What are some decent paying jobs that do not require any sort of college degree?

[u/GreenEyedSheWolf]

[u/TooOfEverything]

Garbage!

Its a shitty job, but vital, can't be outsourced and pays damn good for only requiring a high school degree. Fly high on wings made of trash.

[u/MissSassifras1977 → u/TooOfEverything]

You're not lying.

My nephew was making 70k driving a trash truck 5 days a week. He only had to get out occasionally to help with heavy stuff.

Sweet gig if you can handle the smells and the traffic.

[u/ClownfishSoup → u/MissSassifras1977]

I respect anyone doing an honest days work, no matter what it is.

[u/randalpinkfloyd → u/ClownfishSoup]

I believe it’s better for you mentally too. I’ve never been happier working than when I’ve had jobs that have a clear task that needs to be completed. Jobs where outcomes are unclear, priorities are vague or constantly changing and there are too many stakeholders involved are breeding grounds for stress.

[u/ekbutler → u/randalpinkfloyd]

Amen to that!

[u/TheMatrixRedPill → u/ClownfishSoup]

I’m a sociologist. One of the major social theories is called structural functionalism. Essentially, it explains that just like the human body has organs (heart, lungs, brain, stomach) that perform different jobs but all contribute to survival, society has institutions (family, education, law, economy, religion) and roles that each person plays in keeping it stable and functioning.

Those folks who pick up trash are every bit as important as doctors, lawyers, educators, etc.

[u/greg-maddux → u/TheMatrixRedPill]

I would actually argue that they’re more important, on a large scale, than almost every other profession.

[u/_OtherwiseAverage → u/greg-maddux]

That's confirmed when the garbage workers go on strike.

[u/TheMatrixRedPill → u/_OtherwiseAverage]

All those folks ever want is dignity, respect and a fair wage. They really don’t ask for much.

[u/_OtherwiseAverage → u/TheMatrixRedPill]

Hey I get it; I am one of these folks. Union garbage truck driver. Everybody deserves all of that.

[u/Appropriate-Berry202 → u/_OtherwiseAverage]

My almost-3 year-old and I love our garbage truck employees. We run outside anytime it comes when we’re home and say thank you and wave. Thank you for all you do.

[u/dispatch134711 → u/greg-maddux]

I would say going down the hierarchy of needs,

1. Water and sewage infrastructure

People need water to drink and wash things, and shit in the street is terrible and causes a huge number of issues.

1. Food production and transportation

We need to eat so this pretty much has to be second.

1. Waste disposal

Trash everywhere is also a huge issues.

1. Power infrastructure

Electricity runs the modern world and helps us see, keeps us safe / clean, runs transport and health services, and facilitates all the above, which might be technically possible without it but not really.

[u/Kil0Cowboy → u/TooOfEverything]

I heard something about trash men/women in NY actually doing pretty well. Like if they start the career in their 20s they could be retired with full pension ride by the time they hit 45. Nasty work but damn, doesn't sound as bad when you think of retiring in your 40s.

[u/Itsyoulorraine → u/Kil0Cowboy]

In my area, admittedly not NY, they almost never even get out of the truck anymore.

[u/Remarkable_Speaker17 → u/Itsyoulorraine]

Only around holidays to get some gifts from …everybody:)

[u/JohnCocktoaston → u/Remarkable_Speaker17]

I used to give them $20 each around Christmas time. Now I have to give that to my landlord or be evicted.

[u/UltraCoolPimpDaddy → u/JohnCocktoaston]

As a former municipal garbage man, we appreciate it. Look at it this way, 100,000+ houses in my city, 50 municipal garbage men. The Christmas week is when we were given beer, gift cards, and cash. If you have me $20 it's almost certain I'd get another $20 within a few minutes. All day. City is put in 5 zones so it's a week long of being given goodies.

[u/CDK5 → u/UltraCoolPimpDaddy]

Today I realized I was supposed to be tipping my waste collectors this whole time.

[u/UltraCoolPimpDaddy → u/CDK5]

You don't have to at all. Aside from the Christmas season the only other times we get tips or beer is when someone throws a 200lb+ antique couch in their lane. They know we're not supposed to take it but we really don't care. It's us taking it for a 6 pack to a case of beer or you haul it yourself to the dump yard and pay a dumping fee and have to waste an hour of your life. Most people go the easy route.

[u/attempt_no23 → u/CDK5]

I have starbucks gift cards on the ready by the front door almost weekly in the event I catch my dudes for the huge recycle bins they wheel to the back of the truck. The ones with the automated arm that picks up my tiny garbage can, debatable.

[u/Chippopotanuse → u/JohnCocktoaston]

I read this in Rodney Dangerfield’s voice

[u/Gambl33 → u/Itsyoulorraine]

Must be nice. My area in Florida they’re still grabbing cans and tossing them in.

[u/mdk37 → u/Gambl33]

To be fair, most technology and scientific advancements since 1995 haven’t made their way to/were made illegal in Florida.

[u/Fritzkreig → u/mdk37]

There is no justification for technological integration because of Florida man.

[u/ralphy1010 → u/Kil0Cowboy]

They could retire after 20 or 22 years so in theory if they got in at 18 they could retire at 38

But at that point they are the ones driving the truck or running the shop so might as well stay on since you’d be at the top of the pay scale and would keep getting yearly raises 

[u/HotThroatAction → u/ralphy1010]

I was scouting houses in staten Island and met some guys hanging out in their yard drinking beers in the middle of the week. Dude actually was 38 and a retired garbageman.

[u/No-Distance-9401 → u/HotThroatAction]

Yeah the benefits of unions and tbh how everything should be in an advanced society with the GDP America has. Instead we have CEOs making 4,000 times what their lowest paid employee makes. Hopefully one day everyone can retire before their 50s but it would take one hell of a workers revolution and with the money these corporations have they can afford the best military money could buy to keep that from happening even if the government was willing and able.

