OT: Jobs

I'm just kidding, but drug dealer and gigalo are the first things that came to mind.

In this day and age; the 99% are having to bust their ass just to keep their heads above water.

Many people now a days are trying to become entrepreneurs/self-employed and some seem to be able to make a good living at it – but I really don’t know much about it (the internet seems to be used by many to start up their own small biz).

If you already have a degree – a lot of your credits would transfer over towards a new degree – i.e. you probably would not have to do all 4 years I would think.

b/c of the baby boomers – the largest field going forward is predicted to be the medical field – perhaps there may be certain jobs up your alley in that field that are not necessarily being a doctor or nurse – there are probably jobs that require maybe a year of schooling such as ultrasound technician; etc – IDK the specifics but it’s worth a look.

Do some research and go on blogs or career sites and see if you can zero in on something that can be up your alley in terms of your likes; qualifications; and pay.

I think the vast majority of people hate their job whether they will admit it or not. Most just keep on going because it keeps the bills paid and allows our families to eat. $75,000/year is alot when the average salary in the US is something like $46,440.

Ranukam, the strippers I talked to all met their boyfriends out of the club. When I was your age I had a lot of fun with hot civi girls. Why insist that the girl you love or be your girlfriend has to be a stripper?

oops, this belongs on your other thread.

I think LMN is looking for a manservant.

I think you said you were a PT that will be tough to make a switch to a higher paid white collar job. You are better off figuring out what you are interested in rather than chasing a salary without the required skills.

Something doesn't compute...

"75K a year in the job I'm doing

I had to go to graduate school for it.

the job is a lot of wear and tear on my body

What are some jobs that you can make at least 60K, it's not wear and tear on your body, and not a lot of school is required?"

So you went to graduate school. And the job you got is a "lot of wear and tear on your body". Are you a football player? Certainly not a trade job, since those don't usually require graduate degrees. I'm confused. By wear and tear do you mean mental stress, or long hours, or something along those lines?

Why not just get a different job that also requires the graduate degree you already have, and easier hours? What exactly are you looking for?

Oh, by the way, it might help you to look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website (bls.gov) and check out their report on "May 2013 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates United States", which was discussed in another thread on pay scales. You can sort based on mean annual salary, and it will give you an extensive list of occupations whose mean annual salary is $60k or above. Or whatever salary you might want.

Step 1: Stop getting your career advice from a strip club discussion board

Bureau of Labor Statistics has good information on the wages of various occupations. bls.gov

Since you have already gone to graduate school, it would make sense to find a new job that would make use of your current education.

Glassdoor.com

I'm really curious though, WTF are you doing that is physically taxing that requires a graduate degree? It seems like an odd intersection. Also, don't fall for the grass is always greener shit. I used to think stress was something pussies complained about, but I've recently realized that shit is taxing too.

If your field has a career path that isn't physically taxing, I wouldn't discount sticking it out.

@jerikson- I'm a physical therapist, it's physical work. Before that I was a pharmacy technician, so I've been in the medical field pretty much my whole life.

What I really want to do is be a successful musician, or a professional basketball player, but obviously that ain't gonna happen. Other than that I'm not too interested in other stuff. I just want a job that pays good, not too much physical stress, and not a lot of school required.

Basketball player would be a lot of wear and tear on the body

Is there an echo in here? :)

Is anybody out there(famous movie quote)?

I was in your range before I retired 10 years ago. Now, since I went back to work I'm at about $55K. Same field (IT), but I have no need or desire to advance.

Come to the oil patch, ranukam.

I don't know pay scales in my industry in USA. In my country, a young physically fit guy can easily gross $1,000,000 in six years at the lowest entry level jobs on a rig crew. Work is hard. Hours are long. Working conditions can be nasty.

If you have any operative grey cells in your head and just a tiny bit of initiative you can quickly progress to a much more skilled job at even more money with less physical labour required. Hours will still be long. Working conditions will still be nasty.

fa,

How about I come there as an old, not physically fit, very tiny bit of initiative, with many operative gray cells in my head, guy? Make me an offer! :)

"oops, this belongs on your other thread"

Actually Mikey you accidentally came up with the perfect solution - drug dealing stripper boyfriend - best of both worlds. Between dealing and her OTC income, easily pull down $250k yr, plus all that free sex - np physical labor or degree required!

Let me put my counselor thinking hat on.

So you need to get pay up while not burdened with too much load in school.

You might want to try stocks, bonds, other instruments.

Now putting my counselor hat off.

@farmerart- I have given the oil business serious thought in the past. I might consider it again.

@clubber,

You're SOL. Ya gotta be fit. I discovered that 3 years ago when I filled in for a few hours on a rig after an injury accident. Eight hours of slapping chains, manoeuvring the grappler, and rolling drill stem damn near killed me.

The only labour that I ever do on the crew these days is some occasional trucking, and I don't care very much for even that these days. Chaining up in the midst of a winter blizzard is the absolute shits. Banging away with a sledge to free up frozen brakes is even worse.

Lots of oil and fracking jobs in Colorado. Some of them not very physical. If you have a CDL you can make a lot driving truck.

@crazyjoe,

I steer clear of the fracers and all their hoses, valves and millions of litres of water and chemicals.

Have you ever been near a fracing operation when a valve blows or a hose breaks? It is freaking dangerous. Also creates one unholy mess and environmental damage.

In my company I have always tried to keep the use of fracing to a minimum. I really don't care for the practice.

Clubber,

Why do people un-retire? Most people probably work 40+ years? Isn't that enough?

Farmerart sez: "Come to the oil patch, ranukam."

I'm curious...

Is Canada similar to the US in that a foreigner can't get a work visa unless you can prove the skill isn't available in Canada? If so, it becomes kind of moot, since presumably the skills are available if a physical therapist can qualify.

