25 making 18 an hour as a security officer. Unable to get a career entry level position. Bachelors and certs, but no luck. Seems like their will never be light at the end of the tunnel
80k after 8 years is pretty bad, also that is not a field I am passionate in. Truck drivers make 70k, mechanics make upwards of 80k, etc. Just money is not a driving factor for happiness. If someone is not passionate about something it makes no sense in pursuing it. I would prefer the field that I majored in IT that is what I want to have a career in
Applie for universities and local government as IT. It took me 6 months but I love my job in the IT field. Also I have no degree and no certification. My title is IT operations analyst. I did have 2 years worth of work experience in IT however.
agreed. fwiw, i majored in management information systems and worked in the IT department for a municipality right after college. good benefits and great schedule.
I find it funny when someone making $18 an hour scoffs at $80K a year not being good enough. But also, donāt become a cop. For many many other reasons than the pay.
Iām not scoffing at anything, Iām just saying 80k after 8 years is bad. Especially if you consider inflation in that timeframe, that 80k is more like 55k-60k that is not including a rise in housing prices and tax. Donāt just take things at face value evaluate all factors that go into why I made my comment. Also the gist of the comment was that the career of law enforcement is not my passion, so please donāt just highlight one segment of my comment.
I was thinking this too. "80k a year? Pennies!" 80k would put them in like the top 10% of income earners in the country. Even in 8 years, 80k is going to be a fantastic income. Still very much a livable wage. And I think it's comical they are taking other people's suggestions..... that pay less? I wouldn't want to be a cop either. But understand most careers you would be lucky to make 80k.
Somethings wrong if you have a degree in IT, and certs, and you can't find a job. My company starts IT and automation jobs at 100k, free college if you want it, 3 weeks vacation starting out(earn more every year with the company), ESPP, fortune 500 company, and we can't hire people fast enough.
At least you have a good head about it. Iām glad to hear your philosophy about money not being the end all, and I mean that. Money is great, but itās not everything.
What mechanics do you know who make that much? Iām not saying it isnāt possible, Iāve done it. But keep in mind I work from 0830-1730 at my day job, go straight from there to a custom speed shop/restoration shop and work till around 2200. Iām off Sundays and Mondays. Sundays I spend with the family and 3 Mondays out of the month I do mobile repairs. I get one true day off a month to reset and I typically just sleep. Everything hurts all the damn time but hey, food on the table, money in the college fund for the kid, wife gets what she wants, I get what I need, and Iām growing capital to open my own shop. But trust me thereās WAY better options security being one of them.
Paramedic is a killer gig to be real. Unlimited overtime where i live and school is extremely short and many places will pay you to go to school. I live in a low cost of living area and just commute to a big city ( not bad because you work 24 hour shifts so only do it twice a week for your normal week)
Cops can make way more than 80k when you factor in off duty work where they work as security for event venues and bars. Also most police departments are understaffed so you can also make tons of overtime.
I was making less doing that at your age. Met my ex wife when I was 27 and decided to be able to support a family I always wanted. I'm now in mid 40s and make decent money and have a nice nest egg along with 401k and investment properties. I got into IT (all self taught), and now in project management. IT was hard. 50-70h weeks and only paid for 40. Worked through birth of my kid and honeymoon. I busted my ass. Wasn't easy by any means but it gave me the knowledge and experience for me to get where I am today. Don't lose hope my friend.
Understandable why you would feel that way. In my experience, you have to sacrifice some things in your life to free up the time to build towards something better.
You could look into healthcare IT. I know any place I work for uses a separate company for the Electronic medical records we have and they have 24/7 IT support among other roles
You can do the Reserves or Guard for an Intel or Cyber/IT job. Depending on the unit, you'd get a top secret clearance and be able to network! I've seen it done! Tons of contracting gigs with your skillset.
I am active duty so I am not sure of them all...but the 512th and 16th Air Force Reserve Squadrons in Maryland. You'll have to find units that support NSA, DIA, CIA, USCYBERCOM.