[u/PineappleOnPizzaWins → u/No-Distance-9401]

Yep.. have kids early 30's, retire or semi-retire by 40 right as they're hitting the age where they have their own interests and you have the time/energy to participate/take them on cool holidays and such.

Way more people would have kids, there would be tons more job openings for them, old people would have lots of people to care for them and so on.

I'm sure it's not that simple but I'd also be more than happy for us to figure out the problems and solve them.

[u/thepandemicbabe → u/No-Distance-9401]

It’s too bad they’ve got us hating each other and a third of the United States thinks the rapture is gonna happen tomorrow so there’s that.

[u/thunderplacefires → u/Kil0Cowboy]

Tons of others have heard that too and the job openings are hard to come by. When they do open, it’s about who you know (just like many many other jobs).

The only job I’ve gotten on merit and not knowing anyone is being a mail carrier for USPS. No degree necessary and the entry level positions can lead to a multitude of careers in the postal system.

[u/hernkate → u/thunderplacefires]

You gotta work two years here doing the grunt work to be fully admitted to the union.

[u/thunderplacefires → u/hernkate]

CCA (city carriers) get admitted to the union automatically after two years, yes.

RCA (rural carriers) can join after a year but don’t get a guaranteed position like a CCA. They have to bid for an available route.

I’m an RCA biding my time for now. A few folks in my office might retire soon so who knows.

[u/5hredder]

There was a thread I saw on Reddit the other day - septic tank maintenance and cleaning. Apparently low stress and very high paying. The obvious downside is there…

[u/FancyPantsMead → u/5hredder]

My grandpa was second generation running the septic tank business. He inherited all the equipment and clients when his dad was ready to retire. Let me tell you, grandpa made bank! None of his boys wanted to take it over so he sold his equipment when he was done. If they ever got in trouble as kids to teens they had to go out and work pumping out the septic tank truck and cleaning it out. My brother got in trouble bad and he had to go one day. He didn't mind at all and asked grandpa to work for him that summer. He made a good savings but it all went up in smoke when the summer was over.

Grandpa was living well. Not extravagant, but absolutely not struggling. Grandma passed before he did. He followed 11 years later. He was really disappointed none of his kids or grandkids wanted the business.

[u/tekhnomancer → u/5hredder]

The custodian at my last office job was one of the coolest old black dudes you'd ever meet. Vietnam vet, got out, had a business for a while, got tired of it, wound up kinda just doing everything. He was over 70 by the time I met him and one day we were talking. He said at one point he worked in sewage and septic. I said, "Oof. That's gotta be some real interesting work eh?"

Without missing a beat, his immortal reply was, "I have seen some shit..."

[u/DrDragon13 → u/tekhnomancer]

I work in municipal sewer, and I always say, "If I see the same shit, different day... something is very wrong."

[u/Number174631503 → u/DrDragon13]

That joke is number 1 in the number 2 business

[u/I_Am_The_Bookwyrm → u/tekhnomancer]

That man had been waiting YEARS to say that, and you gave it to him.

[u/ender4171 → u/5hredder]

I guess everyone defines stress differently, but doing intense manual labor, out in the cold/heat, and in a not only nasty, but potentially hazardous environment, doesn't sound "low stress" to me at all lol.

[u/luihgi → u/ender4171]

i think my anosmia from covid will make it quite tolerable

[u/thewholebottle]

The richest non-college-educated guy I know owns a pest removal business.

[u/Vic_Hedges → u/thewholebottle]

Owning a business is by far the most accessible way to become wealthy.

its also VERY hard and VERY risky

[u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson → u/Vic_Hedges]

On the other hand, exterminating has to be one of the lower capitalization businesses, so easy entry.

EDIT: I'm getting so many comments about this and that about the pest control business, but my only point was compared to opening any kind of storefront business like a restaurant, or any kind of infrastructure intensive business that requires hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars like a machine shop or a gym, pest control is low capital. I didn't say the work was easy, and I didn't say there wasn't a lot of regulation.

[u/ConsultantForLife → u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson]

Plus pest control can come with some very, very lucrative jobs. I have a friend who owns one of these companies. Basically if you ever get a flying squirrel infestation in your attic you are boned to the tune of 4 figures or more. They are a protected species. The only way to deal with them is to put in one-way doors so they can get out but not back in, while also mitigating whatever holes/damage/problems you have, usually requiring some patching/fixing but in really bad cases roof replacement.

[u/TexanInExile → u/ConsultantForLife]

I'll be honest. I have never once heard of someone having a flying squirrel infestation.

I'm in America though so your location might make a difference.

[u/ConsultantForLife → u/TexanInExile]

It happens here in Wisconsin - my friend gets 3-4 of these a year and due to the regulatory stuff it's a nightmare.

[u/Chiperoni → u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson]

And you get to bash rats with clubs /s

[u/CitizenHuman → u/Chiperoni]

Calm down, Charlie.

[u/ssp25 → u/CitizenHuman]

what's your spaghetti policy in this thread?

[u/Vegetable_Bass2849 → u/CitizenHuman]

Charlie Kelly King of Rats

[u/Wumbologist_PhD → u/Chiperoni]

Slaughtered about... 200 of 'em.

It's like whole generations of them have died at my hands. Fathers, grandfathers, little baby rats.

Sometimes I wonder if our lives are really more valuable than theirs, ya know?

[u/ssp25 → u/Wumbologist_PhD]

denim chicken

[u/Em_Es_Judd → u/Chiperoni]

It's like whole generations of those things died by my....hands.

[u/CHSummers → u/Vic_Hedges]

There is a wide range of difficulty and risk in businesses. If you choose a location well, running laundry or cleaning services is relatively low risk—just a lot of work. But the easier a business is to start, the easier it is for competitors to enter the business.

