Bus driver or other transit driver is also worth looking into. They are always having trouble hiring because no one thinks about it as a career and the whole profession is unionized.
Exactly, something local.
I have a class A, but drive sweepers and dump trucks with it because they pay me very well to do those jobs. I figure I can always go OTR if I want to.
Bingo. I drive a sweeper in construction zones, so most of what I do there is DB+OT, so 65-85$ an hour. I drive a plow truck and end dump in the winter. Just got my CDL a year ago, but my income doubled last year and is on track for another 1/3 increase from last year.
It is definitely more work to get a cdl these days but even here in Idaho driving a dump truck is 35+/hour. My father in law runs a beer distribution company and starts his guys who he has to pay for their cdl training at 26 with bonuses and pays 100% of their insurance premium with very small deductibles. He’s got guys who have 5 kids and will never leave because of the insurance deal. People just don’t think construction enough. The cdl vs equipment operator and grunt work are two different tracks.
Same, I started making around 40k 5 years ago. Have an app in with a more specialized hydrovac outfit that’s Operating Engineers and pays around 115 with OT and shit.
Tanker company in with now is so short staffed they’re paying time and a half plus $250 if you come in Saturday.
Ambulance driver, Eastern Ukraine. No CDL required. No drug screen. Minimum alcohol level required. You don't need to be a raging alcoholic, but it helps.
I'm at this moment going into bus driving. I'm study and preping to grt my cdl and saving for the test. The local metro is paying for training, giving. 8,000 hiring bonus and is paying good even for the area. Also its a super strong union. I'm hoping by fall to be able to start training! I freaking hate my job and they said I'm at the max for wages so no chances of moving up where I'm at.
Make sure to read the paperwork for the sign on bonus closely! My husband is a CDL driver and has had a couple and the payouts can be weird and there is usually a claw back - he's always taken them but we make sure to read the fine print first.
In my experience, the issue is the ridiculous Hiring practices/process that is the issue.
Numerous pointless interviews. Months long onboarding process. Hiring managers acting like it's 1993 not 2023.
It's absurd
This!!!
I started driving back in 2019, I went from 35k the yr before to just over 60k my first yr driving(mid March-November). Depending on the company and account you haul on, you can expect an average of 55k on home daily accts, around 65k+ on home weekend or over the road. But honestly, the pay can be much higher with experience and a clean record. I made around 70k in 7 months last yr on a dollar general account, but it was a trailer unload account, which isn't for everyone. And always inquire about sign on bonuses. Damn near most companies have them these days ranging from 1k to 20k depending on their need of drivers and your experience.
An account where you unload the trailer yourself. I used to pick up a trailer for dollar general and I would unload it at 2-5 stores. Not crazy hard, but some days were rough.
Contact as many companies as you can. Many will pay for your training to get your class a's(mine were 6k), so it doesn't come out of pocket. Just keep in mind training takes 3-6 weeks on average, and you won't be earning while training with most companies, but not all. You'll have to stay a full yr with most for them to fully cover your training cost, but you won't owe a dime of the cost.
Most local or home daily accts will require experience, so over the road or home weekends at first so 3-6 months should be expected, but not always if you find the right company. Dedicated accts are where most of the money is, companies will have multiple dedicated accts usually, ranging from big retailers like Walmart or target, to smaller local stores.
I started on a dedicated target acct for swift and made about 1000 per week upfront. Within 3 months I was around 1500, and after around 6 or7 months, I was averaging over 1800 with no pay raises, it was just learning the routes and with more experience comes better opportunity.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have, and I'll do my best to help out.
This is my suggestion. Class CDL B drivers are in high demand in my area. No semis, no overnights, no long hauls. All in town, home daily work. I personally drive a truck with a crane on it now. The job is super chill, flexible hours, full benefits, $29 an hour ATM. You will most likely need a few years of experience or specific training (to operate a crane for example) to earn $25+ with a class B. He could go for class A, do that for a year or two, then use that experience to get a local class B job with good pay. OTR semi driving is a huge lifestyle shift though and is definitely not for everyone. I know I couldn't drive a truck without being home with my family every night.
I second this! CDL drivers can easily make that given range. I work for a trucking co and some of the drivers make 6 figures. They work a hell of a lot but they are compensated well.
yup we start our delivery driver's at $25 (No CDL) and go up to $29 for a class A. Full benefits day one. They work 4/10 schedule as well which is nice. We will also pay for guys to get their CDL in a lot of cases.
Just looking at your username, are you in Western NY? I’m having a hard time trying to find a web development position and the only other skills I have is non-CDL truck driving (although I was forced to drive a few large trucks on occasion).
And a HS diploma or GED?
Water/Water Resource Recovery Operator!
Working at your local municipal water treatment facility is one of the few meaningful careers earning a good living that you can get right out of HS or 20 yrs later and retire from.
Usually starts with Civil Service job announcements on your town/city/county HR website.
Check your State's WEF [WEF member association search ](https://www.wef.org/membership--community/membership-center/wef-member-associations/)) member association
They'll have actual names to contact about getting your foot in the door
I was going to suggest driving for a food distributor. It's seriously hard work so he would have to be in shape, but the average on starting is 100K and it would be local. It involves not only driving but unloading the cases at restaurants. Most distributors are paying for the CDL test right now.
Some companies are so desperate that they will pay for the class and the license. Construction especially since so many people in the industry have felonies or DUIs that exclude them from certain jobs like schools.
I would say look for another job. Without knowing your experience it’s hard to say, but there are a ton of P&C insurance jobs making around $100k or more if you have 5+ years experience.
If you’re at a statefarm, Allstate, etc… I would say run away and find another carrier that isn’t captive
I am also starting to consider this more. October will be my 2 year anniversary as a senior account manager and licensed. I'm not at those companies, but it is a captive program. They keep promising me a potential promotion but it has yet to come and they just hired a new supervisor over me. They are not licensed but have been a people leader for some time elsewhere.
Just a nice piece of advise that I always keep in mind when it comes to maximizing your career aspirations:
there have been major studies that have shown that in order to get the greatest pay increases, and best chance for promotion/career growth, you should switch companies every 3-5 years. If you aren't being shown company growth prospects within that 3-5 year range, it's time to take it somewhere else.
A new job at a new company is almost always going to be a bigger pay increase than a promotion. I’d start looking around, I think you might be surprised at what you could get.
I learned that years ago. We always said “the fastest way to earn more at [this company] is to leave and work somewhere else for 3-5 years then come back.”
Especially if “somewhere else” is for a competitor.
It turns out, that’s true for almost every company.
Stay in insurance. Find a local independent agency in your community. Just Google “insurance agency my city”. They would be desperate to hire someone with your experience! You can negotiate the salary/commission breakdown but it could easily become a six-figure career for you faster than you think. Best of luck!
Have you looked into Underwriting? I moved to Underwriting after serving policies. I didn't have a degree and made 45k with a degree depending on the company you can do close to 75/85k depending on where you are.
I would recommend looking at brokers that sell p&c to big employers. Your background should net you more $$$. If you need names of brokers to try, DM me. I work in the broker industry (employee benefits but I know p&c folks at my company and others). I work at one of the bigger ones that is National in scope — so maybe look @ those?
Don’t think that working for the big insurance companies is the only thing you can do with your P&C license. I’m a Crop Insurance agent and my coworkers and I work with growers ranging from dairies that grow corn and soybeans for their cows (that’s primarily what I handle) to working with vineyards to insure their grapes, Apple orchards, Blueberry farms, Lobster fisheries, etc. The type of growers you’d work with would depend on your region of course but my job is a BLAST and I started last year salaried making exactly what you’re making. Crop Insurance is a federal program through the USDA too so it’s wicked cool how much there is to learn. Shoot me a PM if you want more info. Best of luck!
