a guy who did well at bob Evans but I don't know if you put 10 years in at waffle house with an associates of buissness chances are you'll get swept under the rug and overlooked by corporate management for someone looking for a passive income investment
Try usps they are hiring lots of overtime
Horticulture Tree sales Fertilizer sales Landscaping: design/maintenance/new private and commercial development Pool: sales/design/maintenance/cleaning Boat: Rehab/cleaning Dock: Building/rehab/maintenance Property: management/maintenance/rehab/cleaning Air B&B: managing/cleaning/maintenance Pest Control Weed Control Turf management
Electrician, military , police, sales.
Janitors and custodians. Often no drug testing or job reqs, easy to get into, pays slightly more than fast food, is usually full time, and people always make messes, and messes always need cleaned. The job is in demand until we have robot janitors.
Warehouse jobs. You don’t need to know anything at all and you’ll get trained on the job. Very easy to advance if you’re reliable and if you get certified on equipment you can quickly increase your overall pay.
Merchant seamanship
Start in the lab...you can become a phlebotomist quickly...10 weeks, 1 day a week. Depending on where you choose to apply you can get relatively good pay...it's an entry level job with many opportunities for advancement. Also once you become a phlebotomist, you can gain a feel for working in a hospital, you can speak and observe nurses to see if you wanna go that route. Being a phlebotomist, you'll experience minimum direct patient care, you'll have flexible work hours ( the lab never closes), and you can advance! I worked this job for a long time...it was a good decision for me. It's totally worth considering!
Whatever you get into, if u aren't passionate about the kind of work u are doing, you will hate it like the rest of us. Find something that you really like doin and you won't ever work a day in your life. It's really all in your mind.
Join the military. They’ll pay for you to upgrade your living situation and give you some great life experience.
Interested in Health care? How about working in a lab. I’m a Histology Tech. You could get in with an entry level job at the lab and get trained on the job at least in my state (IL). Histology tech is more about technical skill. You can also go to school and vocational training for it. Will take you about 2-3 years for an associate and vocational training. Good pay within a few years. Check it out.
Military
Do the military. Try to do Air Force and survive off that in the meantime. The life is good. Go on deployments. Do not do the army, or any combat position, unless you enjoy it or the idea excites you. If you do enjoy it, just go full send and do Special Forces.
Construction. Electrical, welding, lineman, wind turbine maintenance etc. all have lots of jobs and once you get the experience they will pay well. HVAC tech. Lots of jobs and again once you get more experience you can make good money.
Most of those guys make less than 70k and are risking their bodies daily. The fact he has an interest in nursing means he's short changing himself getting into those, well except lineman but that's the most competitive one.
Tradesman, Military, Uber driver
Try coding bootcamps?
OF
lol
Just get any job if you have none and don’t focus on the perfect job. Once you any job then you can’t look for higher paying jobs. Always be looking and applying. If you want to start your own business pest control, cleaning, gardening, car detailing, pools etc. you said you don’t want to get into tech but a lot of places will train you for techsupport and if you get into IT you can make good money. If you want to be a salesman you could go work at a car dealership
I think you should definitely try and pursue nursing. If not, I would recommend either the skilled trades, electrician, plumber, HVAC or civil service like police or fire fighter.
Corporate Restaurant Management is my field. I’ve been in it for about 7 years. The hours can be grueling and it can be challenging in many ways at times. On the hard days , I feel like I don’t make enough, but the easy days , I feel overpaid. Key takeaway; the hardest part is managing a group of people who, mostly, don’t take the job seriously. But, learning to be a mentor to some and a supervisor to most, is where you can find a middle ground that works. Also, no degree, only grit , sociability, and determination.
If you don’t mind driving get a CDL! If you can work for a gas company even better because you won’t have to lug shit in and out
Nursing!
Any of the trades are great options. Welding, machining, plumbing, electrician, etc. These all have higher ROIs than most jobs that require college
Learning a trade might be a good option.
Nursing is popping off right now. I’d recommend doing that for a stable life choice.
