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High paying entry level jobs.

Meow1243

Bluelighter
Joined
Aug 16, 2015
Messages
113
I'm a 20 year old female with no college education/degrees. I currently work as a preschool teacher I make $9 an hour working 40 hours a week. I can make more in my field of work if I obtain my CDA (child development associate) however I don't want to continue working in my current field. Don't get me wrong I love kids but taking care of 10 two year olds by myself is just not fun lol.

I was thinking of becoming a waitress as I've heard that the tips can be quite lucrative if you're in the right restaurant. If any servers out there could tell me how much they make on a monthly basis that would be great. Any other suggestions as far as career choices would also be great, thanks.
 
^my friend makes about 12 for waitressing and plus tips so about 14-15 per hour.

As far as career choices, how about massage therapy? I read an article about in demand high paying jobs with little to no requirements of a degree and massage therapy is a growing field. As soon as I find the link I can post it here.
 
Have you thought about looking into a staffing agency?

They'll put you through the ringer of aptitude and skills testing and match that with employers who are seeking workers. There are pros and cons to this, though. Usually it's a temporary position when you start out, but most placements have a temp to permanent hire policy. I made a sizable step up from a previous job after looking into an agency, and was placed within the same week.

Plus, if you try out a job that they place you in, and you decide it isn't for you, they'll find you a new one. You can name your wage requirements, your hour preferences, etc and they'll work around that.

It's certainly been a helpful experience for me, anyway, but as always, your mileage may vary.
 
I'm going to go with geotechnical engineering technician. You only need a high school education, you will be trained by the firm you work for and you will start at over $25.00 per hour in CA (that probably varies widely state to state). The only drawback is that you will be in an adversarial position arguing with construction workers all day long. Oh, and since you are female, expect extreme sexism. But if you have the right personality and don't let this stuff get to you, you will be making $45.00 and hour within a few years.

My last waitressing job was many, many years ago but with tips I made over $40.00 an hour. Way easier than the geo tech and lots of mobility. IMO you can't beat restaurant server for entry-level $$. Not only that but you can stop and start with impunity. I used to work>save>travel>deplete over and over again and never had anyone ask why I quit my last job--it's expected in restaurant work.
 
A skilled Java/Python/Ruby/C++ programmer can make as minimum $100,000 a year without any college education. Though it would probably take you a good 2 years to learn the languages.
 
^ 2 years? you can learn a solid working grasp of ruby in a few weeks.

but learning a language and learning to code applications are two different things. if you are serious about learning, you could consider a coding bootcamp like appacademy.io where you'll learn the essential complexity of coding but you'll also learn all the 'accidental complexity' of the various tools (e.g. git) you need.

but, even knowing all that stuff, you'll need to be able to demonstrate to a potential employer than you can apply your skills and knowledge to real world engineering.

alasdair
 
Thumps up to "packet_sniffer" reply, I'd say you should learn computer programming languages or web programming which would fetch you awesome income. Apart from that you could also earn my writing articles too.
 
I got my bachelors in computer science and I'm currently a software engineer here in Chicago, but I do agree with alasdairm, you can get a solid working knowledge of most languages within a couple weeks. I learned Java/Python within 3 weeks when I was 16, and moved on from there. I learned more on my own than in college. As for the income, independent and for contract programmers can make $100,000 and even up to $300,000 dollars a year, but that fluctuates because firms tend to give contracts to enitre companies instead of single programmers. I myself am an employee of a company, and while I do not make six figures, I do make a pretty good income for a 24 year old (around $74,000/yr with full benefits) and I made $65,000 as an entry-lelvel Software Developer I.
 
but, even knowing all that stuff, you'll need to be able to demonstrate to a potential employer than you can apply your skills and knowledge to real world engineering.

and therein lies the rub. a lot of these high-paying IT jobs are by employers who deliberately pay half-decent devs well beyond what they're actually worth just to prevent them from jumping ship to better jobs that pay less. even worse, many employers who pull this kind of shit to keep people in jobs nobody wants also do other shady things to prevent their slaves (employees) from expanding their skillset (e.g. long hours of pointless busywork), sabotaging the future earning potential of the employee.

it's worth thinking about the opportunity cost of all these six-figure jobs. all it takes is Java falling out of vogue to eviscerate all the careers spent specializing in it. if you're lucky enough to be getting paid lots of money in your 20s, better not piss that money away you might need it when you're forced into semi-retirement by your 40s

oh, just to add that right there is the difference between fashionable bootcamp-trained app makers and legitimate software devs. the former has to fold when the platform evolves, the latter has the skills to just adapt to whatever the next dominant language or platform will be because they learned all the computer science fundamentals that bootcamps don't teach.
 