Also moot since he wants a less physically taxing job, and it sounds like an oil rig guy is at the upper end of physically taxing jobs...

“… Step 1: Stop getting your career advice from a strip club discussion board …”

LOL – somehow the rest of us missed this obvious step.

But really – there seem to be a lot of smart PLs on this site – more than one would expect.

My cousin is 5'5" 120lbs and is a physical therapist. I never heard of it being to tough on her. I have another relative who has been a PT for over 30 years never heard once it was to physically demanding. Do you some specialized pt rhat is different?

“… I have given the oil business serious thought in the past. I might consider it again …”

I would think that type of work would require some physical wear and tear – per what FA describes.

Earlier in life I had jobs which were more physical than mental – later in life the opposite – in my personal experience; I think the mental jobs I’ve had have had much more stress which often felt more draining than the physical type jobs.

If you are unhappy in corporate America; as many people are; the best thing may be to somehow try to become your own boss – but it requires some risk taking and now when you are young and don’t have family responsibilities would be the time to try to find your sweet spot (and by risk taking I don’t mean crazy stuff; but calculated and researched risk).

Or you can do due diligence and try to find a better place to work doing what you are doing now or find a different type of position that is still in your field and where you may be able to leverage your current knowledge.

Don’t despair – you are in the same boat as millions of Americans - try to be proactive

Ranukam - have you ever considered hospital administration? Or even running a rehab nursing home. I'm in the Northeast and realize salaries and cost of living are higher but I know people in those jobs earning well into six figures. If you start to look at retail management you can easily clear 60k but the hours are horrendous. I know a 36 year old who's a Director ( one step below a VP) at a huge clothing chain ( multi -billion) and she's at about 150k plus sizeable bonus on a good year. Realistically, your background in pharmaceuticals combined with rehab PT might be a great background for management.

I have a t-shirt that says "Blowjob. The only job I'll ever love".

Maybe you could work less than full time to reduce the wear and tear. Or maybe get some type of consulting job as an ergonomist analyzing ergonomics in work places.

@ farmerart. That is great you are trying to be environmentally conscious. I dont know much about fracking but I know a few who have went on fracking crews. There has been a ton of fracking in the county I grew up in lateley. I recently counted 7 rigs in a half a square mile. I also have a client who lost a well due to it being contaminated by salt. He is about 200 yards from a waste well. There has recently been 2 earthquakes in the town I grew up in within two weeks or so. The news says the earthquakes are not from fracking but from a byproduct of fracking

If you know how to throw a killer derby hat then I got an Odd Job for you.

Go,

I retired at 55 the first time. I sleep max 4-5 hours, so I to find something to do 19-20 hours a day. That is difficult. Also, I had been on a "schedule" since I started school at 5 years old. 50 years of scheduled time was difficult for me to break. I un-retired to easy, fairly well paying work. My target it to make it to 70 then hang it up.

fa,

When I retired at 55, I worked with a friend for a time in construction. The first day I mixed ten loads of concrete by hand. Said to myself, "Self, you ain't doing this work!" Well, I wasn't going to let it whip me, so I kept on for over a year. Certainly got me in better shape, but I've since digressed. Recent shoulder surgery certainly didn't help that. :)

@Ranukan, you might also look at marine jobs. If you can stand constant changes in your daily schedule (watch standing is like shift work on steroids) you could probably find work on an oceangoing commercial vessel that will meet your income goals. The pay is not "through the roof" but with appropriate licenses (US Coast Guard administered "masters/mates" certificates) you can find both short term and long term employment. The same licenses can also get you a job on a cruise ship or even a private yacht.

Other maritime jobs on the water might involve physical labor (tug boat crew, engineering) but allow you be home most nights. Marine construction/repair is also a surprisingly well paid option with limited training required (welder, pipefitter, diesel mechanic). Usually, starting these jobs without a skilled history means reduced starting wages and lots of OJT.

"What are some jobs that you can make at least 60K, it's not wear and tear on your body, and not a lot of school is required?"

I used to want to be an Occupational Therapist and have shadowed and volunteered under many health professions, it sounds like all you want is something with little wear and tear. When I was volunteering at the hospital in the hand management clinic, it was mostly OT's, however they did have one PT there and she was telling me she loved hand therapy and have not did PT work in years. The therapist there pretty much sat all day and would use tools to help increase range of motion in the patience hand. Pretty neat, but a little on the boring side for me.This would allow you to use the degree you have already work hard for and cuts going back to school, and your yearly salary should remain close to what it already is.

I guess engineering is out.

@Clubber-As a kid, I hung out with my Grampa, who was a mason. He specialized in masoleums. In California, he did a shit load of residential work. He had his own business. I had fun mixing cement. For many summers my babysitters were bricklayers.

One thing to consider might be finding a different position in your field that is fewer hours, less pay or in some way less taxing, then picking up side work in something you find as a passion -- especially if music or sports is your real "thing."

I have a talent for IT, so that's what I do as my day job, even though there are times it either bores me to tears or is frustrating dealing with folks who don't "get" technology. But I also do a lot of freelance work on the side. It doesn't supplement my income a ton, but it doesn't hurt, either. It gives me impetus to travel, it's what I enjoy and it keeps me much more relatively sane than if I didn't do the work.

It's only been in the last couple years that I've started to stress out about it, because I've been becoming good enough at the freelance stuff that people want to hire me a lot, particularly over the summer, which has started eating into my day job.

But it's like they say: Find a job doing something you enjoy and it's not really a job. For most of us here, the first thing we'd probably list would be "strip club dance quality control evaluator," but beyond that non-existent position, there has to be something that would at least ease your mind & body a bit.

I'll send you a PM with more specifics.