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Im thinking if possible,going to a truck school and learning to drive big rigs might be cool for you.Truckers can make decent money over time,and you'll be able to drive and see the country which might help you find a place you finally like.
If you don't mind being on the road alot,after gaining experience you can get a more local route,maybe even FedEX or something.
A renter of mine did that,for a long time he was a handyman,he got tired of the labor and went to trucking school.
Me,when bills got to much at one point,I stayed late at work and weekends for free,to learn a better position and after a year a position opened up and I moved up.Now I have years of experience with a marketable skill that I can go somewhere else to get a job.This not to say I have a outstanding paying skill,but it is comfortable for me and maybe,I could move up again if Im motivated.
2 quick stories,I have a co-worker 22 years old who came from Cuba not knowing english.He learned english,did what I did staying late,I helped train him now he is doing well.
Another co-worker came from Bulgaria 4 years ago with $3000 in his pocket.He exceled because he was motivated.Bought a small house with a bad loan,built up some equity sold it bought a nicer house.He became a master tech at work,he was needed for his skills,got a better job offer,my company offered more to come back.A manager quit,he is now doing that position for less money than that position would normally pay but he's building up experience to one day...he wil be in demand for that...which at that point it will be normal for him to make 120k for that position.
I say this,and it includes myself,alot of us born here in America should and could be better than we are,some foreigners who come here less fortunate excel better than natives....its inspirational.
NAH- Do you or your parents have any connections that might give you a leg-up? It's sad but if you know people, you can get ahead.
Why don't you apply to be a waiter? The pay is generally minimum wage but the tips are damn good most of the time (especially in an upscale resturant). If you give people excellent service, most of the time they'll leave you a nice tip for making their evening enjoyable. It isn't hard work and at least you'll get some income.
Starting wages in call centers here are $9 an hour, not bad for this area of the country.
For me, I'm right on the cusp of looking for a job and the most I've ever earned was as a Department Manager for one bank and then as a collection manager for another where I got almost $25,000 annually in bonuses on top of my salary. My best year was $93,000. I've never gone over it.
However, I now own my home free and clear. I have no auto note. I own my truck free and clear. My electric bill runs around $45/month. My heating is propane and it gets filled up for a total of about $1000 a year. My property taxes are $1479, so I just cut a check. My home insurance runs about $1300. I cut a check.
I have no credit card bills or debt.
I have no mortgage or equity loan debt.
My grocery bill is about $250/month, and that includes luxuries like gourmet ice cream and Cafe Vienna.
I'm ready to have some fun and I'm willing, and can afford now, to go with the flow.
NAH...$15 is a tall order in general at first. What job are you specifically looking for and why are you set on it being $15 or no go?
Are you taking into account any potential benefits like comprehensive health insurance/dental coverage, 401K plans with company matches, discounted legal referral services, flexible schedules, advancement opportunities, etc.?
I could live on $8, $9. now...easily...
But I started my career at $6 an hour back when. It was barely enough to live on, but I saw opportunity. Make sure you're looking at the big picture!
Everyone's got to start somewhere. I believe UPS, USPS, and Home Depot all generally start at or above $10/hour + benefits, which is not bad for someone just starting out on their career. Work hard, and after a year or two you'll get raises and promotions.
I also forgot that this is Florida that we're talking about here where wages are generally far lower than they are elsewhere so $15/hour is even more unrealistic. As rdbeard5 stated, if a teacher, a position which requires at the very least a Bachelor's degree and student teaching experience (usually unpaid), is making that very same salary, it's unrealistic to expect to be making just as much starting out without a degree or experience.
I'm not sure if this will me falling on deaf ears, but I'll throw in my own little story here. My friend's brother graduated in January of 2006 from James Madison University, a well-regarded four-year public university in Virginia, with a degree in Political Science. After graduation, he moved back in with his parents in the D.C. area and started looking for work. While the DC area is ripe with jobs for people in his industry, many positions are unpaid or low-paying internships. Many people interested in politics intern during their summer breaks in college (he didn't do that) and therefore will have an "in" when they graduate and be able to start out making a bit more money (though still low). Feeling he deserved more, he was unwilling to take these jobs and kept looking. He couldn't find anything in his desired field offering to pay him what he felt he deserved, so he kept waiting. Even though he lived at home, bills were stacking up; student loans, car payments, insurance, cell phone, etc. and he was finding himself near completely broke after a few months. There wasn't much of a conscious decision but rather a need for him to start working, someplace, anyplace stat. He got a job at the local grocery store as a cashier. They were paying him $8.50/hour. He hated working for so little and felt it was beneath him, a college graduate, to be working such a job, but he had no choice and just sucked it up. After a few months, he grew tired of the position, quit with no job lined up and found himself in the exact same situation as he was in before. This time however, he knew he couldn't stay unemployed for that long. After around a month of looking and coming up empty-handed, he went to a temp agency. He had his college degree and his previous work experience was a usual mishmash or low-skill, low-pay retail/service industry work. They quickly placed him in the Accounts Payable division of a large company, basically as a paper sorter doing generic office work. The job paid $11/hour, still lower than he liked but a step up at the very least. He's been working at that job now for the past six months as a temp, without benefits, doing well at his job, and he was just offered full-time employment which will increase his pay to around $16/hour with benefits. The job is tolerable but not what he wants to do so during the six months he's been working there, he went on a few job interviews for jobs in his field of study and he has a few leads and is currently undergoing the lengthy process of awaiting security clearance which is usually around a six-month process and needed for a good number of government jobs in the area. He plans to take the AP job and if he gets security clearance and gets a job in several months, he plans to quit and take up the government job (which pays from 35K-45K starting out). If he doesn't receive clearance, he plans to stay at his company for perhaps six months to a year to gain some experience and then to move to the AP division of another company as the company he works for is renowned for low pay, all the while continuing the job hunt for a job in his chosen field of study.
