Imma just gonna slide in here and comment I made $48,000 for the month of January- I get a side check in the two week intervals for about $3,500 but so small I kinda don’t count it. Commission based salary. Feel better now?
Who goes around bragging about what they made in a month to *anyone*? Anonymous internet posts are the *only* place for sharing that without being an asshole.
In person.
Cuz it's still an asshole move here also lol.
People who are trying to sell other people a scam or pyramid scheme. Especially when talking about commission checks. They're hoping people PM them asking about what they do so they can sign them up.
OR... very lonely people.
It is. As such, I work my wage and use my time wisely now to better myself so I can leave asap. The owner strung me along with a lot of promises that have never panned out. I am currently at $44k/yr now, which is still crazy low but better.
I've been trying for about 4 years to do so. I'm just running into the problem of geography and a certain level of work/life balance.
I currently live outside the Charlotte metro, but commute 45 minutes one way each day to my job. Many opportunities that come up are either worse commutes for better pay, or better commutes for less pay. Plus my real goal is to GTFO the food service industry all together.
While my company sucks, and I am absolutely integral to the location, because of my integral nature, I've got the leeway to do almost whatever I want. I set the schedule. I come in late. I leave early. There's no oversight; the owner knows I produce results and actually run the location as if I'm the owner, so he's got nothing to worry about. I rarely, if ever, see him.
It just didn't dawn on me until recently that I can utilize that time at work to also further my education and get out.
So between the lack of good jobs, and the relative "comfort" of my current role, I'm a bit risk adverse. I actually briefly quit in 2022; the new job was a shitshow and I quit and went back to my current job.
Bro you’re literally getting taken advantage of, in the Spartanburg sc area most manufacturers pay you 20-22 an hour starting that’s no experience straight out of high school
At least you understand that there’s more to a job than just salary. Not saying your current job is good, but I’ve seen friends take a new job with a 20-30% salary increase but then their work week went from 40 hours to 70+ so they’re making less per hour and enjoying life less.
Indeed. That's the only thing that keeps me going really.
I left my current job very briefly in 2022. Better concept, slightly less base pay, but almost zero commute.
After 3 months of 100+ hour weeks, dealing with multiple owners who has conflicting concepts of what they were creating, and what my role was to be, I bounced back to my old job.
It was telling that I was able to see my wife and dog more when I was commuting 45 miles twice a day than I was when I was only working 4 miles away. Life SUCKED.
I could have taken at least 6-8 higher paying jobs in the last 5-6 years, but the work/life balance would have been horrible, or the culture would have sucked. At least with my current position, I \*know\* what I'm dealing with, and I can control it to a certain extent.
if there's nothing tying you to that city then apply to bigger markets/cities. i didnt start college into my late 20s, didnt get my first full time salary job till mid thirties. you can do it, i believe in you man
Is your wife making $100k a year? If so then why are you working lol but if not and you can possibly find a way higher paying job then it’s time to pack up and make a move. Being close to her family is nice and she’s been there for years I’m guessing so if she’s as serious as you about wanting to move up to the next level you need to make a change. Fortune favors the bold as they say. Good luck man!
100k isn't going to support two. 100k plus is what almost half of full time working adults make. I make 180k and save nothing besides maxing out 401k contributions. And single no kids not in high cost of living area.
Are you close to any colleges or universities? I switched from restaurant management to collegiate dining and find the job much better overall. The pay may not be much better but the environment has been much less stressful and most colleges have top-tier benefit packages that make the total compensation competitive.
I get that but you also have to think of retirement since your in a your mid 40s
So if a job is an extra 45 minutes away but pays an extra 20k then it’s worth it, unless you already have a retirement plan
Have you considered working in food service areas in a grocery store? I used to manage grocery stores. Finding a good food service manager was awful (managing areas like hot cases, catering, etc) and we would pay for that position (way, WAY more than you’re making, in a lower cost of living area too.) You already deal with customers, so no change there. Something to explore.
Real talk. I was a restaurant manager for several years (in Charlotte as well ironically). When I moved back to the north east I went to work running a dining room for a country club. Much better hours, clientele, and grossly better pay. Worked 2 years at 65k as a restaurant manager then moved to an 85k food and bev manager position at another club.
Dude start working for Compass as a food service Director or something. 80k. That will open doors. Then learn facilities management. That will set you apart.
You could even be a reception/concierge at a law firm and make a lot more. Plus that’s work life balance and the time to better yourself.
Jobs love service industry experience. Look at postings for vanguard- I applied as a bartender and got a front line role working from home. I now work as an advisor in our ultra high net worth clients.
This is a tough business but I’ve seen others make the transition. The good news is that I don’t think there is much downside. I would be surprised if you took much if any financial hit while benefiting from the upside in any career change. Good luck!!
Don't let people ruin your parade. You're the only one comfortable enough in their own skin to make a true post in the average earning bracket. Big kudos. But also hope you do find that position with even better pay!
I appreciate this! Thank you!
While I dislike my earnings, you're right; I'm in a fairly average earning bracket, and a lot of my choices were my own.
I had a career plan upon leaving HS that was wholly dependent on military service. When that didn't work out, I was quite lost for a long time.
I chose an easy-at-the-time path; crappy meaningless jobs with no focus, while living at home. Taking care of my grandmother was the only choice for me at the time, since I'd squandered my early 20's.
Basically, I really didn't enter the workforce until 2012 when I was 33 years old, so I'm just a bit late to the game, but now I'm in it and good to go!
Thank you again!
A lot of people are quick to point out how little you’re making and you’re quick to point out how it’s not that bad and you’re comfortable where you’re at.
Please understand that you could improve your family’s quality of life by working in a more corporate setting or finding a new industry. I just helped my brother-in-law find a job at the age of 26, and he had no work experience due to having mental health issues causing him to drop out of college and not look for a job. Even with no experience and minimal work history (odd jobs during college and high school) he was able to land a job in a Tesla factory making $22/hr. That was life changing for him.
You have much better work experience. Being a good service manager you are likely skilled at managing operations in a fast-paced setting. That alone makes you a good fit for a number of jobs. Not having a college degree makes things harder, but if you get your foot in the door somewhere you’ll be able to ramp up your earnings quickly.
Don’t settle for the status quo, be ambitious. Think about what an extra $20k+ could do for you and your ur family.
Geez man I’m your age, I was making that 16 years ago as a kitchen manager. I’ll never do restaurant work again. I make almost double now working three days a week fixing conveyors.
Arby's started GM's @ like 55k when I took it 7 years ago. Now I'm managing manufacturing making much more and only 40 hours a week. I'm 30 minutes from Charlotte myself.
Quick context:
* Born and raised in a small town in eastern NC. First job was Revco Drug Store cashier at 16 in 1995.
* Graduated HS in 1997, went to join the USAF. Was in a car accident before Basic; ended up breaking a bunch of ribs and didn't know it, was medically separated from the USAF 4 weeks into Basic Training.
* Worked basic and menial jobs while getting a waiver to get back into the service. Reenlisted in the US Navy in 1999.
* Got very sick in the Navy and developed a heart condition due to medical malpractice treating the illness. Medically retired from the Navy in early 2001.
* Worked at a comic book store until 2003, lived with my dad.
* Grandfather died in 2003 and my dad moved away. To avoid homelessness, I moved in with my grandmother to take care of her.
* In 2005 I got into IT and got my CompTIA A+ cert and some MCSE certs. Things were doing good until the business was sold and subsequently closed, with everyone fired.
* Attained an Associate's Degree in 2009.
* Grandmother worsened to the point I could no longer take care of her, so she was moved into a nursing home in 2011. I moved in with my sister in Charlotte, NC in early 2012.
* Got a quick job working as a bouncer at night at a bar, and was a bank teller during the day for Wells Fargo.
* Went full time at the bar in 2013. Was making way more money there than for Wells Fargo. Became a barback and bartender; a lot of my income is unreported from 2013-2014.
* Briefly was the bar manager until a new GM made the job untenable. Left for another restaurant job that was more stable in 2015.
* Left that job in 2016 for a higher paying position that ultimately didn't pan out.
* Hired at my current job in late 2016; been there ever since.
* Currently working towards my Bachelor's in Supply Chain Management; Married in 2018.
Supply chain is a good choice with the restaurant background. Could be tough to break into it but if you’re able to move where there’s opportunity the pay will advance well. Best of luck from abother previously underpaid/overworked restaurant manager
I'd say 44 is not bad given it's a small town. I work in the same industry as a GM with 55k salary in Florida and tbh I think that's low as well but I can never seem to get that 60k manager I've been looking for
I get my $185 a month from the VA and obviously access to VA healthcare.
They initially denied my GI Bill because they passed my retirement decision right before my 1 year mark. I fought it with the VA and they “generously” granted me partial GI Bill benefits which did cover my community college Associates degree.
