best place for unskilled/manufacturing jobs for me (apartment, rent)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
hey everyone! I am 28 years old, live in South Texas and I am a single father to an awesome 4 (5 next month) year old boy.
Unfortunately due to bad mistakes while I was young, I didn't get much of an education and all I have is my GED. when my son is older and can be at home by himself I might consider going to college/trade school but right now that isn't an option.
I worked at a factory over here in the suburbs of San Antonio but because of the demographics of the area I was the only guy in the whole shop who didn't speak Spanish and it put me at a real disadvantage. A couple of months ago the business closed and relocated across the border because it is much cheaper to do business there and they can get away with paying slavery wages. I considered moving there and leaving my son with my mother and coming home on the weekends but tbh I have no desire to live in Mexico, nor do I want to not see my son everyday.
Currently I am working with a buddy of mine doing moving but the pay sucks, business is slow, and there is no future...I currently live in a 1 bedroom apartment in an area that can best be described as a gang riddled, meth infested barrio and I worry about my kids future. I want him to live in a safe neighborhood, go to a decent school, and have opportunities that I did not. I don't want him to be ashamed of where he lives when he is older.
Due to the nature of most unskilled work, most employers do not hire without seeing you, so its not like I can arrange a job before I move, so I am going to have to move and take my chances. I would like to find an area that has multiple opportunities for manufacturing/industrial/factory type work for an English speaking white American guy. preferably somewhere safe, with 4 seasons(TX heat kills me).
my mom is gonna lend me some money to get established wherever I go until I find work, additionally I have some savings...but somewhere with a good economy where there is work to be had is a plus.
I am considering "rust belt" places in the Midwest like Cleveland, Indy, and Michigan (my mom is from the UP and it is nice up there but also Detroit area/Grand Rapids/Saginaw etc)
Also Pittsburgh, Upstate NY, Downstate IL
Anywhere works though as long as it has jobs and 4 seasons (I like cold and hate heat)
no rude comments please...does anybody have any suggestions?? (don't say "go to school/retrain" because frankly that's not a realistic option at this time)
Consider working for casinos. They're overall good employers, and usually union. You can stay with the same "company" and change jobs as they come available. They pay well for non-skilled work - anything from being a valet (they make bank!) to being a teller, to the guy who fills the slots with coins, to janitors, to security, shuttle bus drivers, mechanics, maintenance, construction, dealers, money counters, cashiers, - all kinds of jobs.
In California, there are a bunch of non-Indian casinos, as well as Indian casinos. You can live in a nice town and commute to the casino. The Lake Tahoe area would work well for what you like, I think.
I also met a woman who was retired at the last senior apt bldg I lived in who had worked her entire life at the casinos at Lake Tahoe and she now has a nice little pension. Many of them are owned by the same large corporation, so you can move around and keep your pension and benefits. And if they like you, they are willing to train you for new opportunities that come up within the casinos.
And casinos are all over the country. I did a quick Google search and found this one in Baltimore and they lists the types of jobs they have, and they say they will train you. They even have a free dealer school.
Location: Central Texas. Wait, I mean South Texas. Actually, both Central and South Texas
317 posts, read 573,525 times
Reputation: 383
Have you ever considered being a Certified Nursing Assistant? CNAs are desperately needed here in Pennsylvania. Training can take as little as two weeks, and there are several Nursing Homes and Hospitals that will actually pay for your training and uniform/equipment. PA has a massive elderly population and there isn't nearly enough CNAs up here to take care of them all. Starting pay might be a little low, but you can pretty much get all the hours you want. If you can work nights/weekends that increases your pay as well.
Indiana. The Ft Wayne,Auburn,Angola area. Plenty of factory jobs,low cost of living, 4 seasons, decent schools. You can make a decent living and its a good place to raise your son.
hey everyone! I am 28 years old, live in South Texas and I am a single father to an awesome 4 (5 next month) year old boy.
Unfortunately due to bad mistakes while I was young, I didn't get much of an education and all I have is my GED. when my son is older and can be at home by himself I might consider going to college/trade school but right now that isn't an option.
I worked at a factory over here in the suburbs of San Antonio but because of the demographics of the area I was the only guy in the whole shop who didn't speak Spanish and it put me at a real disadvantage. A couple of months ago the business closed and relocated across the border because it is much cheaper to do business there and they can get away with paying slavery wages. I considered moving there and leaving my son with my mother and coming home on the weekends but tbh I have no desire to live in Mexico, nor do I want to not see my son everyday.
Currently I am working with a buddy of mine doing moving but the pay sucks, business is slow, and there is no future...I currently live in a 1 bedroom apartment in an area that can best be described as a gang riddled, meth infested barrio and I worry about my kids future. I want him to live in a safe neighborhood, go to a decent school, and have opportunities that I did not. I don't want him to be ashamed of where he lives when he is older.
Due to the nature of most unskilled work, most employers do not hire without seeing you, so its not like I can arrange a job before I move, so I am going to have to move and take my chances. I would like to find an area that has multiple opportunities for manufacturing/industrial/factory type work for an English speaking white American guy. preferably somewhere safe, with 4 seasons(TX heat kills me).
my mom is gonna lend me some money to get established wherever I go until I find work, additionally I have some savings...but somewhere with a good economy where there is work to be had is a plus.
I am considering "rust belt" places in the Midwest like Cleveland, Indy, and Michigan (my mom is from the UP and it is nice up there but also Detroit area/Grand Rapids/Saginaw etc)
Also Pittsburgh, Upstate NY, Downstate IL
Anywhere works though as long as it has jobs and 4 seasons (I like cold and hate heat)
no rude comments please...does anybody have any suggestions?? (don't say "go to school/retrain" because frankly that's not a realistic option at this time)
Grand Rapids would be perfect. It has a very low cost of living where you could get a house for around $100,000 and it is one of the top cities for blue collar job growth right now. Manufacturing jobs grew by like 30% last year. Pittsburgh is another good option but a little more expensive than Grand Rapids
Go to your favorite map software of choice, and look at the names of the towns along Ohio State Route 65. For whatever reason, many plants have been built along them recently, but because outside of Lima, it's pretty much farmland, they are having problems finding enough people to work at the plants and sometimes have to bus in Mexicans temporarily to fulfill peak production. You can help assemble motorcycles, make dog food, refine ethanol, process aluminum or steel, or smash soybeans into a solution that gets sent to Japan to make tofu. Also the towns between Lima and Fort Wayne, and around Grand Lake St. Marys are having the same issues. Also, if you have the chance to get an associate's degree, there are a few different community colleges and two-year branch campuses of four-year colleges in northwest Ohio and northeastern Indiana.
Last edited by dxdtdemon; 12-24-2014 at 09:29 PM..
Yeah I agree the midwest sounds like the region for you. Have you maybe thought about the Dakota's?
Good luck to you and your son! I admire you looking out for your kids.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.