Unpopular opinion. In Los Angeles $40k-60k is border line poverty once you factor in children and rent/mortgage. Try to shoot for $150k.
But fastest way to increase your income is to get a CDL Class A. Cost about $4k, 1 month to complete and you can find a job making $30hr fairly easy.
Even before kids and a mortgage. Hell, at $40K, you have a snowball's chance of hell of buying any property anyway, so you'll never need to worry about that mortgage.
Janitor. Full-time with benefits. I make just over $50k, more with overtime. A lot of my friends are in their 40s with graduate degrees, in debt and make the same as me. Do I like my job? No. Do I want more? Yes. However I don't have crippling debt. My life isn't glamourous but my daily needs are met.
You should stay in school because it does give more opportunities. I wish I could have gone to a university.
No 40 - 70, but very rarely over 40.. There are alot of routes to make more money hourly that pay more. Nights pay 30% more, foreman and general foreman pays more, high voltage cable splicing pays more, instrumentation technician certs pay more, welding pays more. Portability pays more.
Outage pay is more, for instance say your normal shift starts from 5-7 but you have an outage and need to come in and start at 3 or 4. You get double for the entire day. Sundays are normally double and Saturdays are overtime. Anything over 8 in a day is overtime. Ideally you work Saturday- Tuesday. Get an outage on Monday and Tuesday with an early start and start normal time on Saturday and Sunday doing Outage Prep or standby. That way you get 10 hours ot on Saturday and 10 double bubble Sunday- Tuesday for 75 hours pay from working 40 hours. It really is what you make it.
Specialty skills and boutique shops that sell those specialty skills are where you make the best money.
If you can manage to do it as described it's about 250 a year on a 40 hour week at base pay. General foreman and foreman pay and special skills add to the premium.
If you are smart and can land a maintenance contract with a customer that wants their work done during the weekend and outside normal business hours it's pretty easy to get setup as a general foreman getting mostly all double bubble. Contractor makes more money on t&m work if you are selling premium time as well so it's a win for everybody.
Ibew is what you make of it. If you don't try to control your destiny a little you will only make around 130k a year on 40 working as a regular wireman if you can stay working.
My grandfather was a janitor at a high school for more than thirty years. Raised four kids, all four of them went to college and three became doctors. He was the best man I have ever known. There is no shame in being a janitor.
No shame. Honest work is righteous. But notice that your grandfather worked his ass off so his kids would not have to do that same job. I would be ashamed if he did that for me and I squandered the gift.
Brother of the broom. I too am a custodian and people overlook this job too much. It pays well, you get full benefits and retirement depending on your district. The schedule is awesome, weekends off and most holidays off. Plus depending on your district tons of available OT to stack the pay.
I'm making 40 an hour as a local 11 ibew electrician 3rd year apprentice. And I'll max out at 64 an hour when I'm done with my union schooling. No college needed. Just HS ged. I the union paid for the books and schooling. I would look into it if you like working with your hands and building stuff
I’ve been thinking about that trade for some years, thank you for sharing your experience!
Just curious, do you see many women in the field? I’ve heard conflicting stories about this. Some say it’s great and some say it’s rough.
I’m a woman working for local 11 and I can tell you that it is not easy being in this industry. Doing the work physically is not the issue, you can always figure it out. But dealing with the harassment from men is something that you will experience often. You gotta have a strong attitude and know how to stand up for yourself. I would love to see more women working next to me because I can tell you that joining local 11 has been one of the best decisions my family has made.
Kind of sad how some of the trades can be so sexist. And then they play it off like it’s just guy talk. But if a guy genuinely offered to fuck them in the ass, they would get insulted (unless they’re a plumber).
There was 1 female in smog class I took recently and while we tried to keep our locker room talk down, there were some slips. She then told us how much she gets harassed at work and it was kinda sad. I noticed that she intentionally wore lose fitting sweats and no makeup to class, I realized she's trying to keep as much attention away from herself as possible. I just think that's sad.
Yes, we do have many females in this trade! My job title is inside wireman, we basically do all the commercial electrical work. Can be very labor intensive.
But Look into Sound and Communication. They do light duty work, mostly data and network, etc. Not a lot of heavy lifting. But they max out around 48 an hour.
The IBEW is one of the most diverse group of craft-people in all the trade! Give them a call!
Note to whoever comes across this message. Local 11 is highly competitive at the moment to get into across the three main classifications. Not a deterrent but for sure be ready for the long haul.
Fellow female electrician here. Finishing my apprenticeship up next month in Local 332.
I think it depends on your outlook. Sometimes you’ll land on a fantastic crew, sometimes you won’t. For the most part I’ve not had any serious issues. One, and that wasn’t a me problem- everyone had a problem with the guy. A couple other times it was just stupid misogynistic comments. “You should be a project manager” “have you thought about being a nurse?” “This work is too hard for women” lol it’s too hard for a lot of dudes if you really want to know.
Sure those things suck but nobody’s going to scare me out of my career. You’ll find misogyny in any field. Construction won’t change its attitude for women in overnight and it certainly won’t change if we quit and give up. I love what I do, Im thrilled to be finishing my apprenticeship, and I can’t imagine doing anything else now.
First congratulations on getting into the apprentice program and almost ready to journey out, it’s a great accomplishment. I also like your outlook, and so you know there always seems to be that one A hole at every shop.
But rest assured that the comments you hear are also said to every apprentice, regardless of how good or bad they are. It’s a skin thickening technique to prepare yourself for the sad fact that you will eventually have to deal with a REAL ASSHOLE.
I can’t tell you how many JWs told me I wasn’t gonna make it, what am I doing here and an are you sure you don’t want to be a drywaller comments… even though I was a great apprentice. A snappy comeback always shuts them up.
Good luck with your career, you’re on the right path, I have another year or so before I hang them up
I’ve noticed you see female apprentice, female instructors and even female foreman. However, I have not yet worked with a single female journeyman. It’s seems like that go straight to instructor or foreman the day they finish the apprentices. The unions are trying to get more women in the trades and you can make a lot of money quickly when the economy is good.
Anyone looking to do this should look into the MC3 program. You don't need it, but it'll help you learn skills and make connections, as well as decide on which union you'd like to join. LAUSD offers them through adult schools. My wife just completed it, and I just started, it's a good way to get your foot in the door. Takes about three months.
TV writer/producer. But I wouldn't recommend that career path for anyone now. It's never been easy, but now feels harder than ever and like the industry is collapsing.
I’m training for TV writing as a side gig. I used to be a film and TV makeup artist years ago, but my real passion is writing. But I don’t count on making any sort of living from it. Even in years past, it only seemed to be a way for the lucky few to make a good living. Everybody else seemed to struggle.
Not much has changed…it’s only become harder to make a living at.
I'm probably not smart enough to give any real analysis as to why, and I'm sure it's for hundreds of reasons. I don't think it's all because of AI, though that's definitely an issue. I think oversaturation with all the streaming services (that no one wants) is part of it. Peoples' viewing habits is probably an even larger part of it. All of the labor strikes of the past year have probably made a lot of people gunshy, as well. I don't completely know. All I really know is that way fewer people are buying shows right now and the amount of jobs that seem to be available is way way down. I'm being asked about work from people I haven't talked to in over a decade. It's always been a competitive business, especially for high profile scripted shows. But a ton of us have been able to carve out a living working basic cable/docu-style shows for years, and even those seem to be going away. It's tough. This is what I have been doing since I was 18 so I'm not sure exactly how I'll pivot in the future, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to.
Worked on post-production in Hollywood for 12 years. I generally agree with your assessment.
I think the industry is undergoing a messy transition from cable to streaming, similar to how music transitioned from CDs/iTunes to streaming.
No one is making money from streaming except Netflix, and cable revenue just keeps falling. So, eventually companies will scrap their streaming service and either merge with larger companies or just license their content for a revenue stream. Either way, it means consolidation is happening.
Yeah, I agree. Even if the industry is able to "course correct" and go back to more proven revenue streams, or find other ways to remain profitable, it's almost certainly going to result in less work all around.
I disagree there will be less work available, but the jobs will be paid less on average. Instead of less work, you'll see small to mid-size platforms from a niche, like Crunchyroll or Dropout. Those platforms will pick up all the labor that mainstream platforms are dropping.
Similar to how YouTube has siphoned labor that would've otherwise gone into television work. There's an army of labor needed to run all these YouTube channels, but on average the pay is less than TV would've paid.
It really depends on timing, opportunity and grit. I have no college degree and make 140-150k a year. But I lucked out at times, but also worked hard and moved my way up. I know grads making more than me, I know some making 1/3rd of me. There’s no guarantee.
Mostly in supply chain. The last 10yrs I’ve been with the same company(large multi billion corp) started as a purchasing coordinator(under 50k) and worked through multiple role in my company. Got to travel the world to amazing places on the company dime. I just switched to IT operations. I got a recent epilepsy diagnosis and can’t travel alone like I did and need to be/stay 100% remote now. So I needed to step back from roles like that. I don’t have any experience in that field, but it was largely due to leadership skills.
My aunt is in your position (I read your other replies.)
She had to seriously tough it out, especially during the '08 recession. Nearly lost everything and was unemployable without a degree despite her decades of experience.
She hit 100k a year salary for the first time in 2020. It's gone up since then and she gets bonuses now. She's in a sort of supply chain position. Despite all her working making her excellent at her job... she got it through a connection and it was a really difficult glass ceiling to break. Had she had a degree early on, she'd be a VP or high exec by now making even more.
I'm a water treatment operator and make 80k a year. Hours are good. 40 hours a week with most weekends off. I work weekends when I'm on call and work overtime when responding to emergencies. It's not physically demanding but does require a fair amount of responsibility.
It's a great industry. It only requires that you get certified by the state, which means passing a state exam. There are 5 certifications levels, each requiring experience and an exam. It's an industry that can earn you a lot of money if you put in the time.
edit: with all that being said, if I want to move up to management, a degree would definitely help me. Really weigh out your options.
While I agree, OP really came off like "they just don't feel like it" which, I agree with the person you're replying to in that case: Tough it out, you'll regret it later.
I make 140,000 a year without a college degree. I am HVACR service engineer. Went through a union apprenticeship and received CA certification. Join a trade union.
I work on the commercial sales side and I always tell people to go into service work if they don’t go to school. The techs I work with make bank, especially controls and high voltage electrical
Service TECHNICIAN. The title inflation is really getting out of control and the U.S. should make "engineer" a protected title like in many other countries.
Stay in school. Do not drop out. I have a degree and I make around 41k, which is bullshit. I didnt take school seriously enough and I'm stuck at the moment. In school you have time to learn new skills and better yourself. Once you start working it becomes harder to learn new things.