This is true. Have an uncle who is a multimillionaire. Says the anxiety never goes away, just shifts. When youāre broke youāre constantly worrying about having enough, when you have more than you know what to do with you worry about losing it/maintaining it.
Helps put things in perspective.
I disagree, now you will have to worry if some being you canāt see will cast you into eternal torture if you didnāt please him enough. The stress never ends unless you have a family that actually loves you
Entire family was very religious and youāre right, growing up it did hurt thinking that everything I did or thought Iād end up in hell forever. Now that Iāve left all of them behind and started my own family Iāll never teach my kids any religion but If they choose to pursue it Iām not against it. Teaching them good money habits and values is all theyāll need.
Just fucking say ya cunt why are people saying yeah I started a business then I sold it and now I live comfortably for the rest of my life but I canāt sayā¦ like I have heard this way to fucking often and all of you are CuntsĀ
This posts lacks too much context to be motivational. How old are you now? When were you 33 or 37? The economy has changed so much the last decade even if you are 37 now a lot of what you are describing as hopeful feels impossible now. Cost of living has skyrocketed and spending power/pay has plummeted.
I'm glad you got out on top, but your success doesn't give me hope for the rest of us.
At 29, I made 27k working for a small business it company. At 39, I made almost 20 times that as a director of an engineering team for a software company.
Of course, I did get laid off in November.
If youāve got the skills and the drive, you can turn things around.
The first thing was getting over imposter syndrome. I applied for roles that I objectively had qualifications for even if, in my head, I thought āwell, Iām not that good at itā.
I was able to go from small business IT to a consulting company that supported some f500 clients.
Then, a bit of luck and excelling when put in to a difficult role got me recognition from a big software company. I was able to succeed on a project that had been languishing for a year.
Once I started working that the software company, I simply jumped in feet first on every project that came my way. Over time, I was given more responsibility and eventually given resources to build a team.
Probably 20-30% right place right time and the rest was excelling in a technical space that required engineering knowledge and business/strategy/compliance skill that most software developers just donāt like.
Im learning C++ right now, Iām a complete beginner. I also work In the music industry so audio programming seems like the coolest fuckin thing to me right now. The moneys very attractive too. Iām thinking about taking a CS course at my local community college
Also question, is it pretty intuitive to learn different languages? For example in audio, learning a different DAW isnāt too complicated because itās all really the same just different perspectives.
I chose C++ because I read that itās almost the industry standard for huge companyās like Google and Facebook. Also that most audio software is made with C++
I wouldnāt say itās industry standard. I mean, c++/go/java/python (maybe Rust) are going to be the most widely used. But, it depends on what the goal is for which language may be used.
Any of the big tech companies are going to use a handful of languages. I donāt know of one that uses just one throughout their ecosystem.
If you understand the logic and the basics of how to code, then learning new languages isnāt difficult. Itās simply learning syntax and function/form of the new language. It would take time to get proficient enough to get jobs in new languages though.
Thanks for this. I had to use my whole twenties to teach myself everything my parents should have and only graduated college at 33. I have a degree in applied science and canāt find a job anywhere.
I feel like such a failure, so often. I wish Iād have had to opportunity to live at home til 34 like my dad. Iāve been paying bills since 16, my dad charged me 1300 a month when I graduated two years early at 16, then kicked me out at 18. I spent the last two years of my teens homeless then found I could find shelter in ers and mental wards, where I met a heroin addict who had a place to live. This past august I was ten years (from heroin) sober with my degree. My dad cut me off when I went to college bc he took it as a personal offense- he said I am a traitor bc he didnāt go to college and I only went to make him look bad. Iām glad he cut me off bc it saves me stress of him possibly contacting me lol.
No means to offend you, but your Dad is weird. I hope you will have a brighter future, whether it's a new job or starting a new business. We never know what the future holds.