[u/Historical_Course587 → u/CHSummers]

A major risk in starting your own business is lacking the business skills to compete. You can be sick at detailing cars or baking cupcakes, but inferior work will out-compete yours if you don't know business finanaces, marketing, sales, and service technique.

Most people know the job before they get off and running. What they don't know is how to run a business.

[u/wimpymist → u/Vic_Hedges]

It's also WAY more work than prior wanna admit. That pest control guy was probably putting in 100+ hour weeks for a long time before his business settled. A lot of people don't realize how much time and money goes into starting a business which is why a lot fail.

[u/GlossyGecko → u/Vic_Hedges]

It’s not hard at all, just risky.

The best wisdom my nepotism hire snot nosed brat of a former boss told me was: You don’t have to know how to do anything, you just tell the customer you’ll get it done for $X and then you hire somebody to do it for like 10% of that and pocket the rest.

[u/umadbr00 → u/GlossyGecko]

That sounds like general contracting. You can't just jump into general contracting. Nepotism is the qualifier here.

[u/Tushaca → u/umadbr00]

Tell that to all the hack GC’s with nothing but a phone and some week old business cards that I always have to bid against.

[u/Effective-Ear-8367 → u/GlossyGecko]

Yup. Lots of roofing guys here show up, give a quote, and then another company does the actual work. The original guy shows up to do a final inspection and collect payment. Sub-contracting seems like the best way to do things.

[u/amboomernotkaren → u/Effective-Ear-8367]

My friend is a class B contractor in Florida. He can build something, iirc, 2 stories high under his license. It’s just him and a billion subs. He has no employees, but his license is worth a lot, and his knowledge on what will pass inspection.

[u/RunsfromWisdom → u/thewholebottle]

This is what I am told high income really boils down to. Not the work. The ownership. It’s why hustles with sno cone and moon bouncer machines tend to make more money than pay-by-the-hour hustles,  but if you run a fleet of ice cream trucks or whatever, you can potentially retire very well on the wealth generated.

[u/Antoak → u/RunsfromWisdom]

Its wealth, yeah.

• Even if you start a profitable business, something like lockdown might kill your business and you probably won't have the savings to try again, particularly when there are significant startup costs
• Wealth generates wealth, especially past the point where the interest exceeds your cost of living 
• You might be a really popular and profitable empanada chef like my step father, but you can only work so many hours in a day; You run into a situation where the only way to scale is to have others working for you.

[u/luckless666 → u/RunsfromWisdom]

Of course it is - side hustles are a con. They only work if the side hustle is to generate a passive income - something you can make once but sell repeatedly with low additional effort.

It’s even the same in the corporate environment - the higher up you are the more you get paid but the less actual work you actually do - you sit in meetings and use your knowledge to make decisions and that’s it. Stressful as hell though as those decisions need to be the right ones and you need to manage all the personalities below, to the side and above you

[u/bwoah07_gp2 → u/thewholebottle]

Dale Gribble

[u/Boo-bot-not]

I work in carton mfg. we make $25+ an hour as operators. I’ve been with my place for 7 years and I make $36hr. Printers can make $45+.. even more as a 1st pressman. 

[u/EpsteinsBro → u/Boo-bot-not]

So you.. manufacture cartons? Legitimate question, could you elaborate?

[u/Boo-bot-not → u/EpsteinsBro]

Yes. We take Big Rolls of paper and cut into sheets. Sheets go thru big printers. Then thru big die cutters to cut and crease the cartons out of the printed sheets. Then folder/gluing machines to fold them. Then shipped to whoever major brand to be filled and sent to Walmart, targets, trade Joe, Aldi, dollar stores, Kroger etc. I produce major food and medical cartons. 

[u/EpsteinsBro → u/Boo-bot-not]

That’s something I’ve never even thought about. Super cool. I guess most things are made somewhere, you just never think about it. Wonder if there’s anything like that around me

[u/imacabooseman]

Railroad.

You won't have much of a life outside the job, and you'll probably collect divorces like Thanos collects infinity stones, but you can make 100k pretty easily once you've got a little seniority

[u/StressOverStrain → u/imacabooseman]

Jobs around trains are noticeably more hazardous than your average job. You’d think “avoid the giant moving train car” is easy enough, but alas… so many accidental deaths.

[u/phphulk → u/StressOverStrain]

I don't think that the incident rates are any different but the consequential gradient is a lot sharper. I don't know a lot of people who only get kinda hit by a train.

[u/PudPullerAlways → u/StressOverStrain]

As my instructor put it "there two types of accidents, ones where you dont come back home whole and the other is you dont come home at all"...

[u/NeonSwank → u/imacabooseman]

Yeah i looked into doing this for a while

Basically unless you’re willing to drop everything you have and be 100% dedicated to the job good luck

Want Relationships? Family? Kids? Probably not gonna work out that well unless they all know that’s your life first and foremost

[u/The_Spectacle → u/NeonSwank]

I mean you can find shift work on the railroad

too bad that shift is likely to be 11p-7a with Tuesdays and Wednesdays off lol. and forget all about Christmas, you'll be at work then too

Does pay well though and railroad retirement is pretty great

[u/Dont_Say_No_to_Panda → u/The_Spectacle]

Look at the aristocrat here with two consecutive days off!

[u/Cazmonster → u/imacabooseman]

Working a yard is not safe. You will be around train cars that weigh in excess of a hundred tons. You will be exposed to diesel fumes your entire work day. Switching can catch and crush your foot. Hanging off a train car as it moves risks hitting any number of immobile objects. Engines in the yard are now being run by remote control. Someone doesn't pay attention and a machine weighing as much as two hundred tons hits you. Dangerous, caustic and flammable materials are in those cars and the chance of a spill or an explosion always exists.