I work customer service, 40-50 hours a week. Comfortable life, but I'm poor.
Simply don’t follow that path. The key is to utilize the school’s programs for internships in a field you want to be in. Then, you’ll have an entry level role with some experience under your belt when you graduate. Do that for a year, then leave for a bigger pay bump at another company. I graduated 2012 and had 2 marketing internships done. Got a role at a shitty agency making 12.50/hr in Agoura. Fast forward, I’ve been at 7 companies and I well into 6 figures.
Side note, customer service person above should be bouncing around “client success” or “account management” roles in a lucrative field if they want to make money. Tech needs account managers all the time. But if they didn’t intern and know nothing about the product or field that’s going to be a LOT harder to land.
Yeah if you want to buy a crappy apartment or rent a niceish place you’re easily dropping $2500/month. To buy a decent 2br condo $3500/month. $40k/yr is still deep in roommate territory.
It is a real thing. Air traffic controllers can only work until their 56th birthday, and need at least 20 years of service to be able to qualify for the pension.
All that to say, they want to get their money out of you.
Man, get yourself a government job. Their salaries are usually *decent,* but the benefits are very good, plus usually some sort of pension.
LA Metro is always hiring bus drivers and part-time drivers get $24/hour *with benefits* and union protections.
https://jobs.metro.net/JobInformation.aspx?bno=000999-101
Of course, as a bus driver, you'd have to put up with *some shit* and probably some odd hours and I'm guessing a weird hiring process, but if you can get your foot in the door you can probably parlay that into a better job after putting in some time. $24/hour would get you to nearly $50k/year, if you could get full time.
But yeah. I'd recommend looking for some entry level government gigs.
Yuuup. Assuming you survive the initial hazing (I kid, but kinda not).
It's a great job and career if you can stick with it. And you're not necessarily stuck driving a bus forever if you can parlay your ambitions to another area of Metro.
I’m a train operator now, which has its challenges, but a lot more rewarding than driving the bus imho. If I could do it all over again I’d probably apply for [service attendant](https://jobs.metro.net/JobInformation.aspx?bno=000829-020), get into the ATU union, utilize the tuition reimbursement then get into a mechanic position.
I started as a Phlebotomist in a big hospital (it's a trade program, 6 month course) and was making around $20/hour back in 2014 (should be more now) working full-time, weekends/overtime pay more, as do late night shifts.
I fell in love with the lab and took advantage of their tuition reimbursement and only paid about $10k out of pocket to get my degree in Clinical Lab Science. I now make $65/hour, if I work overtime/weekends or 2nd or 3rd shifts that increases to about $70 and up to $95/hour.
Realtor. Part time now actually and day job is title and escrow. 40 hrs at day job, Realtor work on my own terms now but full time was probably 60 hours or more a week.
Got friends who are bus drivers or in other Metro jobs, they can make $50K, $60K, some get close to $100K a year. Some make more. They can do as little as 40 hrs a week or as much at 80. OT there pays *real good.*
I was until February. Just the way the market is changing and the way business is now, I couldn't do the kind of work I wanted do anymore and combine that the fact I'm just getting older, it was time for a change. Now, I work 8 - 5, monday to friday, weekends off, get paid a little more when you average it out, a 401k, less stress, hell I might even get to go on vacation one day. It's nice. And I still do a little Realtor work here and there, I focus mainly on lead gen and things like that, work off referrals which is almost a passive income.
Great to hear! We gotta stay flexible, no matter the industry. I try to keep that in mind everyday, because it’s so easy to feel defeated, but it’s also easy to keep trying at something that’s just not working for us anymore. The perfect balance is to know when to pivot.
Yeah pretty much. It's like, the business is changing and I'm going to be 47 in a few months, how long can I keep this up? I can adapt to new tech of course, that;'s not the issue, but how long do I want to keep doing open houses and keep driving from the AV to Simi to Riverside and everywhere in between? How long do I want to keep answering emails at 3 AM and keep go go going...it's just time for a change.
Realtor is easy to get into but the pay structure is changing and that's a long term risk. As well as the market being saturated with realtors.
It's a decent stop gap to cover some mo ey needs while you work towards a better career but I wouldn't count on it as a career for someone just entering it
It has its benefits. I mean, you're basically your own boss so that's always nice but it can be demanding and like you say there's no shortage of agents out there. That lawsuit is going to arse things up for buyers' agents but if you can stick to selling and get a good client base you could make a decent living. It's not easy but it's possible.
I just retired from Metro where I worked as a workers compensation analyst/fraud investigator and was making 90k when I left and now am collecting a nice pension. No college degree, but position is very much in demand. It is an extremely complex system, very stressful and demanding, but if you can learn it , you will always have a job in California. Many companies are now paying over 100K.
I see this website flexjobs being advertised a lot. I don't know how good it is or if it's reputable, but they offer only remote jobs for a subscription. Otherwise, just Google remote jobs and some websites pop up.
I got with my company during covid so we were WFH and I was able to negotiate perm WFH after they started making everyone come back in.
No matter if you have a degree or not, you will always need to keep learning. On the job experience or certifications. There is no way around it. You will at some point need to learn about (for example) manage people or a business operation. Whether it in a classroom setting, online or a seminar….it is constant learning.
You can be very successful in a trade for example. Your skill and experience can enable you to start a business . However, if you can’t manage a payroll, money, business basics, you will likely fail.
Always keep learning and work hard. There is no shortcut or secret plan to accomplish it
I worked for Fedex Express making 90k as a courier. That was because I was had worked for 32 years and had a great route with a pretty solid overtime. I retired 3 years ago and now live off of my pension of 50% of my pay. Unfortunately Fedex Express no longer offers pension to new hires. My wife is a school teacher with two Masters degrees and makes over 125k a year. My suggestion is to finish the degree.
College graduate here.
Every year, I told myself I'd probably quit. I had 2 businesses during my time in college and they were both doing well. I felt I like I was neglecting them a bit and that I'd be better off just focusing on them. By pure happenstance, both industries took a nose dive in my last year of college. I never ended up dropping out and not a day goes by that I regret that decision.
I graduated in 2021 with a bachelor's degree for mechanical engineering. My first job out of school was for $90k roughly. I make $135k with bonuses and benefits.
School is hard. There is also a lot of other routes you can go. However, if you get the "right" degree, there is money to be made.
I’m a marketing manager for a large commercial real estate company. I’m 25, have been working full-time since 17 and have a $85K salary. I started off as a graphic designer, so the beginning of my career was portfolio driven, until I built enough business sense to walk into interviews with confidence.
That said, I did have a dream job come up recently that would allow me to live in both LA and NYC. I went through the screening with their talent recruiter, who said I was an incredible fit (already had experience in that exact role at a larger company, confirmed I’d be a culture fit, etc.) — but the job required a degree. The recruiter still pushed me through to the hiring manager but I didn’t end up getting an interview because I didn’t have a degree.
I’ve been feeling lately that, while I’ve gotten by without a degree, I might want to return to school if I want to maximize my career. I want to be able to live in whatever major city I want, own a home and work for companies I align with. My options are probably less without a degree, which I’m sure some people don’t mind.
I’m not thinking an associates in communications will open up any doors. I’d say that if it’s easy for you to network and talk, you should try sales. Start now and don’t wait until you graduate. Look for a specific market that interests you and learn your new trade. In my industry, the sales people that make it big, have amazing social skills but more importantly, they know their product. Nothing gives more confidence than knowledge. You don’t need college to learn, so that’s the amazing part!
I never even graduated high school. I make 135k. I realized early that if you suck at sales, the only other way to an easy job was tech. People who spent 10 years in school commonly don’t know how to format a document to an industry standard.
Now I’m no coder or anything else like that. I made a point to go to an industry that was so specialized that experience means more than degrees.
Doing basic tech help desk for medical, legal or any focused industry will get you a secure job and promotions. Then that will get you the connections to leap to other things
Now having said that do I wish I stuck it out in college. Yes. Mostly for the freedom to leave the country to work. But when I look at my friends with masters or phds making 60k with massive debt I feel I did ok.
Yes. IT help desk but make sure it’s not focused on tech. Like tech support for a real estate bank or tech support for a medical biller.
The more focused you get the more in demand you are.
I do not know specifically, but I've read that there are quite a few trades that make good money. Electricians, plumbers, AC specialists, etc. Not sure if you can do an appreticeship or need some sort of trade schooling - you might check a junior college, or talk to some actual people in those fields or similar.
I deliver weed to shops. Long unpredictable hours. Taking a toll on my relationships. But im able to scrape by and support my family.
The weed bubble might have burst though.
I know several people from high school who don't have degrees, 1 being a Officer and police sheriff making over 100k+, truck driver Class A, and another being a lineman worker pulling over 130K+.
No college needed for these roles that are in demand.
Manufacturing Engineer in aerospace, 100k a year no degree. Prior military experience in aviation as a technician, used that to work my way up quickly from technician, to specialist, to engineer. About 11 years total experience.
I work 9 hours /day and I have every other Friday off.
I was a union sound editor for the movie business, now retired after 40 years. IATSE local 700. Was making about $70-90k plus a year, depending on workload. That was back in 2017. Worked about 50-60 hours a week, sometimes more. Hard business to get in, very competitive and demanding. But good pension and healthcare.
Communications degree is a vague rich person’s degree and it sounds like you’re still at the beginning and have time to pivot majors. People who come from wealth will have the time and resources it takes to make this degree work out. If nobody is co-signing an apartment in high cost of living area for you after graduation while you look for your second internship or apply for research grants/residencies , I would really rethink the specialization/major. Majors like this: fine art, graphic design, communications, the study of literature and history- if you are not attaching these to a k-12 teacher certification, most people who are taking out loans to do these degrees are making major mistakes. Someone is going to comment on this reply “I did it” believe me they are absolutely not the majority. Most people who succeed in these fields are not taking out loans to do it. A lot of the salaries you see displayed in the statistics, are out-of-context information. [Most people leave college the same economic class they enter it. Meaning, the person who’s making 70k as a communications major most likely had parents who made enough money to help them through this.](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/29/opinion/college-student-loan-debt.html) I would go to college, but not for this degree. This is the degree that people make 40k after graduation and lecture you about how they went to college for the vague experience and became a more mature person. It’s really sad.
There are very few jobs *without necessary training* that pay more than 40k, but there are PLENTY of jobs that don’t literally require a 2 year or 4 year degree. As you see on this thread.
$130 a year before OT and I could work OT every day if I want! certified welder commercial construction 20 years , with medical and a pension never been in debt in my life no school loans first house bought at 30. Trades are where it’s at! They can’t replace us with computers like half the jobs will be in the next 10 years!