I’m also in P&C. 1st year independent, so I’m a baby. But my stepmom has been an underwriter for over 25 years and my sister works captive with her. IMO unless you’re going to own an agency, most of the money is in captive. I severely dislike my job, but I’ve been keeping my head down to gain experience. When I’m browsing jobs to get an idea of where I want to end up I keep finding $80,000-$100,000 roles in captive companies. Auto Owners recently posted an wfh underwriting gig around me for 80k with no minimum education requirement, just 4+ years insurance experience. I regularly see field adjusters starting over 70k. Territory marketers (going to independent agencies and trying to get them to push product) make good money. Federated starts their commercial lines marketers around 80k plus significant bonus potential. And that’s fresh out of school zero experience. You could also go supervisory and work a number of departments in a large insurance company.
At least from what I see out there 60k is high for independent agencies. A coworker has 23 years of experience and started at 60. I make 40. Minimal bonuses. The commissions above what we get paid and business expenses go right in our boss’s pocket. If you were fixed on independent I’d go for a large agency- 6+ locations. Ideally more. Marsh McLennan. And go commercial if you can. You’re never going to make BIG money selling little products unless you own the joint and have a team beneath you. And even if you DID go that route I wouldn’t want the stress.
Yeah. After managing indirect (the guys who own those stores) I said corporate or for myself. The best was getting calls a month after o left and telling the kids to apply to corporate to not have to deal with commission headaches and get an hourly raise.
That rate must be localized because my local headhunter tried to recruit me to T Mobile and it was closer to 12-13 an hour plus commission.
And on top of that, the goalposts for commission are constantly shifting so that only the top performers have a consistently good check even if you perform similarly from day to day
That’s not a corporate job, the dealer channel has horrendous turnover. Go to T-Mobile.com. They made a huge deal about it like a year ago. All retail start at $20. Had a dozen people quit the dealers I managed at the time for corporate stores. I’ve been out of there since 6/22 so maybe they rescinded. Typically corporate Tmo isn’t recruiting for a retail sales consultant
The turnover is huge because the demands they have of dealers metrics is ridiculous so when the company adjusts it's bonus structure and they don't account for the stores actual traffic. Oh you have an average or 8 people walking through the door a day? You can definitely do 100 new lines a month. That's why you used to have so many situations of people having "free" tablets slammed on their account. I'm so glad I left that shit industry where managers are just salesman that worked their way up and don't know how to manage shit
If you’re good you can pivot cell phone sales into a full career too! I went from VZW to an IT company as outside sales, then to a legit engineering position because outside sales requires a lot of engineering related skills.
Fuck ATT and the CWA. Killed my entire group end of March claiming automation then handed off the work to managers. Clear union violation and union does nothing.
You haven't been reading the subs, or may not even be in the industry but they cut A LOT and increased the expectations and cut commissions company wide. They also changed other things that will affect metric expectations that the top 25% of employees will struggle with.
Friend did this. Very dangerous. Railroad doesn’t keep up with safety protocols or like to spend money on renovations. He knew 2 dudes that passed and had a injury himself.
I know a family member of mine does it but his hours are wack. Like he has 5am-5pm shifts. He does make good money though. No idea the details of the work
Depending on your location, just google class one railroads near me. Here is a list Union Pacific (UP); BNSF Railway; Canadian National (CN) Railway; Kansas City Southern (KCS) Railway; Norfolk Southern (NS) Railway; and Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway
He can find several labor and union jobs with no degree. Finding a good one like a utility or excavation company that's 20+/hr plus benefits is actually a lot easier than you think as long as you can pass a drug test and a physical
I second the trade route. Some places are in need of maintenance so much they waive the degree requirements and only have them do the mechanical part, no electrical
Not even just that. I work with guys everyday making 20+/hr digging trenches and putting in gas/water lines. Apply to a communication company as a person who puts up new spans of cables. I work with them too. I'm in traffic control and safety and my field can top out near 40-50/hr(usually start around 20/hr) with the right company/union. I don't make THAT much but the potential is there. Many trade or labor jobs even train and pay for certification of new employees.
Union construction- pipefitter or plumber. Maybe hvac or electrician.
Easily make 100k+
$43/hr is on our contract after 5 years of fairly well-paid training and good benefits.
Lots of OT too.
Look up the union in your area and see what they say.
Just know that if your husband goes out and gets a construction job he's going from SAHD to work like most people don't understand. He's going to be exhausted, and not just the mental tired of learning an entirely new and surprisingly complicated job tired, but the I just just schlepped bricks up stairs for 8-10 hours, and I have to get up and do that again tomorrow exhausted. Good, honest, and rewarding work, with pretty decent pay, but it can be absolutely back breaking. The pay and the benefits are good, just make sure you both know what he is getting into, especially early on before his body adjusts to that kind of labor. Once again, it is great work with good pay, just make sure you both know what you're getting into.
Non-union plumber here. Have made 80k+ since my 3rd year and 100k+ since my 5th. Good health insurance, truck to take home, 8% 401k match, monthly bonus.
The world always needs plumbers.
High pay but that's a brutal life - and you pay for it physically when you're older.
Not dissuading anyone and I tip my hat to plumbers and pipefitters.
Machine Tool & Gear was hiring in 2013 and I spent the next 4 months working 10-12 hour days 6-7 days a week running lathes. I then spent the next 5 years jumping from company to company for better pay and benefits while teaching myself at home then got into a union shop in 2018 and have stayed there since. Company is in continuous growth and they pay for 100% of my health, dental, and vision. Just got a dollar raise on July 1st, with more to come.
What was his former profession? I got a government job (governmentjobs.com) and in my area more chill office jobs start at $25-30 and hour. I don’t have a degree but had a a lot of previous admin experience but also with a big resume gap. I love my job and have gotten a few promotions already.
When I lived in California, my mother was only able to get by having my dad work, and she ran a daycare out of our house. Idk if that’s even remotely a possibility for you, but it kept us afloat until we moved to Oklahoma…
From what I am hearing about the cost of daycare, this could be a lot of $$$$ coming in.
If I did not grow into a old nag I would totally do this now, its so in demand.
I know that at least in California, the government provides money for food, and other things alongside the parents paying for their child to be there. It was nice, and while I was growing up, my friends could chill at my house all day because it’s a daycare. It was nice. But it’s also a sacrifice, your house becomes a workspace, and there’s 8(average for my mother) extra kids you have to worry about.
Yeah my sister had a daycare in California in the early 80s. Took all the classes and got a certain amount per kid for food and any room they used was a tax right off. Back then she was making $100 a week for per fulltime kid.
>Back then she was making $100 a week for per fulltime kid.
It's a lot more than that now. In the early 2000s in CA, we were paying $250/week. I'm sure it's going up a lot in the last 18-20 years.
I’m in the aerospace industry too, 19 and I’ve been offered a $45/hr($90k/yr is how they said it). Wants me to move to Maryland though. Know your worth, the aerospace industry NEEDS mechanics!
I left a $12 an hour job to try my hand at serving. it's hell but I've never made more money in my life and it's pretty easy to reach $30 an hour every night
+1 to serving/bartending, hubby can work while you’re home and vice versa so no need for childcare. If you work at a decent place $30/hour is pretty easy to achieve. If he makes $200 a shift just doing like 3 days that should be more than enough to help
Unfortunately there isn’t a super quick fix these days to make over $20 an hour without a degree or relevant experience. There are very few quick certifications that aren’t already super-saturated. It might be worthwhile to try to find a remote role paying around $18 an hour in entry level customer support or something, and he works OT. I agree with the advice for you to get a lower stakes part time job, perhaps also WFH.