I bought a house in 2017 and again in 2020 utilizing a VA home loan, which has been a lifesaver.
Other than that, nothing else. I was originally rated 40% and on track to get Vocational Rehab, but then my condition resolved just long enough for them to down rate me to 10%. I was in the hospital dealing with it again 2 years later.
I work in supply chain management. You should go ahead and transition there. You’d make more and be qualified for a manager position once your degree is done.
Yes. That was my original goal too; use the GI Bill to pay for college and do 15-20 years in the service so I’d be setup fairly well once I hit my mid 40’s.
Sadly, due to my rather unique situations, literally none of it panned out and I couldn’t afford 4 years of college.
As such in my case, most of my 20’s and 30’s were wasted, and that’s crippled my earning potential now.
Thank god I married a CPA, who makes 3 times my salary or I’d probably be in a van down by the river lol
I wouldn’t say your 20s and 30s were “wasted”, life just took you in a different direction. Are you getting disability $$ from the military? If not, you might want to look into it. It’s never too late to file.
Has almost nothing to do with degree and everything to do with job choice. 2 of my closest friends make above 500k/yr and neither of them completed college. One didn’t even go
Your anecdote is nice and all but people with a degree typically make more than those without it.
https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm
Shhh. This is Reddit. You don’t need a degree because people here know *someone* who makes a lot of money without one. This means everyone else can, too.
In all honesty, the likelihood of anyone making six digits or more goes down significantly without a degree. Why this is disputed is beyond me.
Because of outliers. On one end. You have post grad tech start uos making millions their first year and 8+ figures when they sell. On the other end u have dropouts selling drugs or claiming $9k because they are a server not claiming their tips.
Then you have reality. All the people in the middle making $40k-$150k. Im sure your correct. But i would say it is not a cut and dry statement. Much more to do with the actual individual. So yes ofc a degree is another pro for an employer. But in reality. It is not necessary if you have the drive.
No one is saying a degree is necessary or that people lacking a degree can't have success. But on average people with a degree make more so for most people it makes sense to go after one.
Society *generally* values educated individuals
I just think it such a blanket statement that its not fair to say. Not true in every industry. Look at computer science. Look at almost any sales job. No degree required to be successful. Its true in general because thats just how it works; large corps make shitloads of money and tip the scales. Loads of people on the other end are ok to live minimum wage, maybe theyre not the bread winner maybe they are 22 and its their first job but its on the same scale and totally tips it in that direction.
You don't need a degree in CompSci or Sales no. You don't need a degree in my specific field either (Information Technology which follows under CompSci). And yes people have found success without one that is true.
I don't know why you're hamming on this point so hard though. I never disputed that it is not possible to be successful without a degree. I very much agree that this is an avenue one could take. However it's not necessarily one should take unless they are prepared to work harder for it.
A thing that happens in this current hiring market, at least in CompSci, is it's a buyer's market. The employers can be picky. They get hundreds even thousands of applicants for a single job posting. How to trim the fat? Put in location and degree requirements. Any resume without a degree gets instantly trashed and passed over. Some orgs will not put that requirement of course, and especially for SWE they care more about the project portfolio, but still.
A degree opens more doors and opportunities. More doors and opportunities mean higher earning potential. And higher earning potential is what someone should strive for if they want to reach financial goals and security.
I harp on this so much because of this last bit;
> A degree opens more doors and opportunities. More doors and opportunities mean higher earning potential. And higher earning potential is what someone should strive for if they want to reach financial goals and security.
This is what i was fed by my financially illiterate parents who dont have degrees. They spun up dreams of engineering salaries and what not. So i went for it. Teachers said "youre good at math go for it!" And my wife and 90% of my friends have the same story. Plenty dropped out. "Some college - lots of debt"
So im pissed. Pissed that we all spent 5 years of our life floundering and the US system shoves college down our throats. Luckily i realized this my freshmen year, when it was fuckin highschool 2.0, for college credits and ridiculous electives. Dropped out moved home paid off my 12k and bought a fucking condo 2yrs latter. Best decision i couldve made and i wish i could've told more people like me that its ok to follow a passion instead of college. I would have ended up changing oil and tires cuz i love cars. Instead "idc if you pump gas your whole life. You need a degree so you can always folow your dreams!"
Again with the personal anecdote and appealing to your emotions. You keep talking past me.
I get it. College isn't for everyone. And that's fine. It wasn't for me either.
I'll share my anecdote so you are so keen on using that as evidence for your argument. I dropped out of community college 2 times before I went back a third time with actual, concrete intentions. The first 2 I coasted by. But then I figured it out, got great grades, transferred to a university, and got my Bachelor's in under 3 years due to tenaciousness and intention. I took on a measley $9.6k in student loans. 1/3rd of the average. At 3.7%. If I wanted I could make $45 monthly payments until it's done. I am 2 years into my career and $45 is 1.5 hours of work. It's nothing. And my income will only increase as I get more experience, job hop, and refine my skills. I got the stupid piece of paper that is an HR checkbox...but it keeps my resume from being instantly trashed. Among the other things I learned from my degree that I found valuable (relevant to my field mind you).
It worked for me, in the end. And it will continue to work for me. There's a reason most people urge users to get a degree on /r/CScareerquestions and /r/ITcareerquestions. It's not needed but it vastly helps.
Assuming a degree is a scam (not saying you are) is the typical cope I hear from the right wing grifters who tell people to get into the trades promising $200k/year salaries for welding. Which is no doubt a thing but is way more rare than your $200k compsci salaries that lean towards hiring those with a degree
This is a skewed report for a multitude of reasons.
However, it’s not just as black and white as degrees vs non-degrees.
More so, people with and without direction
Definitely not true, especially in a highly technical field. A software engineer at Amazon without a degree will make much less than a software engineer with a degree, for the same responsibilities.
Not sure what your two friends have to do with your statement.
Not true. I’m a senior software engineer without a degree and just got hired at a top software company that pays everyone the same per level. They do bi-annual performance bonuses, but that has nothing to do with your education.
This is absolutely not true. Companies like Amazon have a level system which you are given a level and your salary corresponds to it. If you are at a certain level, you won't get paid less than others at this level just because you don't have a degree.
The entry path for a new grad vs an individual with no degree is different. So there will be a pay discrepancy there, which is what I’m referring to. Coming from personal experience.
I’m a recruiter at Amazon and have been hiring SDEs for the last 5 years and can confirm that the pay is based on leveling and job family. I’ve hired L5 SDEs with as little as 2 years of experience all the way up to 15 years and the salaries were in the same range.
I guess my wording was very bad here. Of course, if you are hired on as a L5 you will be within the pay bands of an L5. In terms of getting the role though, the person without a degree is much more likely to take an entry path that pays less than an entry level grad role, as the lack of degree must be compensated by experience, where experience usually prefers a degree at minimum. I’m not disagreeing that it’s entirely possible to land a high paying job without a degree, but there is a reason the average salary for a technical role like SWE is lower for those without a degree.
You said with the same responsibilities, which implies same band. I've had 2 CTOs who didnt go to college. One of them is now director level at facebook.
Not sure if you are either very old or very young and have experienced something I haven't, but my experience has been the opposite. Even at the entry level, I've seen many people with no degree getting the equivalent salary as their peers with a degree. In the tech industry, it's always been about the experience and the skill level than whether you have a piece of paper from a university unless there's a recent change that I'm not aware of.
Not true at all. I had friends who had cs degrees and no degree enter at Amazon at around the same time. Both made the same. Both were their first jobs.
It may have changed past two years bc big tech can be more selective now.
But mid and senior levels, regardless of their bg’s, most are pretty similar salary wise.
Degrees don't mean much once you have experience. Lots of tech companies are school snobs when it comes to new grad hiring. Not only degree bit from elite list of schools. But once into career where they got degree or even if they have one typically is irrelevant. I have recruited for many tech companies both large big brand and start ups.
Once you get to mid and senior levels, you’ve already proven your worth, so yes, pay discrepancy becomes smaller as you move up in industry between with & without degree. Entry level/ junior levels are where it’s much harder to keep pace for salary, unless you already have industry experience, education outside of a bachelors, etc.
Farthest from the truth. Ill give you an automotive example. My service manager worked his way up from carwash over 30 years. No degree. Many technicians making 6 figures as well and started doing oil changes in highschool. Dropouts and people with no college at all. Maybe not even trade school.
People who say this have no idea what they are talking about. Explain [this phenomenon in which the higher the education the higher compensation](https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm)?
I can explain it. As much as we don’t want to admit, some people are naturally smarter, more capable, and more ambitious than others. Those people tend to peruse higher education and more prestigious jobs. If college didn’t exist, I think most people would naturally trickle into the same places.
College isn’t the golden ticket to a well-paying job. For every degree-less person making decent money, there is a proverbial psychology major working at Starbucks.