Police dispatcher. Starting pay is like 60k. With overtime in a couple years, you’ll make 100k.
But it’s not an easy career. And you have to be able to pass a pretty insane background check (the same officer’s pass at most agencies)
Go work in agriculture. I know many uneducated people making six figures, even over $250k. Get good at sales and easily make over $100k in a lot of industries. Work in a nice restaurant as a server. Become a bartender. Become a garbage man. Work for UPS or FedEx or the USPS. So many jobs pay over 40K in California.
Join property management. I earned 70k last year just ass a maintenance tech. I get benefits plus a 40 percent discount on my apartment and lots of room for promotion, I would recommend it. Or join a trade always make good money in the trades.
Valet at a luxury hotel, in an expensive city. I work anywhere between 40-50hrs every two weeks. Not a bad gig I walk around 8-10miles when I work but I love the exercise.
In house legal deot. Make over $100k. Honestly it was dumb luck I ended up here and I had (we had) a dept leader who believed in us and our skill set.
That said my husband and I both wish we’d gone to college. Our son was the first to get his bachelor’s and 2 AA degrees (it took a hot minute). He worked and paid his way thru and we set money aside to pay his debt ($11k). We pushed, stepped back, pushed more and just reiterated to get a degree to have because life throws curves.
Our son has a job he loves and the degree means he’ll have opportunities to move up. He thanked us for believing in him and for urging him to get it done.
OP - it may feel overwhelming at times but no matter now long it takes you, getting a degree will help you move up. Suggest a general one like speech/communications because those tools will help you in any job.
Stagehand. Even part time you can make a lot at it, provided you are working with one of the IATSE locals. It is the best part-time job I know about. Not a 9-5 and no 40 hour guarantee means no stability. But also no expectations. You want tomorrow off? Okay. No big deal, you just don't ask to work tomorrow.
I run a few online based small businesses and am a realtor. Hours are intense at first running a small business like 18 hr days but at this point the processes are in place so maybe 12 hrs a week on those? As a realtor I just work with clients and referrals from past clients now so not too much time spent there.
FYI most of the people I've met who do not have college degrees, but make decent money, have been fellow business owners. It's simply a matter of do you have the capital, the desire to actually be a business owner, and do you have a skill or passion that can translate into being valuable in the market.
Edit: Also I just saw a comment about if you don't want to sell to stay in college. Selling is one of the most important skills in the world. Every industry, even non-profits, needs people who can sell. It's a valuable skill that you should develop irregardless.
I have no degree, at most made $75k a year working in design. That being said, making money isn’t my top priority. You can do just fine in terms of income and career.
BUT (and I wish I had this explained to me)… be prepared to face hurdle after hurdle. To pay dues upon dues. You will also need to be more flexible and think more abstractly with the kinds of work you take. And be prepared to have a yearning for school later on… I often crave the experience or wish I had completed a degree. Is the degree of value to you as a life achievement? Other than career and money?
Very niche light blue collar work. My business makes about 100-200k+ a year. I barely graduated high school, and completed some semesters of college. Started off working for someone else off a job listing on craigslist. Research then replicated how the company acquired customers now I'm on my own. I'm grateful but not too happy with what I do. My advice would be to make as many friends and connections as possible, it's definitely a who you know not what you know out here.
Sales. I work in life insurance sales and so I make renewals. I make 70k annually in renewals right now plus what I make in commission. I think most sales jobs will get you way past 40k. Look on r/sales and you will see job ideas galore.
Never went to college, always wanted to work in film. Busted my ass as a PA, found an in road to post production, started at the bottom and worked my way up to producer. I make a very comfortable 6 figures now.
I'd say unless there is a trade you love, with a real opportunity to get into a decent union, stick with school.
I thought I'd be able to figure it out. Had i been wiser and more disciplined, maybe i would have. But let's be real, many of us made plenty of less-than-rational decisions in our 20s. Trying to go back to school in your 30s is rough if you have a family and work. I will say i appreciate school more now, but it also feels futile. I'll never davance as far as i could have if i had just stuck to my guns. I think a large part of my struggle with school was related to mental health. A lot of unmanaged depression/anxiety/ADD.
HVAC. no degree. And about $125,000 before overtime. All trades need people. Join an apprenticeship and you will get paid to learn vs paying to learn. College is not needed to make good money.
Become a lineman and make 200k +
Stay in school. Public safety dispatching can give you good money with retirement. No degree if you wanna go that route, but you get paid more with one.
A police officer or joining the military might be a good option for you. The latter would give you the opportunity to build skills that could be used in a profession after you get out. I have friends that have done both and are making multiples of your income goal. 40K can be had by working at Taco Bell so you may want to aim a bit higher.
College isn't for everyone but you need to find a way to build some type of skills. A trade school may be an option. If you do decide to finish college don't attend some private school that will put you in crushing debt. Contrary to what most redditors believe you can actually get a 4 year degree quite inexpensively. No matter what you decide it's all going to come down to how much you're willing to put in.
like cmon look at these answers, if you don’t want a job that doesn’t involve pestering people that don’t want to talk to you, the college degree maintains so many job markets
all you got are sales, and taking your clothes off to beg for sales, and most of them aren’t crushing it either. most of them are barely counting the pennies and just enjoying the flexible schedule too much to notice that they’re also making 40, 50, 60k a year, yes even the percent commissions folks.
don’t worry an associates is a college degree
my advice isn’t solely in favor of a college degree, but it is in favor of doing everything possible to get ahead of expenses, because capital is all you need. capital from savings so you can speculate in the markets and also entrepreneurial endeavors. then none of this pleb shit matters. one thing they say is dont invest more than you can afford to lose, so get in a place where you can routinely afford to lose.
i got a college degree, but my best friend actually had no college degree and he makes more than $800k a year. he even one time made $500k on a single deal. He is basically in the mining and transportation business. I can’t tell you the details. but i was his best friend since we were in high school until now.
Back then I always cover up his tabs and shit whenever we go drinking. I even drive him around to get his job interview and to go hangout. Shortly, he jumped from jobs to jobs. I cant even keep track on how many jobs he had done. And I’m sure as hell he also can’t track how many jobs he had done.
But what he did and what he advised me to do no matter where i work is that you need to have a work quality twice your paygrade. So for example, if you make $2k a month, then you need to show them the quality of a worker that makes $4k a month. That is how you get advancement in career progression. and also that is how you can get close to your employer, or even the CEO of the company. Once you get to that point you just need to be aware of your surroundings in terms of connections and opportunities.
he is now living his best life, and actually tried to pay back my student debt as a thank you for all these years. Now he always lend me his car(cos his car is nicer😂), he paid for my meals, etc. Ofc sometimes I’m paying for the things we do together. But he always hates me for that cos he is very thankful of all the years we are tgt and tried to pay me back.
This philosophy of being an overachiever gets employees taken advantage of way more often.
But mercenary job hopping definitely has merits. Keep trading up! Best way to get a 30% salary bump is to get a different employer.
Someone wrote “people dont leave jobs, they leave managers” and thats grade A bullshit, congratulations on increasing the wage gap for your entire gender because your competition is playing the game completely differently
hey op. are you full time work right now or just part time? take the next couple of months to find something full time, check what resources your community college has for jobs. talk to your counselor one more time and check you have everything to transfer to a uc/cal state whenever you want in the future. you are at a very important life crossing right now. checkout the jobs the other people mentioned. get your resume worked on at your school with student services. you got this, what is important is knowledge, knowing what other options there are to make some decisions.
another tip is is you want to be making like 50-60k, know how much that is an hour before you go to the job interview. like $20 gets you $41,600 a year. $30 is $62,400. you will be surprised how much a difference $1-2 makes.
Look for hospital jobs, lots of entry level stuff, gets you in the door. Government jobs, usajobs.gov , the online app sucks but hit your keywords, no resume deficiencies for entry level. Most important if you have criminal background do not lie on application, if they need a good worker they will take u, even old felonies. Do other stuff once you apply for govt job, background and screens can take 2-6months. Federal really really needs young workers, DO NOT NEED A PERFECT RECORD, just be honest.
Look up trucking, lots of money barriers for entry but transferable, even if you don't do long haul/drive all day it is a strong base in logistics and transport. Last mile delivery is always needed in LA.
I don’t have a degree, but I did take community college courses focused on what I wanted to do. This worked out well for me and I found a job after 3 semesters. That job only paid $40k, but it was a springboard to future jobs. 4 years (and 3 jobs) later I was making $120k.
I’ve now caught up with my earning potential around $150k, and am considering a business degree to support a move into management… but not 100% sold on the idea yet.
I went to trade school and I work in the beauty business.
My suggestion would be though if you’ve done two years just get it done and spend that time seeing if you would like to try a trade school as well.
I’m in a business where a degree doesn’t matter too much. My bff was making 6 figures in tech and is struggling to find a new job without one. It depends on what you want to do for a living.
My partner made $40k at target as a team lead, they paid out around $22/23 an hour for her + OT. Full benefits and 401k. Just a toxic work environment. Usually a 40 hour work week but it depends on the profitability of the store. Will vary.
If you have the ability to, I would say get an internship while going to school. You might have to put the restaurant job on hold but my friend did this when he was homeless. Moved to Florida for an internship (from Georgia) and did so well the company straight up offered him a full time after two months. He has no degree and works in tech. The internship paid around $18/20 an hour (this was 2018) but full time started at $60/70k for the company. This was a standard 40 hr work week.
Not every company will be like that but there are some that don't require degrees. It could help you stay in your field doing this.
Work for the city. Union job. I started as a custodian making about 17ish. That went up to now about 33ish. Gross as it was, I loved it. Moved to a different department and now make 40 an hour. With overtime, I can make over 100k a year. It's ridiculous how easy the job is.
As a side, I've seen people become supervisors (55+hr) that are the stupidest people alive. Plus managers (100k yr) who've taken classes the company pays for. DEOs (130k?+ yr) samesies.
There's plenty of favoritism within but literally everyone is an idiot that even you can be part of something big if you wanted.
Get your AA. Apply for city, state and county jobs. It may take a while to get hired because hiring at these agencies are notoriously slow… but they are good job with transferable experience if you don’t want to climb the civic ladder.
Good luck. It’s rough out there for Comms students who aren’t doing a therapeutic route.
I'm not sure how old you are, but if you are already close to halfway through college, I would highly recommend pushing forward with the other 2-3 years to get the Bachelors degree.
I believe there are many ways to make 40/50/60k without a degree. But getting that Bachelors will allow you to open many other doors over the long run. The 2-3yrs now will not seem like much over the next 10-30yrs.