He doesn't like his job. He still lives at home with his parents, but he knows the benefits of it. He's been able to save up some cash and pay off a few debts and buy some things that he would not have been able to were he living on his own. This is an expensive area but you can live on $11/hour in this area but you have to really be careful, especially if you have a car payment. You can't "live well" but if you rent out a room in someone's home, don't eat out all the time, and have minimal spending habits, you can get by. He doesn't get along well with his parents so he can't wait to move out but he's debating sticking around another month or two to save up some more cash.
The moral of the story is like others said, you sometimes have to suck it up and take the punches in order to put yourself in a better situation in the future. Everyone has to start somewhere, and while I haven't read all of your threads so I don't know your exact home/work situation, if you don't have a job, then anything, even if it's a part-time job that pays $8/hour, is better than nothing. Starting out in the working world sucks. You can expect to pinch pennies and struggle a bit, as most people do, even those with degrees, so it's best to take advantage of your relatively "bill free" home life and save up as much money as you can.
Florida is a generally lower pay state. However NAH, by talking to you, you seem to think that someone making $8/hour in Florida would make $30/hour in California. It's not true. Many people struggle in California (or other higher-wage places like New Jersey). Generally, for most things - don't flame me - the wage difference is about $2/hour more in California. Sure, that's great, but it doesn't mean you're poor in Florida and rich in Cali. It would equal out thanks to the cost of living. Actually in Cali you'd probably be more poor.
If you demand $15 an hour, not only do I think they are laughing at you, but you're making a fool of youself. You just make yourself look dumb by demanding that much. "Demand" $10 perhaps, maybe even 9. Take whatever you can have.
NOBODY STARTS OUT MAKING WHAT THEY WANT. Deal with that fact or you'll be forever unemployed.
1. I had an $8/hour job that I hated. Also there was talk of firing me so I quit before I got fired which would look bad on the resume.
2. I am self employed now so there is little point for a job. I wont keep the job long enough to work my way up.
3. I have friends who are making over $30k a year being self employed and are much happier than those with jobs.
4. I think self employment is the way to go in this day and age. Companies are getting too picky with laying off employes. If someone is willing to work for less, I will get laid off. Even if I could get $15 an hour, someone willing to work for $12 an hour will replace me. Theres so many advantages to being self employed and im sticking to that. When I have enough saved up, I can live anywhere I want and not have to deal with long commutes.
1. I had an $8/hour job that I hated. Also there was talk of firing me so I quit before I got fired which would look bad on the resume.
2. I am self employed now so there is little point for a job. I wont keep the job long enough to work my way up.
3. I have friends who are making over $30k a year being self employed and are much happier than those with jobs.
4. I think self employment is the way to go in this day and age. Companies are getting too picky with laying off employes. If someone is willing to work for less, I will get laid off. Even if I could get $15 an hour, someone willing to work for $12 an hour will replace me. Theres so many advantages to being self employed and im sticking to that. When I have enough saved up, I can live anywhere I want and not have to deal with long commutes.
Just because someone you know makes $30k self employed doesn't mean you're guaranteed anything. Also, you need to provide your own benefits and do your own taxes.
Your buddy could make $30k and you could make $5k. There is no rhyme and reason to self employment.
Just because someone you know makes $30k self employed doesn't mean you're guaranteed anything. Also, you need to provide your own benefits and do your own taxes.
Your buddy could make $30k and you could make $5k. There is no rhyme and reason to self employment.
Quote:
And you could make $0 on the job when the company lays you off for any reason. Ill take $5k over $0 anyday.
Settle down fellas, lets keep this civil.
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and Cafe Vienna.