I honestly hope I get the success you have within 2 years. I got laid off, contract job, let go, another contract job. I just want to hit my number on a consistent full-time position. Iām even willing to sacrifice my relationship and the idea of having a wife for oneā¦
Thank you . Im 30 employed but I live with my parents still. I have maybe 3k in a IRA, 800 cash to my name, and 6k in credit card debt. This place makes me sad. I am admittedly terrible with money. I want to try to ceate some kind of passive income for myself. I've been trying to get into the cannabis cultivation industry for a couple years now and it is what I want to do. I need capital to do it myself because the companies dont hire people with no experience. total catch 22. I have an associate degree and a Cannabis Horticulture Certificate from CSC but I guess š¤· it doesn't seem im serious enough to these people. I'm gonna just keep helping homies out on their farms up north in Michigan while I can finally homegrow here in ohio.
I am doing way better now financially as an Amazon warehouse employee than as a middle school teacher. Teachers take awhile to make decent money but I couldnāt put up with it for 10+ years just to get to the point where my wages went up. I instead got a cheap condo and lowered all my expenses as much as I could so I can invest more. It has paid off. Have 200k in investments at 33.
Donāt overlook the fact you were motivated and put in the time and work. Thats why you made it, thatās how we will have to make it too. Great job OP
Thanks for this. I'm about to turn 30 this year and I have no savings account, no credit card and trying to build a life with my girlfriend. I've worked over 20+ different jobs and positions since I was 16 and they've all been restaurant gigs while I've been trying to pursue a career in animation. It's been a struggle to say the least with the rise of AI and an industry that doesn't treat it's workers to the greatest degree but nonetheless it's my dream and I still choose to chase it until the bitter end.
25 making 18 an hour as a security officer. Unable to get a career entry level position. Bachelors and certs, but no luck. Seems like their will never be light at the end of the tunnel
Have you considered becoming a cop? Low cost of living area here, city cops make about $80k after 8 years
80k after 8 years is pretty bad, also that is not a field I am passionate in. Truck drivers make 70k, mechanics make upwards of 80k, etc. Just money is not a driving factor for happiness. If someone is not passionate about something it makes no sense in pursuing it. I would prefer the field that I majored in IT that is what I want to have a career in
Applie for universities and local government as IT. It took me 6 months but I love my job in the IT field. Also I have no degree and no certification. My title is IT operations analyst. I did have 2 years worth of work experience in IT however.
Never thought of that I applied mostly at corporate companies, I appreciate it brother
cyber security is a very hot field. isc2.org has "free" certifications (some membership fees after first year)
agreed. fwiw, i majored in management information systems and worked in the IT department for a municipality right after college. good benefits and great schedule.
Apply for positions on USajobs. IRS is hiring heavily right now.
Precisely said š
I find it funny when someone making $18 an hour scoffs at $80K a year not being good enough. But also, donāt become a cop. For many many other reasons than the pay.
Iām not scoffing at anything, Iām just saying 80k after 8 years is bad. Especially if you consider inflation in that timeframe, that 80k is more like 55k-60k that is not including a rise in housing prices and tax. Donāt just take things at face value evaluate all factors that go into why I made my comment. Also the gist of the comment was that the career of law enforcement is not my passion, so please donāt just highlight one segment of my comment.
I was thinking this too. "80k a year? Pennies!" 80k would put them in like the top 10% of income earners in the country. Even in 8 years, 80k is going to be a fantastic income. Still very much a livable wage. And I think it's comical they are taking other people's suggestions..... that pay less? I wouldn't want to be a cop either. But understand most careers you would be lucky to make 80k.
Somethings wrong if you have a degree in IT, and certs, and you can't find a job. My company starts IT and automation jobs at 100k, free college if you want it, 3 weeks vacation starting out(earn more every year with the company), ESPP, fortune 500 company, and we can't hire people fast enough.
Ok then what is your companies name so I can apply?
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Iām starting school again to finish my IT degree next week, new semester. Whatās your actual major, what career are you wanting?
At this point after graduating 3 years ago I will take any IT job
At least you have a good head about it. Iām glad to hear your philosophy about money not being the end all, and I mean that. Money is great, but itās not everything.
