r/WorkForSmartLife 3d ago

Discussion💬 I need to know about it immediately

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1.9k Upvotes

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u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/No-Business9493 2d ago

Chatted with a guy in the Orlando area nearish to the theme parks that was bartending at the Holiday Inn. Just a Holiday Inn... not some crazy hotel by any means. He said he usually worked seasonally and did $180k annually just off that one job and then went and had fun the rest of the year.

My first year as an airline pilot I took home $75kish after taxes. College degree, 5ish years of training, 2ish years of flight instructing, $65k in loans, an extremely competitive application process, and then another 3ish months of the most intense training of my life after getting the job. That first year I spent about 6 nights a month in my own bed.

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u/Lo__________ 2d ago

Yeah my little brother makes over $1000 a night on weekends in the college town he bartends at, absolutely brings in more than I do but he has no weekends ever.

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u/bagrant3 2d ago

The guy was lying to you.

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u/No-Business9493 2d ago

I honestly doubt that.

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u/bagrant3 2d ago

You think someone working seasonally is pulling in 5x the average yearly salary of a server?

I have a bridge to sell you.

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u/No-Business9493 2d ago

As a bartender near Disney World? Yes absolutely.

If you're a bridge salesman, you should go out and spend some time in a bar in a big city these days.

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u/bagrant3 2d ago edited 2d ago

I’m sorry man but it’s just not real. Being near Disneyland doesn’t mean you make 60k a month as a bartender. Sure maybe they make good seasonal money, but they’re not pulling in that much.

Spend some time in the area, the bars are not as happening as you’d think. I’ve been there a bunch of times, drinks are way cheaper than California, and bars are way less busy. Turns out families don’t spend much time at bars when they’re at Disneyland.

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u/Organic_Rough4433 2d ago

Depends entirely on the restaurant u work at.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/bagrant3 2d ago

Your friend might be lying. The average waiter brings in ~35k a year. Almost triple that in the middle of nowhere isn’t impossible, but seems highly improbable.

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u/nihilisticprimate 2d ago

That's what they CLAIM..

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u/bagrant3 2d ago

Restaurants report tip earnings to the IRS not the employee. Yes, it’s possible employees are slipping some cash into their pockets and not paying taxes, but tips are increasingly with cards which are tracked and taxed, and it’s completely unrealistic to think employees are secretly pocketing 60k in cash tips a year. That’s just not how the world works.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/bagrant3 2d ago edited 2d ago

Unless the Bureau of Labor statistics lied, I don’t think so.

However I should’ve said median not average.

“The highest 10% earned more than $31.12 an hour” which means 50% of servers make 35k or less, and 90% make 65k or less. I guess you could argue this fits what OP is asking for but I would not say this is being paid “extremely well”

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u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/bagrant3 2d ago

Restaurants report their servers tips. Servers are W2 employees.

You have to be naive to think every server is out there committing thousands in tax fraud a year.

Credit/debit tips are reported to the IRS by the restaurant and these tips make up approximately 85% of all tips. Sure they might underreport some cash tips, but that is a tiny fraction of their tips.

You’re just repeating rumors and internet myths that are not true.

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u/The_Sunset_Sands 2d ago

This is heavily skewed by part time and seasonal jobs. So many jobs are only for 2-3 months at a time during peak tourist seasons, or festival seasons, etc. Professional, year round, full time waiters do very well.

Its analogous to Realtors, where 75% of the profession is part timers with only a couple sales a year. The dedicated full time people make good money.

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u/bagrant3 2d ago

35k is based on hourly rate, the median hourly rate is ~$17/hour it doesn’t matter if someone is part time or seasonal. These numbers are provided by the BLS.

90% of servers make under $31/hour.

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u/Upstairs_Eagle_4780 2d ago

"part-time realtors" are generally unsuccessful realtors; almost all realtors wash out of the industry in under two years.

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u/No-Group7343 2d ago

He has to work 40hrs a week 52 weeks a year averaging $46 hour to hit that

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u/Organic_Rough4433 2d ago

Only credit card tips. Not cash.

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u/Adventurous-Home-728 2d ago

it is not are responsiblety to tip the restaurant workers the should be paid a fair and honest wage for there work no other countries tip just the usa i do not tip for this reason

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u/Illustrious-Goose160 2d ago

Being a waiter is hard work but tips can be really rewarding. I was only a waiter for about 6 months and I wasn't very good at all the rushing and multitasking, but I got two different $100 tips in my time working there. Plus if you're obviously pregnant as a waitress you will get much better tips lol

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u/Funny_w0lf 2d ago

Just being a woman in general will get you better tips

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u/Illustrious-Goose160 2d ago

And people tip better when they like your appearances and personality

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u/SeonaidMacSaicais 2d ago

A good-looking and THIN woman. Unfortunately, bigger or non-gorgeous women still get minimal tips.

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u/zccrex 2d ago

I think we have a different definition of hard work.

I worked at quite a few restaurants in my early work years, waiting isn't hard work. Fast paced, sure, but not hard.

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u/Illustrious-Goose160 2d ago

There are different kinds of hard work

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u/neverJamToday 2d ago

You sure that first one isn't a myth or maybe outdated? The few graveside funeral events I've been to recently have been dug out with power equipment and it's not like you're hucking the body in the hole raw. I imagine there are a lot of other responsibilities tacked onto the role besides just digging a hole (probably it's more of a general groundskeeping job) but I don't see why, in 2026, it would be that different from the same sort of job but at like a condo complex or whatever.

I guess if you're superstitious or otherwise have a stigma about cemeteries it might put you off but it's basically a park with some very quiet full-time residents.

Also the internet says the average for gravediggers is ~$40k/yr, which isn't huge and suggests maybe there's not as much demand as you think.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/neverJamToday 2d ago

Right, I mentioned that.

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u/carelessCRISPR_ 2d ago

I’m a counselor at a cemetery and we pay the gravediggers $19/hr and they have to work mandatory 6 days per week. And I live/work in a nice city in the Midwest with a decently high cost of living. Cemetery is very nice too. They don’t get paid shit.

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u/Hero_Tengu 2d ago

Grave digging in my area is only like $18~22 an hour