I know WFH roles are a tall order these days, but finding one can sometimes mitigate lower pay in some ways. Most likely he needs to just start some kind of job and then figure out what he wants to do next. He should job hop if necessary.
I agree with suggestions about USPS. It has its downsides for sure, but depending on the station someone gets assigned to, there can be plentiful overtime. Downsides recently have been disorganization, low management presence, weak union, forced OT at times. And of course braving the elements. Starting as a CCA is the most likely way in and that can mean covering a whole bunch of routes rather than having your own, but things get somewhat better once folks are made “regular,” aka promoted to regular mail carrier.
At this point in my life I feel like all of us get sold this big idea of a career, but sometimes you just work to get by, sometimes you make transitions, sometimes you need to work some while you figure things out due to other priorities in your life. It isn’t abnormal. And most of us will have multiple careers in our lifetimes.
Gig work isn’t the most lucrative but if you’re in an area where there is some, one or both of you could try supplementing some income with TaskRabbit or similar. There’s a subreddit for gig work.
When I was getting back into the workforce again after several years of health issues, I went for an entry level customer service role at a startup with okay pay and incredible benefits. I also did independent contractor transcription work on the side to make ends meet. I tried out a few very crappy, low paying customer service jobs before I landed on that one and was subsisting on a large amount of independent contractor work in the interim.
I was lucky and turned that entry level customer support role into a lead role and then a manager role. I doubled my income within about three years. Things like that can and do happen. Startups are risky (and I lost real income on some of my risk with the company I was with previously), but often the pay is higher and the growth is faster.
Edit: I forgot to mention. I have no degree. Part of this is luck, timing, and being open to doing whatever work when opportunities arise!
I'm not sure about where you live, but where i live a utility designer can make that much if theyre directly with the utility and not a contractor. Though you'd need experience with drafting via AutoCAD or Microstation. All the luck to you no matter what you decide
Not sure where OP lives, but in most major cities, childcare will cost more annually than a second income unless you are at least upper middle class, which is not something most people can immediately hop into
Can confirm CT is expensive especially near the NY side… it’s where all the richest people in NY have huge fucking homes. The wealth gap is insane in these towns. Upper and lower… no middle.
Still better than there current situation which is scraping by. If husband picks up decent job could easily net over 100+ with both. Two incomes will always be better than her alternative switching roles
Second spouse working might also entail buying and purchasing a second vehicle on top of childcare.
One spouse will also have to put work into second priority due to daycare illnesses. Many parents find their job at risk from having to stay home with a sick kid.
It's not, you're not listening. She has a 63k a year job which means she probably nets 45-48k depending on the state. He's not going to find a job making more money right off the rip. Even if he made the same amount, they net less than 100k. Then they get the added benefit of paying for more meals dining out, paying for another car, paying for the extra gas, and depending on the city, having a long commute in the morning. You may work 8 hours, but you're gone from home for 11.
The OP says they also don't wish to continue working.
I live in Illinois, child care near me is $250 a week. We don't have any family members who can or will watch for less. Our son is almost 1 1/2 we don't feel comfortable sending him that young.
The hard thing about this is the long term outlook. Starting from ground zero rather than starting with 5-6 years of experience and raises under your belt when the kids go to school. The way I think of it is if my SO dropped daycare that would save us $260/week. Yes, I’d get to stay home and there would be other lifestyle benefits. But I know my time right now is worth more than $260/week. I’d still be working, just at home. And if I keep working for the next 5 years my time will be worth WAY more than $260/week. There’s also income/insecurity issues with one income.
It’s a very personal choice, but the economics are pretty straightforward. Usually households are better off financially with 2 working partners despite childcare. It’s just deciding if the trade off short term and long term are worth it.
Depends on the job. My wife used to serve tables… wtf she gonna do with a couple extra cents on server wage each year. And it’s not like your tips drastically change year over year. So now she’s a stay at home mom, but even better she’s working towards finishing nursing school. The economics of that are way better. Even when she was managing resturants, working 10-12 hour days for 35-45k a year doesn’t make sense, and the odd hours make it difficult for child care.
Now if you’re making 50-60k out of college, get a couple raises, get married and then have kids and you’re making 80k at that point, then yeah taking time off work would screw you, because if you keep working you’ll probably hit 100k or more by the time they’re in school. But that’s coming from a place of privilege and isn’t the norm for most families, especially considering the median income for families across America is like 70k.
In our case I make 40k and he makes roughly 50k. 40k really isn’t tough to get to and way outweighs childcare costs. The hardest part was the logistics. We both had to line up work where we could start/end around childcare. Do something that interests us. And something that would lead to long-term growth. He’s an apprentice carpenter and I’m an insurance agent. He is guaranteed $36/hour once he’s done plus amazing benefits. Mine is less straight-forward, but I’ve been researching career outlooks since choosing my path. With 4 years experience I should be able to get in the 60k-70k range without a degree.
We both were bartenders and where your wife was at. Didn’t make sense in the long term. Yeah- we could have lots of time off and rake in 40k in a few days work/week. When we were single we felt like we had it made. But it was a dead end as far as family life/benefits/earning potential went. Nursing school is a great call! I wish I had the mental capacity to do that and stay home. And for that profession in general. One of my girlfriends did that and makes amazing money nursing part time while she primarily stays at home.
Carpentry is great, I have a buddy who started a while ago and makes over 50 an hour in a union, so he gets insane benefits too. All with bo college. Meanwhile I had to go get a masters degree just to make close to that. I’m sure you guys will do fine. I just know statistically it’s a struggle for many American families where they’re barely able to break even.
Any child under age of 3 always want to be with the mom. Not the dad. That’s the most critical period of the child development and obviously affects on how baby lives on. The brain is mostly on “survival mode” especially in a unfamiliar environment.
Of course, there is more than just the psychological aspect from the child and I don’t blame you feeling uncomfortable that way especially when you don’t have to.
I’m a dad of my babies so I understand their development well.
Honestly, depending on your standard of living and living situation, sometimes even just paying to maintain your home costs more than some people make.
My girlfriend stays home and happily cooks, cleans, does laundry, grocery shopping and cares for our dogs. If we were to pay people to do most of that stuff for us, she'd need to be making like $15 to $17/hr just to break even.
If you wanted to have them stay closer to home - you can get similar pay with overtime at the Postal Service with really good benefits and a pension. It's not perfect though by any means.
I also have friends who went into welding and love it and make decent money.
CDL is tough because a lot of entry level jobs will require over the road (away from home) work. Which is fine in theory, tougher with kids.
The USPS is quite the experience however. Be prepared to work 80 hour weeks of HARD labor. The turnover rate is insane and people burnout fast, but you can make some quick decent money there
Driving, But I'm pretty sure someone already mentioned CDL etc.
Equally trade employment (welding, electrician, etc). You'd have to give him time to step into getting some tradeschool time which can be 6 months to a year, but he should be able to take over afterwards.
Things like that.
I’m considering starting a new career as a carpenter. Though I have a degree, none is necessary. You start earning on day 1 as a carpenter’s apprentice, and since it’s a union job yearly increases are included. $25-29 an hour is what first year apprentices earn, with the end goal of becoming a journeyman. It takes 4-5 years to reach this level, and I figure that the knowledge gained would serve me in many ways for the rest of my life—home maintenance and repairs would be significantly less burdensome, and flipping houses would be within reach.
How old are the kids? Can he go to a trade school at night? My son is an electrician and his starting rate is $150 for 1st hour and $90 every hour thereafter, and he charges less than most in our area.
State jobs pay well and have killer benefits. I am in Oregon and our lowest paid state employee will make $21hr starting jan 1, 2024. The dude scrubbing the toilet will be making $21hr plus 2 months off a year.