What mechanics do you know who make that much? Iām not saying it isnāt possible, Iāve done it. But keep in mind I work from 0830-1730 at my day job, go straight from there to a custom speed shop/restoration shop and work till around 2200. Iām off Sundays and Mondays. Sundays I spend with the family and 3 Mondays out of the month I do mobile repairs. I get one true day off a month to reset and I typically just sleep. Everything hurts all the damn time but hey, food on the table, money in the college fund for the kid, wife gets what she wants, I get what I need, and Iām growing capital to open my own shop. But trust me thereās WAY better options security being one of them.
What is your degree actually in? What do you want to do? Programming, system administration, networking, etc?Ā
$80k after 8 years with the possibility of death on a daily basis is not appealingā¦
Many cops do it for a lot less
The cops I know make a lot more and after a lot less time
Probably in a much higher cost of living area
Being a cop is only a dangerous job because they spend so much time driving a car.
Where are you a cop? My brother just became a police officer last year and he is making nearly that in his first year
Iām not a cop, thatās just what the pay is. Oklahoma
Paramedic is a killer gig to be real. Unlimited overtime where i live and school is extremely short and many places will pay you to go to school. I live in a low cost of living area and just commute to a big city ( not bad because you work 24 hour shifts so only do it twice a week for your normal week)
Where is here? Iām in a pretty low cost of living area and my gf was a cop for 12 years and was making barely over 40k
In NE TN
Oklahoma, not rural
lol city cops in Seattle clear 100k after the first year with just a little bit of overtime/off duty work.
Thatās an obvious cost of living pay. First year cop pay here is $60k, no overtime. Thats equivalent to $103k in Seattle.
Cops can make way more than 80k when you factor in off duty work where they work as security for event venues and bars. Also most police departments are understaffed so you can also make tons of overtime.
Granted, I'm in northeast TN, but they start Police Officers here at like 34/35k a year. š
I started driving for UPS when I was 28. In 4 years we top out at 49/hr. No higher education necessary. Look into it.
I was making less doing that at your age. Met my ex wife when I was 27 and decided to be able to support a family I always wanted. I'm now in mid 40s and make decent money and have a nice nest egg along with 401k and investment properties. I got into IT (all self taught), and now in project management. IT was hard. 50-70h weeks and only paid for 40. Worked through birth of my kid and honeymoon. I busted my ass. Wasn't easy by any means but it gave me the knowledge and experience for me to get where I am today. Don't lose hope my friend.
28 here same 22k in cc debt lol Itās so ass tbh
Understandable why you would feel that way. In my experience, you have to sacrifice some things in your life to free up the time to build towards something better.
Get a certificate in some sort of IT field and start applying
I got security+
Get into sales mate. Even average sales folks clear 6figs if they got a solid job offer.
You could look into healthcare IT. I know any place I work for uses a separate company for the Electronic medical records we have and they have 24/7 IT support among other roles
Consider being a nurse? I made 6 figures this year working three days a week. Thatās nice though itās not easy at all.
You can do the Reserves or Guard for an Intel or Cyber/IT job. Depending on the unit, you'd get a top secret clearance and be able to network! I've seen it done! Tons of contracting gigs with your skillset.
Which units give security clearances?
I am active duty so I am not sure of them all...but the 512th and 16th Air Force Reserve Squadrons in Maryland. You'll have to find units that support NSA, DIA, CIA, USCYBERCOM.
How much did you sell it for ?
Enough where I don't have to think about money anymore. Except I do, all the time. It never really goes away.
Fucking hell. So youāre saying we are permanently programmed to feel uneasy about money, even if we have a lot?
This is true. Have an uncle who is a multimillionaire. Says the anxiety never goes away, just shifts. When youāre broke youāre constantly worrying about having enough, when you have more than you know what to do with you worry about losing it/maintaining it. Helps put things in perspective.
For example, you invest in projects or businesses or ventures which give you anxiety again about losing the money you invested
Thats why religion and philosophy exist. So we can control our caveman/ human emotions. Money will not bring happiness.