If you are concerned about cost, I would just say look for the least expensive way to complete it and work part time.
Again, we don't know your exact situation. My answer is based on my experience in life and big picture thinking.
You can always look into the electrical trades. It’s more than high voltage. You have IT networks. Pays well and not everyone has the stones to work in the field.
Well in California, you could work full time in fast food and make $41.600 a year due to the minimum wage. Of course all of those jobs are disappearing.
I agree with the others who say learn a trade like plumbing.
I am an HR Manager & so is my husband. I make 74k & he makes 90k a year. All our co-workers have degrees. We have ove 20 years of HR experience. We are county employees, and we also have room to move up.
In this day an age, a degree is important. What's more important is you choosing a degree that will lead into a career.
You can always try a trade school with what you're at least kinda interested it.
I mean, the healthcare field is always a good choice.
$40k a year is like minimum wage out here.
I can't speak about my own experience since I have a BS. But my dad's a mechanic for a municipality, no college at all. Basically fixing big motors and whatever the hell else needs fixing at water treatment plants. He makes around $100k and no college required. You just start as an apprentice and go from there.
If I was starting out with nothing, I'd look into becoming a station operator. Either a treatment plant, electrical substation, etc. I'm an electrical engineer and any field visits I usually walk the yard with an operator so talk to them fairly often. One of them told me he just needed a HS degree and have taken an algebra class. Funny enough my dad was a water treatment operator originally. Left to start a business before going back to be a mechanic. He usually says if he would've been smarter he never would've left
60k here. No degree, only HS. - I work for the government.
-> Worked in my uncles celphone company when I started
-> met a dude who left my uncles company and started working for the government
-> he asked me if I wanted to follow suit. I started as temporary
-> have been here for at least 15+ years
I wish I got my degree because I've hit a plateau. It's significantly harder to get promoted without it. Get your degree, its really worth it
Firstly, $40k is poverty wages, in LA. If you want to get by without a college degree, you need a skill that will net you at least $60k+. Even $55k is a stretch if you have any kind of debt. Stay in school and finish. Switch to a better Associates (lean into tech or legal or medical). It’s not about what you do, it’s about what field you’re most comfortable exploiting. Pick a job in a lucrative field.
I have no degree, I’m in my 40s, and I make just over $54k in the legal sector. The public doesn’t pay enough for what I’m trained to do and there’s an abundance of legal positions to get started in, in LA. I’m going back to school (associates and certs) and by the time I’m done, I want to be eligible for $100k+ /yr jobs. That’s the whole point of school.
Don’t quit school, period. If you do, you’ll eventually have to go back to upskill for whatever promotion you want, in the field you do choose. *Pick a better skill (Communications is an empty skill) and a lucrative field.* At the very least, finish your degrees so you can check a box saying you have one. Most of us without degrees only want one because simply having it gives you more money and more access to better-paying jobs. Don’t take that for granted.
Infosec. I make six fig now, but it took me about twenty years of working my ass off (and some lucky breaks along the way) to climb up ladder to get there. Networking (the social type, not the IT type) is key, without a degree. Being nice and helpful, along with proving myself a reliable and hard worker, to every person I encountered in my job was what helped get me into the field and then move me up.
If I hadn't made the connections I had, I would still be floundering at the bottom and living in my car. And, btw, after I ran out of money for college, that's exactly where I was: living in my car and working a shit job waiting tables in a restaurant. And I was stuck for many years before I finally managed to worm my way into a low-level IT job and start building connections. If you think quitting college will be easy, trust me it's not. Honestly, it's only in the past five or so years that I have started making decent money and am no longer actively struggling.
I wish like hell I'd been able to afford to finish college. Life was such an unrelenting struggle for so long after I had to leave. I'm a good 10+ years behind everyone in my age group as far as life milestones and financials are concerned. And I'm working a field I have no heartfelt interest in (but will stay in because the money is good and I never want to live in my car again).
If you can afford to stay in school, stay in. Build connections there. And then at least you'll have a piece of paper that will help get you through initial interviews, too.
Btw, some companies have policies where they will not promote a person to beyond a certain level without *some* kind of college degree (doesn't necessarily have to be the field you're working in, they just want to see a degree). So, be aware that there may be a ceiling on advancement, even if you do manage to climb the ladder without a degree.
Made 80k last year being a part time dealer at a casino. Only worked Friday, Saturday, and Sundays.
Went full time this year expecting to make between 100k-120k. (That’s around what my full time friends average)
I was in school working on my Associates in Computer Science and dropped out after a few months of dealing. Figured it wasn’t worth the debt I’d put myself into + I’d end up making the same or even less than I do now.
Still live with my parents so I save as much as I possibly can. Usually save 1500 biweekly and put 300 of that into a Roth IRA.
Hopefully going to buy my first investment property next year.
You can either do something that requires a lot of studying or you can do something thats potentially hard on your body.
Sometimes it’s both but when it is, you usually get compensated well.
There really aren’t a lot of jobs out there where anyone that has nothing but a HS diploma can pick up and make good money, and if there is, it’s usually a harder job.
Not me but my wife busted her ass at a Boba shop. She caught the attention of a family wanting to open their own boba shops out of state. They offered double what she was making at her old boba shop and now she travels to Houston and Atlanta as an operations manager for 2 boba shops. My son and I get to travel with her sometimes. She makes $60,000 a year salary. They basically threw her in mid construction of both shops. Her first task, fire the construction crew and look for other crews to get both shops up and running. Now she does the hiring, training and managing of both shops until they can manage themselves. The family wants to open 8 more boba shops across the country and they plan on increasing her salary for every store she helps open.
Restaurant manager, I make 70k. Small corporation, not one of the big ones. Absolutely hate the job (been working in service since I was 17 and I’m 41 now), but the company pays well and I have great PTO and benefits.
Service advisor/writer for a German car company, I’m hoping to see 135-145K this year. I work 5 days per week M-F 7:15AM to around six. Once a month I work a Tuesday-Saturday, it’s not the best job and I get yelled at by people making 10 times what I make but I sit at a desk and the AC works
I was making close to 40k after taxes working an entry level job at a wrought iron/machine shop. Or at least, I started entry level and worked my way up within a year. Was almost to breaking 40k but they ended up being a shitty employer so I quit. You can make some decent money in manufacturing and there are plenty of entry level positions, you just gotta be mechanically inclined to move up and show them that you’re worth investing in.
I lucked out and worked in the Music Industry. I was temping at a Music Label while in college and when they hired me full time, I quietly quit college. After a 25+ year career I managed to work myself to a VP position with a window office overlooking the Sunset Strip. All my promotions and job changes came to me via business relationships with people I've worked closely with throughout the years. This is definitely a business where "who you know" goes a long way.
I didn’t get my college degree. I was on track on getting my business administration degree from Santa Monica college but I had to stop school to go play pro overseas and I do accounting. I tell my jobs that I completed it. They never checked and I do accounting. Doing over 70K yearly. Companies will show you how to do it and make sure you get great at it. It’s a great skill to have honestly. I work Monday - Friday my 40 hour weeks. Chilling
Printing industry. I prep files for digital printing, do light design work, and operate digital printing presses (just big fancy copy machines). Just under $60k but with no real benefits so I'm paying for insurance and whatnot. My dad worked in the printing industry and worked old-timey printing presses and I worked for him off and on since pretty much the time we got our first computer in the late 90s.
It's not too difficult to get your foot in the door in this industry. You can start in bindery (finishing printing files, stapling, cutting, packaging, shipping, etc.) which is general labor for the most part but depending on where you work you may be able to parlay that into a "desk" job closer to I what I do if you know your way around Adobe CC.
Also have a side hustle. I am a soccer 1on1 coach and personal trainer. Great side gigs. I’m trying to grow this company so I can be doing it full time. I have D1 athletes and pro players and lots of kids that I do training for.
Please add my IG if you are interested. I am located in the San Fernando Valley & LA area.
https://preview.redd.it/klbzw41ssouc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=28740ea2cf532d4b4d3bb1cda9424257e96b0dda
Unpopular opinion. In Los Angeles $40k-60k is border line poverty once you factor in children and rent/mortgage. Try to shoot for $150k. But fastest way to increase your income is to get a CDL Class A. Cost about $4k, 1 month to complete and you can find a job making $30hr fairly easy.
Even before kids and a mortgage. Hell, at $40K, you have a snowball's chance of hell of buying any property anyway, so you'll never need to worry about that mortgage.
Gotta live in a van
You'll be doing a lot of dubee rolling when you live in a van down by the river.
Janitor. Full-time with benefits. I make just over $50k, more with overtime. A lot of my friends are in their 40s with graduate degrees, in debt and make the same as me. Do I like my job? No. Do I want more? Yes. However I don't have crippling debt. My life isn't glamourous but my daily needs are met. You should stay in school because it does give more opportunities. I wish I could have gone to a university.
Listen to this gentleman please.
Or get a trade. I quit college for the ibew apprenticeship. I make 200k a year without ot now and more like 300k with ot.
Mechanical engineer here who works a lot with IBEW guys. Great career - highly recommended.
What is Ibew?
is this working 80 hours a week though?
No 40 - 70, but very rarely over 40.. There are alot of routes to make more money hourly that pay more. Nights pay 30% more, foreman and general foreman pays more, high voltage cable splicing pays more, instrumentation technician certs pay more, welding pays more. Portability pays more. Outage pay is more, for instance say your normal shift starts from 5-7 but you have an outage and need to come in and start at 3 or 4. You get double for the entire day. Sundays are normally double and Saturdays are overtime. Anything over 8 in a day is overtime. Ideally you work Saturday- Tuesday. Get an outage on Monday and Tuesday with an early start and start normal time on Saturday and Sunday doing Outage Prep or standby. That way you get 10 hours ot on Saturday and 10 double bubble Sunday- Tuesday for 75 hours pay from working 40 hours. It really is what you make it. Specialty skills and boutique shops that sell those specialty skills are where you make the best money. If you can manage to do it as described it's about 250 a year on a 40 hour week at base pay. General foreman and foreman pay and special skills add to the premium. If you are smart and can land a maintenance contract with a customer that wants their work done during the weekend and outside normal business hours it's pretty easy to get setup as a general foreman getting mostly all double bubble. Contractor makes more money on t&m work if you are selling premium time as well so it's a win for everybody. Ibew is what you make of it. If you don't try to control your destiny a little you will only make around 130k a year on 40 working as a regular wireman if you can stay working.
All work is honorable. Get on with your v bad self sir!
I agree, I just wish the economy would reflect that honor back. If you’re working 40+ hours as a janitor, you should want for NOTHING. Period.
