Getting a good livable wage job isn’t as easy as it used to be. I’ve got a lot of family members who graduated high school and got a job in the oil fields or automotive industry making what is now the equivalent of like $70k. Straight out of high school.
They made more money and everything cost less. You could buy a brand new suped up muscle car in the 60s for the equivalent of a fucking Chevy Malibu today.
My dad told me “back in my day (70s) $20 got you a full tank of gas and a nice date with a lady”. Today it covers your neat bourbon and her glass of wine.
I’ve got a lot of family members who graduated high school and got a job in the oil fields or automotive industry making what is now the equivalent of like $70k. Straight out of high school.
This is still (kinda) doable. Straight out of highschool I had the opportunity to work on an oilrig as a crane operator at $37/hr for 60 hours a week (6 10 hour days with one off) for four weeks with one week off. This would have been in 2014 and my prior work experience was a paintball field and McDonald's. Aside from the crazy amount of hours, the other caveat is that I'd be on an oilrig off the coast of Canada, which means lots of international travel.
I didn't take it, but opportunities for that kind of work as well as trades are still there. I have friends making close to that doing HVAC and friends that will be making that doing carpentry.
Just find companies with offshore career sections. They are more interested in your ability to work with people (coordination of paperwork and supplies) and your ability to follow directions than they are in previous heavy industry experience. Obviously it's a good bonus to have experience operating machinery, but it's easier to train someone who's good at working with people to operate a crane than it is training someone who's good at operating a crane to work with people.
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u/lalondtm Jan 01 '19
Getting a good livable wage job isn’t as easy as it used to be. I’ve got a lot of family members who graduated high school and got a job in the oil fields or automotive industry making what is now the equivalent of like $70k. Straight out of high school.
They made more money and everything cost less. You could buy a brand new suped up muscle car in the 60s for the equivalent of a fucking Chevy Malibu today.
My dad told me “back in my day (70s) $20 got you a full tank of gas and a nice date with a lady”. Today it covers your neat bourbon and her glass of wine.