I’m in my 30s so I should be used to this by now, but this shit is getting so stressful guys. I have no savings, my checking account is drained every month with rent, and if there’s ever a serious emergency I have no safety net, I’m legitimately fucked. I’m one unplanned expense away from absolute ruin. Those in the same boat as me, how do you deal with this?
I wish I could send you my budget and have you help me sort it out. I spend the absolute minimum. I feel like I’m starving myself, both physically and emotionally. And still I have nothing.
I hope and wish that there is a better job out there for me but I’m an unskilled college dropout with nothing but experience in food service and some retail. There’s not a whole lot out there in my experience that pays above minimum wage.
If you are willing to work, many of the trades are hiring and having a hard time getting apprentices/helpers. If you can pass a basic algebra test, you can make it as an electrician.
The company I work for starts wages at $12+/hour with lots of overtime opportunities (including mandatory) and planned raises each year of your apprenticeship. I also know of a carpenter shop hiring helpers at $16+ because they can’t get help.
Please don’t feel like you have no path forward. You just have to look outside your comfort zone a little.
This one. There are nowhere near enough electricians in particular. It’s a guaranteed high-paying job and one that is in dire need of people.
There’s a lot of government positions that require just high school, and pay more than typical.
But they’re annoying to apply to, and often can make you wait a long time. Look into your cities job bank, same with state/province and/or federal level.
Assuming you’re in the US, check out the USPS for jobs. They are understaffed and so long as you can jump through the hoops, they’ll hire you. I applied there back in 2013 and when I went in for an “interview” it was more of a walkthrough of if you complete x, y, and z by the deadline you’re hired. It pays well and you can get a ton of hours for overtime pay. I can’t talk to the job conditions, since I ended up going with a different job at the time.
Not degrading you at all, but have you tried recipes with rice and beans? It’s filling and nutritious. Frankly I love the taste too
I’m doing better now and still include them as staples in my week.
Any chance you could retrain in trade school?
It would help if you shared a little more about your income, your expanses, and your location.
There are a lot of remote data entry positions you could get into. You could study some data analysis on the side, using the data entry as a toe hold in the industry. Lots of free content and datasets to work with to learn on.
Just a suggestion, not cutting you down.
I’d be happy to chat more about that topic if you are interested.
Sales pays the best because you’re in the revenue generating column, not the cost column and also last to get the sack in a downturn
Maybe a side hustle? If you have a good eye, upcycling stuff from charity shops is a way to generate extra income.
If you are good at driving a CDL is a gateway to higher paying jobs as well.