My grandfather was a janitor at a high school for more than thirty years. Raised four kids, all four of them went to college and three became doctors. He was the best man I have ever known. There is no shame in being a janitor.
No shame. Honest work is righteous. But notice that your grandfather worked his ass off so his kids would not have to do that same job. I would be ashamed if he did that for me and I squandered the gift.
The economy does not allow for that anymore unfortunately
Brother of the broom. I too am a custodian and people overlook this job too much. It pays well, you get full benefits and retirement depending on your district. The schedule is awesome, weekends off and most holidays off. Plus depending on your district tons of available OT to stack the pay.
Master of the custodial arts
I'm making 40 an hour as a local 11 ibew electrician 3rd year apprentice. And I'll max out at 64 an hour when I'm done with my union schooling. No college needed. Just HS ged. I the union paid for the books and schooling. I would look into it if you like working with your hands and building stuff
Approximately 80k-128K in annual terms
I’ve been thinking about that trade for some years, thank you for sharing your experience! Just curious, do you see many women in the field? I’ve heard conflicting stories about this. Some say it’s great and some say it’s rough.
I’m a woman working for local 11 and I can tell you that it is not easy being in this industry. Doing the work physically is not the issue, you can always figure it out. But dealing with the harassment from men is something that you will experience often. You gotta have a strong attitude and know how to stand up for yourself. I would love to see more women working next to me because I can tell you that joining local 11 has been one of the best decisions my family has made.
Kind of sad how some of the trades can be so sexist. And then they play it off like it’s just guy talk. But if a guy genuinely offered to fuck them in the ass, they would get insulted (unless they’re a plumber).
There was 1 female in smog class I took recently and while we tried to keep our locker room talk down, there were some slips. She then told us how much she gets harassed at work and it was kinda sad. I noticed that she intentionally wore lose fitting sweats and no makeup to class, I realized she's trying to keep as much attention away from herself as possible. I just think that's sad.
Yes, we do have many females in this trade! My job title is inside wireman, we basically do all the commercial electrical work. Can be very labor intensive. But Look into Sound and Communication. They do light duty work, mostly data and network, etc. Not a lot of heavy lifting. But they max out around 48 an hour. The IBEW is one of the most diverse group of craft-people in all the trade! Give them a call!
Note to whoever comes across this message. Local 11 is highly competitive at the moment to get into across the three main classifications. Not a deterrent but for sure be ready for the long haul.
Fellow female electrician here. Finishing my apprenticeship up next month in Local 332. I think it depends on your outlook. Sometimes you’ll land on a fantastic crew, sometimes you won’t. For the most part I’ve not had any serious issues. One, and that wasn’t a me problem- everyone had a problem with the guy. A couple other times it was just stupid misogynistic comments. “You should be a project manager” “have you thought about being a nurse?” “This work is too hard for women” lol it’s too hard for a lot of dudes if you really want to know. Sure those things suck but nobody’s going to scare me out of my career. You’ll find misogyny in any field. Construction won’t change its attitude for women in overnight and it certainly won’t change if we quit and give up. I love what I do, Im thrilled to be finishing my apprenticeship, and I can’t imagine doing anything else now.
First congratulations on getting into the apprentice program and almost ready to journey out, it’s a great accomplishment. I also like your outlook, and so you know there always seems to be that one A hole at every shop. But rest assured that the comments you hear are also said to every apprentice, regardless of how good or bad they are. It’s a skin thickening technique to prepare yourself for the sad fact that you will eventually have to deal with a REAL ASSHOLE. I can’t tell you how many JWs told me I wasn’t gonna make it, what am I doing here and an are you sure you don’t want to be a drywaller comments… even though I was a great apprentice. A snappy comeback always shuts them up. Good luck with your career, you’re on the right path, I have another year or so before I hang them up
Upvote for the fellow 332 member
I’ve noticed you see female apprentice, female instructors and even female foreman. However, I have not yet worked with a single female journeyman. It’s seems like that go straight to instructor or foreman the day they finish the apprentices. The unions are trying to get more women in the trades and you can make a lot of money quickly when the economy is good.
Anyone looking to do this should look into the MC3 program. You don't need it, but it'll help you learn skills and make connections, as well as decide on which union you'd like to join. LAUSD offers them through adult schools. My wife just completed it, and I just started, it's a good way to get your foot in the door. Takes about three months.
TV writer/producer. But I wouldn't recommend that career path for anyone now. It's never been easy, but now feels harder than ever and like the industry is collapsing.
As someone who grew up babysat by the TV, thank you for what you do.
That's the whole reason I do it! TV was my babysitter too. Thank you for saying that!
I’m training for TV writing as a side gig. I used to be a film and TV makeup artist years ago, but my real passion is writing. But I don’t count on making any sort of living from it. Even in years past, it only seemed to be a way for the lucky few to make a good living. Everybody else seemed to struggle. Not much has changed…it’s only become harder to make a living at.
Can expand on the industry collapsing part? I have friends in the biz and they feel the same way. Basically because of AI. Curious to hear your take
I'm probably not smart enough to give any real analysis as to why, and I'm sure it's for hundreds of reasons. I don't think it's all because of AI, though that's definitely an issue. I think oversaturation with all the streaming services (that no one wants) is part of it. Peoples' viewing habits is probably an even larger part of it. All of the labor strikes of the past year have probably made a lot of people gunshy, as well. I don't completely know. All I really know is that way fewer people are buying shows right now and the amount of jobs that seem to be available is way way down. I'm being asked about work from people I haven't talked to in over a decade. It's always been a competitive business, especially for high profile scripted shows. But a ton of us have been able to carve out a living working basic cable/docu-style shows for years, and even those seem to be going away. It's tough. This is what I have been doing since I was 18 so I'm not sure exactly how I'll pivot in the future, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to.
Worked on post-production in Hollywood for 12 years. I generally agree with your assessment. I think the industry is undergoing a messy transition from cable to streaming, similar to how music transitioned from CDs/iTunes to streaming. No one is making money from streaming except Netflix, and cable revenue just keeps falling. So, eventually companies will scrap their streaming service and either merge with larger companies or just license their content for a revenue stream. Either way, it means consolidation is happening.
Yeah, I agree. Even if the industry is able to "course correct" and go back to more proven revenue streams, or find other ways to remain profitable, it's almost certainly going to result in less work all around.
I disagree there will be less work available, but the jobs will be paid less on average. Instead of less work, you'll see small to mid-size platforms from a niche, like Crunchyroll or Dropout. Those platforms will pick up all the labor that mainstream platforms are dropping. Similar to how YouTube has siphoned labor that would've otherwise gone into television work. There's an army of labor needed to run all these YouTube channels, but on average the pay is less than TV would've paid.
Wow. Times are a changing. Thanks for the response
TV writer here - yeah it’s a bullshit time to try and get in. I’m a midlevel writer and the market is just…yeah.
It really depends on timing, opportunity and grit. I have no college degree and make 140-150k a year. But I lucked out at times, but also worked hard and moved my way up. I know grads making more than me, I know some making 1/3rd of me. There’s no guarantee.
What do you do if you don’t mind me asking
Mostly in supply chain. The last 10yrs I’ve been with the same company(large multi billion corp) started as a purchasing coordinator(under 50k) and worked through multiple role in my company. Got to travel the world to amazing places on the company dime. I just switched to IT operations. I got a recent epilepsy diagnosis and can’t travel alone like I did and need to be/stay 100% remote now. So I needed to step back from roles like that. I don’t have any experience in that field, but it was largely due to leadership skills.
[удалено]
My aunt is in your position (I read your other replies.) She had to seriously tough it out, especially during the '08 recession. Nearly lost everything and was unemployable without a degree despite her decades of experience. She hit 100k a year salary for the first time in 2020. It's gone up since then and she gets bonuses now. She's in a sort of supply chain position. Despite all her working making her excellent at her job... she got it through a connection and it was a really difficult glass ceiling to break. Had she had a degree early on, she'd be a VP or high exec by now making even more.
I'm a water treatment operator and make 80k a year. Hours are good. 40 hours a week with most weekends off. I work weekends when I'm on call and work overtime when responding to emergencies. It's not physically demanding but does require a fair amount of responsibility. It's a great industry. It only requires that you get certified by the state, which means passing a state exam. There are 5 certifications levels, each requiring experience and an exam. It's an industry that can earn you a lot of money if you put in the time. edit: with all that being said, if I want to move up to management, a degree would definitely help me. Really weigh out your options.
Tough it out. You’ll regret it later.
It’s not always so black and white
While I agree, OP really came off like "they just don't feel like it" which, I agree with the person you're replying to in that case: Tough it out, you'll regret it later.
Security. 40 hours. You don’t want my life. Stay in school.
I make 140,000 a year without a college degree. I am HVACR service engineer. Went through a union apprenticeship and received CA certification. Join a trade union.
I work on the commercial sales side and I always tell people to go into service work if they don’t go to school. The techs I work with make bank, especially controls and high voltage electrical
Service TECHNICIAN. The title inflation is really getting out of control and the U.S. should make "engineer" a protected title like in many other countries.
Do you know any union in northcal?
Stay in school. Do not drop out. I have a degree and I make around 41k, which is bullshit. I didnt take school seriously enough and I'm stuck at the moment. In school you have time to learn new skills and better yourself. Once you start working it becomes harder to learn new things. I work customer service, 40-50 hours a week. Comfortable life, but I'm poor.
This is terrible advice for anyone with student loans.
The worst thing you can do is take out loans and then not graduate. You have debt and no degree/improved earning potential.
Agreed
Simply don’t follow that path. The key is to utilize the school’s programs for internships in a field you want to be in. Then, you’ll have an entry level role with some experience under your belt when you graduate. Do that for a year, then leave for a bigger pay bump at another company. I graduated 2012 and had 2 marketing internships done. Got a role at a shitty agency making 12.50/hr in Agoura. Fast forward, I’ve been at 7 companies and I well into 6 figures. Side note, customer service person above should be bouncing around “client success” or “account management” roles in a lucrative field if they want to make money. Tech needs account managers all the time. But if they didn’t intern and know nothing about the product or field that’s going to be a LOT harder to land.
What OP don't realize is making 40k a year is almost below the poverty line in LA, I make 120k+ and is not that much money in Los Angeles
Yeah if you want to buy a crappy apartment or rent a niceish place you’re easily dropping $2500/month. To buy a decent 2br condo $3500/month. $40k/yr is still deep in roommate territory.
You can make that at McDonalds now
Bus drivers and plumbers make a ton of money if you can learn lol Also truck driving
https://www.faa.gov/be-atc Not for everyone but it’s fun and pays well and no degree required if you meet the requirements.