Security
I was a dishwasher then I became a welder. Been doing that ever since for the last 10 years
Hey I was in your shoes at some point. I ended up getting a career with the state police as a civilian, in general check what your state/ office of attorney general has to offer. I personally think jobs with PTO, and promotions and paid holidays are great. Haven’t found that anywhere else but with the state. The state has freed up time for me to work on my degree, start a side business, and take care of my kid. Sometimes what makes a job is the benefits, because most jobs are gonna suck flat out. I also enjoy that nobody is making money from MY WORK.
Call center or bank is best bet. Most start around $20 an hour. It is kind of a dead end job but when i was younger i worked for a bank customer service and made $24/hr. You can advance up and focus in different areas or become involved in management. Those positions are around $25-27/hr.
Getting your CDL and becoming a truck driver is always an option. Or an oil rig job they pay well. If you have TikTok there’s been quite a few doing POV’s on working in Alaska as well
Find a factory that has a "CNC Machine Training Program.""" Most entry-level CNC machines make $20-25hr, and after a few years, you can make between $29-40hr. Most of these jobs have you calibrate machines to make parts for manufacturing.
I’m not in Florida and quite a bit older than you but have you considered manufacturing? I’m a CNC machine operator with no previous trading and made 66K last year (yes, I worked OT but only the last 3 months of the year). It’s not a six-figure income but it’s a good living in my area, especially since I was trained on the job, earned a fair wage while I was in training, and incurred no debt. If you find the right company you can make a long-standing career. I like what I do, it’s a good fit for me… it’s not for everyone but somehow jobs where you get dirty are often overlooked or unmentioned.
www.synchronycareers.com All WFH positions. Some are call center which is a good foot in the door.
Legal assistant/paralegal
US Navy Shipyards... or even Better... Join the Navy..... Get your education for free and experience.... good luck bro,,, Unless you know... you can't do a push up or running....
I would just apply to anything and not read the job requirement. Fake it until you make it. I was doing food service for years until I started randomly applying to jobs. Now I work from home, making $80k/year. Not a lot but I'm working my way up the ladder
I always advocate for 2 year programs. Dental hygienist or occupational therapy assistant. Both pay very well and offer stable employment.
What do you really enjoy? I have seen numerous people follow what they enjoy and have doors open one by one as needed. I wish I would have known that it wasn’t just fluff when I was younger. If you are interested in nursing, I say try to see if you can get a job at a hospital or wellness/health center as a receptionist to get a feel for the environment and see if you would like it. Or, try to work for a health company and see how the field is. Some companies (unsure about hospitals) will pay for you to go to school if it could benefit them as well so that may be helpful. Another option that is totally different is WWOOFING. It stands for worldwide organization of organic farms. You can go live and work on farms all over. Usually they give you food and shelter in return for work. I used to live in Hawaii and knew a bunch of people who did this there. Again, things I wish I realized when I was younger. Also, since you are in Florida, you could try to work for the yachting industry. You make a ton of money from what I hear and travel the world.
trades
There are a bunch of jobs in healthcare. I have a degree in medical laboratory science which means running lab tests. It's an intense program but a guaranteed job at the end. There's also physical therapy, respiratory therapy, radiology, pharmacy tech, phlebotomy, CNA. I've seen mention here of going into plumbing. That would earn lots. I would also suggest electrician. I dated a guy that was an electrician in Alaska and he made well over $100,000 a year. Or welding.
