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But I would also say that a degree can stand out more in areas where there are frankly less people with them. I'll never forget one second interview I had where a question was so...well how can I put it. The job paid between mid 40's and mid 60's and the tough question was so basic it was almost embarrassing. It would be asked to run a McDonalds or someone in jr high.
Remoteness can create opportunity though. I'm sure anyone in the oil fields of North Dakota knows that but sometimes that can extend to islands as well and areas off the beaten path.
The $100K/year without a degree but technical certifications is rather rare.
Not on the West Coast it isn't. Especially if it's a niche or otherwise specialized application that isn't in high demand, but that the nature of it is such that companies will pay very good money. Enterprise Content Management is one such field.
There are highly skilled .NET programmers I know, 30's-40's, over $100k/year for years, that just now earned their Bachelors. Demand.
It's not easy but on the West, I find it quite commonplace.
But I would also say that a degree can stand out more in areas where there are frankly less people with them. I'll never forget one second interview I had where a question was so...well how can I put it. The job paid between mid 40's and mid 60's and the tough question was so basic it was almost embarrassing. It would be asked to run a McDonalds or someone in jr high.
Remoteness can create opportunity though. I'm sure anyone in the oil fields of North Dakota knows that but sometimes that can extend to islands as well and areas off the beaten path.
The keyword is bolded, CAN. It's not a guarantee at all and can be a booming market, a recently busted market or a downright terrible market. I've live in a rural part of Arizona and that isn't booming at all. Why, because AZ doesn't have the oil and relies on real estate for the most part.
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Originally Posted by revelated
Not on the West Coast it isn't. Especially if it's a niche or otherwise specialized application that isn't in high demand, but that the nature of it is such that companies will pay very good money. Enterprise Content Management is one such field.
There are highly skilled .NET programmers I know, 30's-40's, over $100k/year for years, that just now earned their Bachelors. Demand.
It's not easy but on the West, I find it quite commonplace.
Again, you are going by a specific region (just like the wages being higher for grads in the Northeast and California.) If we look at generalities across the nation as a whole, it isn't the case. Of course there are outliers but the average is that it isn't. It's like saying the jobs picture looks good because the Dakotas have the oil boom. Arizona for instance is lagging and will continue to lag for about another year or so because it is based around the real estate market (as I mentioned before) which has been bad since 2008. I imagine most of the nation is somewhere in between these two outliers.
I think that you have to constantly reinvent yourself and align your passions. It's cool to get an engineering job you don't like in the beginning of your career to make some money....but then quickly exict when you get the chance.
As a social worker, you could start a health care business or just do the social work on the side. Dr. Phil and other people make millions off social work. I think it's just a little bit of changing the trajectory.
I am not interested in staying in this field. It is very stressful. I do recall, however, some stories that make me smile. I remember a beautiful newborn that had been abandoned at HUP who we were able to place in a wonderful adoptive home. I remember this so well because the woman that adopted the little girl (who was AA) was also African American and she had also adopted two little Asian boys, which is unusual.
When I look at median incomes for the trades, they range from high 30k to high 40k - definitely better than unskilled laborers with H.S diplomas, easily *competitive* with many white collar jobs, but definitely not superior, as far as income is concerned.
My son was never good at "book learning" but he has an extremely high mechanical aptitude. Any of you with a home knows that something ALWAYS has to be fixed, so I don't know why people look down on those that work with their hands. He is working as a roofer now which I don't like because it's dangerous, but he loves it. Sure he'll never make big bucks but at 24 he's happy and productive. What else could a mom ask for?
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