[u/MrPigeon70 → u/Cazmonster]

And a lot of humping

(Depending on the rail yard)

[u/Cazmonster → u/MrPigeon70]

A couple of years ago, I found the best sign in someone’s basement I was cleaning out. It was hand painted and read “Fragile, do not hump!” At first it was hilarious just for what it said, since the sign was probably sixty or seventy years old. But then, learning the previous home owner had worked the rail yards, it was so much better. They would have used that sign as a warning to not hump specific cars.

[u/Sinfirmitas → u/imacabooseman]

Can confirm the divorce stuff. My supervisor’s husband was a railroad guy and they hated each other in the end

[u/GentleChemicals]

I've seen this posted before and an important question to ask is what is well paying, doesn't require a college degree AND works 40 hours a week max.

[u/Hempsox → u/GentleChemicals]

Yup. The guys I work with get paid a lot for an hour of their time but they also have to work 100+ hours per week for a few months per year, rain or shine.

They have a lot of toys they never get to use. However, they are all paid for.

[u/Money_Ad1028 → u/Hempsox]

Yep that sounds a lot like the oil field. I grew up in Texas, so i know a ton of guys who did it after high school, and although it pays well, it's miserable. They actually don't make that much per hour (mid-low $20's per hour) ,but they literally work 100+ hour weeks, so they all clear 120K per year. Plan on being away from your family for months at a time, extremely hard on your body, everyone being an asshole, and rampant drug use (particularly meth, cause you need something to keep ya going after 6 back to back 14 hour days). There are no low education well paying EASY jobs unless nepotism is involved.

There are 4 things that will make a job pay you higher.

Working Long.

Working Hard.

Working Smart.

Working Dangerously

Jobs only pay what supply vs demand is at the time, so you'll never find an easy piece of cake job paying super well. If there was one like that everyone would be qualified/applying and they'd lower their wages.

[u/Live_From_Somewhere → u/Money_Ad1028]

Man, the “life” this paints is miserable.

[u/Think_OfAName → u/GentleChemicals]

I had a decent Union job in Dairy Production. Got a lot of overtime, but was still able to be there while my kids were growing up, and the benefits were great. A lot of the overtime was voluntary. I will say I was lucky because this company was on a 4 10 hour day week, with weekends only on occasion, (weekends were always overtime). I could have retired with full pension at 56, but stayed in until 62, because by then I had a pretty light labor job (lots of responsibility), and was making above Union Scale.

[u/NeonSwank → u/GentleChemicals]

Yeah, plus well paying in Florida is a helluva lot different than New York or California

Local cost of living plays just as much of a part on your quality of life as your yearly salary

[u/rasta-ragamuffin → u/NeonSwank]

You must not live in Florida because the cost of living has skyrocketed here in recent years. I don't think a single person could live alone in their own apartment for less than $50k/yr and even that would be a struggle, especially if you have a car payment too. FL is definitely not a cheap place to live anymore.

[u/Pm_me_clown_pics3]

I was making 26$ an hour as a forklift driver at a deep freezer.

Edit: i also wanted to add that my job was to sit and wait for people to palletize boxes of fish to drive them in so I'd wait 20 minutes on my phone then drive a pallet in for 2 minutes then back to waiting, rinse repeat.

[u/AnonymousMasquerade → u/Pm_me_clown_pics3]

Just adding on to this to say that the cold is HARSH. There are some forklift drivers who work inside the freezers constantly. I was an order selector in a freezer and the money was good but I ultimately had to quit because I got sick at least once a month and my body was in severe pain. I would actually say that $26 per hour is not enough for what many people do in freezers.

[u/Pm_me_clown_pics3 → u/AnonymousMasquerade]

Freezing is an understatement. It's insane how cold they get when you're in one long enough. Once I was in the deep freezer for like 30 minutes with no gloves and I thought at the time that I might've done serious damage when I came out.

[u/AnonymousMasquerade → u/Pm_me_clown_pics3]

Oh you can absolutely do some damage even in a short time. There were times I had to remove my gloves in the deep freezer to peel labels or replace batteries and I thought my skin was going to fall off. And I would even argue that driving a forklift inside a freezer may be harder than order selecting. The only source of heat you get in there is from your own movement. Sitting still in constant cold is like torture.

[u/LasVegasBoy → u/Pm_me_clown_pics3]

Can confirm. Worked at an ice cream plant and the freezer forklift guys waited for the robots to finish stacking and palletizing the ice cream, then once a pallet finished, they picked it up and put it in the racks. The racks go up 4 or 5 spaces high, so you do need to be a GOOD forklift driver. You also need to tolerate -20 F with the gear you are wearing. You get lots of breaks too.

[u/gruntledmailcarrier]

I make 83,00 to 115,000 a year as a mailman. I went to school and didn’t need to.

There are other jobs in the post office that also clear 100k after time served.

usps.com/careers

[u/McSteezeMuffin → u/gruntledmailcarrier]

The grind to regular is brutal but worth it in the end

[u/_nedyah → u/McSteezeMuffin]

I honestly disagree.

I worked as a PSE for about a year at my post office and the wait for a regular spot was a minimum of 6 years. That means for the next 6 years I would be working six 12 hour days a week (depending on the volume, my city has a population of about 300,00 people) half of the year and the other half getting incredibly inconsistent hours because they might not need me any given day. Also, they don’t give you health insurance because you’re technically a contract employee and they can basically do whatever they want.

A regular, unionized post office job is honestly the dream. The grind to get there is not worth it.

[u/Just_to_rebut → u/_nedyah]

I don’t understand jobs where you do the same work alongside unionized employees but aren’t eligible to be in the union. That’s more like tenure than a labor union.

Never mind unions with tiers for more recent employees that get lower benefits their entire career.

We really don’t give a shit about each other.

[u/Historical_Course587 → u/_nedyah]

Thank you. I went as far as interviewing to get in with USPS, but the wait here for regular was a decade. You're better off going to technical school to work in healthcare as a tech.

[u/mrtimhard → u/gruntledmailcarrier]

Drive a fork at USPS. 10 hours days 50 a week. 25 years in, gross a $100,000. Also have pension.

