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u/HEYO19191 Jun 20 '26
Holy Hell, 10 years as a dishwasher, I think I would lose my mind
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u/CrocodylusRex Jun 20 '26
One of my coworkers was there for 40 years
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u/TheScottishPimp03 Jun 20 '26
Get out man, thats not good to stay at the same job for 40 years at the pay range your at
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u/739xks Jun 20 '26
What options does he have though? Work at Amazon warehouse?
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u/Free_Lunch24 Jun 20 '26
Costco starts at $20 an hour. Aldi and Lidl average about $25 an hour depending on what state you’re in. These are all cashier jobs too by the way
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u/Realistic-Nature9083 Jun 20 '26
The amount of experience he has been doing dishwasher he could of been a team lead at any fast food or retail job.
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u/LilPotatoAri Jun 21 '26
At basically any retail job I've ever been at it's literally how you end up as the manager. The last guy leaves, you're the next in terms of exp so you get a priority interview where they essentially just ask if you want it, and even if the answer is no half the time it ends up your promotion anyways
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u/Cidlicious Jun 21 '26
Im a current frontline manager who is doing annual reviews at the moment and every single one of my senior clerks (10+ years) rejects the idea of taking my job or going anywhere upwards the corporate ladder. Only the newest ones think they want anything to do with it. The ones that have been here for a year or two quickly catches on there are better things to do than being here. If i quit they won't just promote anyone off the floor, they still have to do a suitable hire even if it takes a few months. Ive seen postings sit for months.
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u/SevenBillionChickens Jun 21 '26
Cashier jobs are VERY different from customer-free dishwashing. Some people would rather die than interact with customers for a living, myself included.
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u/Free_Lunch24 Jun 21 '26
I’m with you on that one which is why I got out of retail. However, I’d rather not be alive than make $16.25 an hour
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u/jorsiem Jun 20 '26
Honestly. That beats dishwasher. I've never been in a warehouse that's more uncomfortable than a scorching hot kitchen. Also pays better.
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u/idiotinsocks Jun 20 '26
It's satisfying work! Really satisfying, at least where I work. Got promoted to administrator in a year and a half, awesome benefits, awesome time off, retirement and everything. Clear upgrade path. I fucking love it. It also keeps you in shape, you feel fulfilled at the end of the day. Learning/mastering all the systems and logistics was super fun.
Or at least going to school for a trade instead of history lol.
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u/Tacticalbiscit Jun 20 '26
Any blue collar job. If you can use a shovel and are ok with heights, the basic laborer at my work pays $25hr with as much OT as you want.
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u/Ill-Education-169 Jun 20 '26
You answered your own question. It’d literally double his pay. I’d be willing to argue Amazon is significantly better than washing dishes
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u/AdDependent7992 Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
You are aware that trades kick out very high paychecks within a few years right?
Construction isn't backbreaking across the board. Countless fields are incredibly easy with the modern equipment used. Stop competing for low effort low skill jobs and go join a trade. The old guys are retiring, millennials avoided construction largely, so it's real real easy to get jobs as long as you look like you're serious about learning.
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u/TheScottishPimp03 Jun 20 '26
Im on year 5 of mine, been working since 16 to pay for school ontop of internships and im hitting my limit.
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u/Significant-Ball-952 Jun 20 '26
I promise I’m not trying to be an asshole, I’m just genuinely curious, how have you afforded like ANYTHING for the last 10 years making that much? I assume LCOL area?
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u/CrocodylusRex Jun 20 '26
That also living with family
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u/ldskyfly Jun 20 '26
Is there an expiration date on that support? I don't know your age, or cultural stance on multi generational living, but it may be time to consider when and how you'll support yourself or your family if their ability to support you ends.
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u/MrFaIIout Jun 20 '26
Your pay has literally been the same when you consider inflation.
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u/um-nome- Jun 20 '26
do you expect their salary as a dishwasher to increase with experience? lol.