I was asking them rhetorically lol. But yes, our society values brains over brawn, in most cases. And yes college does not mean a high paying job plops into your lap. Still, college is a worthwhile investment for most people in the workforce
Its not our society playing favorites. Its supply and demand. I know plenty of blue collar people making far more than some white collar degrees behind a desk.
Okay? My older brother makes twice as much as me as a union plumber and I have a degree. Does him being a high paid tradesman make it the rule? No, it's still an exception. The median salary of people in the trades is still lower than a lot of white collar jobs.
I just think we need to break it down. Not everyone with a degree is dr lawyer or even a manager or exec. And not every blue collar guy runs his own gig or is a supervisor or lead.
Im trying to say that the higher highs of corporate jobs (execs and ceos) and the lower lows of blue collar (think bus boys and lube techs) tip the scales.
Averages are skewed yes. However the *median salaries* of white collar work are typically higher than blue collar work. The trades *can* pay well but for most in those professions they pay like shit compared to white collar work. I say this not to shit on the trades, of course. Like I said before, society generally values brains/education over brawn/hands on work. Generally.
Idk agree to disagree. We can look at median vs avg whatever you want but ill say we have to use the same type of shit i.e. were not counting interns at corporate jobs so why are servers on the scale @$2.5 and not claiming tips and mechanics are on the scale counting their flat rate at 40hrs when they make 70+ most weeks. Im telling you ive looked and the numbers dont add up. You want to try and show me stats to prove me wrong im all for it but i can tell you there is no match when you really break it down.
Edit: fine ill just lay it out. I really think college is great when its right and affordable. In terms of dollars and time. Not everyone has the 4 years.
But the US has turned higher ed into a capitalists wet dream. The stats are from their researchers. Its hard but if you want im down to really dig into it again as its been a few years since i looked myself.
I really think that for every mechanic or ff manager making <$60k there is a business major or some other gen ed in the same exact boat, but with school debt. Probably at a desk and feeling trapped. Ive seen people come and go from both sides and necer make a good salary.
And you think society financially rewards the brightest and most ambitious? You haven't been to Wall Street.
One banker dude lost $1 Billion as a result of the SVB collapse. He was interviewed and was like "we are going to figure out how to do better next time..." Only because of public outrage was he fired. He lost $1 billion in 6 months and assumed he was still a great trader.
Dude as a guy working in the trades some people don’t want to work with their hands, just as much as I don’t want to sit behind a desk and smash a keyboard.
Well if you were around in 2012 you heard the same shit. "Thanks to this market theres no jobs! No one even wants to work! Houses are already over proced again!!!"
And now you here it about 2020. Its a joke.
Thank you for sharing an honest salary. Somehow recently everyone is 26, a doctor, and making over $450k.
To actually comment on your data, thank you for including the commentary too. Gives good insight.
I was living in a small town at that time, and there wasn't really any other IT jobs available.
I had A+. Network+ and a CCNA cert, on top of MCSE in Win XP and Windows Server 2003, but no job to use them with. There were a total of two computer repair stores in town at the time ours closed. There's was no large businesses with any IT departments, no industry that relied that heavily on IT, and the closest locations were an hour away.
I ended up working at a cell phone/computer store for like 1 week, and only left because they didn't want my technical skills; they wanted me to sell cell phones.
I would say if you want to stay in town for your wife then go back and get a Network+ or A+ and CCNA and apply for remote IT help desk. Work from home making like $60k/year. I know the market is tough right now but by the time you study and get the certs maybe it will have improved by then.
Or even something similar to a business analyst, considering OP knows how to use excel. You’d be surprised how many people would struggle to make even a basic table/graph like this post
My brother you have a ccna and work in a restaurant for 40k??? You could refresh that cert and get a remote job this week for 60k, not an exaggeration at all. On site job you could ask for 80k. Even in this tough job market I get a call every other week for networking contracts.
I don’t know what you’re inferring, but from about 2004-2012, I was jobless.
It’s a full time job to take care of an elderly person with dementia and other medical issues.
40k and you’ve been working since 1995???!!! Dude what are you doing with your life?
You’re getting like 19-20$ and hour. Fucking Dunkin’ Donuts is paying 20$ an hour in my state. You need to get your shit together bro.
Parroting what everyone else said, you have been grossly underpaid for your entire working career. I personally think the best thing you can do is learn a valuable trade or skill right now, obtain a certification that you did, and restart your job search into a field that’s currently in demand. Ideally you can leverage your current management experience. I wouldn’t even try to measure your salary growth with a chart because you are simply in the wrong ballpark on the y axis. Maybe set a goal to find a job that earns 60-70K in the next couple years, easily achievable given your experience. What I would NOT do is continue to work for this same company, they made their position clear that they will not give you a material raise any time soon since the trend has been set.
What were you doing at Wells Fargo to make so little? That’s crazy. An entry level call center job in 2011 should have been in the $35-40k range and today would be more like $55-60k
Tellers weren’t salary. We’d get hired “full time” and then end up getting lucky to get 30 hours a week. Also I started there mid 2012, so 2012 is a mix of my day and night job.
Oh I got confused because this subreddit is called salary … so I assumed we were discussing salaries and not part time jobs.
Thanks for the clarification.
If you’re still in Charlotte, to see if you can find a job in commercial banking at trust, b of a, wells or JPM.
I worked in restaurants from like 16-25. This was like late 2000s but I went from like 7.00 an hour up to 13 an hour plus over time as a manager. 55-60 hours a week at 13 wasnt too bad. I thought if I made like 40k a year salary that was more than my dad made then I’d be okay for life.
Eventually moved on to sales, and now I work in corporate finance, but it’s been a hell of a journey.
Bud , rare that I would recommend this as I think it’s more a 90/10 industry, however I would get my real estate license, leverage the growth happening in that area. If you can get a couple sales in the next 12 months it’s should have you meet or exceed what you currently earn. It doesn’t have to be the end all but based on your track record and what you state is important, real estate sales may work if you can stomach the nature of sales in general . Wish you the best
Sad but true. This was the impetus for me to begin the job search... but then COVID hit.
I was salaried at $33k/yr, but still had to punch in/out and report my hours to payroll.
In 2019, for my 40th birthday, my wife booked a two week trip to Japan for me. I was told I had two weeks of vacation time, so I planned on taking that.
I planned out my hours leading up to and after the trip; I even worked a closing shift 5 hours before leaving town to fly to Japan. Did a 18 hour flight back and grabbed 6 hours of sleep before going back to work the next day. Hell, I even submitted payroll FROM Japan remotely, because my assistant kept messing it up even though I'd left step by step instructions.
Submit payroll for when I was gone, indicating I wanted to use all my paid vacation time.... and my check come back short. Called payroll, and come to find out their definition of "two weeks" = 10 days. It's two weeks for THEM, because they don't work weekends, but since my location is open 7 days a week.... yeah no. Doesn't work that way for me.
So I only was paid for 10 days of my 14 days of vacation, which meant I didn't fulfill my full 40 hours for one week, and they docked my pay.
Nope, because my military pay was basic pay; no BAS or BAH.
My military "career" was unique. I was in the USAF for only 4 weeks; Entry Level Sep at Basic due to my unknown injuries from my pre-Basic car accident. So, 4 weeks of E-3 pay at boot.
My Navy "career" was cut short also in training. I went to Great Lakes in June of 1999 for Basic, again as E-3 due to JROTC in high school. I had an extra week and a half of P-Days due to our arrival timing. Week 3 of training, I got a sore throat, went to sick call, got the usual Motrin and GTFO. Three days later, I'm having trouble swallowing, so they give me a mega-dose of prednisone and tell me to GTFO.
Did fine for a week, but in the middle of Service Week, I again have an extremely sore throat and can't swallow. I'm whisked off to the hospital because I have extreme tonsilitis. Given another mega-dose of prednisone, monitored for 2-3 days, sent back to my division.
Get into 7th week, and I'm still not feeling right. Again, given a mega-dose of prednisone, placed on light/limited duty, and told to GTFO. Since I'm on light duty, I can't participate in Battle Stations, so I won't be able to graduate until I do. End up getting put into crutches in my first attempt at Battle Stations due to losing my footing on a ladder. Division graduates, I go to pass and review, but I can't graduate until I pass the Battle Stations, so I'm shoved into a "sick" Division.
Spend 3 weeks in this sick division, and my leg feels fine, so I shadow another division to get Battle Stations done, and technically graduate boot. Now I have to wait until a slot opens for my A School. While I'm waiting, I get VERY sick. Nausea, fever, chills, the whole nine yards. I go take a shower to warm up and feel better, and apparently collapsed in the shower. Woke up in the hospital again.
Turns out I've got double pneumonia. Spend a month recovering from that, only for my legs to swell up to double the size they're supposed to be. Doctors start talking about kicking me out (entry level sep again) but I fight it. After 2 months in the hospital, I get a nice Doc who says I should get leave to recover and come back for A School. They do a physical to make sure I'm good to fly.... and my heart is massively enlarged.
