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.
$15 and hour is not much to pay. That is what we pay our housekeeper to come in 3 days a week and in the spring it goes to 5 days a week.
A young 30 year old married mother of 3.
McDonald's has had signs out that they pay $14 an hour. One of my grandsons worked there 3 years ago for $11 an hour as a teenager. Small interstate town, with a 4% unemployment rate, a long way from any big city.
It depends on what part of the country you live in, as to what low paid jobs pay.
Why not learn a trade? Contact a trade school near you and look into becoming a plumber, electrician, welder, carpenter, etc. There's always demand for that kind of stuff, especially here in Texas, and you can make quite a lot of money in those careers. I think you get to work while you're in trade school too. You need to do something so that you are not unskilled labor. Those who have no skills will always struggle to find work.
If you are an air traffic controller, you are qualified to be a police or 911 dispatcher. That is good pay, plus benefits.
You might get bonus points for being military during the hiring process and you stand a good chance of being selected since you already know how to handle stress, how to make life or death decisions, and how to direct others to where they should be in a tense situation.
Truck driving, you don't necessarily need to pay for school. There are several companies that train you and get you your license if you sign a contract to drive for them. They don't pay well, but after 6 months of driving for them, you have enough hours to qualify for a better company that pays more.
After a year of truck driving, if you have a clean driving record and can pas an FBI security clearance, there are truck driving jobs that pay really well. If you are air traffic controller, you probably already have a security clearance.
Your military experience will help you with a foot in the door at many police stations, or at least an extra checkmark. I would look for smaller town and county experience as the competition is tough with groups like the CPD. ALso, I made the range you indicated working as a bouncer. I would look to parlay your Navy experience and any associated security clearances to find something.
Also, if you have any benefits that pay for schooling, see if you can get trained and certified for HVAC. That's the guy who repairs heaters and air conditioning. They make good money and have more work than they can handle.
Waiting tables at a generic chain restaurant usually pays $10-$15 /hour with tips. It can vary a lot from day to day though. It's also harder work than a lot of people realize.
-Garbage Man
-Security
-Firefighter
-Police Officer
-Truck Driver
Garbage Man - you need to join their union first, then sit at home and wait to be called. Since you're a newbie, you will have to wait 6+ months.
Security - this is actually the only one you can join without commitment. Just look up various security firms. They will probably require you to pay out of your own pocket for a background check. Once you passed, you will be put on a list to be called. No hassle of joining a union. But unfortunately, most security companies around here in the Chicago area pay between $8/hr and $12/hr.
Peace Officer (aka Police) - Every year, each police department receives thousands and thousands of applications. They only hire a few a year. The department I worked for for a number of years in my past life was the Illinois State Police. They received 10,000 applications along with mine. 300 passed all their tests (physical, background, mental, psychological, etc.). 130 went to the academy. 89 graduated. 2 got fired within the first week after graduation from the academy. 3 died within the first year. Etc. Yes, I used it as a stepping stone to where I am now, but I highly recommend against it. It's a career, not a job.
Truck driver - Again, the union... and you need to get a lot of training.
Last edited by rosie_hair; 02-05-2014 at 10:30 AM..
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.
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.