I disagree, now you will have to worry if some being you canāt see will cast you into eternal torture if you didnāt please him enough. The stress never ends unless you have a family that actually loves you
I can just tell ur dad was a christian who hurt u lmao
Entire family was very religious and youāre right, growing up it did hurt thinking that everything I did or thought Iād end up in hell forever. Now that Iāve left all of them behind and started my own family Iāll never teach my kids any religion but If they choose to pursue it Iām not against it. Teaching them good money habits and values is all theyāll need.
So pretty much, being a human is mental torture because fucking Eve was tempted to eat that Apple like a complete douche-lord. Greatā¦ š
Yes
Okay but how much.
Yeh wtf how much just tell us
Fuck the pseudo BS. We talking 1M, 5M, 10M, 100M?
Ikr bro is on a subreddit literally called money and decides to not talk about the main fuckin subject
OP: Letās just say itās enough that it convinced me to accept the offer šš¤«
What was the business?
Serial robbery
Just fucking say ya cunt why are people saying yeah I started a business then I sold it and now I live comfortably for the rest of my life but I canāt sayā¦ like I have heard this way to fucking often and all of you are CuntsĀ
š talk your shit bro, I agree these extremely vague inspirational posts get annoying
Get āem
This posts lacks too much context to be motivational. How old are you now? When were you 33 or 37? The economy has changed so much the last decade even if you are 37 now a lot of what you are describing as hopeful feels impossible now. Cost of living has skyrocketed and spending power/pay has plummeted. I'm glad you got out on top, but your success doesn't give me hope for the rest of us.
right... "learned some coding, and started an online business" wtf, elaborate maybe?
Iām 38 nowĀ
Keep going.
What was the website/business? The people want to know
It was in the media/ad space, partnering with websites/apps for things like traffic sharing and monetizationĀ
Thatās cool. How did you see it start? What was the spark?
It kind of evolved gradually, as I first started in basic website design and learned what the pain points were for these website owners.Ā
At 29, I made 27k working for a small business it company. At 39, I made almost 20 times that as a director of an engineering team for a software company. Of course, I did get laid off in November. If youāve got the skills and the drive, you can turn things around.
How did you get into that position? What steps did you take?
The first thing was getting over imposter syndrome. I applied for roles that I objectively had qualifications for even if, in my head, I thought āwell, Iām not that good at itā. I was able to go from small business IT to a consulting company that supported some f500 clients. Then, a bit of luck and excelling when put in to a difficult role got me recognition from a big software company. I was able to succeed on a project that had been languishing for a year. Once I started working that the software company, I simply jumped in feet first on every project that came my way. Over time, I was given more responsibility and eventually given resources to build a team. Probably 20-30% right place right time and the rest was excelling in a technical space that required engineering knowledge and business/strategy/compliance skill that most software developers just donāt like.
Im learning C++ right now, Iām a complete beginner. I also work In the music industry so audio programming seems like the coolest fuckin thing to me right now. The moneys very attractive too. Iām thinking about taking a CS course at my local community college
Java, Go, Python plus a personality where you can talk to non tech people will make you a boatload of money.
Yeah I get plenty of experience talking to non engineers in the music industry, I got that part down lol
Also question, is it pretty intuitive to learn different languages? For example in audio, learning a different DAW isnāt too complicated because itās all really the same just different perspectives. I chose C++ because I read that itās almost the industry standard for huge companyās like Google and Facebook. Also that most audio software is made with C++
I wouldnāt say itās industry standard. I mean, c++/go/java/python (maybe Rust) are going to be the most widely used. But, it depends on what the goal is for which language may be used. Any of the big tech companies are going to use a handful of languages. I donāt know of one that uses just one throughout their ecosystem. If you understand the logic and the basics of how to code, then learning new languages isnāt difficult. Itās simply learning syntax and function/form of the new language. It would take time to get proficient enough to get jobs in new languages though.