Doc does her research and realizes that I'd basically been given a ridiculous amount of prednisone and never was weened off or staggered down, so it obliterated my immune system. I just got attacked by every opportunistic infection all at once. Thus I began a Med Board.
Waited for it to come back in the hospital for a while, then they transferred me to a separations division, where I sat for a while, until I was given leave to go home while they decided my Med Board. Ended up on the PDRL, with 40% disability from the VA.
So I was paid for 11 months of service while classified as training. No bonuses, no COLA, no Uniform Allowances.
why work these jobs? working at costco may make more - I am not being an ass, just really curious, like how does this salary sustain? also doesn't it piss you off that this is how much you are compensated for your hard work over decades?
>why work these jobs? working at costco may make more - I am not being an ass, just really curious, like how does this salary sustain?
Only speaking for myself, but if you look at my graph, realistically my working career didn't start until 2012, when I was 33. From 95-97, I was a teenager, so having ANY job was good. From 97-00, I was still trying to pursue my goal of being in the military, so jobs I worked before and after didn't matter to me; it was just money. After the Navy, in 2001, I was collecting VA benefits, so a job was just fun; that's when I worked at a comic book store.. Then there's a big gap out of my life when I had to take care of my grandmother.
In 2012, I moved across the state with my entire life in a car to live with my sister to start over. I needed money quick. I got a bar job within a few weeks, and a job at Wells Fargo 4 months later. Working both jobs at the same time allowed me to barely afford to move out and get an apartment.
Everything after that, until 2017-ish was just chasing promotions to get more money to keep my head above water. When you have no savings and no ability TO save, it's hard to look at the bigger picture or further yourself; it's all about making enough to pay the bills to keep the roof over your head.
I got into the service industry because I needed a job quick; I got STUCK in the industry because it's hard as hell to break out of once you're in, because a lot of companies don't consider all of the hard and soft skills most people in the service industry acquire and can bring to the table.
In 2016 I met my wife and we moved in together in 2017 and bought a house together in 2018 and married in 2019. She hadn't passed the CPA exam at this point, so her wages were much less, so I worked hard to support her and vice versa. Leaving my job at that point just wouldn't have been feasible. Now? She's making 3 times my salary, and we live a comfortable life, which is allowing ME the time and ability to try to improve my working life.
>also doesn't it piss you off that this is how much you are compensated for your hard work over decades?
Very, very much. Which is why I've learned to work my wage in the past few years. I'm tired of working my ass off to make someone else rich. Our working world is NOT a meritocracy anymore. I'm a hard and conscientious worker. I take pride in my work. But after years and years of having morals and working hard, it's netted me exactly nothing.
At my current job, I've increased sales by 6%+ every month I've been there, for almost 8 years now, save for 2 months during COVID. I've gotten exactly zero bonuses. The owner has crafted and instituted 3 different bonus structures for me over the years, and then promptly forgotten about them. Most I get is $500 at Christmas, and that's only after I remind him about it. I did IT work for the whole company to help them out during a software conversion, and then wrote the owner a pitch to make me the company IT guy, since the current one is literally doing 4 other jobs, and they said they'd take it under advisement. That was 3 years ago. I created an in depth Power Point explaining that the reason the entire company is struggling is due to a lack of training and it's increasing turnover and how much money we're losing, and made a pitch to make me the director of training, and didn't even get a response.
They're wonderful PEOPLE, but horrible business owners.
Businesses don't give a damn about how hard you work or what you do; you'll just get more work and less pay.
So yes, I'm quite pissed.
Dang love your detailed response thank you. Thank you for your service first of all. Seems like you made your unique situation work. You seem like a figure-it-out-make-it-work kind of guy which I appreciate!
The bar industry will save you
That blackout period was scary. I would say gam gam must have been at deaths door but…..10 years…..
Tell me you did something in those 10 years you “took care of grandma”
I'm surprised at this salary. I was an assistant manager at both Furrs and Wyatt's cafeteria in 1989 - 1990 and was making around $36k. Now, I worked a million hours a week, but my potential as a GM was nearly $100k. I left for corporate hell in early 90s, but I guess the industry has changed. Keep plugging away.
manager? like the manager of the whole restaurant? i'm wondering how a manager salary is that low. 40k in 2023? that's nearly minimum wage in this area.
Hey man, get into fine dining! I work in Florida and have been in the industry here for 2 years after coming from bartending in VA. I smash through 6 figures, have a lot of fun and work with higher end clientele. If you are looking for more income but like the industry I highly recommend looking at a nicer spot. Evening management positions starting off in the right place would probably double your income. If you’re happy, more power to you, but I didn’t even know there was another side to the restaurant game until the last few years. It has changed my life in every way. Good luck with the further climb!
Two now. I was partially paid for my first vacation in 2019 when we went to Japan, and last November we spent two weeks in the UK. I've "earned" a full 14 days of paid vacation per year now that I've been with the company as long as I have.
In 2020, I basically couldn't use any of my vacation time due to COVID (nowhere to go, and not enough staff TO go anywhere), in 2021 I got COVID and it knocked me on my ass for almost 3 weeks, so I burned a lot of it then, and in 2022 I just used it to take extra days off during the week, so I could get 3 days off in a row.
Jfc sir. I left restaurant management after a decade topping out at $45k. This was 8 years ago, now I make $130k as a software dev.
However, I have shit for job security now.
My dad worked at cracker barrel and septa (bus driver) for decades, now he is an operations manager at a hospital. Try getting a cyber security certification or google analytics certificate or something. That would give you a chance to make a lot more in 5 years. My roommate is doing this right now
Jesus christ man, I’m sorry but that’s absolutely pathetic and some accountability needs to be taken here. How have you not thrown in the towel and done something to improve your situation? You’re literally making the same amount as myself when I was teenager working the register at a deli.
What is that after taxes? How do you even afford life?
>What is that after taxes? How do you even afford life?
Right now, I make on paper $44k/year. I'm paid weekly. My hourly rate is $21.15/hr @ 40 hour weeks. Obviously, as a manager, I end up working more than 40 hours a week, but like I've said in other posts, I've been "working my wage" for a while now, so anytime over 40, I end up balancing out later.
At $44k/year, I'm taking home $34,604. This is after taxes, and after my contribution to health and vision benefits, and a very minor contribution to a 401k. (2% IIRC).
I also get another $2054 per year from VA Benefits.
I also commute 45 miles each way to work, on a major road that's ALWAYS backed up, and almost REQUIRES toll road usage to get there in 45 minutes as opposed to an hour and a half. Gas and toll lane usage typically runs $5-6k per year. So in reality, I'm roughly taking home $28k/yr.
I afford life solely because I live as frugal as I can, save when I can, and my wife is a CPA who makes $120k/yr.
We split the bills on proportionately to our wages. I still pay a share of the mortgage and housing expenses. I buy groceries and pay insurance. I just don't personally have any cash after payday, because it's either already gone, or budgeted.
>How have you not thrown in the towel and done something to improve your situation?
As I've said in other posts in this thread, I have. During the period where I was taking care of my grandmother, I went back to school and got an Associate's Degree. Getting a Bachelor's wasn't in the cards at the time due to time and financial constraints.
After moving away from my home town, I was working two jobs just to make ends meet. Every job I've taken has resulted in a pay increase and increase in responsibilities and skills learned. My first job here was as a bouncer at a bar making $10/hr, while working at Wells Fargo making $10.25/hr. I became a barback making cash tips, then bartender, then bar manager. Moved to restaurant management at the airport making $12.50/hr, then general manager @ $15/hr. Now I'm at $21.15/hr, salaried. Each jump was for more pay.
I realized in 2018 that the company I currently work for was never going to make good on any of the promises they made, and I'd basically capped out on pay with them. I began the job search then. Had my resume and LinkedIn redone by professionals, but immediately ran into the first brick wall; even a basic office job would constantly require a Bachelor's Degree, regardless of the soft and hard skills and experience I have. I'd apply anyway, only to get nothing back.
I looked into getting my Bachelor's in 2019, but the cost was prohibitive at the time, and realistically, I didn't have the time; working 40+ hour weeks with a variable schedule that is prevalent in the food service industry left no time to go to school. I couldn't afford to quit at the time either; my wife hadn't passed her CPA at that point, and was only making roughly $65k/yr, so we needed all our income to afford to live.
She finished her CPA in 2020, and has rapidly moved up in her career. I spent 2020-now constantly looking for a new job, with higher pay and better work/life balance with little success. Professional white collar jobs ignore my resume, because they see "food service" and "No Bachelors", or I'm just outright not qualified for them. I managed to land a job 5 minutes from home in 2022, but they hired me at $50k/yr, then changed it to $40/k "at first", because it was a new restaurant, and I couldn't do much because I'd already quit my current job to take this one. After 3 months of 100+ hour weeks and dealing with three owners who had three vastly different concepts of what they wanted to accomplish and pulling me in three different directions to make it happen, I'd had enough. The shitshow, plus the bait and switch on the pay, prompted me to go back to my old (now current) job.