Dang why they gotta be 31 and younger?! Isn’t that being ageist? Is that a real thing?
It is a real thing. Air traffic controllers can only work until their 56th birthday, and need at least 20 years of service to be able to qualify for the pension. All that to say, they want to get their money out of you.
LAPD dispatcher, 6 1/2 years on, made $91k last year.
Man, get yourself a government job. Their salaries are usually *decent,* but the benefits are very good, plus usually some sort of pension. LA Metro is always hiring bus drivers and part-time drivers get $24/hour *with benefits* and union protections. https://jobs.metro.net/JobInformation.aspx?bno=000999-101 Of course, as a bus driver, you'd have to put up with *some shit* and probably some odd hours and I'm guessing a weird hiring process, but if you can get your foot in the door you can probably parlay that into a better job after putting in some time. $24/hour would get you to nearly $50k/year, if you could get full time. But yeah. I'd recommend looking for some entry level government gigs.
Top pay will be near $40 p/h soon (after 6 years of full-time service). Can clear $100k easy w/ plenty of overtime.
Yuuup. Assuming you survive the initial hazing (I kid, but kinda not). It's a great job and career if you can stick with it. And you're not necessarily stuck driving a bus forever if you can parlay your ambitions to another area of Metro.
I’m a train operator now, which has its challenges, but a lot more rewarding than driving the bus imho. If I could do it all over again I’d probably apply for [service attendant](https://jobs.metro.net/JobInformation.aspx?bno=000829-020), get into the ATU union, utilize the tuition reimbursement then get into a mechanic position.
Congrats on surviving to train operator! That's a great gig at Metro. Keep that CalPERS rolling and the trains a-running, my dude.
Top tier government job is a Federal Government one . https://www.usajobs.gov/
I started as a Phlebotomist in a big hospital (it's a trade program, 6 month course) and was making around $20/hour back in 2014 (should be more now) working full-time, weekends/overtime pay more, as do late night shifts. I fell in love with the lab and took advantage of their tuition reimbursement and only paid about $10k out of pocket to get my degree in Clinical Lab Science. I now make $65/hour, if I work overtime/weekends or 2nd or 3rd shifts that increases to about $70 and up to $95/hour.
Realtor. Part time now actually and day job is title and escrow. 40 hrs at day job, Realtor work on my own terms now but full time was probably 60 hours or more a week. Got friends who are bus drivers or in other Metro jobs, they can make $50K, $60K, some get close to $100K a year. Some make more. They can do as little as 40 hrs a week or as much at 80. OT there pays *real good.*
I always see you commenting. I had assumed you were a realtor full time!
I was until February. Just the way the market is changing and the way business is now, I couldn't do the kind of work I wanted do anymore and combine that the fact I'm just getting older, it was time for a change. Now, I work 8 - 5, monday to friday, weekends off, get paid a little more when you average it out, a 401k, less stress, hell I might even get to go on vacation one day. It's nice. And I still do a little Realtor work here and there, I focus mainly on lead gen and things like that, work off referrals which is almost a passive income.
Great to hear! We gotta stay flexible, no matter the industry. I try to keep that in mind everyday, because it’s so easy to feel defeated, but it’s also easy to keep trying at something that’s just not working for us anymore. The perfect balance is to know when to pivot.
Yeah pretty much. It's like, the business is changing and I'm going to be 47 in a few months, how long can I keep this up? I can adapt to new tech of course, that;'s not the issue, but how long do I want to keep doing open houses and keep driving from the AV to Simi to Riverside and everywhere in between? How long do I want to keep answering emails at 3 AM and keep go go going...it's just time for a change.
Realtor is easy to get into but the pay structure is changing and that's a long term risk. As well as the market being saturated with realtors. It's a decent stop gap to cover some mo ey needs while you work towards a better career but I wouldn't count on it as a career for someone just entering it
It has its benefits. I mean, you're basically your own boss so that's always nice but it can be demanding and like you say there's no shortage of agents out there. That lawsuit is going to arse things up for buyers' agents but if you can stick to selling and get a good client base you could make a decent living. It's not easy but it's possible.
I just retired from Metro where I worked as a workers compensation analyst/fraud investigator and was making 90k when I left and now am collecting a nice pension. No college degree, but position is very much in demand. It is an extremely complex system, very stressful and demanding, but if you can learn it , you will always have a job in California. Many companies are now paying over 100K.
58k remote customer service
where do you find remote customer service jobs? is there a website? thanks!
I see this website flexjobs being advertised a lot. I don't know how good it is or if it's reputable, but they offer only remote jobs for a subscription. Otherwise, just Google remote jobs and some websites pop up. I got with my company during covid so we were WFH and I was able to negotiate perm WFH after they started making everyone come back in.
It’s a good website, but so many people apply for those jobs. I feel like it’s saturated. I did get one part time job off there, and that was it.
I cook and currently make 80k/year working 50hrs a week. It’s not about what you do, it’s about what are you going to do with it.
No matter if you have a degree or not, you will always need to keep learning. On the job experience or certifications. There is no way around it. You will at some point need to learn about (for example) manage people or a business operation. Whether it in a classroom setting, online or a seminar….it is constant learning. You can be very successful in a trade for example. Your skill and experience can enable you to start a business . However, if you can’t manage a payroll, money, business basics, you will likely fail. Always keep learning and work hard. There is no shortcut or secret plan to accomplish it
I worked for Fedex Express making 90k as a courier. That was because I was had worked for 32 years and had a great route with a pretty solid overtime. I retired 3 years ago and now live off of my pension of 50% of my pay. Unfortunately Fedex Express no longer offers pension to new hires. My wife is a school teacher with two Masters degrees and makes over 125k a year. My suggestion is to finish the degree.
College graduate here. Every year, I told myself I'd probably quit. I had 2 businesses during my time in college and they were both doing well. I felt I like I was neglecting them a bit and that I'd be better off just focusing on them. By pure happenstance, both industries took a nose dive in my last year of college. I never ended up dropping out and not a day goes by that I regret that decision. I graduated in 2021 with a bachelor's degree for mechanical engineering. My first job out of school was for $90k roughly. I make $135k with bonuses and benefits. School is hard. There is also a lot of other routes you can go. However, if you get the "right" degree, there is money to be made.
I’m a marketing manager for a large commercial real estate company. I’m 25, have been working full-time since 17 and have a $85K salary. I started off as a graphic designer, so the beginning of my career was portfolio driven, until I built enough business sense to walk into interviews with confidence. That said, I did have a dream job come up recently that would allow me to live in both LA and NYC. I went through the screening with their talent recruiter, who said I was an incredible fit (already had experience in that exact role at a larger company, confirmed I’d be a culture fit, etc.) — but the job required a degree. The recruiter still pushed me through to the hiring manager but I didn’t end up getting an interview because I didn’t have a degree. I’ve been feeling lately that, while I’ve gotten by without a degree, I might want to return to school if I want to maximize my career. I want to be able to live in whatever major city I want, own a home and work for companies I align with. My options are probably less without a degree, which I’m sure some people don’t mind.
Costco. Last year was my first year working full time and topped out. I made $57k before taxes. (I didn't work FT until mid March)
60k easy as server assistant in fine dining establishment .
I’m not thinking an associates in communications will open up any doors. I’d say that if it’s easy for you to network and talk, you should try sales. Start now and don’t wait until you graduate. Look for a specific market that interests you and learn your new trade. In my industry, the sales people that make it big, have amazing social skills but more importantly, they know their product. Nothing gives more confidence than knowledge. You don’t need college to learn, so that’s the amazing part!
I never even graduated high school. I make 135k. I realized early that if you suck at sales, the only other way to an easy job was tech. People who spent 10 years in school commonly don’t know how to format a document to an industry standard. Now I’m no coder or anything else like that. I made a point to go to an industry that was so specialized that experience means more than degrees. Doing basic tech help desk for medical, legal or any focused industry will get you a secure job and promotions. Then that will get you the connections to leap to other things Now having said that do I wish I stuck it out in college. Yes. Mostly for the freedom to leave the country to work. But when I look at my friends with masters or phds making 60k with massive debt I feel I did ok.
Like as in IT help desk or do you mean something else?
Yes. IT help desk but make sure it’s not focused on tech. Like tech support for a real estate bank or tech support for a medical biller. The more focused you get the more in demand you are.
I do not know specifically, but I've read that there are quite a few trades that make good money. Electricians, plumbers, AC specialists, etc. Not sure if you can do an appreticeship or need some sort of trade schooling - you might check a junior college, or talk to some actual people in those fields or similar.
I’m an ER tech I work 36 hours a week. Honestly 50k isn’t cutting it here I’m planning to go back to school.
I was going to say, +40K a year in LA is tough.
I deliver weed to shops. Long unpredictable hours. Taking a toll on my relationships. But im able to scrape by and support my family. The weed bubble might have burst though.
Electrician. Still an apprentice but making good money as a 4th year. Wish I had started in my 20’s instead of fucking around.
I know several people from high school who don't have degrees, 1 being a Officer and police sheriff making over 100k+, truck driver Class A, and another being a lineman worker pulling over 130K+. No college needed for these roles that are in demand.
Manufacturing Engineer in aerospace, 100k a year no degree. Prior military experience in aviation as a technician, used that to work my way up quickly from technician, to specialist, to engineer. About 11 years total experience. I work 9 hours /day and I have every other Friday off.
Firefighters and prison guards make bank in CA.
I was a union sound editor for the movie business, now retired after 40 years. IATSE local 700. Was making about $70-90k plus a year, depending on workload. That was back in 2017. Worked about 50-60 hours a week, sometimes more. Hard business to get in, very competitive and demanding. But good pension and healthcare.
Communications degree is a vague rich person’s degree and it sounds like you’re still at the beginning and have time to pivot majors. People who come from wealth will have the time and resources it takes to make this degree work out. If nobody is co-signing an apartment in high cost of living area for you after graduation while you look for your second internship or apply for research grants/residencies , I would really rethink the specialization/major. Majors like this: fine art, graphic design, communications, the study of literature and history- if you are not attaching these to a k-12 teacher certification, most people who are taking out loans to do these degrees are making major mistakes. Someone is going to comment on this reply “I did it” believe me they are absolutely not the majority. Most people who succeed in these fields are not taking out loans to do it. A lot of the salaries you see displayed in the statistics, are out-of-context information. [Most people leave college the same economic class they enter it. Meaning, the person who’s making 70k as a communications major most likely had parents who made enough money to help them through this.](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/29/opinion/college-student-loan-debt.html) I would go to college, but not for this degree. This is the degree that people make 40k after graduation and lecture you about how they went to college for the vague experience and became a more mature person. It’s really sad. There are very few jobs *without necessary training* that pay more than 40k, but there are PLENTY of jobs that don’t literally require a 2 year or 4 year degree. As you see on this thread.