Google rater jobs start around $13-14 an hour. It's contract work that you do from home (which means you pay self-employment tax and there is no withholding), and you have to pass a series of tests to qualify.
 
and therein lies the rub. a lot of these high-paying IT jobs are by employers who deliberately pay half-decent devs well beyond what they're actually worth just to prevent them from jumping ship to better jobs that pay less. even worse, many employers who pull this kind of shit to keep people in jobs nobody wants also do other shady things to prevent their slaves (employees) from expanding their skillset (e.g. long hours of pointless busywork), sabotaging the future earning potential of the employee.

it's worth thinking about the opportunity cost of all these six-figure jobs. all it takes is Java falling out of vogue to eviscerate all the careers spent specializing in it. if you're lucky enough to be getting paid lots of money in your 20s, better not piss that money away you might need it when you're forced into semi-retirement by your 40s

oh, just to add that right there is the difference between fashionable bootcamp-trained app makers and legitimate software devs. the former has to fold when the platform evolves, the latter has the skills to just adapt to whatever the next dominant language or platform will be because they learned all the computer science fundamentals that bootcamps don't teach.

I tell anyone who wants to do development/engineering to jump jobs or be a contractor. I've worked at a few places where the lead or manager has been there for 10 years and his skills are so outdated, he'd suffer terribly if he lost the job. This one guy I worked with only knew classic asp. Nobody does classic asp anymore. I was hired to help with deployment after the company decided it was time to move to newer technology (MVC C#). The guy was so out of his mind because he didn't understand the technology. He knew the system well, but he didn't know how to work with anything other than classic asp and the local system.

If you work too long somewhere, you will get pigeonholed into old technology. If you get laid off, you'll be struggling. Companies usually keep their systems for years, so it's bound to happen if you're at any one place for too long.

Another advantage I have (I've been engineering for 15 years now) is that I have no family or responsibilities. Everyone my age wants full-time jobs with benefits. There is a need for senior devs who only want to work 3-6 month contracts. There is actually a shortage in my area. So, if I ever want a job, I have no problem with competition because no one wants the 3-6 month stints like I take, and it's senior level so I get paid well.

Every place I've been I've learned something new, I've networked with cool people, and it's increased my marketability.
 
Serving gives you very flexible hours allowing you to either attend school at the same time, take care of family obligations, or work a second job.
The pay isn't always consistent although it can be consistent enough to live comfortably if you find a restaurant that's a good fit for you which may not happen the first or even second place you get hired.
I work two server jobs, one during the day at a country club for an hourly rate of $8.50, not sure your states min wage but that's $1 higher than ours and we get tips as well although it's mostly banquets and events and not regular dining so instead of making a few dollars per table throughout the night we get larger tips that are split between a staff of 3-4 and come on a bi-weekly paycheck along with our hourly. I don't work as many hours at this job so my pay checks are about $300 twice a month. So that's about $600 a month I consider guarenteed income to cover my most basic necessities. It's also a fairly easy job where I'm mostly pouring ice tea and picking up dirty plates. No education needed.
At night I work at a chain steakhouse. (Think of places like Outback or Longhorn or Logan's, midpriced but respectable enough and with a recognizable name that makes them popular and usually crowded.) There I make around $100 on a weeknight shift where I work from about 5-10/11 pm. On the weekends I can pull off over $200 in a night sometimes but I'll be there closer to midnight. I get server wage which is $2.13 an hour and I never actually "get" because it all goes to taxes and my checks are typically just voided. Some states pay a higher wage and some restaurants pay higher on their own.
But of course there are those awful nights where I realize I've only made $37 or a slow week where I have an extra day off. Which is why you have to learn to budget, if you make an unusually high amount of money one night, don't automatically think of it as extra money for fun or shopping, it may have to compensate for a shitty night.
The best way I do that is to pay my bills on time/early. That way I know they're paid and if I have a string of bad luck at least I know my electricity will be on for a month.
Serving isn't necessarily a career for everyone, but it's a job you can go into and get all the training immedietly without investing in seperate training or certification on your own and it can allow you the time to study for what you do want as a career.
 