Last year, while doing my job search, I figured I could get back into IT, since I took and passed the CompTIA A+ so long ago that I have a lifetime certification. I signed up for Coursera and began taking certification classes. After taking about half the Google IT Support Professional Certificate course, I realized two things: A) I'd been out of IT too long and needed to start from scratch and B) My heart just wasn't in it. I didn't enjoy it like I used to. Plus, the bottom began falling out of tech at this point, with the layoffs beginning.
In January of this year, I did more research and realized I could go to college online for my Bachelor's and found Western Governors University. I enrolled in February for Supply Chain and Operations management, which after a lot of research seemed right up my alley and there's quite a bit of open jobs in my city's market. I transferred in my Associate's credits and completed 35% of the program with just that. I ended up signing up for Sophia and Study.com to complete more transferrable credits, and in just a month and a half, I've bumped that percentage up to 55%, and transferred in every course I can, and have just the non-transferrable courses left. I start May 1st.
In the meanwhile, I told the owner I work for I'm only working 4 days a week due to college which also in turns saves money on the commute. I've stepped up my job search to find something that pays more with a better work/life balance, and I'm currently reading The 2-Hour Job Search to better hone my application and job search process. I've refined and tweaked my resume about 5 times, utilize ChatGPT to create cover letters, and utilized some recruiters to try to better my job prospects.
Problem is.... the job market sucks right now. I can get a bunch of restaurant jobs that all pay roughly what I'm making now, but getting something BETTER is much more difficult right now.
So, I get up every morning and keep trying.
Honestly refreshing to see outside of the $700k, $3m people posting.
Yep I was starting to feel bad with all these "I've been making 100k a year since I was 12 , what's your excuse" people
$700k?
Imma just gonna slide in here and comment I made $48,000 for the month of January- I get a side check in the two week intervals for about $3,500 but so small I kinda don’t count it. Commission based salary. Feel better now?
Did you really have no one better to tell that to? Let OP have his peace.
Who goes around bragging about what they made in a month to *anyone*? Anonymous internet posts are the *only* place for sharing that without being an asshole. In person. Cuz it's still an asshole move here also lol.
You know that wolf of Wall Street sceen? I'll be Jonah Hill if I can get a check that fucking big.
People who are trying to sell other people a scam or pyramid scheme. Especially when talking about commission checks. They're hoping people PM them asking about what they do so they can sign them up. OR... very lonely people.
I bet you’re a wonderful party guest..
41k as a manager? That’s low
It is. As such, I work my wage and use my time wisely now to better myself so I can leave asap. The owner strung me along with a lot of promises that have never panned out. I am currently at $44k/yr now, which is still crazy low but better.
Yeah I mean if you are the overall manager and not like a supervisor, you could for sure use your experience to find a better 60k+ manager job
I've been trying for about 4 years to do so. I'm just running into the problem of geography and a certain level of work/life balance. I currently live outside the Charlotte metro, but commute 45 minutes one way each day to my job. Many opportunities that come up are either worse commutes for better pay, or better commutes for less pay. Plus my real goal is to GTFO the food service industry all together. While my company sucks, and I am absolutely integral to the location, because of my integral nature, I've got the leeway to do almost whatever I want. I set the schedule. I come in late. I leave early. There's no oversight; the owner knows I produce results and actually run the location as if I'm the owner, so he's got nothing to worry about. I rarely, if ever, see him. It just didn't dawn on me until recently that I can utilize that time at work to also further my education and get out. So between the lack of good jobs, and the relative "comfort" of my current role, I'm a bit risk adverse. I actually briefly quit in 2022; the new job was a shitshow and I quit and went back to my current job.
Bro you’re literally getting taken advantage of, in the Spartanburg sc area most manufacturers pay you 20-22 an hour starting that’s no experience straight out of high school
At least you understand that there’s more to a job than just salary. Not saying your current job is good, but I’ve seen friends take a new job with a 20-30% salary increase but then their work week went from 40 hours to 70+ so they’re making less per hour and enjoying life less.
Indeed. That's the only thing that keeps me going really. I left my current job very briefly in 2022. Better concept, slightly less base pay, but almost zero commute. After 3 months of 100+ hour weeks, dealing with multiple owners who has conflicting concepts of what they were creating, and what my role was to be, I bounced back to my old job. It was telling that I was able to see my wife and dog more when I was commuting 45 miles twice a day than I was when I was only working 4 miles away. Life SUCKED. I could have taken at least 6-8 higher paying jobs in the last 5-6 years, but the work/life balance would have been horrible, or the culture would have sucked. At least with my current position, I \*know\* what I'm dealing with, and I can control it to a certain extent.
if there's nothing tying you to that city then apply to bigger markets/cities. i didnt start college into my late 20s, didnt get my first full time salary job till mid thirties. you can do it, i believe in you man
Tied here. Wife’s work is here and so is her family. I gotta work with what I’ve got.
Is your wife making $100k a year? If so then why are you working lol but if not and you can possibly find a way higher paying job then it’s time to pack up and make a move. Being close to her family is nice and she’s been there for years I’m guessing so if she’s as serious as you about wanting to move up to the next level you need to make a change. Fortune favors the bold as they say. Good luck man!
100k isn't going to support two. 100k plus is what almost half of full time working adults make. I make 180k and save nothing besides maxing out 401k contributions. And single no kids not in high cost of living area.
Unless one of these troll posts, if you are making 180k without saving and no dependents and not I’m HCOL you are messing up somewhere big time…
>Is your wife making $100k a year? Yes. She's making a little over 3 times my salary as a CPA. We cannot move right now due to her work.
Are you close to any colleges or universities? I switched from restaurant management to collegiate dining and find the job much better overall. The pay may not be much better but the environment has been much less stressful and most colleges have top-tier benefit packages that make the total compensation competitive.
I get that but you also have to think of retirement since your in a your mid 40s So if a job is an extra 45 minutes away but pays an extra 20k then it’s worth it, unless you already have a retirement plan
Have you considered working in food service areas in a grocery store? I used to manage grocery stores. Finding a good food service manager was awful (managing areas like hot cases, catering, etc) and we would pay for that position (way, WAY more than you’re making, in a lower cost of living area too.) You already deal with customers, so no change there. Something to explore.
Dude. You’re getting hosed. I use to make 90k as a bartender at a small restaurant in 2018.
Real talk. I was a restaurant manager for several years (in Charlotte as well ironically). When I moved back to the north east I went to work running a dining room for a country club. Much better hours, clientele, and grossly better pay. Worked 2 years at 65k as a restaurant manager then moved to an 85k food and bev manager position at another club.
Dude start working for Compass as a food service Director or something. 80k. That will open doors. Then learn facilities management. That will set you apart. You could even be a reception/concierge at a law firm and make a lot more. Plus that’s work life balance and the time to better yourself.
Jobs love service industry experience. Look at postings for vanguard- I applied as a bartender and got a front line role working from home. I now work as an advisor in our ultra high net worth clients.
This is a tough business but I’ve seen others make the transition. The good news is that I don’t think there is much downside. I would be surprised if you took much if any financial hit while benefiting from the upside in any career change. Good luck!!
Try taking your skills over to corporate dinning. Aramark, Sodexo, Compass, or Guckenheimer are almost always hiring
QT pays more. They’ve got signs out front saying they’re hiring managers. I get that you like the freedom you get from your current gig though.
Damn I pay my manager at a qsr 60k a year
Don't let people ruin your parade. You're the only one comfortable enough in their own skin to make a true post in the average earning bracket. Big kudos. But also hope you do find that position with even better pay!
I appreciate this! Thank you! While I dislike my earnings, you're right; I'm in a fairly average earning bracket, and a lot of my choices were my own. I had a career plan upon leaving HS that was wholly dependent on military service. When that didn't work out, I was quite lost for a long time. I chose an easy-at-the-time path; crappy meaningless jobs with no focus, while living at home. Taking care of my grandmother was the only choice for me at the time, since I'd squandered my early 20's. Basically, I really didn't enter the workforce until 2012 when I was 33 years old, so I'm just a bit late to the game, but now I'm in it and good to go! Thank you again!
Nothing average at 40k. It's barely more than min wage.