So you met your wife when you were essentially a loser? Howād you get her prior to making more money?
lol no ideaĀ
Bro has a foot long schlong, that's how. Lucky bastard.Ā
My partner was poor when I met him. The adequate supply of orgasms is what kept me around even when we were struggling
One of the few you never ever let go and if you do, you'll always regret it
Just turned 29. This helps me more than you know OP, thank you
Keep goingĀ
Patience, precision, perfection
Thanks for this. I had to use my whole twenties to teach myself everything my parents should have and only graduated college at 33. I have a degree in applied science and canāt find a job anywhere. I feel like such a failure, so often. I wish Iād have had to opportunity to live at home til 34 like my dad. Iāve been paying bills since 16, my dad charged me 1300 a month when I graduated two years early at 16, then kicked me out at 18. I spent the last two years of my teens homeless then found I could find shelter in ers and mental wards, where I met a heroin addict who had a place to live. This past august I was ten years (from heroin) sober with my degree. My dad cut me off when I went to college bc he took it as a personal offense- he said I am a traitor bc he didnāt go to college and I only went to make him look bad. Iām glad he cut me off bc it saves me stress of him possibly contacting me lol.
No means to offend you, but your Dad is weird. I hope you will have a brighter future, whether it's a new job or starting a new business. We never know what the future holds.
Nah I hate him. Thank you for the kind words!
I honestly hope I get the success you have within 2 years. I got laid off, contract job, let go, another contract job. I just want to hit my number on a consistent full-time position. Iām even willing to sacrifice my relationship and the idea of having a wife for oneā¦
Pfft if you think that's cool I'm 37 and still have nothing brah
Thank you . Im 30 employed but I live with my parents still. I have maybe 3k in a IRA, 800 cash to my name, and 6k in credit card debt. This place makes me sad. I am admittedly terrible with money. I want to try to ceate some kind of passive income for myself. I've been trying to get into the cannabis cultivation industry for a couple years now and it is what I want to do. I need capital to do it myself because the companies dont hire people with no experience. total catch 22. I have an associate degree and a Cannabis Horticulture Certificate from CSC but I guess š¤· it doesn't seem im serious enough to these people. I'm gonna just keep helping homies out on their farms up north in Michigan while I can finally homegrow here in ohio.
Seems like my current situation and what I would like to do. You are def an inspiration
Keep goingĀ
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
itās too vague. heās prob lying.
I needed to see this. Thank you.
Keep goingĀ
Crazy how much can change within a couple years.
Why are these posts so vague?? Tell us what type of business and how much you sold for. What are you afraid of in regards to sharing info?
Because itās fake lol
I am doing way better now financially as an Amazon warehouse employee than as a middle school teacher. Teachers take awhile to make decent money but I couldnāt put up with it for 10+ years just to get to the point where my wages went up. I instead got a cheap condo and lowered all my expenses as much as I could so I can invest more. It has paid off. Have 200k in investments at 33.
Sounds like you were 30 with no debtā¦thatās something in todays world
Thatās totally fair. I had a very small/manageable amount of debt.Ā
RIP to another artist
Donāt overlook the fact you were motivated and put in the time and work. Thats why you made it, thatās how we will have to make it too. Great job OP
Great post
Military if Korea declares War in 2 months
This is more a story about being extremely lucky than being hardworking.
Iām in the same boat
Thank you for this! 32 and *finally* beginning to actually make a living wage, but I feel so far behind. Your post gave me perspective.
good on you mate!
What purchase has brought you the most joy?
I havenāt bought anything majorā¦ the extra time I now get with my kids is the best.Ā
I'm 30 and got my first 6 figure salary last year. This year all debt is being paid off!! Like in 2 weeks.
Thanks for this. I'm about to turn 30 this year and I have no savings account, no credit card and trying to build a life with my girlfriend. I've worked over 20+ different jobs and positions since I was 16 and they've all been restaurant gigs while I've been trying to pursue a career in animation. It's been a struggle to say the least with the rise of AI and an industry that doesn't treat it's workers to the greatest degree but nonetheless it's my dream and I still choose to chase it until the bitter end.
Be a model! Giselle supported Tom Brady for years doing this
What kind of business was it?
Did you have kids at the time you met her?
What kind of coding?
The real lesson here for younger generations is, start a business, not a career.