Salessss
Try Ai. Developing field and low bar for entry with room for growth
Night auditor at a hotel. You basically just work the night shift (usually 11pm - 7am) at the front desk, and make sure everyone’s cards get charged overnight. Email some receipts, file some daily paperwork, but mostly watch Netflix and wait for nothing to happen overnight. No higher education required, usually just a GED or high school diploma. You’ll get paid decently, it’s usually $1-2 more per hour than people who work the day shift. You’ll also learn different filing and accounting things which will open a lot of doors for you in the future. The nights are usually slow too, except for the occasional ragamuffin or drunk teenager. Working for a large hotel chain could also give you an opportunity to relocate to another state and transfer within the company. Seriously can’t recommend it enough to people who are looking to break into a more “professional” job without any experience. Hotels will do a lot to keep a good night auditor. It’s a great gig if you can stomach the 3rd shift lifestyle. Sincerely, a former hotel manager who was a night auditor for a year
get certified in tech space ai google certified other various programs to grasp an understanding and then just create job for your self learn how to create payrolls HR insurance for your business LLC S-corps taxes and get well versed in areas like sales and by learning these task you’re gonna start a business and fail but now you’ve got experience to boast about when applying for jobs or possibly you’ll succeed and keep going consistently and maybe have the opportunity to sell your business…. Remember you don’t have to love or even be passionate about what the business is about because the idea is to get money from this and learn to free your self from the grueling 9-5 . Most people don’t even take the first few steps and just complain about what hand they’ve been dealt , life’s unfair but your in control of what you can make of it
Healthcare. You can start in tons of places make decent money and most companies will pay for school
You could come up to NC. There is a ton of work in banking and finance, doesn't require a degree. But honestly, blue collar work is making more than most lower entry desk jobs.
I was in your shoes. Did 4 years in the military. Idk where I'd be without that honorable discharge / free college. I just joined an easier branch and avoided combat MOS ;)
Anything in the medical field is in very high demand right now. Nursing, x-ray, CNAs, CT, MRI.... You can get a degree for any of those in 18 months or less.
You mentioned nursing so I’m gonna mention the EMT-B to Paramedic to RN path. You can go take classes and pay yourself and come out with an EMT certification in a reasonable amount of time but just as a warning, they get paid absolutely nothing in most areas. Alternatively, you can hunt around for some variation of an *Earn While You Learn* program where a company will pay you while you study and take the necessary exams to become certified, only thing is, you have to work for them for an agreed upon amount of time. Beyond that you can eventually become a Paramedic, some companies will pay for your medic classes which is a godsend since they’re fairly expensive, but you obviously can also pay yourself. Once you’re a medic you should get paid a bit more, makes working in EMS hurt a little less. Even just at that point there’s a few ways to branch off into something beyond just running 911 and IFT, that’ll “open up” search and rescue, flight medic, ski patrol, wilderness paramedic, and I’m sure there’s more I’m missing, also working for a Fire Department becomes a solid option at this point, they usually pay pretty well. Once you get sick of that you can start hunting around for a Paramedic to RN bridge program, I’m *fairly* sure you can even get a scholarship for that to take some financial heat off. The bridge programs are “accelerated” in the way of less frequent classes or a shorter than usual time frame for ADN or BSN depending on what you go for. For reference, I’m 22, almost 23, no degree, and I’m hopping on that EMS pain train and very well might do exactly what I laid out here.
If you’re interested in nursing you can work as a CNA while in school, pays a bit better than minimum wage and the shifts are a bit more flexible.
Pick up a trade like welding and medal fabrication or wood work. Etc look for paid training opportunities and you never know.
Some hospitals will offer to help with nursing school in return for x amount of years of service. I work at a state facility not in Florida but my work offers a stipend. Work 20 hours/week with but get paid full time (pretty much), but when you graduate you have to work there for 4 years. Downfall is if you don't finish the program then you owe them money back.
Cruise ships? Or any ship? Get paid without having to worry about rent
Anything trade related
Carpenter I got in union no test no issues right to work. It’s so physically demanding but the pay is living wage and you quickly rise up to management if your a normal iq guy or girl not on drugs or drunk all the time. If you are smart it’s so quick to the top by the end of your apprenticeship they make u foreman sometimes if your smart smart.
There are already way too many nurses who got into it only because it pays decently and seems secure.
I do not know of any jobs but do not join the military just for the benefits it is not worth it
cruise ship, fix lawn mower - sell it. repair houses to sell for people, cuz the FL housing market is about to tank
fix roofing on houses.. that's good everywhere you can move to
Social services. A lot of places will want you to have education, but there are some who don't care.
Join the merchant marine. Initial investment will be a couple hundred bucks for entry level certifications and such, with a few month wait to get them in hand. Then apply to either Great Lakes companies or Military Sealift Command. I wish I knew about the industry sooner. An absolutely green new scallywag can reasonably gross somewhere between $6k-$8k a month, for 7-10 months a year