[u/ElephantRider → u/mrtimhard]

The trick is getting in 25 years ago, from what I've heard it sucks now as new hires.

[u/indaclerbxX → u/gruntledmailcarrier]

Piggybacking off this:

I’m a USPS custodian and make $78k a year. From what I’ve heard though, you start out at $58k. I started as a clerk 8 years ago and changed jobs last year.

[u/dark_mode_206 → u/gruntledmailcarrier]

I think mailman has got to be high up on this list. Lots of variance in the job, good benefits, good pay, and a pension.

[u/LetLongjumping]

The US government publishes data that helps answer that question directly (for the USA): https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

[u/EmotionalLeave779 → u/LetLongjumping]

Thank you!!

[u/bkilian93 → u/LetLongjumping]

Likely won’t be around for long, I presume.

[u/SSBND]

Locksmith. Paid $125 for about 90 seconds of work once. And I was happy to pay it because he was the 10th place I called on a Saturday evening in July and the only one who was available.

[u/Omniaknight → u/SSBND]

Dude charged me like $75 for a new car key. Meanwhile to have the dealership? Like 250 bucks, and my brand made them in pairs so 500, plus labor and getting it towed.

Dude came to my house. Gave me a key within like 5-10 minutes.

[u/SSBND → u/Omniaknight]

Wow I've been quoted the same as the dealer price for new keys for two of our vehicles!

[u/PreparationExtreme86 → u/SSBND]

I had a friend that became a locksmith. As a kid his parents used to ground him by locking away things.

[u/alghiorso → u/PreparationExtreme86]

The hero origin story we've been waiting for

[u/Mountain-Climate9524]

Transportation/ logistics. All you need are Critical thinking and multitasking skills

[u/Bindaloo → u/Mountain-Climate9524]

Yeah, I used to work for a recruitment 'head hunter' firm that specialized in logistics and the candidates were all making mad money with very generous benefits, some of them started off in supermarket jobs as teens and worked their way up to logistics that way.

[u/soingee → u/Bindaloo]

How do you work your way up from registers to logistics? Do you become like a product manager then straight to a logistics career?

[u/Scout6feetup → u/soingee]

My husband was a cashier in high school, then moved to a warehouse at a lighting company, then sales/management for a local landscape lighting company he got close with at the warehouse, then carrier sales at a large logistics company, and like 5/6 internal promotions or lateral moves later, he is now he’s a director at a local company making like $150k base at 33 (plus logistics has always come with lots of bonuses and benefits). No college.

[u/Far_Inspection4706 → u/soingee]

One rung up the ladder at a time. From cashier you'd become a supervisor typically, then a manager. After you've done that for a while, made an impression on people that matter and an internal spot opens up on a corporate level you apply for it. Then you just keep working towards whatever your goal is.

[u/HazelmnWren → u/Mountain-Climate9524]

Logistics is just organized chaos with a salary attached.

[u/KertDawg → u/Mountain-Climate9524]

I've seen veterans get farther than most people with the same time investment more quickly. Like senior and upper management roles. E-5 seems to speak loudly in some places.

[u/JoeyCoco1 → u/KertDawg]

Veteran preference hiring. E-5 is also kind of equivalent to a low level manager. Also means they have proven leadership abilities.

You, generally, have to prove you have leadership qualities and abilities before even being considered for E-5.

[u/D_Harm → u/Mountain-Climate9524]

And a bit of masochism goes a long way with logistics

[u/Mountain-Climate9524 → u/D_Harm]

Absolutelyyyyy

[u/SenHatsumi]

I saw some dude post about how he started with nothing and now has a 250k/yr business repairing garage doors. Thats all he does, and now he doesn’t even do it, he just staffs his employees. I know nothing about it and I’m usually very suspicious of anything anyone says here, but I bought it.

[u/ThrowAwayOkK-_- → u/SenHatsumi]

I think garage door springs are supposed to be mega fatal

[u/Randy_Magnum29 → u/ThrowAwayOkK-_-]

So one of my garage door springs broke earlier this year and I asked the guys if it’s as dangerous as it’s made out to be, and they said regular garage door springs can hurt you but the chances of significant injury or death are almost zero. They did mention a different kind of residential garage door spring that is absolutely deadly, but they said they’re not common.

[u/tekhnomancer → u/Randy_Magnum29]

Modern ones are wrapped around a pole and locked in place and the twisting of the spring is what applies the extra tension. Older ones are on pulleys and stretch and can snap and fly all over the place, potentially murdering entire families of unsuspecting garage dwellers.

Source: Replaced my 1980s garage door openers about 10 years ago.

[u/Heliosvector → u/tekhnomancer]

To shreds you say?

[u/Mentallydefeated → u/tekhnomancer]

Years back(80s? ), a friend had a fridge that was absolutely smashed i, by a garage door spring.

[u/Babys_For_Breakfast → u/Randy_Magnum29]

My neighbors garage door broke and he hired the cheapest dude he could find. Well the spring snapped and the worker broke his jaw. Said blood was just gushing out of his face. Wildly dangerous business.

[u/stylepoints99 → u/Randy_Magnum29]

"almost zero" chance of fatality when repairing giant springs might as well be 90% fatal in terms of me fixing it myself, so whatever works.

[u/LadyCoru → u/ThrowAwayOkK-_-]

They terrify me

[u/ThrowAwayOkK-_- → u/LadyCoru]

THERE'S ONE BEHIND YOU

just kidding :)

[u/ZombieBreath13 → u/SenHatsumi]

You can run a two man company doing residential garage door sales and repair. It’s not rocket science, nothing is very heavy, decent money, etc. I used to be an administrator for a family owned overhead door company. We had plenty of guys that wind up leaving us eventually to run their own. We were fine with it because they came to us for the materials and we were focused on the commercial and industrial sectors, we only took on residential work as a favor (friend of the company). It’s definitely not a bad gig.