^ 2 years? you can learn a solid working grasp of ruby in a few weeks.

but learning a language and learning to code applications are two different things. if you are serious about learning, you could consider a coding bootcamp like appacademy.io where you'll learn the essential complexity of coding but you'll also learn all the 'accidental complexity' of the various tools (e.g. git) you need.

but, even knowing all that stuff, you'll need to be able to demonstrate to a potential employer than you can apply your skills and knowledge to real world engineering.

alasdair

Can't I just show them my dick, and get paid for having it...from home?
 
Can't I just show them my dick, and get paid for having it...from home?

$$$

I work as a server at a well -established chain restaurant called BJ's Brewhouse... dinner for one ranges from $20-50, depending on drinks, etc. Our scheduling is done online through Hotschedules.com, where any one of the 65+ servers can release or pickup shifts that have been released, and we can work up to 6 days a week. pay is 10/hr plus tips, which is usually $50 at the low end and around $150 on the high end. I certainly could be making less, and definitely have in the past.. but MOST importantly, I Enjoy this job. I gladly pickup shifts and don't mind staying late.

I thought it was just the my recently increased use of stims that had me stoked on working, but then even when i go into work sober... i find i enjoy it, enjoy shootin the shit with new customers and girls [when im not spun out busy], suggesting the food/drinks i like there ( i havent worked there long enough to get burned out on the food), and just proving to myself and my managers that i can be a dependable employee for once in my GODDAMN LIFE. all other jobs ive had, more or less, i have fucked up & idk what it is about restaurant work, but its easy for me to apply myself and stay focused. maybe its the fact that theres $$ attached to each table, who knows.

**On a side note, for those who are like me and think you NEED "x" amount of whatever to get you there for your desired level of work** i have actually found (contrary to what i believed previously) that i am more organized and calm, which is necessary when the host seats you 3-4 tables in a goddamn 5 minute span, when i am SOBERRR. Sure, not as much hyped up artificial energy and babbling to my coworkers while we input orders, but overall better.
 
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I got my bachelors in computer science and I'm currently a software engineer here in Chicago, but I do agree with alasdairm, you can get a solid working knowledge of most languages within a couple weeks. I learned Java/Python within 3 weeks when I was 16, and moved on from there. I learned more on my own than in college. As for the income, independent and for contract programmers can make $100,000 and even up to $300,000 dollars a year, but that fluctuates because firms tend to give contracts to enitre companies instead of single programmers. I myself am an employee of a company, and while I do not make six figures, I do make a pretty good income for a 24 year old (around $74,000/yr with full benefits) and I made $65,000 as an entry-lelvel Software Developer I.

Damn that's good man...I'm sure your parents are thrilled
 
My starting salary straight out of university in the engineering industry was $32 per hour at 40 hours per week = 32 x 40 x 48 (weeks per year) = $61 440 per year

It jumped up after 7 months to $50 per hour and I was working 50 hours per week = 50 x 50 x 48 (weeks per year) = $120 000 per year

Engineering has a good reputation for being the best paid industry to work in straight out of university

With hourly rates typical these days, especially with a recruitment dominated economy, it would still have to be one of the best industries to go into

I have friends that studied medicine who are either still studying or slaving away as interns

I'll tell my kids to study what i did
 
Engineering has a good reputation for being the best paid industry to work in straight out of university

With hourly rates typical these days, especially with a recruitment dominated economy, it would still have to be one of the best industries to go into

False, engineering is for squids. Investment Bankers shit on you.

Anyways, if you're currently a preschool teacher I would assume you would be a good nurse. It only required a two year degree, you get paid very well, it's stimulating work and you will find a job once you get your associates.
 
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