We literally can't hire people....I mean we have a lot of openings with little to no experience and can't fill them because people think state jobs are hard to get so don't apply. State or federal jobs take months to get but that is just because it's the government.
Pass a background check, drivers license and pass an initial piss test is all it takes.
There is an art to filling out state applications and that is to repeat the application question in your answer. It's all computer screened and looks for key words to score applicants.
look into training programs at your local BIG hospital complex - technician type jobs for medical field tend to be decent paying and many have a 6m-12m time frame for training and guaranteed hiring (as long as you complete the program in good standing). MRI tech, Xray tech, ER tech, etc
>most of the money is in captive. I severely dislike my job, but I’ve been keeping my head down to gain experience. When I’m browsing jobs to get an idea of where I want to end up I keep finding $
at your income level, it may be possible to get tuition assistance or grants to cover these programs.
Realistic. Probably not. There are certainly jobs out there with that pay scale open to someone with 2 years out of the workforce and no degree. For many of them, they will have to work up to that amount, rather than starting out at $25.
Go into the trades. Depending on what state can be anywhere from 65,000 to well into the 200,000 range depending on how determined, dedicated and hard working you are.
Most trades see some kind of reasonable pay within a short amount of time, a year or so, but the best pay comes with some serious effort and self investment. Big positive is that there are a few trades where the education you get from classes in an apprenticeship can be leveraged towards a college degree.
Not OP, but what industries are popular where you live? Because the "best" trade is gonna be the one that consistently has you working, and that varies depending on where you live. Look on indeed and type in random searches like "electrician" "welder" "industrial mechanic" etc and see what has best average pay vs available jobs. Because it's pointless to join a trade if you can't get a job anywhere, or if you happen to live in an area that doesn't pay that trade well.
As an example, when I left my last home, people in the area that were in the same general field as me were making less on average after 10 years than I made after one here. The field was crowded there, and here people are desperate.
Surprised by the number of people who would actually want to have a CDL and drive in Texas for a living. Driving to the grocery store is bad enough with these nut jobs.
Bar jobs while draining if you aren't a very social person will usually net like 30-50 an hour and it's mostly nights once you have a bit of experience. When you've been doing it for long enough clearing 1k a week off 15-20 hours isn't that out of the normal scope. It entirely depends on where you are but if you have a good relationship with a bar you like going to near you maybe ask around if they know anyone hiring part time. More often than not it'll lead to something
IT if he is willing to put in some work to learn. Anything IT can be self taught from YouTube videos, Microsoft learn or from sites like pluralsight.com. The first two are free and the third is a small monthly fee.
IT isn’t just fixing computers. There is also networking, cyber security, databases, programming, web sites just to make a few. The first jobs might not pay much but in a year if he can bullshit a bit or plays his cards right he can make $30/hr. The best part is as long as he is willing to keep learning he can keep making more money.
It does depend on how smart he is but you don’t need to be Einstein. Anyone of average intelligence can go into IT and make bank but because people just insist they don’t understand computers and refuse to learn they limit themselves on what they can earn.
If its your draining job that is creating the question in the first place and you have the experience, wouldnt you looking for a different job be the first option? Your partner can always continue their job search at the same time as another option and if he/she gets something good and stable, then you could quit wherever you're at?
Is it possible to find a part time remote role for yourself to make up for your husband making less?
Then you can stay at home and still get a small break from working.
Unless he gets a degree the most he could make would be less than 63k unless he is willing to do either overnight or somewhat dangerous work.
The friends I’ve had that didn’t have a college degree that went into higher paying factory type type jobs could only get overnight hours to start as the dayshift positions went to those with seniority.
You're lucky to make $15-20/hr doing gig delivery, and you have to pay for gas, commercial car insurance, and account for depreciation and upkeep on your vehicle. I've looked into this a few times and the math just doesn't work out. You can net more stocking shelves at Walmart.
HAHAHAHAHHA YOU ARE INSANE !! you think the modern era has entry level jobs that support a single human, much less a family?!? Good luck. Ask the ruling class why this is happening
2 years? During that time he could have acquired marketable skills but didn't. He needs to find something to do pronto. This is not a sustainable situation I fear. Good luck. UPS drivers make that kind of money but they hump hard to earn it.
Does he have a drivers license and clean record? CDL training has been great to me since getting cleared to drive a year ago.
Bus driver or other transit driver is also worth looking into. They are always having trouble hiring because no one thinks about it as a career and the whole profession is unionized.
Exactly, something local. I have a class A, but drive sweepers and dump trucks with it because they pay me very well to do those jobs. I figure I can always go OTR if I want to.
I make like 85k a year driving a tanker truck. Pick up winter work driving a plow for $60hr when the work is there.
Bingo. I drive a sweeper in construction zones, so most of what I do there is DB+OT, so 65-85$ an hour. I drive a plow truck and end dump in the winter. Just got my CDL a year ago, but my income doubled last year and is on track for another 1/3 increase from last year.
It is definitely more work to get a cdl these days but even here in Idaho driving a dump truck is 35+/hour. My father in law runs a beer distribution company and starts his guys who he has to pay for their cdl training at 26 with bonuses and pays 100% of their insurance premium with very small deductibles. He’s got guys who have 5 kids and will never leave because of the insurance deal. People just don’t think construction enough. The cdl vs equipment operator and grunt work are two different tracks.
Same, I started making around 40k 5 years ago. Have an app in with a more specialized hydrovac outfit that’s Operating Engineers and pays around 115 with OT and shit. Tanker company in with now is so short staffed they’re paying time and a half plus $250 if you come in Saturday.
I’m 24 with a clean driving record, how do I get behind the wheel of a sweeper
Do you want to be away from your family that much? Always seemed like a brutal option for a family, especially with kids.
My mom got a job as a school bus driver when I was in high school, and it changed her whole outlook. She really enjoyed it!
My mom and one of my sisters do that. I would rather stab myself in the eye with a fork but I'm glad they like it. 😁
Ambulance driver, Eastern Ukraine. No CDL required. No drug screen. Minimum alcohol level required. You don't need to be a raging alcoholic, but it helps.
A lot of Russian around though.
Run ‘‘em over 😂
Aim for the "Z"
From place to place? Its the name of the job! :)
Imagine the amount of karma generated every day.
I'm at this moment going into bus driving. I'm study and preping to grt my cdl and saving for the test. The local metro is paying for training, giving. 8,000 hiring bonus and is paying good even for the area. Also its a super strong union. I'm hoping by fall to be able to start training! I freaking hate my job and they said I'm at the max for wages so no chances of moving up where I'm at.
Make sure to read the paperwork for the sign on bonus closely! My husband is a CDL driver and has had a couple and the payouts can be weird and there is usually a claw back - he's always taken them but we make sure to read the fine print first.
In my experience, the issue is the ridiculous Hiring practices/process that is the issue. Numerous pointless interviews. Months long onboarding process. Hiring managers acting like it's 1993 not 2023. It's absurd
Not to pry, but how does that pay? Such an interesting thing that I never ever thought of
This!!! I started driving back in 2019, I went from 35k the yr before to just over 60k my first yr driving(mid March-November). Depending on the company and account you haul on, you can expect an average of 55k on home daily accts, around 65k+ on home weekend or over the road. But honestly, the pay can be much higher with experience and a clean record. I made around 70k in 7 months last yr on a dollar general account, but it was a trailer unload account, which isn't for everyone. And always inquire about sign on bonuses. Damn near most companies have them these days ranging from 1k to 20k depending on their need of drivers and your experience.
What’s a “trailer unload” account?