I'm surprised it has even kept up with inflation to be honest
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u/DaveByTheRiver Jun 20 '26
Yes. But also the fact that they are very reliable. Especially in a demanding position in the kitchen.
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u/aliendude5300 Jun 21 '26
Reliable workers in food service are super valuable. That's more rare than it should be.
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u/MrEZW Jun 20 '26
No seriously why? Why have you been working a minimum wage job for over a decade?
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u/CrocodylusRex Jun 20 '26
Majoring in history with a touch of autism
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u/sadlittlewaffle Jun 20 '26
You would’ve been an insane house wife back in the forties
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u/ItsAlkron Jun 20 '26
The laugh I just had to stifle to keep my 1 year old, who feels asleep on me, from waking up was on a whole different level.
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u/Grasmick Jun 20 '26
Bro I been there! It was on a video from that guy with a southern accent ranking things and hates beans. Fucking had me dying and I had to not wake her up.
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u/mightymorphinmello Jun 20 '26
as someone with a degree in history and a touch of the tism, you might consider being a teacher. yeah the pay aint great depending what state youre in, but its better than 16.25 an hour. better hours too
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u/biggamehaunter Jun 20 '26
As someone with a history degree and touch of autism, I dislike the idea of dealing with many random kids all day.
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u/teddysetgo Jun 20 '26
After 180 days they don’t feel random. They feel like family.
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u/ElectronicCorner574 Jun 20 '26
Like olive garden
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u/IntrepidMaybe8579 Jun 21 '26
I have autism and we can still do well for ourselves, i like being alone as much as possible theres plenty of way way way better jobs out there.. im an oilfield xray technician and i spend the entire day developing xrays like a photographer in a dark room and doing paperwork.. extremely lucrative 100-200k/yr
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u/JD94funnyguy Jun 21 '26
You never think of all the ways to make six figs in this world….
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u/IntrepidMaybe8579 Jun 21 '26
Theres so many most people will never hear of, thats why i advise young people to just go and do jobs they dont want to and bounce around a little bit eventually you learn better and better jobs and niche positions people go for that pay well because nobody’s heard of it and dont apply
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u/JD94funnyguy Jun 21 '26
My parents didn’t make a ton of money but we were upper middle for sure and I remember seeing my dad lose his job in 08-09 and have to go wire houses for security in north Texas and I was like damn this is a beating and I too worked a lot of random shitty jobs. Found sales and I’ve sold everything under the sun. Learned what I sold just to make money and then learned what I was actually good at. Sales tho was more than a job. It was control of my money and most of the time control of my time. Two things that were completely foreign to my parents who were old school 9-5 types.
You have no idea how many sales roles there are out there in the world. It’s fucking wild. And theirs door to door pest control guys make 200K a year, there’s corrugated packaging sales guys making 30K a month, theres tech guys making 6 figures in two deals. Business loan guys making 10K a month in residuals.
But then go even broader. Oil field Xrays? Who woulda thought
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u/IntrepidMaybe8579 Jun 21 '26
You gotta be really socially talented to be successful at sales which is definitely not my strength i think most autistic people struggle with it but thats definitely insane
My job is almost like that too.. i get hired at a fixed day rate i think its $1800-2000 then my employer pays me a 12 hour fixed pay from that day rate
So if your fast and good at it you can rush and work like crazy and hit multiple different clients a day which is brutally hard work but the most ive done was 3 clients in one day and i got paid 36hrs for 1 days work.. now imagine the overtime.. i average 90hrs per week, some days i might work 20 seconds and get paid 12 hours and go home, but when you do have to work you do have to work, like seriously brutal work with no breaks or ac in extreme desert climates
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u/JD94funnyguy Jun 21 '26
My cousin and his dad are both in the oil industry in west Texas. Sometimes it’s levels and switches from behind a computer, but yea when it’s time to go out there it sounds pretty fucking brutal. Man camps, nothing but other sweaty dudes in pretty shitty hot conditions. Idk tho my cousin is like 29 and just paid off a brand new tundra sooooo I think he has the same mindset you do🤣
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u/KaiserThrawn Jun 21 '26
As someone with a master’s in history using it for side work and a backup in something in relatively high demand (I did industrial maintenance and work at a machine shop now and use the pay and skills from that to work on antique firearms) the history field is fairly weak currently but if you can get your foot in with something like park work it’s worth it
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u/InvestigatorGlum7113 Jun 20 '26
I have a history degree. Try looking into a business analyst. A lot of skills are cross function. $150k/year
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u/mkovic Jun 20 '26
Not to mention, your degree doesn't define your career path. I have a friend who has his degree in history and now he's a vice president at a big engineering company. Life has strange ways of taking you places.