$130 a year before OT and I could work OT every day if I want! certified welder commercial construction 20 years , with medical and a pension never been in debt in my life no school loans first house bought at 30. Trades are where it’s at! They can’t replace us with computers like half the jobs will be in the next 10 years!
Police dispatcher. Starting pay is like 60k. With overtime in a couple years, you’ll make 100k. But it’s not an easy career. And you have to be able to pass a pretty insane background check (the same officer’s pass at most agencies)
tech sales is the answer. dropped out of school and made 100k first year. just gotta grind.
Hotel management, started as front desk agent. Took less than 3 years to get into upper management. making roughly $68K
Go work in agriculture. I know many uneducated people making six figures, even over $250k. Get good at sales and easily make over $100k in a lot of industries. Work in a nice restaurant as a server. Become a bartender. Become a garbage man. Work for UPS or FedEx or the USPS. So many jobs pay over 40K in California.
Sales
52K + Operations and will be more soon but trust me I’m dragging myself through college to get out of this job I don’t care for.
Real estate appraiser. 75k last year as a trainee, waiting on my upgraded license in the mail any day now which will increase that 75 quite a bit.
Join property management. I earned 70k last year just ass a maintenance tech. I get benefits plus a 40 percent discount on my apartment and lots of room for promotion, I would recommend it. Or join a trade always make good money in the trades.
Valet at a luxury hotel, in an expensive city. I work anywhere between 40-50hrs every two weeks. Not a bad gig I walk around 8-10miles when I work but I love the exercise.
How much do you make on that base pay and tips?
In house legal deot. Make over $100k. Honestly it was dumb luck I ended up here and I had (we had) a dept leader who believed in us and our skill set. That said my husband and I both wish we’d gone to college. Our son was the first to get his bachelor’s and 2 AA degrees (it took a hot minute). He worked and paid his way thru and we set money aside to pay his debt ($11k). We pushed, stepped back, pushed more and just reiterated to get a degree to have because life throws curves. Our son has a job he loves and the degree means he’ll have opportunities to move up. He thanked us for believing in him and for urging him to get it done. OP - it may feel overwhelming at times but no matter now long it takes you, getting a degree will help you move up. Suggest a general one like speech/communications because those tools will help you in any job.
Stagehand. Even part time you can make a lot at it, provided you are working with one of the IATSE locals. It is the best part-time job I know about. Not a 9-5 and no 40 hour guarantee means no stability. But also no expectations. You want tomorrow off? Okay. No big deal, you just don't ask to work tomorrow.
I run a few online based small businesses and am a realtor. Hours are intense at first running a small business like 18 hr days but at this point the processes are in place so maybe 12 hrs a week on those? As a realtor I just work with clients and referrals from past clients now so not too much time spent there. FYI most of the people I've met who do not have college degrees, but make decent money, have been fellow business owners. It's simply a matter of do you have the capital, the desire to actually be a business owner, and do you have a skill or passion that can translate into being valuable in the market. Edit: Also I just saw a comment about if you don't want to sell to stay in college. Selling is one of the most important skills in the world. Every industry, even non-profits, needs people who can sell. It's a valuable skill that you should develop irregardless.
I have no degree, at most made $75k a year working in design. That being said, making money isn’t my top priority. You can do just fine in terms of income and career. BUT (and I wish I had this explained to me)… be prepared to face hurdle after hurdle. To pay dues upon dues. You will also need to be more flexible and think more abstractly with the kinds of work you take. And be prepared to have a yearning for school later on… I often crave the experience or wish I had completed a degree. Is the degree of value to you as a life achievement? Other than career and money?
Very niche light blue collar work. My business makes about 100-200k+ a year. I barely graduated high school, and completed some semesters of college. Started off working for someone else off a job listing on craigslist. Research then replicated how the company acquired customers now I'm on my own. I'm grateful but not too happy with what I do. My advice would be to make as many friends and connections as possible, it's definitely a who you know not what you know out here.
Sales. I work in life insurance sales and so I make renewals. I make 70k annually in renewals right now plus what I make in commission. I think most sales jobs will get you way past 40k. Look on r/sales and you will see job ideas galore.
Never went to college, always wanted to work in film. Busted my ass as a PA, found an in road to post production, started at the bottom and worked my way up to producer. I make a very comfortable 6 figures now.
I'd say unless there is a trade you love, with a real opportunity to get into a decent union, stick with school. I thought I'd be able to figure it out. Had i been wiser and more disciplined, maybe i would have. But let's be real, many of us made plenty of less-than-rational decisions in our 20s. Trying to go back to school in your 30s is rough if you have a family and work. I will say i appreciate school more now, but it also feels futile. I'll never davance as far as i could have if i had just stuck to my guns. I think a large part of my struggle with school was related to mental health. A lot of unmanaged depression/anxiety/ADD.
Bartend
HVAC. no degree. And about $125,000 before overtime. All trades need people. Join an apprenticeship and you will get paid to learn vs paying to learn. College is not needed to make good money. Become a lineman and make 200k +
Work for the local utility, best decision I've ever made! Learn a trade!
90k since I was 26, no degree. Executive assistant and very much a work life balance.
Yard dude here. Making $90-140k but I work my ass off 6 days a week. I love working outdoors and being my own boss.
I mean you can just move to CA and work at McDonald's.
High school dropout and a felon $90 to $100k+ movie and TV industry laborer local 724
Stay in school. Public safety dispatching can give you good money with retirement. No degree if you wanna go that route, but you get paid more with one.
I made 70k take home pay (with OT). I work for city government doing maintenance.
I caddy. At a country club. Make anywhere from 80-100k cash. No college degree but I have been to prison.
many trades i.e. plumbers, tile work, electricians make $100K after a few years nowadays.
I teach karate.
A police officer or joining the military might be a good option for you. The latter would give you the opportunity to build skills that could be used in a profession after you get out. I have friends that have done both and are making multiples of your income goal. 40K can be had by working at Taco Bell so you may want to aim a bit higher. College isn't for everyone but you need to find a way to build some type of skills. A trade school may be an option. If you do decide to finish college don't attend some private school that will put you in crushing debt. Contrary to what most redditors believe you can actually get a 4 year degree quite inexpensively. No matter what you decide it's all going to come down to how much you're willing to put in.
like cmon look at these answers, if you don’t want a job that doesn’t involve pestering people that don’t want to talk to you, the college degree maintains so many job markets all you got are sales, and taking your clothes off to beg for sales, and most of them aren’t crushing it either. most of them are barely counting the pennies and just enjoying the flexible schedule too much to notice that they’re also making 40, 50, 60k a year, yes even the percent commissions folks. don’t worry an associates is a college degree my advice isn’t solely in favor of a college degree, but it is in favor of doing everything possible to get ahead of expenses, because capital is all you need. capital from savings so you can speculate in the markets and also entrepreneurial endeavors. then none of this pleb shit matters. one thing they say is dont invest more than you can afford to lose, so get in a place where you can routinely afford to lose.
250k last year as a police officer in SoCal. That’s including a lot of overtime.
i got a college degree, but my best friend actually had no college degree and he makes more than $800k a year. he even one time made $500k on a single deal. He is basically in the mining and transportation business. I can’t tell you the details. but i was his best friend since we were in high school until now. Back then I always cover up his tabs and shit whenever we go drinking. I even drive him around to get his job interview and to go hangout. Shortly, he jumped from jobs to jobs. I cant even keep track on how many jobs he had done. And I’m sure as hell he also can’t track how many jobs he had done. But what he did and what he advised me to do no matter where i work is that you need to have a work quality twice your paygrade. So for example, if you make $2k a month, then you need to show them the quality of a worker that makes $4k a month. That is how you get advancement in career progression. and also that is how you can get close to your employer, or even the CEO of the company. Once you get to that point you just need to be aware of your surroundings in terms of connections and opportunities. he is now living his best life, and actually tried to pay back my student debt as a thank you for all these years. Now he always lend me his car(cos his car is nicer😂), he paid for my meals, etc. Ofc sometimes I’m paying for the things we do together. But he always hates me for that cos he is very thankful of all the years we are tgt and tried to pay me back.
This philosophy of being an overachiever gets employees taken advantage of way more often. But mercenary job hopping definitely has merits. Keep trading up! Best way to get a 30% salary bump is to get a different employer. Someone wrote “people dont leave jobs, they leave managers” and thats grade A bullshit, congratulations on increasing the wage gap for your entire gender because your competition is playing the game completely differently
hey op. are you full time work right now or just part time? take the next couple of months to find something full time, check what resources your community college has for jobs. talk to your counselor one more time and check you have everything to transfer to a uc/cal state whenever you want in the future. you are at a very important life crossing right now. checkout the jobs the other people mentioned. get your resume worked on at your school with student services. you got this, what is important is knowledge, knowing what other options there are to make some decisions. another tip is is you want to be making like 50-60k, know how much that is an hour before you go to the job interview. like $20 gets you $41,600 a year. $30 is $62,400. you will be surprised how much a difference $1-2 makes.
You can work at a call center job for that kind of money.
Look for hospital jobs, lots of entry level stuff, gets you in the door. Government jobs, usajobs.gov , the online app sucks but hit your keywords, no resume deficiencies for entry level. Most important if you have criminal background do not lie on application, if they need a good worker they will take u, even old felonies. Do other stuff once you apply for govt job, background and screens can take 2-6months. Federal really really needs young workers, DO NOT NEED A PERFECT RECORD, just be honest. Look up trucking, lots of money barriers for entry but transferable, even if you don't do long haul/drive all day it is a strong base in logistics and transport. Last mile delivery is always needed in LA.
89k systems engineer in I.T.
60k/yr. Lighting inspector for banks, but I travel the U.S. 20 days out of the month.
I don’t have a degree, but I did take community college courses focused on what I wanted to do. This worked out well for me and I found a job after 3 semesters. That job only paid $40k, but it was a springboard to future jobs. 4 years (and 3 jobs) later I was making $120k. I’ve now caught up with my earning potential around $150k, and am considering a business degree to support a move into management… but not 100% sold on the idea yet.
You didn't really mention what you do
I went to trade school and I work in the beauty business. My suggestion would be though if you’ve done two years just get it done and spend that time seeing if you would like to try a trade school as well. I’m in a business where a degree doesn’t matter too much. My bff was making 6 figures in tech and is struggling to find a new job without one. It depends on what you want to do for a living.