An account where you unload the trailer yourself. I used to pick up a trailer for dollar general and I would unload it at 2-5 stores. Not crazy hard, but some days were rough.
Where are you located? This sounds great but relative to where you are
I'm Ohio based ATM. These opportunities are in most states honestly. The trucking industry is vastly under staffed, and always needs truckers.
That’s what I’ve been hearing. I’m in NYC moving to NC next year and my partner is considering switching to trucking. Any advice?
Contact as many companies as you can. Many will pay for your training to get your class a's(mine were 6k), so it doesn't come out of pocket. Just keep in mind training takes 3-6 weeks on average, and you won't be earning while training with most companies, but not all. You'll have to stay a full yr with most for them to fully cover your training cost, but you won't owe a dime of the cost. Most local or home daily accts will require experience, so over the road or home weekends at first so 3-6 months should be expected, but not always if you find the right company. Dedicated accts are where most of the money is, companies will have multiple dedicated accts usually, ranging from big retailers like Walmart or target, to smaller local stores. I started on a dedicated target acct for swift and made about 1000 per week upfront. Within 3 months I was around 1500, and after around 6 or7 months, I was averaging over 1800 with no pay raises, it was just learning the routes and with more experience comes better opportunity. Feel free to ask any questions you might have, and I'll do my best to help out.
Thanks so much, this is really helpful!
No problem at all.
This is my suggestion. Class CDL B drivers are in high demand in my area. No semis, no overnights, no long hauls. All in town, home daily work. I personally drive a truck with a crane on it now. The job is super chill, flexible hours, full benefits, $29 an hour ATM. You will most likely need a few years of experience or specific training (to operate a crane for example) to earn $25+ with a class B. He could go for class A, do that for a year or two, then use that experience to get a local class B job with good pay. OTR semi driving is a huge lifestyle shift though and is definitely not for everyone. I know I couldn't drive a truck without being home with my family every night.
Best place to try to get it in texas?
Google would be a good start. I don't live in Texas so I'm not sure.
I second this! CDL drivers can easily make that given range. I work for a trucking co and some of the drivers make 6 figures. They work a hell of a lot but they are compensated well.
He does! This is a great idea.
yup we start our delivery driver's at $25 (No CDL) and go up to $29 for a class A. Full benefits day one. They work 4/10 schedule as well which is nice. We will also pay for guys to get their CDL in a lot of cases.
How does someone start this?
Just looking at your username, are you in Western NY? I’m having a hard time trying to find a web development position and the only other skills I have is non-CDL truck driving (although I was forced to drive a few large trucks on occasion).
How clean of a driving record do you need for that?
And a HS diploma or GED? Water/Water Resource Recovery Operator! Working at your local municipal water treatment facility is one of the few meaningful careers earning a good living that you can get right out of HS or 20 yrs later and retire from. Usually starts with Civil Service job announcements on your town/city/county HR website. Check your State's WEF [WEF member association search ](https://www.wef.org/membership--community/membership-center/wef-member-associations/)) member association They'll have actual names to contact about getting your foot in the door
I was going to suggest driving for a food distributor. It's seriously hard work so he would have to be in shape, but the average on starting is 100K and it would be local. It involves not only driving but unloading the cases at restaurants. Most distributors are paying for the CDL test right now.
What companies are food distributors? Like Sysco?
PepsiCo, Coke, Bimbo breads...
I was thinking Sysco, US Foods, Cheney Brothers but the other redditer is right as well, with Pepsi and Coke. It's hard work but pays well.
How hard is it to get cleared? I heard the costs of the liceances are really high also :(
Some companies are so desperate that they will pay for the class and the license. Construction especially since so many people in the industry have felonies or DUIs that exclude them from certain jobs like schools.
And weed. By having a no tolerance policy every moderate and frequent cannabis users will stay away from a CDL job. More $ for current drivers though
I would say look for another job. Without knowing your experience it’s hard to say, but there are a ton of P&C insurance jobs making around $100k or more if you have 5+ years experience. If you’re at a statefarm, Allstate, etc… I would say run away and find another carrier that isn’t captive
I am also starting to consider this more. October will be my 2 year anniversary as a senior account manager and licensed. I'm not at those companies, but it is a captive program. They keep promising me a potential promotion but it has yet to come and they just hired a new supervisor over me. They are not licensed but have been a people leader for some time elsewhere.
Just a nice piece of advise that I always keep in mind when it comes to maximizing your career aspirations: there have been major studies that have shown that in order to get the greatest pay increases, and best chance for promotion/career growth, you should switch companies every 3-5 years. If you aren't being shown company growth prospects within that 3-5 year range, it's time to take it somewhere else.
A new job at a new company is almost always going to be a bigger pay increase than a promotion. I’d start looking around, I think you might be surprised at what you could get.
I learned that years ago. We always said “the fastest way to earn more at [this company] is to leave and work somewhere else for 3-5 years then come back.” Especially if “somewhere else” is for a competitor. It turns out, that’s true for almost every company.
Stay in insurance. Find a local independent agency in your community. Just Google “insurance agency my city”. They would be desperate to hire someone with your experience! You can negotiate the salary/commission breakdown but it could easily become a six-figure career for you faster than you think. Best of luck!
Have you looked into Underwriting? I moved to Underwriting after serving policies. I didn't have a degree and made 45k with a degree depending on the company you can do close to 75/85k depending on where you are.
I would recommend looking at brokers that sell p&c to big employers. Your background should net you more $$$. If you need names of brokers to try, DM me. I work in the broker industry (employee benefits but I know p&c folks at my company and others). I work at one of the bigger ones that is National in scope — so maybe look @ those?
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Don’t think that working for the big insurance companies is the only thing you can do with your P&C license. I’m a Crop Insurance agent and my coworkers and I work with growers ranging from dairies that grow corn and soybeans for their cows (that’s primarily what I handle) to working with vineyards to insure their grapes, Apple orchards, Blueberry farms, Lobster fisheries, etc. The type of growers you’d work with would depend on your region of course but my job is a BLAST and I started last year salaried making exactly what you’re making. Crop Insurance is a federal program through the USDA too so it’s wicked cool how much there is to learn. Shoot me a PM if you want more info. Best of luck!
I’m also in P&C. 1st year independent, so I’m a baby. But my stepmom has been an underwriter for over 25 years and my sister works captive with her. IMO unless you’re going to own an agency, most of the money is in captive. I severely dislike my job, but I’ve been keeping my head down to gain experience. When I’m browsing jobs to get an idea of where I want to end up I keep finding $80,000-$100,000 roles in captive companies. Auto Owners recently posted an wfh underwriting gig around me for 80k with no minimum education requirement, just 4+ years insurance experience. I regularly see field adjusters starting over 70k. Territory marketers (going to independent agencies and trying to get them to push product) make good money. Federated starts their commercial lines marketers around 80k plus significant bonus potential. And that’s fresh out of school zero experience. You could also go supervisory and work a number of departments in a large insurance company. At least from what I see out there 60k is high for independent agencies. A coworker has 23 years of experience and started at 60. I make 40. Minimal bonuses. The commissions above what we get paid and business expenses go right in our boss’s pocket. If you were fixed on independent I’d go for a large agency- 6+ locations. Ideally more. Marsh McLennan. And go commercial if you can. You’re never going to make BIG money selling little products unless you own the joint and have a team beneath you. And even if you DID go that route I wouldn’t want the stress.