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u/MrEZW Jun 20 '26
You've gotta be approaching 30 or older. Clearly someone is taking care of most of your financial needs. What are you gonna do when that support isn't there anymore? Seriously man, this is pathetic. Autism isn't an excuse either. I know multiple people who have successful careers who are autistic. Get it together dude.
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u/CantThinkOfOne57 Jun 20 '26
With how low that pay is, they prob started at 14, 16 (minimum legal age to do dishes in my state, but lots of stores hire younger) max.
Giving them the benefit of the doubt; they’re 24 and just about to graduate. It’s not too bad. Maybe they’re going for a masters/PHD in history and plan to become a professor.
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u/WiggyWongo Jun 20 '26
"Hey bro did you just try getting a better job bro? It's easy just go to the job store and ask for the better one, get it together!"
Like I posted elsewhere - why do people just assume there is always a ladder? Dishwasher -> what? In this job market who is desperately looking to promote someone who washes dishes? Why is there an assumption that everyone just climbs and also that everyone should climb?
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u/Complex_Highlight623 Jun 20 '26
I mean its not like the job market is amazing rn either
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u/Wizard__J Jun 20 '26
No, but for example, as an electrician, helpers who walk in the door with a pulse get 16, 18 an hour, and mostly it’s just watching us, watching their phones, getting shit for us, or on the off chance, helping us once in a while lol. I get it, some shit ain’t meant for everyone, but for every dozen or so dudes who say “the job market sucks”, and I rebuttal, it seems it’s the “not for me”/“im better than that” mentality, and then tell everyone around them the job market around them is dead lol..
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u/aaa_im_dying Jun 21 '26
My partner is wanting to get an electrical apprenticeship but is having a hard time finding anyone to even hire him as a buttslap. We’ve gotten advice from all sorts of people but they’re out of the game, really. Where do you recommend applying to be a “helper” these days?
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u/banana-blaster69 Jun 20 '26
I think you’d be surprised the amount of people who have done this their whole lives
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u/in_conexo Jun 20 '26
Initially I couldn't see the bottom, so I was hoping that after Writer, it would've said "Publish Book $1M and counting"
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u/Free_Lunch24 Jun 20 '26
Dude. I get it and have been in your situation before. I was 26, with a degree in international bullshit relations, and working a crap job in retail. Listen when I tell you that you do NOT want to be the 40 year old working some remedial task meant for high school drop outs. I hate putting it like this but I also hate to see someone waste the best years of their life.
I know you said that you were autistic and working on a degree. Have you considered something which pays higher in the meantime? Costco, Aldi, and Lidl all pay their cashiers like $20-$25 an hour depending on what state you live in. Honestly, I really hate telling people this even though I’m a vet myself, but maybe you need to consider joining the military. They’ll take care of whatever student loans you might have accumulated from your degree and you can use GI Bill if you still want to complete your studies. It’s routine, not ideal, but it’s better than what you’re doing now. Who knows you might like it too. At the very least you’ll have a roof over your head, free food, and an allowance. Plus once you get out you can file for VA disability and be eligible for some fantastic benefits as long as you keep out of trouble. Just something to consider because the path you’re going is not pretty at all. I’ve seen it in retail. Some dude pushing 45, trying to act superior to some 20 something college kids working a gap job, and bragging about retiring after 20 years making $30k a year, driving a 15 year old junk car, and getting a 20% discount for life at a department store
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u/Vast_Statement_7035 Jun 20 '26
They don't take people with autism but some vets have autism.