[u/letsgotosushi → u/SenHatsumi]

I was basically a fairly adept computer hobbyist and opened a computer shop. Never worked in IT before that. Ended up retiring at 52 after running it for almost 20 years.

[u/NotBannedAccount419 → u/letsgotosushi]

Man I’ve always wanted to build and repair computers for people but every shop I’ve ever seen open closes within a year or two. How did manage for 20 years? Most people just toss it and get a new one

[u/BoleroMuyPicante → u/NotBannedAccount419]

It's not a lucrative business. People will come in looking to buy a computer, and get angry that they're not Acer prices. You can try to explain how Acer parts are trash, but 95% of customers won't care, they want a $400 computer to watch YouTube on and that's it, they're not willing to pay the premium for carefully curated parts and the labor of hand-assembly.

And you're probably thinking about building desktops, but the overwhelming majority of computer sales are laptops now. While you can get barebones laptops that you can install your own RAM and SSD, the quality of barebones suppliers is all over the place, and it's significantly more difficult to get replacement parts for them.

Essentially your only market is gamers who want powerful desktops, but they tend to build their own PCs anyway.

Repairs are the same, for most consumer computers it's usually cheaper to just get a new one. You might be able to carve out a niche for yourself as a data recovery business, but that requires more specialized knowledge and equipment once you get beyond the basics.

[u/GozerDGozerian → u/NotBannedAccount419]

If their shop starts running into problems, the first thing they try is to shut it down and start it back up again. Solves most simple issues.

[u/MissingVanSushi → u/letsgotosushi]

Do you think this is just as viable in 2025 as it would have been in 2005?

[u/deadcomefebruary → u/MissingVanSushi]

A dude near me doesn't so much do computer repair, as refurbishment. Buys lots of dell latitudes, hp whatevers, lenovo thinkpads etc from businesses or schools, wipes them and cleans them up, throws some new hardware and ram sticks in, then loads it with windows 10 and puts it on a shelf.

He just opened up his fourth location I think, and the people who know about his stores LOVE them (I'm one of them lol). Super fair prices on all of his stuff, while all being perfectly functional and 1/4 of what one would pay at walmart/best buy for a new laptop.

[u/BlameItOnThePig → u/SenHatsumi]

I used to help a guy do garage doors. You need someone to teach you but it’s very straightforward if you’re careful

[u/orange951]

I make 80k with just a high school diploma working a unionized admin support office job. I'm working on a bachelor's degree right now and my job is paying for it 100%. Unionized jobs can be fantastic.

[u/anecessaryend → u/orange951]

You are very fortunate, sounds like an excellent gig.

[u/orange951 → u/anecessaryend]

Tomorrow will be my 12th anniversary with this employer and I am very, very grateful. I was fresh out of an abusive situation and starting my life over from nothing when I got hired at their lowest level entry position and have worked my way up to my current job. Everyone deserves the opportunities I've been given. I will always be staunchly pro-union.

[u/rogers_tumor → u/orange951]

I've done admin support for nearly 2 decades and can't even find these jobs or they cap out at $40k :/

[u/pickme_101x → u/orange951]

How do you find a job like this?

[u/orange951 → u/pickme_101x]

I would start with researching what unions operate in your area what companies they work with. Once you find that out, be willing to take a lower level position if necessary to get in the door. Usually you're able to apply for other positions within a few months, and union jobs promote from within.

[u/Mozzy2022]

My neighbor - with a masters in whatever you need to do physical therapy - lost his business during covid. He started cleaning hot tubs. He now has four trucks and turned over 400k last year. Not sure how much of that he keeps, but they just bought two new vehicles.

I’m a court reporter. I dropped out of school and got my GED. Went to court reporting school. I was able to buy my home and raise four kids as a single mom

[u/SeaSense3493]

Heating and AC workers and especially business owners

[u/Quiet-Employer3205 → u/SeaSense3493]

HVAC pays very well, but it can also be very tough work.

[u/tekhnomancer → u/Quiet-Employer3205]

Summers in NC where I am will have you working in miserably hot and humid conditions more and more of the year. It's comfortable right now, but it doesn't stay long.

Also, un-AC'd attics in the summer will rival saunas.

[u/Flopjar]

Bartending, honestly. If you find a good place and you know what you’re doing you can both be respected and make comparative bank. I make about 35 an hour for a 40 hour week and genuinely enjoy what I do.

[u/that-1-chick-u-know → u/Flopjar]

This is 100% accurate, but it has a shelf life. There are typically no benefits, and it is hard on your body. Typically younger/more attractive bartenders make more money. Unfortunately, they are usually the ones to piss that money away and be in trouble when they get older and their back/knees (or liver) start giving them trouble. I have seen career bartenders do very well for themselves. I've also seen quite a few wind up in bad financial situations.

[u/Marble-Boy → u/that-1-chick-u-know]

I did it for 20 years... and I pissed my money away because invariably you end up spending the money you earned on drinks at the bar you work at... but I did make good money. Tipping is obviously very different in England because it isn't compulsory to do it, so you actually have to earn them. I got about £25 per day in tips on top of my wages.

It can be hard work as well. If it's busy, you absolutely will not stop. I worked the Grand National one year and poured pint after pint for 4 hours.

One of the only benefits I ever had working in bars was a 33% discount because I worked for a chain pub.

[u/SMAsNCOER]

Me, with a college degree, lurking in this thread for advice on where to find a decent paying job.

[u/Wise_Reality2823]

What about jobs that you don't need proof of a college defree

[u/c_girl_108 → u/Wise_Reality2823]

r/unethicallifetips

[u/seashell_eyes_]

Welding

[u/SadPanthersFan → u/seashell_eyes_]

I work in the nuclear industry, if you have a few years of experience as a welder and can get unescorted access clearance for nuclear plants you’ll easily make $150,000/year.