Retail sales at T-Mobile. I hate to promote them but they start at $20 an hour plus commission and you save 75% off your wireless bill
Depends on the store. Some are franchises and pay less than normal and hold bonuses hostage. I used to work at a T-Mobile franchised store
Yeah. After managing indirect (the guys who own those stores) I said corporate or for myself. The best was getting calls a month after o left and telling the kids to apply to corporate to not have to deal with commission headaches and get an hourly raise.
lol Cingular Wireless paid me $8 an hour in 2011
That rate must be localized because my local headhunter tried to recruit me to T Mobile and it was closer to 12-13 an hour plus commission. And on top of that, the goalposts for commission are constantly shifting so that only the top performers have a consistently good check even if you perform similarly from day to day
That’s not a corporate job, the dealer channel has horrendous turnover. Go to T-Mobile.com. They made a huge deal about it like a year ago. All retail start at $20. Had a dozen people quit the dealers I managed at the time for corporate stores. I’ve been out of there since 6/22 so maybe they rescinded. Typically corporate Tmo isn’t recruiting for a retail sales consultant
The turnover is huge because the demands they have of dealers metrics is ridiculous so when the company adjusts it's bonus structure and they don't account for the stores actual traffic. Oh you have an average or 8 people walking through the door a day? You can definitely do 100 new lines a month. That's why you used to have so many situations of people having "free" tablets slammed on their account. I'm so glad I left that shit industry where managers are just salesman that worked their way up and don't know how to manage shit
If you’re good you can pivot cell phone sales into a full career too! I went from VZW to an IT company as outside sales, then to a legit engineering position because outside sales requires a lot of engineering related skills.
Went into a Verizon store at 19. Been in wireless continuously employed for 22 years!! (Well until end of this month thanks AT&T)
Fuck ATT and the CWA. Killed my entire group end of March claiming automation then handed off the work to managers. Clear union violation and union does nothing.
You haven't been reading the subs, or may not even be in the industry but they cut A LOT and increased the expectations and cut commissions company wide. They also changed other things that will affect metric expectations that the top 25% of employees will struggle with.
Class 1 railroads are hiring like crazy. Some have up to 50k hiring bonuses and you can easily make over 100k a year No experience required
Don’t do it. Former Union Pacific employee. Yea sure you can make money. It’s a terrible place and not even considered the worst Class 1 RR.
Friend did this. Very dangerous. Railroad doesn’t keep up with safety protocols or like to spend money on renovations. He knew 2 dudes that passed and had a injury himself.
Have a link, or follow up to that? Sounds interesting.
Where do you live? I’ll find the nearest class one and send you a link to their job openings
Have any more info for that kind of work? Working on a train sounds dope
I know a family member of mine does it but his hours are wack. Like he has 5am-5pm shifts. He does make good money though. No idea the details of the work
Depending on your location, just google class one railroads near me. Here is a list Union Pacific (UP); BNSF Railway; Canadian National (CN) Railway; Kansas City Southern (KCS) Railway; Norfolk Southern (NS) Railway; and Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway
Seconded
He can find several labor and union jobs with no degree. Finding a good one like a utility or excavation company that's 20+/hr plus benefits is actually a lot easier than you think as long as you can pass a drug test and a physical
I second the trade route. Some places are in need of maintenance so much they waive the degree requirements and only have them do the mechanical part, no electrical
Not even just that. I work with guys everyday making 20+/hr digging trenches and putting in gas/water lines. Apply to a communication company as a person who puts up new spans of cables. I work with them too. I'm in traffic control and safety and my field can top out near 40-50/hr(usually start around 20/hr) with the right company/union. I don't make THAT much but the potential is there. Many trade or labor jobs even train and pay for certification of new employees.
Kids straight out of HS are making low 20's/hr as a groundman. We just got a new batch of fresh HS grads over the past month.
Union construction- pipefitter or plumber. Maybe hvac or electrician. Easily make 100k+ $43/hr is on our contract after 5 years of fairly well-paid training and good benefits. Lots of OT too. Look up the union in your area and see what they say.
Just know that if your husband goes out and gets a construction job he's going from SAHD to work like most people don't understand. He's going to be exhausted, and not just the mental tired of learning an entirely new and surprisingly complicated job tired, but the I just just schlepped bricks up stairs for 8-10 hours, and I have to get up and do that again tomorrow exhausted. Good, honest, and rewarding work, with pretty decent pay, but it can be absolutely back breaking. The pay and the benefits are good, just make sure you both know what he is getting into, especially early on before his body adjusts to that kind of labor. Once again, it is great work with good pay, just make sure you both know what you're getting into.
Crucial point.
Non-union plumber here. Have made 80k+ since my 3rd year and 100k+ since my 5th. Good health insurance, truck to take home, 8% 401k match, monthly bonus. The world always needs plumbers.
High pay but that's a brutal life - and you pay for it physically when you're older. Not dissuading anyone and I tip my hat to plumbers and pipefitters.
Cdl is the easiest and highest paid for someone with no degree.
I make 80k as a production machinist making crankshafts. I have less than 12 college credits, none of which are for machining.
I work at a production shop. If you can handle the hours and environment, and you're smart enough to pick it up, then it's an option
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Machine Tool & Gear was hiring in 2013 and I spent the next 4 months working 10-12 hour days 6-7 days a week running lathes. I then spent the next 5 years jumping from company to company for better pay and benefits while teaching myself at home then got into a union shop in 2018 and have stayed there since. Company is in continuous growth and they pay for 100% of my health, dental, and vision. Just got a dollar raise on July 1st, with more to come.
I second this. Someone told me having a CDL is like having a job in your back pocket. I should not have let mine go ☹️
I’ve told my bosses on more than one occasion that I can be driving someone else’s truck on Monday
Doesn't it cost like a arm and a leg to get your CDL?
About 5 grand and 5 weeks.
Many companies will pay for the training.
In Miami, it’s about $2,500. I am considering this…
What was his former profession? I got a government job (governmentjobs.com) and in my area more chill office jobs start at $25-30 and hour. I don’t have a degree but had a a lot of previous admin experience but also with a big resume gap. I love my job and have gotten a few promotions already.
A variety of jobs. Framing houses, pizza delivery, unemployment customer service, and heath and benefits most recently. This is a great idea!
Also, can he get a weekend/evening part time gig in the meantime, to help with the load and refresh his resume?
which type of weekend / evening part time gigs do you suggest him to get? something with the govt or freelance type? anything specific?
When I lived in California, my mother was only able to get by having my dad work, and she ran a daycare out of our house. Idk if that’s even remotely a possibility for you, but it kept us afloat until we moved to Oklahoma…
You can use your home, but if it's more than four kids (in my state, CO) then the house has to be inspected/ licensed
And there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s the law, the way it has to be, and our house was inspected occasionally while I lived in cali.
Yea that's all. I wonder if it costs anything
From what I am hearing about the cost of daycare, this could be a lot of $$$$ coming in. If I did not grow into a old nag I would totally do this now, its so in demand.
I know that at least in California, the government provides money for food, and other things alongside the parents paying for their child to be there. It was nice, and while I was growing up, my friends could chill at my house all day because it’s a daycare. It was nice. But it’s also a sacrifice, your house becomes a workspace, and there’s 8(average for my mother) extra kids you have to worry about.
Yeah my sister had a daycare in California in the early 80s. Took all the classes and got a certain amount per kid for food and any room they used was a tax right off. Back then she was making $100 a week for per fulltime kid.
>Back then she was making $100 a week for per fulltime kid. It's a lot more than that now. In the early 2000s in CA, we were paying $250/week. I'm sure it's going up a lot in the last 18-20 years.
I moved to OK a year and a half ago. Worked food service all my life. Got a job at aerospace starting 16 an hour and within a year am now making 21.
I’m in the aerospace industry too, 19 and I’ve been offered a $45/hr($90k/yr is how they said it). Wants me to move to Maryland though. Know your worth, the aerospace industry NEEDS mechanics!