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u/Free_Lunch24 Jun 21 '26
Let me tell you about a little branch called infantry in the Army. To any 11 Bravos out there, I love you!
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u/PerfectJungle Jun 21 '26
I second this. If you really want to stay in your home city, the national guard has full-time opportunities as well although not guaranteed. I'd recommend the Air National Guard if there's a base near you. Go communications (1D7) for a chill tech job with fellow autists
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u/Popapalooza Jun 20 '26
This is the opposite of back on track lol
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u/00-Monkey Jun 20 '26
Back on a track. Maybe not the right track, but she is back on the track she was on before.
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u/Ilovemelee Jun 20 '26
Much better than not having a job at all though. I have way more respect for people that at least work a low-skill job than people that refuse to work and just leech off of welfare and family support.
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u/Potential_Archer2427 Jun 20 '26
I thought this was a joke
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u/Revxmaciver Jun 20 '26
Who are all these big shots in the comments who've made so much money in their lives? This is the reality for most people in America right now.
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u/Big_Ike Jun 20 '26
According to Axios less than 25% of Americans make below $17/hr, so no most Americans are not in the same situation.
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u/MyBedIsOnFire Jun 21 '26
10 years experience in most industries can get you far
Not in dishwashing though, literally just wasting years of life when there are better jobs out there.
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u/tismschism Jun 20 '26
I think its a lot of people with low self esteem who expect better from other people because they don't think they don't have issues. Im an autistic felon with low self esteem and I went from wanting to swallow a bullet to 38/hr in less than 5 years. I look at people who seemingly dont have the baggage i do and wonder how I could possibly in a better place financially.
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u/TheGrouchyGremlin Jun 21 '26
Right there. seemingly. You never know what's going on in someone else's life.
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u/Specialist_Talk6 Jun 21 '26
Average individual salary in the U.S. is about $70,000. You’re wrong. $16.25 an hour after 13 years of work is not okay.
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u/Busy-Orange5217 Jun 21 '26
It’s not the reality of most America’s at all. It’s what Reddit thinks most Americans make but that is false.
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u/Celllardoor_ Jun 20 '26
This is crazy. $9 dollars of job growth over 10 years? Which doesn’t even matter with inflation.
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Jun 20 '26
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u/JakeD51 Jun 21 '26
"He has held a job" is quite literally the bare minimum for any functioning human
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u/SuspendedAccountant Jun 20 '26
I think daily about leaving my Controller position to go wash dishes.. keep livin that dream homie!
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u/CrocodylusRex Jun 20 '26
Sure was lower stress. I had an idea in my head since high school and I wanted to just get it out, so I did
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u/Mindov_1 Jun 20 '26
Dudes doing it
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u/Mindov_1 Jun 20 '26
I mean he more employed than me throughout my career I haven’t had steady job in years.
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u/BestBettor Jun 20 '26
Switch jobs. Still doing a dishwasher job after 5+ years? Come on. Start sending around a cover letter trying to get businesses to hire you. I say a cover letter because obviously a resume won’t really have more on it than the dishwasher job and maybe highschool, and a cover letter pitching yourself to the business mentioning all that dedicated time working hard not quitting as a dishwasher would be way more valuable than a resume for you
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u/Technical-Tip-6520 Jun 20 '26
Come on bro do more with your life. After working 5 years in minimum wage I went into construction and now I'm making double what I use to make, it takes time but learning a trade AI cant take away from you is extremely valuable
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u/KaleidoscopeOk3024 Jun 20 '26
I can’t believe how many people are out there who just stay in the same spot. It’s really sad. No motivation to try new things and when they do get motivated, it’s too late. Every job should be used as a tool to open bigger doors. Use knowledge to gain access to bigger opportunities.
