liveable wages with only a high school degree, do they exist? (Center: university, income)

[brentbrentbrent]

i'm pretty desperate to get out of where i live and colorado would be one of my top prospects...but is there any jobs there for people without college degrees that pay enough to make a decent living? i've been reading up a bit and i mostly get generalizations on the entirety of colorado, i'm a bit more curious if anyone has any information regarding specific cities.

thanks for any help.

[formercalifornian]

What are your skills and job experiences? You haven't given us much to go on.

[brentbrentbrent]

i worked for 7 years in food service, in a retirement home. i worked my way up from dishwasher when i was 17 to diet tech assistant, then to head cook. i decided i wanted out of food service because i felt i hit a ceiling, so i went into office work which is where i personally feel that i excel. i work as a contract employee for USCIS, and i've been here one year. my title is "general clerk" meaning i do paperwork and use a computer frequently. i'm about to start on a data entry team which i'm sure i will have no problem whatsoever with - i don't mind monotonous tasks and i can type around 90 wpm.

sorry, that probably reads like a bit of a resume, but like i said, any info would be appreciated.

[jazzlover]

Get a job working in the gas fields. Long hours, in all kinds of weather, not always the best places to be--but some of the better paying blue collar jobs around. A lot of companies are crying for employees. One thing: If a person is a drug user, he or she can forget it. First thing the companies will check. Meth use has been and conitnues to be a problem in the "oil patch"--the more reputable companies won't tolerate "tweakers" as employees.

[brentbrentbrent]

drug tests are no problem, neither are long hours (i work around 52 hours a week on average right now), but to be completely honest, and i should have clarified this - i'm probably not cut out for physical labor.

[jorhyne]

Your best bet is going to school and getting an education. I went back to school at age 30 and became an RN. Now I am about to complete my BSN and I am working at the same time. It is difficult but worth it in the long run.

[sunsprit]

Lots of higher level office/clerical type jobs exist for which you have the background, and now just need to get onto the career path.

Consider legal work, or medical office, or check out the jobs posting for the Federal Center, or Post Office ... all possibles for you.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by sunsprit

Lots of higher level office/clerical type jobs exist for which you have the background, and now just need to get onto the career path.

Consider legal work, or medical office, or check out the jobs posting for the Federal Center, or Post Office ... all possibles for you.

Medical office does not pay a lot, probably around $15/hr.

[brightdoglover]

Consider taking federal and state civil service tests and see what comes up. It can take a lot of time, but you might get a phone call for a job when you least expect it, or need it. If you take federal, you can take it wherever you live now and specify what areas or cities you'd consider placement in.

Two years of community college, besides getting a possble certificate or RN associate degree or something, will advance you in the civil service system over someone with less or no college. I took civil service tests when I dropped out after two years of liberal arts college. After a year (Nixon froze federal funds, grr) I started getting a lot of calls for interviews in Boston, where I'd requested. Someone I knew got an offer to work on a national park archeology dig. The Social Security offices were the calls I was getting. A friend of mine got a lifetime career at the FDA from civil service. OF course, more education would get a higher starting point, but there are all kinds of jobs.

[POhdNcrzy]

I think the basic economic/occupational dynamics you are running into in Nebraska are going to be quite similar for you in other states if you were to move. Part of this income/occupational reality is psychological (i.e. you represent your own life experiences, beliefs, attitudes etc and will take these with you wherever you go) and part is because America regionally and even locally is much more the same everywhere than it is different.

Having just a high school education is really not a big impediment to financial/occupational success in America, IMHO. More important is your ability to network and work well with people, find good jobs via word-of-mouth, make astute decisions, and work hard toward the goals you set for yourself.

Nonetheless, if you've been in Nebraska all your life, it might be a great life experience for you to try living somewhere else, heck anywhere. Likewise, getting a university degree in an in-demand field is certainly not a bad idea if it makes sense for your situation.

I'm absolutely convinced now that the reality of the jobs situation in America is just very different from what's portrayed in the media and what many people seem to think it is. Baby boomers are still camped out in most high-paying occupations and are continuing to work into their "retirement" years. Also, while the US population keeps increasing, the number of jobs is not at all keeping up. Many jobs continue to go overseas and many jobs being created pay poorly, in fact, very poorly. In the last fifteen years I've lived in three different states (CO, CA, RI) and in each place it has become evident that for every advertised job, there is a literal deluge of applicants in response.

I think this is a good time to get into a trade and/or be self-employed, rather than the old white-collar work-for-some-company kind of career.

Good luck you to you.