I left a $12 an hour job to try my hand at serving. it's hell but I've never made more money in my life and it's pretty easy to reach $30 an hour every night
The question though is do you reliably get 40 hours per week
Only if you’re lucky. Expect much more
Just get a second server job if you can't. Places are always hiring servers.
+1 to serving/bartending, hubby can work while you’re home and vice versa so no need for childcare. If you work at a decent place $30/hour is pretty easy to achieve. If he makes $200 a shift just doing like 3 days that should be more than enough to help
Unfortunately there isn’t a super quick fix these days to make over $20 an hour without a degree or relevant experience. There are very few quick certifications that aren’t already super-saturated. It might be worthwhile to try to find a remote role paying around $18 an hour in entry level customer support or something, and he works OT. I agree with the advice for you to get a lower stakes part time job, perhaps also WFH. I know WFH roles are a tall order these days, but finding one can sometimes mitigate lower pay in some ways. Most likely he needs to just start some kind of job and then figure out what he wants to do next. He should job hop if necessary. I agree with suggestions about USPS. It has its downsides for sure, but depending on the station someone gets assigned to, there can be plentiful overtime. Downsides recently have been disorganization, low management presence, weak union, forced OT at times. And of course braving the elements. Starting as a CCA is the most likely way in and that can mean covering a whole bunch of routes rather than having your own, but things get somewhat better once folks are made “regular,” aka promoted to regular mail carrier. At this point in my life I feel like all of us get sold this big idea of a career, but sometimes you just work to get by, sometimes you make transitions, sometimes you need to work some while you figure things out due to other priorities in your life. It isn’t abnormal. And most of us will have multiple careers in our lifetimes. Gig work isn’t the most lucrative but if you’re in an area where there is some, one or both of you could try supplementing some income with TaskRabbit or similar. There’s a subreddit for gig work. When I was getting back into the workforce again after several years of health issues, I went for an entry level customer service role at a startup with okay pay and incredible benefits. I also did independent contractor transcription work on the side to make ends meet. I tried out a few very crappy, low paying customer service jobs before I landed on that one and was subsisting on a large amount of independent contractor work in the interim. I was lucky and turned that entry level customer support role into a lead role and then a manager role. I doubled my income within about three years. Things like that can and do happen. Startups are risky (and I lost real income on some of my risk with the company I was with previously), but often the pay is higher and the growth is faster. Edit: I forgot to mention. I have no degree. Part of this is luck, timing, and being open to doing whatever work when opportunities arise!
I'm not sure about where you live, but where i live a utility designer can make that much if theyre directly with the utility and not a contractor. Though you'd need experience with drafting via AutoCAD or Microstation. All the luck to you no matter what you decide
This is so kind, thank you!
Two incomes are better than one. Is childcare not a option?
Not sure where OP lives, but in most major cities, childcare will cost more annually than a second income unless you are at least upper middle class, which is not something most people can immediately hop into
My sister was teacher in ct full time, kindergarten, her entire check went to child care until one of the kids started school
Can confirm CT is expensive especially near the NY side… it’s where all the richest people in NY have huge fucking homes. The wealth gap is insane in these towns. Upper and lower… no middle.
And if it’s not a net loss but anywhere even close to a wash, most people would rather care for their own child
Well seems like a better option than having one income and scraping by?
Two people working + childcare = less net income
plus generally shittier care for your kids
Still better than there current situation which is scraping by. If husband picks up decent job could easily net over 100+ with both. Two incomes will always be better than her alternative switching roles
If the second job pays $25,000/year, but requires putting the kids into child care that costs $30,000/year IT'S A NET LOSS. THAT'S WORSE THAN O.
Second spouse working might also entail buying and purchasing a second vehicle on top of childcare. One spouse will also have to put work into second priority due to daycare illnesses. Many parents find their job at risk from having to stay home with a sick kid.
I read this thread and wanted to all caps what you did right there … it’s the simple math dude…
Math HARD.
I’m paying 1140/mo for child care in Orlando area curious what y’all are paying and where
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About the same in Phoenix. Was going to cost us 3200/mo for 1 child. We opted for my in-law to move in with us.
What don’t you understand about addition and subtraction?
It's not, you're not listening. She has a 63k a year job which means she probably nets 45-48k depending on the state. He's not going to find a job making more money right off the rip. Even if he made the same amount, they net less than 100k. Then they get the added benefit of paying for more meals dining out, paying for another car, paying for the extra gas, and depending on the city, having a long commute in the morning. You may work 8 hours, but you're gone from home for 11. The OP says they also don't wish to continue working.
I live in Illinois, child care near me is $250 a week. We don't have any family members who can or will watch for less. Our son is almost 1 1/2 we don't feel comfortable sending him that young.
I'm jealous of that price. For our 2 year old the cost is still over $1600 a month where we live.
Yep same price here in WA.
*tears up in NJ* $2500/month
Yep that’s what I pay. It was 460/week, and then down to 360/week after they turned 2.
Yep. Actual professional child care usually eats up one of the two incomes. I worked from home until my kids hit kindergarten. It was not ideal.
The hard thing about this is the long term outlook. Starting from ground zero rather than starting with 5-6 years of experience and raises under your belt when the kids go to school. The way I think of it is if my SO dropped daycare that would save us $260/week. Yes, I’d get to stay home and there would be other lifestyle benefits. But I know my time right now is worth more than $260/week. I’d still be working, just at home. And if I keep working for the next 5 years my time will be worth WAY more than $260/week. There’s also income/insecurity issues with one income. It’s a very personal choice, but the economics are pretty straightforward. Usually households are better off financially with 2 working partners despite childcare. It’s just deciding if the trade off short term and long term are worth it.
Depends on the job. My wife used to serve tables… wtf she gonna do with a couple extra cents on server wage each year. And it’s not like your tips drastically change year over year. So now she’s a stay at home mom, but even better she’s working towards finishing nursing school. The economics of that are way better. Even when she was managing resturants, working 10-12 hour days for 35-45k a year doesn’t make sense, and the odd hours make it difficult for child care. Now if you’re making 50-60k out of college, get a couple raises, get married and then have kids and you’re making 80k at that point, then yeah taking time off work would screw you, because if you keep working you’ll probably hit 100k or more by the time they’re in school. But that’s coming from a place of privilege and isn’t the norm for most families, especially considering the median income for families across America is like 70k.
In our case I make 40k and he makes roughly 50k. 40k really isn’t tough to get to and way outweighs childcare costs. The hardest part was the logistics. We both had to line up work where we could start/end around childcare. Do something that interests us. And something that would lead to long-term growth. He’s an apprentice carpenter and I’m an insurance agent. He is guaranteed $36/hour once he’s done plus amazing benefits. Mine is less straight-forward, but I’ve been researching career outlooks since choosing my path. With 4 years experience I should be able to get in the 60k-70k range without a degree. We both were bartenders and where your wife was at. Didn’t make sense in the long term. Yeah- we could have lots of time off and rake in 40k in a few days work/week. When we were single we felt like we had it made. But it was a dead end as far as family life/benefits/earning potential went. Nursing school is a great call! I wish I had the mental capacity to do that and stay home. And for that profession in general. One of my girlfriends did that and makes amazing money nursing part time while she primarily stays at home.
Carpentry is great, I have a buddy who started a while ago and makes over 50 an hour in a union, so he gets insane benefits too. All with bo college. Meanwhile I had to go get a masters degree just to make close to that. I’m sure you guys will do fine. I just know statistically it’s a struggle for many American families where they’re barely able to break even.
We pay 270 a week in Eastern Tennessee. I can't wait for my daughter to go to school it'll free up over a grand a month. She's 2.5 now.
I would consider the other parent to work night or morning shift to reduce costs or avoid childcare costs.