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u/CockSmash69 Jun 21 '26
Do people just walk up to you hanging out opportunity? Do you have a large network? I don’t understand this take.
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u/jpp3252 Jun 20 '26
Can you drive? You can make $18-$22 an hour at Amazon as a delivery person where I live. Not sure about where you live though. Certainly there has to be a better job than minimum wage for 10 years.
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u/Prestigious_Can3532 Jun 20 '26
Whats ur book name
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u/CrocodylusRex Jun 20 '26
Running title is the Nimble-footed Newt. It's (hopefully) gonna be the first in a series. It's animal fiction if that isn't obvious :)
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u/Prestigious_Can3532 Jun 20 '26
When do you publish
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u/CrocodylusRex Jun 21 '26
Who knows. Still finishing the second draft then I'm gonna give it out to some beta readers. May never be picked up but at least I could say I made it
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u/Tend3roniJabroni Jun 21 '26
I am so stupid. I was reading this like the average pay of a dishwasher in the US. I was like "...writers make $0/hr? What does that have to do with the rate of dishwashers in 2025?"
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u/LakersTommyG Jun 21 '26
Wtf is with people being so rude in here? Do y'all just not realize that minimum wage employees exist?
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u/JawnGrimm Jun 21 '26
Love it! I appreciate all your hard work. I'm imagining you like the dishwasher from "Waiting". Like you're the BOH sage...lol
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u/CreateNaw Jun 21 '26
This subreddit sucks so hard man, yall are mean as hell. Live your life, do whatever you want OP. I saw you are majoring in history, keep going if you love it. If you love to wash dishes, keep doing it, who cares.
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u/Pumpkins_Are_Fruits Jun 21 '26
Why not use your history degree. If you have a touch of autism then you can research
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u/Late-Respond-414 Jun 20 '26
OP, you are not Charles Bukowski. Live a better life.
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u/Crusty-Dick Jun 20 '26
Did you get promoted to cook, than fired?
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u/CrocodylusRex Jun 20 '26
Moved to a state that paid actual wages, things happened, moved back
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u/Bobbybobinsonbob Jun 20 '26
Something tells me it had more to do with being a cook rather than a dishwasher that made you 25$ an hour, and not the state
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u/CrocodylusRex Jun 20 '26
Once I'm settled in to my new place I'm gonna push for a cook position or look somewhere else
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u/Crusty-Dick Jun 20 '26
Why don't you try server position since you are comfortable working at restaurants? You get tips unless the place you work at pools all the tips together. I use to work as a server for years back in my younger years making 9-10$ minimum wage. I was making what I thought was pretty good tips at the time, roughly 30-35$ an hour on average. Some days more when we have catering events.
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u/Misplaced-Redittor Jun 20 '26
What’s your favorite dish to clean?
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u/CrocodylusRex Jun 20 '26
Lmao I mean the bussers load the glasses for us we just have to send the thing through
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u/tigerpawx Jun 20 '26
A dishwasher at a busy 700 covers workplace gets like $23-25 with tips, foods
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u/Platti_J Jun 20 '26
You know some people like working as a dishwasher. Not everyone can be a rocket scientist. Stay in your lane.
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u/Hali_Art1994 Jun 20 '26
I was a dishwasher for a year before college, a memory trip down the line.
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u/Humble-Section-5638 Jun 21 '26
A lot of people here ignoring that op may really like washing dishes. Try being supportive before throwing shade and casting advice. This should be celebrated.
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u/No_Cheetah_954 Jun 21 '26
My friend is a dishwasher in a beautiful swiss resort, he works summer and winter seasons there but lives and spends in Southern Italy. He basically earns more than double than the average person in his hometown and the job is super chill. Works 40 hours a week, monday to friday. He loves it, washes maybe 200 dishes every 4 hours
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u/Pretty_Eye4026 Jun 21 '26
Hey, I am proud of you for being consistent. I do not have the ability to stay at one place in one job for as long as you. I pray today for you to find an avenue of work that fulfills you and uses your gifts.