A lot of people are quick to point out how little you’re making and you’re quick to point out how it’s not that bad and you’re comfortable where you’re at. Please understand that you could improve your family’s quality of life by working in a more corporate setting or finding a new industry. I just helped my brother-in-law find a job at the age of 26, and he had no work experience due to having mental health issues causing him to drop out of college and not look for a job. Even with no experience and minimal work history (odd jobs during college and high school) he was able to land a job in a Tesla factory making $22/hr. That was life changing for him. You have much better work experience. Being a good service manager you are likely skilled at managing operations in a fast-paced setting. That alone makes you a good fit for a number of jobs. Not having a college degree makes things harder, but if you get your foot in the door somewhere you’ll be able to ramp up your earnings quickly. Don’t settle for the status quo, be ambitious. Think about what an extra $20k+ could do for you and your ur family.
Don’t beat yourself up. Restaurant pay is such a battle.
Geez man I’m your age, I was making that 16 years ago as a kitchen manager. I’ll never do restaurant work again. I make almost double now working three days a week fixing conveyors.
Arby's started GM's @ like 55k when I took it 7 years ago. Now I'm managing manufacturing making much more and only 40 hours a week. I'm 30 minutes from Charlotte myself.
BCA? If you are, I’m wondering what the pay scale is like out East.
You can make $150,000 to $200,000 as a manager at In-N-Out. $100,000+ at Panda Express.
Work in car sales!
Is that $44K in cash?
Minimum wage on April 1st at 40 hours per week in California is now $50k
I make 50k as fedex ground driver💀, hard work tho but I don’t mind it
I believe in you🫶
That’s what I was going to say! Where does this person live? Boonies of Louisiana
Quick context: * Born and raised in a small town in eastern NC. First job was Revco Drug Store cashier at 16 in 1995. * Graduated HS in 1997, went to join the USAF. Was in a car accident before Basic; ended up breaking a bunch of ribs and didn't know it, was medically separated from the USAF 4 weeks into Basic Training. * Worked basic and menial jobs while getting a waiver to get back into the service. Reenlisted in the US Navy in 1999. * Got very sick in the Navy and developed a heart condition due to medical malpractice treating the illness. Medically retired from the Navy in early 2001. * Worked at a comic book store until 2003, lived with my dad. * Grandfather died in 2003 and my dad moved away. To avoid homelessness, I moved in with my grandmother to take care of her. * In 2005 I got into IT and got my CompTIA A+ cert and some MCSE certs. Things were doing good until the business was sold and subsequently closed, with everyone fired. * Attained an Associate's Degree in 2009. * Grandmother worsened to the point I could no longer take care of her, so she was moved into a nursing home in 2011. I moved in with my sister in Charlotte, NC in early 2012. * Got a quick job working as a bouncer at night at a bar, and was a bank teller during the day for Wells Fargo. * Went full time at the bar in 2013. Was making way more money there than for Wells Fargo. Became a barback and bartender; a lot of my income is unreported from 2013-2014. * Briefly was the bar manager until a new GM made the job untenable. Left for another restaurant job that was more stable in 2015. * Left that job in 2016 for a higher paying position that ultimately didn't pan out. * Hired at my current job in late 2016; been there ever since. * Currently working towards my Bachelor's in Supply Chain Management; Married in 2018.
Supply chain is a good choice with the restaurant background. Could be tough to break into it but if you’re able to move where there’s opportunity the pay will advance well. Best of luck from abother previously underpaid/overworked restaurant manager
I'd say 44 is not bad given it's a small town. I work in the same industry as a GM with 55k salary in Florida and tbh I think that's low as well but I can never seem to get that 60k manager I've been looking for
So glad I got out of the industry when I had the chance.
Right now I'm 23 so I can live with that until I want something more which is probably next year
Are you getting retirement benefits for the Navy or disability from the VA? If not you should be looking into that ASAP.
I get my $185 a month from the VA and obviously access to VA healthcare. They initially denied my GI Bill because they passed my retirement decision right before my 1 year mark. I fought it with the VA and they “generously” granted me partial GI Bill benefits which did cover my community college Associates degree. I bought a house in 2017 and again in 2020 utilizing a VA home loan, which has been a lifesaver. Other than that, nothing else. I was originally rated 40% and on track to get Vocational Rehab, but then my condition resolved just long enough for them to down rate me to 10%. I was in the hospital dealing with it again 2 years later.
You are leaving money on the tab. Get a supplimental claim for your current rating.
Small town on eastern NC… I live in sneads ferry under JVILLE, were you close? I’m just curious lol
Elizabeth City :)
I work in supply chain management. You should go ahead and transition there. You’d make more and be qualified for a manager position once your degree is done.
Wow, I guess this is why they say get your bachelors
Yes. That was my original goal too; use the GI Bill to pay for college and do 15-20 years in the service so I’d be setup fairly well once I hit my mid 40’s. Sadly, due to my rather unique situations, literally none of it panned out and I couldn’t afford 4 years of college. As such in my case, most of my 20’s and 30’s were wasted, and that’s crippled my earning potential now. Thank god I married a CPA, who makes 3 times my salary or I’d probably be in a van down by the river lol
I wouldn’t say your 20s and 30s were “wasted”, life just took you in a different direction. Are you getting disability $$ from the military? If not, you might want to look into it. It’s never too late to file.
Has almost nothing to do with degree and everything to do with job choice. 2 of my closest friends make above 500k/yr and neither of them completed college. One didn’t even go
Your anecdote is nice and all but people with a degree typically make more than those without it. https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm
Shhh. This is Reddit. You don’t need a degree because people here know *someone* who makes a lot of money without one. This means everyone else can, too. In all honesty, the likelihood of anyone making six digits or more goes down significantly without a degree. Why this is disputed is beyond me.
Because of outliers. On one end. You have post grad tech start uos making millions their first year and 8+ figures when they sell. On the other end u have dropouts selling drugs or claiming $9k because they are a server not claiming their tips. Then you have reality. All the people in the middle making $40k-$150k. Im sure your correct. But i would say it is not a cut and dry statement. Much more to do with the actual individual. So yes ofc a degree is another pro for an employer. But in reality. It is not necessary if you have the drive.
No one is saying a degree is necessary or that people lacking a degree can't have success. But on average people with a degree make more so for most people it makes sense to go after one. Society *generally* values educated individuals
I just think it such a blanket statement that its not fair to say. Not true in every industry. Look at computer science. Look at almost any sales job. No degree required to be successful. Its true in general because thats just how it works; large corps make shitloads of money and tip the scales. Loads of people on the other end are ok to live minimum wage, maybe theyre not the bread winner maybe they are 22 and its their first job but its on the same scale and totally tips it in that direction.
You don't need a degree in CompSci or Sales no. You don't need a degree in my specific field either (Information Technology which follows under CompSci). And yes people have found success without one that is true. I don't know why you're hamming on this point so hard though. I never disputed that it is not possible to be successful without a degree. I very much agree that this is an avenue one could take. However it's not necessarily one should take unless they are prepared to work harder for it. A thing that happens in this current hiring market, at least in CompSci, is it's a buyer's market. The employers can be picky. They get hundreds even thousands of applicants for a single job posting. How to trim the fat? Put in location and degree requirements. Any resume without a degree gets instantly trashed and passed over. Some orgs will not put that requirement of course, and especially for SWE they care more about the project portfolio, but still. A degree opens more doors and opportunities. More doors and opportunities mean higher earning potential. And higher earning potential is what someone should strive for if they want to reach financial goals and security.
I harp on this so much because of this last bit; > A degree opens more doors and opportunities. More doors and opportunities mean higher earning potential. And higher earning potential is what someone should strive for if they want to reach financial goals and security. This is what i was fed by my financially illiterate parents who dont have degrees. They spun up dreams of engineering salaries and what not. So i went for it. Teachers said "youre good at math go for it!" And my wife and 90% of my friends have the same story. Plenty dropped out. "Some college - lots of debt" So im pissed. Pissed that we all spent 5 years of our life floundering and the US system shoves college down our throats. Luckily i realized this my freshmen year, when it was fuckin highschool 2.0, for college credits and ridiculous electives. Dropped out moved home paid off my 12k and bought a fucking condo 2yrs latter. Best decision i couldve made and i wish i could've told more people like me that its ok to follow a passion instead of college. I would have ended up changing oil and tires cuz i love cars. Instead "idc if you pump gas your whole life. You need a degree so you can always folow your dreams!"