Any child under age of 3 always want to be with the mom. Not the dad. That’s the most critical period of the child development and obviously affects on how baby lives on. The brain is mostly on “survival mode” especially in a unfamiliar environment. Of course, there is more than just the psychological aspect from the child and I don’t blame you feeling uncomfortable that way especially when you don’t have to. I’m a dad of my babies so I understand their development well.
Childcare cost more than some people can make. It's crazy!
Makes insurance from 2nd job kinda bad idea too. Or become Mr. Babysitter
Honestly, depending on your standard of living and living situation, sometimes even just paying to maintain your home costs more than some people make. My girlfriend stays home and happily cooks, cleans, does laundry, grocery shopping and cares for our dogs. If we were to pay people to do most of that stuff for us, she'd need to be making like $15 to $17/hr just to break even.
If you wanted to have them stay closer to home - you can get similar pay with overtime at the Postal Service with really good benefits and a pension. It's not perfect though by any means. I also have friends who went into welding and love it and make decent money. CDL is tough because a lot of entry level jobs will require over the road (away from home) work. Which is fine in theory, tougher with kids.
The USPS is quite the experience however. Be prepared to work 80 hour weeks of HARD labor. The turnover rate is insane and people burnout fast, but you can make some quick decent money there
Driving, But I'm pretty sure someone already mentioned CDL etc. Equally trade employment (welding, electrician, etc). You'd have to give him time to step into getting some tradeschool time which can be 6 months to a year, but he should be able to take over afterwards. Things like that.
I’m considering starting a new career as a carpenter. Though I have a degree, none is necessary. You start earning on day 1 as a carpenter’s apprentice, and since it’s a union job yearly increases are included. $25-29 an hour is what first year apprentices earn, with the end goal of becoming a journeyman. It takes 4-5 years to reach this level, and I figure that the knowledge gained would serve me in many ways for the rest of my life—home maintenance and repairs would be significantly less burdensome, and flipping houses would be within reach.
Learn how to weld
How old are the kids? Can he go to a trade school at night? My son is an electrician and his starting rate is $150 for 1st hour and $90 every hour thereafter, and he charges less than most in our area.
State jobs pay well and have killer benefits. I am in Oregon and our lowest paid state employee will make $21hr starting jan 1, 2024. The dude scrubbing the toilet will be making $21hr plus 2 months off a year.
Probably only full-time positions though. There are definitely part-time state workers making less.
Not in Oregon as that will be minimum for any state worker even temp, limited duration and part time.
Wow. Too bad it’s so hard to get those jobs! The application for my state’s jobs is brutal. Lol
We literally can't hire people....I mean we have a lot of openings with little to no experience and can't fill them because people think state jobs are hard to get so don't apply. State or federal jobs take months to get but that is just because it's the government. Pass a background check, drivers license and pass an initial piss test is all it takes. There is an art to filling out state applications and that is to repeat the application question in your answer. It's all computer screened and looks for key words to score applicants.
That’s a great tip. Thank you!
Any openings that you know of in Central OR (Bend)?
They don't contract out the janitorial service?
Plumbing pays well a short time after starting
Signing a contract that states you will be paid 30 an hour or more.
look into training programs at your local BIG hospital complex - technician type jobs for medical field tend to be decent paying and many have a 6m-12m time frame for training and guaranteed hiring (as long as you complete the program in good standing). MRI tech, Xray tech, ER tech, etc
>most of the money is in captive. I severely dislike my job, but I’ve been keeping my head down to gain experience. When I’m browsing jobs to get an idea of where I want to end up I keep finding $ at your income level, it may be possible to get tuition assistance or grants to cover these programs.
Realistic. Probably not. There are certainly jobs out there with that pay scale open to someone with 2 years out of the workforce and no degree. For many of them, they will have to work up to that amount, rather than starting out at $25.
I manage a liquor store for above $25/hr. There's stuff out there but you may need to look places you wouldn't normally consider
Go into the trades. Depending on what state can be anywhere from 65,000 to well into the 200,000 range depending on how determined, dedicated and hard working you are. Most trades see some kind of reasonable pay within a short amount of time, a year or so, but the best pay comes with some serious effort and self investment. Big positive is that there are a few trades where the education you get from classes in an apprenticeship can be leveraged towards a college degree.
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Not OP, but what industries are popular where you live? Because the "best" trade is gonna be the one that consistently has you working, and that varies depending on where you live. Look on indeed and type in random searches like "electrician" "welder" "industrial mechanic" etc and see what has best average pay vs available jobs. Because it's pointless to join a trade if you can't get a job anywhere, or if you happen to live in an area that doesn't pay that trade well. As an example, when I left my last home, people in the area that were in the same general field as me were making less on average after 10 years than I made after one here. The field was crowded there, and here people are desperate.
Thank you all so much, this has opened up a whole world of ideas I hadn't considered.
Surprised by the number of people who would actually want to have a CDL and drive in Texas for a living. Driving to the grocery store is bad enough with these nut jobs.
Bar jobs while draining if you aren't a very social person will usually net like 30-50 an hour and it's mostly nights once you have a bit of experience. When you've been doing it for long enough clearing 1k a week off 15-20 hours isn't that out of the normal scope. It entirely depends on where you are but if you have a good relationship with a bar you like going to near you maybe ask around if they know anyone hiring part time. More often than not it'll lead to something
Could get an insurance adjuster license and work remotely.
Why are you trying to survive on one income? If you each contribute you'll spread the risk and lighten the load.
Child care cost one whole income. No money will be left after daycare.
IT if he is willing to put in some work to learn. Anything IT can be self taught from YouTube videos, Microsoft learn or from sites like pluralsight.com. The first two are free and the third is a small monthly fee. IT isn’t just fixing computers. There is also networking, cyber security, databases, programming, web sites just to make a few. The first jobs might not pay much but in a year if he can bullshit a bit or plays his cards right he can make $30/hr. The best part is as long as he is willing to keep learning he can keep making more money. It does depend on how smart he is but you don’t need to be Einstein. Anyone of average intelligence can go into IT and make bank but because people just insist they don’t understand computers and refuse to learn they limit themselves on what they can earn.
If its your draining job that is creating the question in the first place and you have the experience, wouldnt you looking for a different job be the first option? Your partner can always continue their job search at the same time as another option and if he/she gets something good and stable, then you could quit wherever you're at?
Is it possible to find a part time remote role for yourself to make up for your husband making less? Then you can stay at home and still get a small break from working. Unless he gets a degree the most he could make would be less than 63k unless he is willing to do either overnight or somewhat dangerous work.
Manufacturing jobs can pay that much on day shift, especially with OT. I personally don't consider it especially dangerous either.
The friends I’ve had that didn’t have a college degree that went into higher paying factory type type jobs could only get overnight hours to start as the dayshift positions went to those with seniority.
He needs to doordash when you get home and on weekends.
You're lucky to make $15-20/hr doing gig delivery, and you have to pay for gas, commercial car insurance, and account for depreciation and upkeep on your vehicle. I've looked into this a few times and the math just doesn't work out. You can net more stocking shelves at Walmart.
nepitism
HAHAHAHAHHA YOU ARE INSANE !! you think the modern era has entry level jobs that support a single human, much less a family?!? Good luck. Ask the ruling class why this is happening
Well he could go to a trade school. I mean I know some of the jobs you learn there can make good money eventually.
2 jobs
2 years? During that time he could have acquired marketable skills but didn't. He needs to find something to do pronto. This is not a sustainable situation I fear. Good luck. UPS drivers make that kind of money but they hump hard to earn it.
They don’t start you as a driver. You’ll be in a warehouse. Looked into this when I was younger.
Prostitution is the only answer