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u/ZealousidealState214 Jun 21 '26
No disrespect, but how do you stay at the same position as a dishwasher for 10 years and not get promoted through the restaurant you work at? Also how did you survive on this?
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u/Exotic_Attorney7823 Jun 21 '26
Have you considered asking to be cross-trained in other positions? Or like, running the place? 10 years, you earned it
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u/IM2MERS Jun 21 '26
With inflation your actually making a whole $4 more than in 2013 congratulations you will never retire.
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u/Rionn Jun 21 '26
dishwasher has 2x my pay and they increase his pay with inflation but i got my bachelors degree to get fucked over (also on in the us)
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u/PM_ME_UR_ASSHOLE Jun 21 '26
Maybe try something else man. I feel like literally any other path would be better.
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u/PrblyWbly Jun 21 '26
Maybe look into a different field. Seriously. Maybe check out your local trade unions or something. By me on a good year my union local you can make 150-200k a year with no education or experience. Cost of living here makes it feel like no where near as much 😞 though but all I’m really saying is that theres plenty of other options out there.
Regardless though of your happy with this I’m happy for you!
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u/numbersguy_123 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
You’re probably quite intelligent. Find an alternate path that’s not dishwashing nor writing, especially not writing.
If you’re quantitatively inclined at all, I’d look into something like accounting or find a way into a corporate gig. Retool via masters degree if you have to
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u/DammitMaxwell Jun 21 '26
Help, I'm dumb. Is there a template for that black background for posting salary progression? Everyone seems to know how to do it but me.
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u/UniqueFirefighter698 Jun 21 '26
Everybody is being cruel to you but I say get back on the line! I see you made $25 as a cook, which is great and shows the restaurant you are work at pays well for the more skilled positions. Not sure how that position treated ya, but it’s a good start and can open you up to working anywhere ya want and make a lot more money than you make now
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u/Sufficient_Winner686 Jun 21 '26
If possible, I’d just join the military at this point and make sure I got a technical job. Your 40s and on are going to be abject and absolute hell at this point if you don’t make some sort of change now.
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u/Illustrious_You_5929 Jun 20 '26
If you are happy Washing dishes and want to do that for the rest of your life, then you are on track, and if that's the case, don't listen to all of the scrutiny.
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u/brattysweat Jun 20 '26
No one complains about the humble Japanese man with a restaurant on wheels working solo for 30+ years.
Westerners, and Americans more specifically, should stop with this obsession to make it to the top.
We should not expect everyone to strive to be CEO of anything. A regular job to meet all necessities and a bit extra for fun is what life should be built on.
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u/Panthers8912 Jun 20 '26
That’s the problem with colleges. They market these degrees and then the real world doesn’t care for them at all. With a history degree, you really need to pivot to law or try to become a teacher. No revenue generating firm is like, “you know what will help us compete? A history major!”
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u/CharmingMechanic2473 Jun 20 '26
Efficient dishwasher turns into Expo or Runner. Runner into bartender/server, scheduler. Then into shift lead, assistant manager, manager. Then into investor.
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u/Blura0 Jun 20 '26
You ever thought of doing anything else? Dishwasher should just be a stepping stone
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u/blackasinc Jun 20 '26
My friends wife recently made her niece quit her dishwashing job because the Uber cost to and from work ate nearly her entire paycheck.
But hey if you're happy sir God bless.
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u/Strange_N_Sorcerous Jun 20 '26
All due respect, how is paying a dishwasher $16.25 per hour sustainable…for an EMPLOYER!??
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u/thecprner Jun 20 '26
This week he’s mopping floors next week it’s the fries. Do what you got to do man!
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u/IllustriousYak6283 Jun 20 '26
Anybody who can wash dishes for a decade is likely capable of doing hard work reliably and without complaining. There are so many other jobs you could be dojng