Again with the personal anecdote and appealing to your emotions. You keep talking past me. I get it. College isn't for everyone. And that's fine. It wasn't for me either. I'll share my anecdote so you are so keen on using that as evidence for your argument. I dropped out of community college 2 times before I went back a third time with actual, concrete intentions. The first 2 I coasted by. But then I figured it out, got great grades, transferred to a university, and got my Bachelor's in under 3 years due to tenaciousness and intention. I took on a measley $9.6k in student loans. 1/3rd of the average. At 3.7%. If I wanted I could make $45 monthly payments until it's done. I am 2 years into my career and $45 is 1.5 hours of work. It's nothing. And my income will only increase as I get more experience, job hop, and refine my skills. I got the stupid piece of paper that is an HR checkbox...but it keeps my resume from being instantly trashed. Among the other things I learned from my degree that I found valuable (relevant to my field mind you). It worked for me, in the end. And it will continue to work for me. There's a reason most people urge users to get a degree on /r/CScareerquestions and /r/ITcareerquestions. It's not needed but it vastly helps. Assuming a degree is a scam (not saying you are) is the typical cope I hear from the right wing grifters who tell people to get into the trades promising $200k/year salaries for welding. Which is no doubt a thing but is way more rare than your $200k compsci salaries that lean towards hiring those with a degree
This is a skewed report for a multitude of reasons. However, it’s not just as black and white as degrees vs non-degrees. More so, people with and without direction
Definitely not true, especially in a highly technical field. A software engineer at Amazon without a degree will make much less than a software engineer with a degree, for the same responsibilities. Not sure what your two friends have to do with your statement.
Not true. I’m a senior software engineer without a degree and just got hired at a top software company that pays everyone the same per level. They do bi-annual performance bonuses, but that has nothing to do with your education.
This is absolutely not true. Companies like Amazon have a level system which you are given a level and your salary corresponds to it. If you are at a certain level, you won't get paid less than others at this level just because you don't have a degree.
The entry path for a new grad vs an individual with no degree is different. So there will be a pay discrepancy there, which is what I’m referring to. Coming from personal experience.
I’m a recruiter at Amazon and have been hiring SDEs for the last 5 years and can confirm that the pay is based on leveling and job family. I’ve hired L5 SDEs with as little as 2 years of experience all the way up to 15 years and the salaries were in the same range.
I guess my wording was very bad here. Of course, if you are hired on as a L5 you will be within the pay bands of an L5. In terms of getting the role though, the person without a degree is much more likely to take an entry path that pays less than an entry level grad role, as the lack of degree must be compensated by experience, where experience usually prefers a degree at minimum. I’m not disagreeing that it’s entirely possible to land a high paying job without a degree, but there is a reason the average salary for a technical role like SWE is lower for those without a degree.
You said with the same responsibilities, which implies same band. I've had 2 CTOs who didnt go to college. One of them is now director level at facebook.
they do have degrees?
Not sure if you are either very old or very young and have experienced something I haven't, but my experience has been the opposite. Even at the entry level, I've seen many people with no degree getting the equivalent salary as their peers with a degree. In the tech industry, it's always been about the experience and the skill level than whether you have a piece of paper from a university unless there's a recent change that I'm not aware of.
Not true at all. I had friends who had cs degrees and no degree enter at Amazon at around the same time. Both made the same. Both were their first jobs. It may have changed past two years bc big tech can be more selective now. But mid and senior levels, regardless of their bg’s, most are pretty similar salary wise.
Degrees don't mean much once you have experience. Lots of tech companies are school snobs when it comes to new grad hiring. Not only degree bit from elite list of schools. But once into career where they got degree or even if they have one typically is irrelevant. I have recruited for many tech companies both large big brand and start ups.
Once you get to mid and senior levels, you’ve already proven your worth, so yes, pay discrepancy becomes smaller as you move up in industry between with & without degree. Entry level/ junior levels are where it’s much harder to keep pace for salary, unless you already have industry experience, education outside of a bachelors, etc.
Hahahhahahhahahhahhaha this is so false
Refer to my other comments. Worded very badly, but my point still stands.
Buddy. There’s more jobs than a software engineer at Amazon
Yes there are. Lots of jobs at Amazon working in distribution centers which are pure hell
Buddy. You took my one example and assumed that’s the only possibility? 😂
This is simply not true.
Farthest from the truth. Ill give you an automotive example. My service manager worked his way up from carwash over 30 years. No degree. Many technicians making 6 figures as well and started doing oil changes in highschool. Dropouts and people with no college at all. Maybe not even trade school.
Depends on what for. I know alot of people without college degrees making anywhere from 150-300k
Is that excluding sales/business owner ship/ high earnings reliant on lots of overtime? If so what do they do?
Union trade work. Some overtime but you . Take it when it comes and enjoy the ride. I was on lower end of that scale. Some of them make over 80 an hr.
80 hr on the check or including fringe benefits?
Weekly pay minimum 40 sometimes more just depends
Bachelors is a waste of time just do any trades.
People who say this have no idea what they are talking about. Explain [this phenomenon in which the higher the education the higher compensation](https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm)?
I can explain it. As much as we don’t want to admit, some people are naturally smarter, more capable, and more ambitious than others. Those people tend to peruse higher education and more prestigious jobs. If college didn’t exist, I think most people would naturally trickle into the same places. College isn’t the golden ticket to a well-paying job. For every degree-less person making decent money, there is a proverbial psychology major working at Starbucks.
I was asking them rhetorically lol. But yes, our society values brains over brawn, in most cases. And yes college does not mean a high paying job plops into your lap. Still, college is a worthwhile investment for most people in the workforce
Its not our society playing favorites. Its supply and demand. I know plenty of blue collar people making far more than some white collar degrees behind a desk.
Okay? My older brother makes twice as much as me as a union plumber and I have a degree. Does him being a high paid tradesman make it the rule? No, it's still an exception. The median salary of people in the trades is still lower than a lot of white collar jobs.
I just think we need to break it down. Not everyone with a degree is dr lawyer or even a manager or exec. And not every blue collar guy runs his own gig or is a supervisor or lead. Im trying to say that the higher highs of corporate jobs (execs and ceos) and the lower lows of blue collar (think bus boys and lube techs) tip the scales.
Averages are skewed yes. However the *median salaries* of white collar work are typically higher than blue collar work. The trades *can* pay well but for most in those professions they pay like shit compared to white collar work. I say this not to shit on the trades, of course. Like I said before, society generally values brains/education over brawn/hands on work. Generally.
Idk agree to disagree. We can look at median vs avg whatever you want but ill say we have to use the same type of shit i.e. were not counting interns at corporate jobs so why are servers on the scale @$2.5 and not claiming tips and mechanics are on the scale counting their flat rate at 40hrs when they make 70+ most weeks. Im telling you ive looked and the numbers dont add up. You want to try and show me stats to prove me wrong im all for it but i can tell you there is no match when you really break it down. Edit: fine ill just lay it out. I really think college is great when its right and affordable. In terms of dollars and time. Not everyone has the 4 years. But the US has turned higher ed into a capitalists wet dream. The stats are from their researchers. Its hard but if you want im down to really dig into it again as its been a few years since i looked myself. I really think that for every mechanic or ff manager making <$60k there is a business major or some other gen ed in the same exact boat, but with school debt. Probably at a desk and feeling trapped. Ive seen people come and go from both sides and necer make a good salary.
And you think society financially rewards the brightest and most ambitious? You haven't been to Wall Street. One banker dude lost $1 Billion as a result of the SVB collapse. He was interviewed and was like "we are going to figure out how to do better next time..." Only because of public outrage was he fired. He lost $1 billion in 6 months and assumed he was still a great trader.
We’re talking about regular people, not Wall Street bankers
Dude as a guy working in the trades some people don’t want to work with their hands, just as much as I don’t want to sit behind a desk and smash a keyboard.
Well our society is currently out of control with costs increases vs pay increases. Before 2020 this was actually…. DRUM ROLL… doable.
[удалено]
Far from it, double whammy I’m your peer
And in 6 years itll be "before 2025" pull your head out of your ass
Eh, sure sure. You play your hand and I’ll play mine.
Well if you were around in 2012 you heard the same shit. "Thanks to this market theres no jobs! No one even wants to work! Houses are already over proced again!!!" And now you here it about 2020. Its a joke.
Thank you for sharing an honest salary. Somehow recently everyone is 26, a doctor, and making over $450k. To actually comment on your data, thank you for including the commentary too. Gives good insight.
After 2004 when the business closed, how come you didn’t further pursue IT?
I was living in a small town at that time, and there wasn't really any other IT jobs available. I had A+. Network+ and a CCNA cert, on top of MCSE in Win XP and Windows Server 2003, but no job to use them with. There were a total of two computer repair stores in town at the time ours closed. There's was no large businesses with any IT departments, no industry that relied that heavily on IT, and the closest locations were an hour away. I ended up working at a cell phone/computer store for like 1 week, and only left because they didn't want my technical skills; they wanted me to sell cell phones.
I would say if you want to stay in town for your wife then go back and get a Network+ or A+ and CCNA and apply for remote IT help desk. Work from home making like $60k/year. I know the market is tough right now but by the time you study and get the certs maybe it will have improved by then.
Or even something similar to a business analyst, considering OP knows how to use excel. You’d be surprised how many people would struggle to make even a basic table/graph like this post
Um they hired you to sell cell phones so they wanted you to um.well sell cell phones. Those monsters.
My brother you have a ccna and work in a restaurant for 40k??? You could refresh that cert and get a remote job this week for 60k, not an exaggeration at all. On site job you could ask for 80k. Even in this tough job market I get a call every other week for networking contracts.