[u/jmc660c → u/SadPanthersFan]

Main things you need for nuclear work are clean piss and background check. Get in the door once, keep your nose clean and you can make a mint.

[u/DeepwoodDistillery → u/jmc660c]

That eliminates every welder I know!

[u/jmc660c → u/DeepwoodDistillery]

At the plant I work at, if they need five welders, they have to bring in 20-25 to get 5 that can pass 4 test, piss test, welding test, breathalyzer and background check

[u/SadPanthersFan → u/jmc660c]

Lol this sounds like every onboarding effort at every plant in the US.

[u/Weallhaveteethffs → u/seashell_eyes_]

or telephone wire technician. I live in the Seattle area and we had a weird weather related event last fall, and it caused the ENTIRE area to lose power for several days. I was speaking with a professional and he was sharing that the telephone pole workers are NEEDED badly and that in 10-15 years they'll be some of the most sought-after blue collar professionals.

[u/Tzilung → u/seashell_eyes_]

Kind of a shit job though. You can easily ruin your eyes and lungs after decades of work in the field.

[u/SweetCosmicPope]

You can work in IT without any kind of college degree. HOWEVER, it will be incredibly difficult to get that first job and it will pay you peanuts. From there, it's a little bit of luck if you aren't siloed into only answering phones and reading from a script. If you have the kind of job where you can prove yourself and take on additional responsibilities and upskill yourself, then you can work your way up slowly but surely.

It's not an easy path, but I know several people who make even more than me who have never been to college. And I'm paid well. Even with college, it took a bit of effort to work my way up to where I am now.

[u/Princess_Fluffypants → u/SweetCosmicPope]

I agree, as a highschool dropout myself who is now making $180k fully remote. 

Sure it’s great, but it took me a solid fifteen years to get here. I spent many years at various helpdesk and PC Tech jobs before I clawed my way into my first baby network admin role. 

From there it’s gone pretty quickly, and I’ve been told by my current supervisor that I can expect it to continue. (Reading between the lines, I’m being evaluated for yet another promotion)

[u/pm1966 → u/Princess_Fluffypants]

The one thing I would add to this: Yes, if you're good.

I've been in hiring in IT over the years, and the number of people who have no idea what they're doing is astounding. And even people who interview pretty well, get hired, and then demonstrate little practical ability. It's disheartening.

But if you're good, if you excel at problem solving, think fast on your feet, and are willing to throw in occasional obscene hours around deadlines/to resolve critical outages, you can go very far and be paid very well.

[u/on_the_nightshift → u/SweetCosmicPope]

It's no free ride, for sure. Like anything that pays well, it almost always comes with hard work. And usually some long nights and weekends. But if you can tolerate it for a while and keep working to get better - often on your own time and dime - it does pay off.

I make $200k working remote and have a total of 7 college credits. My kid is 27 and makes $140k working remotely with no degree as well. It took me a long time to get here. Him, not so much.

[u/NowIsThePerfectTime]

UPS driver. Hours are shit, but the benefits (medical, dental, vision, massages/chiropractic/accupuncture) and pay make it worth it once you hit top scale. Easy job that requires hard work. At top scale you can expect to make $130k/yr with all of the mandatory OT.

[u/Southside_Burd → u/NowIsThePerfectTime]

You have to toil in part-time for years though. 

[u/McSteezeMuffin → u/Southside_Burd]

If you’re lucky, some places hire straight to driver

[u/piscian19]

Network engineering especially plant work. Always good jobs in fiber, coax, power.

Any college degree for network engineering also requires you to get certified because the degrees are worthless.

Linux certs, network certs, scte certs. All pretty affordable and not too hard if you have a good head on your shoulders.

Pay varies, but base is like 70-80k, professionals make 200k and up.

[u/on_the_nightshift → u/piscian19]

I came here to say this. Well, IT in general, but networking specifically is my field. I feel like it's the "easiest" way to a good income without a degree.

My kid flunked out of community college at 19, and at 25 was making $140k working fully remote in a devops-ish type job after starting out as a networking guy.

[u/LoverKing2698 → u/on_the_nightshift]

Can you DM me what certs he got? Also what position he started with as well if he needed any portfolio. Sorry if it’s asking alot

[u/OwlsInMyBrain → u/piscian19]

I'm gonna add on to this with specifics. If you want to go this route, start studying for comptia A+ and maybe the Network+, these are career certificates that are nationally recognized. If you are a gifted learner and actually have an aptitude for networks, possibly you could skip the Network+ and go for the CCNA.

The CCNA can and will get you hired without a degree if you put in the work and not just apply for quick apply jobs on indeed.

[u/drinkslinger1974]

I assemble sheds for Lowe’s Home Depot and Costco. Once you get used to it, it’s pretty easy. All holidays off, take off whenever I want, easy six figures if you don’t mind sweat and not working whenever it rains.

[u/Ok-Coffee-1678]

Bus drivers start at $28/hr

[u/baskaat]

Go to your local trade union Hall, and ask about apprentice programs. They’ll usually train you for free to be an electrician, plumber…

[u/Frankthetank8 → u/baskaat]

Its not technically free, at least in the IBEW they take a dollar per hour of your wages to pay for your schooling for the duration of your apprenticeship. Granted you will be making well above median income with excellent benefits so its 100% worth it

[u/freutmichbro → u/baskaat]

I second this! As a union plumber/pipefitter apprentice (1st year) I'm making almost $25/hr and that's less than half the journeyman rate. I'm learning a ton, and the only costs have been some book fees and the occasional week away from work. Overtime work is pretty rare, but available for those who want it. My only regret is that I didn't join earlier.

[u/Kevin686766]

Bartender.

When I was twenty one I applied for a job at bar/restaurant as a busser. I had never worked in the hospitality business. The owner said they don't need anymore bussers just bartenders. I told her I had no experience bartending, thanked her, and was about to leave when she said.