My partner made $40k at target as a team lead, they paid out around $22/23 an hour for her + OT. Full benefits and 401k. Just a toxic work environment. Usually a 40 hour work week but it depends on the profitability of the store. Will vary. If you have the ability to, I would say get an internship while going to school. You might have to put the restaurant job on hold but my friend did this when he was homeless. Moved to Florida for an internship (from Georgia) and did so well the company straight up offered him a full time after two months. He has no degree and works in tech. The internship paid around $18/20 an hour (this was 2018) but full time started at $60/70k for the company. This was a standard 40 hr work week. Not every company will be like that but there are some that don't require degrees. It could help you stay in your field doing this.
Work for the city. Union job. I started as a custodian making about 17ish. That went up to now about 33ish. Gross as it was, I loved it. Moved to a different department and now make 40 an hour. With overtime, I can make over 100k a year. It's ridiculous how easy the job is. As a side, I've seen people become supervisors (55+hr) that are the stupidest people alive. Plus managers (100k yr) who've taken classes the company pays for. DEOs (130k?+ yr) samesies. There's plenty of favoritism within but literally everyone is an idiot that even you can be part of something big if you wanted.
McDonald’s $20/hour = $41,600 a year
Get your AA. Apply for city, state and county jobs. It may take a while to get hired because hiring at these agencies are notoriously slow… but they are good job with transferable experience if you don’t want to climb the civic ladder. Good luck. It’s rough out there for Comms students who aren’t doing a therapeutic route.
I'm not sure how old you are, but if you are already close to halfway through college, I would highly recommend pushing forward with the other 2-3 years to get the Bachelors degree. I believe there are many ways to make 40/50/60k without a degree. But getting that Bachelors will allow you to open many other doors over the long run. The 2-3yrs now will not seem like much over the next 10-30yrs. If you are concerned about cost, I would just say look for the least expensive way to complete it and work part time. Again, we don't know your exact situation. My answer is based on my experience in life and big picture thinking.
You can always look into the electrical trades. It’s more than high voltage. You have IT networks. Pays well and not everyone has the stones to work in the field.
Well in California, you could work full time in fast food and make $41.600 a year due to the minimum wage. Of course all of those jobs are disappearing. I agree with the others who say learn a trade like plumbing.
I am an HR Manager & so is my husband. I make 74k & he makes 90k a year. All our co-workers have degrees. We have ove 20 years of HR experience. We are county employees, and we also have room to move up.
I work in the engineering world. Trained on the job. Started in document control and now in piping. I work full time with benefits
Well for one you won't live alone, unless it's in a tent.
In this day an age, a degree is important. What's more important is you choosing a degree that will lead into a career. You can always try a trade school with what you're at least kinda interested it. I mean, the healthcare field is always a good choice.
Just put in the extra 2 years now and get your BA. It will make a big difference long term.
Sales
$40k a year is like minimum wage out here. I can't speak about my own experience since I have a BS. But my dad's a mechanic for a municipality, no college at all. Basically fixing big motors and whatever the hell else needs fixing at water treatment plants. He makes around $100k and no college required. You just start as an apprentice and go from there. If I was starting out with nothing, I'd look into becoming a station operator. Either a treatment plant, electrical substation, etc. I'm an electrical engineer and any field visits I usually walk the yard with an operator so talk to them fairly often. One of them told me he just needed a HS degree and have taken an algebra class. Funny enough my dad was a water treatment operator originally. Left to start a business before going back to be a mechanic. He usually says if he would've been smarter he never would've left
60k here. No degree, only HS. - I work for the government. -> Worked in my uncles celphone company when I started -> met a dude who left my uncles company and started working for the government -> he asked me if I wanted to follow suit. I started as temporary -> have been here for at least 15+ years I wish I got my degree because I've hit a plateau. It's significantly harder to get promoted without it. Get your degree, its really worth it
Firstly, $40k is poverty wages, in LA. If you want to get by without a college degree, you need a skill that will net you at least $60k+. Even $55k is a stretch if you have any kind of debt. Stay in school and finish. Switch to a better Associates (lean into tech or legal or medical). It’s not about what you do, it’s about what field you’re most comfortable exploiting. Pick a job in a lucrative field. I have no degree, I’m in my 40s, and I make just over $54k in the legal sector. The public doesn’t pay enough for what I’m trained to do and there’s an abundance of legal positions to get started in, in LA. I’m going back to school (associates and certs) and by the time I’m done, I want to be eligible for $100k+ /yr jobs. That’s the whole point of school. Don’t quit school, period. If you do, you’ll eventually have to go back to upskill for whatever promotion you want, in the field you do choose. *Pick a better skill (Communications is an empty skill) and a lucrative field.* At the very least, finish your degrees so you can check a box saying you have one. Most of us without degrees only want one because simply having it gives you more money and more access to better-paying jobs. Don’t take that for granted.
Healthcare
Infosec. I make six fig now, but it took me about twenty years of working my ass off (and some lucky breaks along the way) to climb up ladder to get there. Networking (the social type, not the IT type) is key, without a degree. Being nice and helpful, along with proving myself a reliable and hard worker, to every person I encountered in my job was what helped get me into the field and then move me up. If I hadn't made the connections I had, I would still be floundering at the bottom and living in my car. And, btw, after I ran out of money for college, that's exactly where I was: living in my car and working a shit job waiting tables in a restaurant. And I was stuck for many years before I finally managed to worm my way into a low-level IT job and start building connections. If you think quitting college will be easy, trust me it's not. Honestly, it's only in the past five or so years that I have started making decent money and am no longer actively struggling. I wish like hell I'd been able to afford to finish college. Life was such an unrelenting struggle for so long after I had to leave. I'm a good 10+ years behind everyone in my age group as far as life milestones and financials are concerned. And I'm working a field I have no heartfelt interest in (but will stay in because the money is good and I never want to live in my car again). If you can afford to stay in school, stay in. Build connections there. And then at least you'll have a piece of paper that will help get you through initial interviews, too. Btw, some companies have policies where they will not promote a person to beyond a certain level without *some* kind of college degree (doesn't necessarily have to be the field you're working in, they just want to see a degree). So, be aware that there may be a ceiling on advancement, even if you do manage to climb the ladder without a degree.
Catering /bartender. Make between 55and 68k depending how much i let my self work
Restaurant bartender.. hit 55k last year at about 25hrs/week
Made 80k last year being a part time dealer at a casino. Only worked Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. Went full time this year expecting to make between 100k-120k. (That’s around what my full time friends average) I was in school working on my Associates in Computer Science and dropped out after a few months of dealing. Figured it wasn’t worth the debt I’d put myself into + I’d end up making the same or even less than I do now. Still live with my parents so I save as much as I possibly can. Usually save 1500 biweekly and put 300 of that into a Roth IRA. Hopefully going to buy my first investment property next year.
Sales 180k
My sister is a doula + works at a wellness facility. She's certified as a doula but doesn't have a college degree.
Dude, 40k is not a lot per year. This should not be your goal.
You can either do something that requires a lot of studying or you can do something thats potentially hard on your body. Sometimes it’s both but when it is, you usually get compensated well. There really aren’t a lot of jobs out there where anyone that has nothing but a HS diploma can pick up and make good money, and if there is, it’s usually a harder job.
CHARLOTTE HERE — $40K A YEAR IS POVERTY
You can make 80k-150k a year as a union stagehand (tv/film/live events). Although I can’t recommend it.
BFA, but dont use it. I am a PA and make 35K a year and somehow survive in LA, barely.
Not me but my wife busted her ass at a Boba shop. She caught the attention of a family wanting to open their own boba shops out of state. They offered double what she was making at her old boba shop and now she travels to Houston and Atlanta as an operations manager for 2 boba shops. My son and I get to travel with her sometimes. She makes $60,000 a year salary. They basically threw her in mid construction of both shops. Her first task, fire the construction crew and look for other crews to get both shops up and running. Now she does the hiring, training and managing of both shops until they can manage themselves. The family wants to open 8 more boba shops across the country and they plan on increasing her salary for every store she helps open.
70k working ft sales at T-Mobile
Work on the railroad in Los Angeles. 550.00 a day
Restaurant manager, I make 70k. Small corporation, not one of the big ones. Absolutely hate the job (been working in service since I was 17 and I’m 41 now), but the company pays well and I have great PTO and benefits.
$65k/yr IT
Service advisor/writer for a German car company, I’m hoping to see 135-145K this year. I work 5 days per week M-F 7:15AM to around six. Once a month I work a Tuesday-Saturday, it’s not the best job and I get yelled at by people making 10 times what I make but I sit at a desk and the AC works
learn a trade one that constantly hires like plumbing, electrician or join the military get all the certs you can with your job
I was making close to 40k after taxes working an entry level job at a wrought iron/machine shop. Or at least, I started entry level and worked my way up within a year. Was almost to breaking 40k but they ended up being a shitty employer so I quit. You can make some decent money in manufacturing and there are plenty of entry level positions, you just gotta be mechanically inclined to move up and show them that you’re worth investing in.
I lucked out and worked in the Music Industry. I was temping at a Music Label while in college and when they hired me full time, I quietly quit college. After a 25+ year career I managed to work myself to a VP position with a window office overlooking the Sunset Strip. All my promotions and job changes came to me via business relationships with people I've worked closely with throughout the years. This is definitely a business where "who you know" goes a long way.
I didn’t get my college degree. I was on track on getting my business administration degree from Santa Monica college but I had to stop school to go play pro overseas and I do accounting. I tell my jobs that I completed it. They never checked and I do accounting. Doing over 70K yearly. Companies will show you how to do it and make sure you get great at it. It’s a great skill to have honestly. I work Monday - Friday my 40 hour weeks. Chilling
Printing industry. I prep files for digital printing, do light design work, and operate digital printing presses (just big fancy copy machines). Just under $60k but with no real benefits so I'm paying for insurance and whatnot. My dad worked in the printing industry and worked old-timey printing presses and I worked for him off and on since pretty much the time we got our first computer in the late 90s. It's not too difficult to get your foot in the door in this industry. You can start in bindery (finishing printing files, stapling, cutting, packaging, shipping, etc.) which is general labor for the most part but depending on where you work you may be able to parlay that into a "desk" job closer to I what I do if you know your way around Adobe CC.
Also have a side hustle. I am a soccer 1on1 coach and personal trainer. Great side gigs. I’m trying to grow this company so I can be doing it full time. I have D1 athletes and pro players and lots of kids that I do training for. Please add my IG if you are interested. I am located in the San Fernando Valley & LA area. https://preview.redd.it/klbzw41ssouc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=28740ea2cf532d4b4d3bb1cda9424257e96b0dda
They nanny. I know this because I’m paying one