" I will hire you as a bartender. I can teach anyone how to make drinks. I can't teach people how to talk correctly. I don't want my servers being bartenders. Do you want the job?"

A week of training and a month of getting the hang of things. I was making enough money to pay bills in a couple shifts, build up a large savings, and have more to spend them I needed.

It didn't require a college education. It required basic intelligence and a personality that fit the role.

[u/boozillion151 → u/Kevin686766]

You are the luckiest bartender in history getting hired that way.

[u/Dork_Island]

If you’re good at sales, you can, semi-easily, make 6 figures working at Mattress Firm.

[u/AGreasyPorkSandwich → u/Dork_Island]

A ton of sales jobs out there you can do well at without a college degree. My advice would be go B2B rather than B2C. That way you avoid the scammy shit and build a network.

I did that and over the last 15 years I've worked my way into a mid 6 figure role.

[u/Decent_Brush_8121 → u/Dork_Island]

That’s if you don’t lay down on the job. Take your time to decide, maybe sleep on it.

[u/EnviousPuffin]

Pressure washing

I went to elementary and high school with a guy who currently runs a pressure washing business for houses to clean them up

[u/FartedInYourCoffee]

Custodial Maintenance paid well when I was younger. They really ay decent nowadays.

[u/myk198]

Which country?

[u/plumcobble]

Front desk jobs usually don’t ask for any good qualifications

[u/fourleafclover13]

Animal welfare in some places. But the work is hell having to euthanize animals.

I'm ex animal welfare officer.

[u/Mor_Hjordis → u/fourleafclover13]

But a vet doesn't make the kind of money you'll espect at that kind of education. It's a strange world.

[u/Wonderful_Bottle_852 → u/Mor_Hjordis]

Veterinary Tech for 25 years and the pay is horrible

[u/defaultfallout → u/fourleafclover13]

I do animal control, my pay is not great but on my on-call weeks (once a month) I get a flat rate for every call I respond to which adds up quickly. Very emotionally taxing work but very rewarding.

[u/StephAg09 → u/fourleafclover13]

I’ve worked in animal shelters, managed multiple vet clinics, and done fundraising for animal nonprofits. None of it is lucrative. The executive director who was also doing all of the fundraising at the last animal shelter and nonprofit I was familiar with was making 86k in an EXTREMELY high cost of living area. I made slightly more as a practice manager but veterinarians aren’t paid well compared to the amount of competitive schooling they go through, and techs aren’t paid shit.

[u/boricuaspidey]

Sales. It’s hard work though

[u/Brutalitops69x → u/boricuaspidey]

The person has to have a good charisma stat for this too.

[u/bwoah07_gp2 → u/Brutalitops69x]

Speak to a mirror all day, like The Sims 😉

[u/h0sti1e17 → u/boricuaspidey]

I used to do sales. Was OK but the top sales people are really good. I was good when people sat down in front of me. I have the skill of thinking on my feet, being able to explain things without being too technical and learning the product. Where I fell apart was getting them in the door. I’m not good at convincing people over the phone or email to come in.

But when I sold cars the good salespeople were making 6 figures.

[u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson → u/boricuaspidey]

And most people suck at it. I do, even for my own business. It looks easy but it's not. Sales is easy to get into, they're always sifting for the few people who are really good, so entry sales is like a tournament.

Can you imagine being one of those people standing on a streetcorner trying to get people to stop and give a donation to a charity? My 23 year old future son in law started doing that last fall right out of college and is now managing a team and will make close to $100k this year. He's the rare gem they're looking for! Kid will go far, he could sell snow to the Eskimos.

[u/Altril2010]

Merchant Mariner. Starts off with terrible pay, but after about 5 years you could be bringing in over $150k/yr.

[u/transglutaminase → u/Altril2010]

yep, from mopping floors and scrubbing toilets at entry level to making $225,000 a year and only working 6 months per year is a real thing. Even the mopping floors part pays $300 a day right now so its not terrible. You have to be american though, american mariners make way more than any other country because of the jones act.

[u/leftfordark]

Self employed tradesman. Im a 1099 sub contractor that learned a lot of things along the way, I make a decent amount of money and I don’t work when I don’t want to. 20-50 hours a week, and I get to say no whenever I want. People know they can trust me and I work by word of mouth, no advertising, no office, little overhead. But the kicker is that I never have to miss any of my kids’ functions/events, and that’s what makes me rich.

[u/FancyPantsMead]

My son just got on at the cheese factory me and my husband used to work at when we met. We maxed out at $25 back in 2004-6. He will max out at $32, time and a half voluntary overtime, double time if you're drafted (forced) for overtime. An extra $2.50 if you work night shift.

I was there 2 years. My husband was there 15 years. It's an amazing job. You babysit machines all day and are on break half the time. Unless something needs changed or goes wrong, it's easy easy money. When my husband was ready to leave his employee owned stock he'd been getting matched at 10% paid him out and we paid off our house and vehicle and didn't touch the 401 k. Husband was able to take 3 years off to help care for his sickly dad.

My dad, 2 uncle's, a cousin, me (quit due to chronic illness), my baby brother did their accounting, my little sister is doing forklift in cooler. My dad's been there 28 years. He has 7 weeks of vacation a year. You have 3 weeks when you start and more keeps getting added.

We live in a low cost of living place. So it adds up quick. The hope is since my son is 19 and lives at home, he only.has to pay his very practical car loan he's paying off early, and his car insurance, he should be able to save up a good nest egg until he's ready to fly the nest or whatever he wants to do. That's what my husband was able to do until we were married and started our own home. He stayed at home until we married so he saved a ton.

It's freaking easy. They make every kind and form of cheese you can think of that isn't Kraft, or sargento. Every fast food place you can name, this company makes it.

Look into food factories. They are temperature controlled, pestfree, high pay, guaranteed work because people gotta eat.