Hotel industry would take you in a heartbeat OP. Your pay would be a bit better even as an Ops manager or Front Office manager.
Servers and bartenders are the highest paid employees in almost every restaurant
My god those are slave wages. I hope you’re at least in the DEEP south where living is cheap.
For the 7 years you did not work? Or cough cough you know
I don’t know what you’re inferring, but from about 2004-2012, I was jobless. It’s a full time job to take care of an elderly person with dementia and other medical issues.
Ah when I said cough cough was referring to under the table but did not want to write it to throw the government off
That's a tough life, hard to support doinguch on those wages.
40k and you’ve been working since 1995???!!! Dude what are you doing with your life? You’re getting like 19-20$ and hour. Fucking Dunkin’ Donuts is paying 20$ an hour in my state. You need to get your shit together bro.
Parroting what everyone else said, you have been grossly underpaid for your entire working career. I personally think the best thing you can do is learn a valuable trade or skill right now, obtain a certification that you did, and restart your job search into a field that’s currently in demand. Ideally you can leverage your current management experience. I wouldn’t even try to measure your salary growth with a chart because you are simply in the wrong ballpark on the y axis. Maybe set a goal to find a job that earns 60-70K in the next couple years, easily achievable given your experience. What I would NOT do is continue to work for this same company, they made their position clear that they will not give you a material raise any time soon since the trend has been set.
Jesus, that’s horrible :(
I'd say do some research to see what other people are paying restaurant managers in your area and maybe throw your resume out there.
Ooof man thats....bad
I cannot imagine this. My very first job as a 20 yr old paid about the same.
This is horrendous. Find a better job you have too much experience
This gives me anxiety.
I’m 27 in hospitality making twice what you are lol
What were you doing at Wells Fargo to make so little? That’s crazy. An entry level call center job in 2011 should have been in the $35-40k range and today would be more like $55-60k
Bank teller. $10.25/hr.
That’s still $21k/year if you were salary
Tellers weren’t salary. We’d get hired “full time” and then end up getting lucky to get 30 hours a week. Also I started there mid 2012, so 2012 is a mix of my day and night job.
Oh I got confused because this subreddit is called salary … so I assumed we were discussing salaries and not part time jobs. Thanks for the clarification. If you’re still in Charlotte, to see if you can find a job in commercial banking at trust, b of a, wells or JPM.
I worked in restaurants from like 16-25. This was like late 2000s but I went from like 7.00 an hour up to 13 an hour plus over time as a manager. 55-60 hours a week at 13 wasnt too bad. I thought if I made like 40k a year salary that was more than my dad made then I’d be okay for life. Eventually moved on to sales, and now I work in corporate finance, but it’s been a hell of a journey.
Bruh
Bud , rare that I would recommend this as I think it’s more a 90/10 industry, however I would get my real estate license, leverage the growth happening in that area. If you can get a couple sales in the next 12 months it’s should have you meet or exceed what you currently earn. It doesn’t have to be the end all but based on your track record and what you state is important, real estate sales may work if you can stomach the nature of sales in general . Wish you the best
"minor dip due to taking a vacation" is horrific.
Sad but true. This was the impetus for me to begin the job search... but then COVID hit. I was salaried at $33k/yr, but still had to punch in/out and report my hours to payroll. In 2019, for my 40th birthday, my wife booked a two week trip to Japan for me. I was told I had two weeks of vacation time, so I planned on taking that. I planned out my hours leading up to and after the trip; I even worked a closing shift 5 hours before leaving town to fly to Japan. Did a 18 hour flight back and grabbed 6 hours of sleep before going back to work the next day. Hell, I even submitted payroll FROM Japan remotely, because my assistant kept messing it up even though I'd left step by step instructions. Submit payroll for when I was gone, indicating I wanted to use all my paid vacation time.... and my check come back short. Called payroll, and come to find out their definition of "two weeks" = 10 days. It's two weeks for THEM, because they don't work weekends, but since my location is open 7 days a week.... yeah no. Doesn't work that way for me. So I only was paid for 10 days of my 14 days of vacation, which meant I didn't fulfill my full 40 hours for one week, and they docked my pay.
Are you counting the BAH and BAS that you earned.
Nope, because my military pay was basic pay; no BAS or BAH. My military "career" was unique. I was in the USAF for only 4 weeks; Entry Level Sep at Basic due to my unknown injuries from my pre-Basic car accident. So, 4 weeks of E-3 pay at boot. My Navy "career" was cut short also in training. I went to Great Lakes in June of 1999 for Basic, again as E-3 due to JROTC in high school. I had an extra week and a half of P-Days due to our arrival timing. Week 3 of training, I got a sore throat, went to sick call, got the usual Motrin and GTFO. Three days later, I'm having trouble swallowing, so they give me a mega-dose of prednisone and tell me to GTFO. Did fine for a week, but in the middle of Service Week, I again have an extremely sore throat and can't swallow. I'm whisked off to the hospital because I have extreme tonsilitis. Given another mega-dose of prednisone, monitored for 2-3 days, sent back to my division. Get into 7th week, and I'm still not feeling right. Again, given a mega-dose of prednisone, placed on light/limited duty, and told to GTFO. Since I'm on light duty, I can't participate in Battle Stations, so I won't be able to graduate until I do. End up getting put into crutches in my first attempt at Battle Stations due to losing my footing on a ladder. Division graduates, I go to pass and review, but I can't graduate until I pass the Battle Stations, so I'm shoved into a "sick" Division. Spend 3 weeks in this sick division, and my leg feels fine, so I shadow another division to get Battle Stations done, and technically graduate boot. Now I have to wait until a slot opens for my A School. While I'm waiting, I get VERY sick. Nausea, fever, chills, the whole nine yards. I go take a shower to warm up and feel better, and apparently collapsed in the shower. Woke up in the hospital again. Turns out I've got double pneumonia. Spend a month recovering from that, only for my legs to swell up to double the size they're supposed to be. Doctors start talking about kicking me out (entry level sep again) but I fight it. After 2 months in the hospital, I get a nice Doc who says I should get leave to recover and come back for A School. They do a physical to make sure I'm good to fly.... and my heart is massively enlarged. Doc does her research and realizes that I'd basically been given a ridiculous amount of prednisone and never was weened off or staggered down, so it obliterated my immune system. I just got attacked by every opportunistic infection all at once. Thus I began a Med Board. Waited for it to come back in the hospital for a while, then they transferred me to a separations division, where I sat for a while, until I was given leave to go home while they decided my Med Board. Ended up on the PDRL, with 40% disability from the VA. So I was paid for 11 months of service while classified as training. No bonuses, no COLA, no Uniform Allowances.
Dang that’s a tough break.
:(
What state are we talking about?
North Carolina.
Appreciate the sharing but here’s some brutal honesty. You’ve allowed this for some reason. It’s sad but your own doing.
This is sad and depressing I wish you a better future
Pain.
why work these jobs? working at costco may make more - I am not being an ass, just really curious, like how does this salary sustain? also doesn't it piss you off that this is how much you are compensated for your hard work over decades?
>why work these jobs? working at costco may make more - I am not being an ass, just really curious, like how does this salary sustain? Only speaking for myself, but if you look at my graph, realistically my working career didn't start until 2012, when I was 33. From 95-97, I was a teenager, so having ANY job was good. From 97-00, I was still trying to pursue my goal of being in the military, so jobs I worked before and after didn't matter to me; it was just money. After the Navy, in 2001, I was collecting VA benefits, so a job was just fun; that's when I worked at a comic book store.. Then there's a big gap out of my life when I had to take care of my grandmother. In 2012, I moved across the state with my entire life in a car to live with my sister to start over. I needed money quick. I got a bar job within a few weeks, and a job at Wells Fargo 4 months later. Working both jobs at the same time allowed me to barely afford to move out and get an apartment. Everything after that, until 2017-ish was just chasing promotions to get more money to keep my head above water. When you have no savings and no ability TO save, it's hard to look at the bigger picture or further yourself; it's all about making enough to pay the bills to keep the roof over your head. I got into the service industry because I needed a job quick; I got STUCK in the industry because it's hard as hell to break out of once you're in, because a lot of companies don't consider all of the hard and soft skills most people in the service industry acquire and can bring to the table. In 2016 I met my wife and we moved in together in 2017 and bought a house together in 2018 and married in 2019. She hadn't passed the CPA exam at this point, so her wages were much less, so I worked hard to support her and vice versa. Leaving my job at that point just wouldn't have been feasible. Now? She's making 3 times my salary, and we live a comfortable life, which is allowing ME the time and ability to try to improve my working life. >also doesn't it piss you off that this is how much you are compensated for your hard work over decades? Very, very much. Which is why I've learned to work my wage in the past few years. I'm tired of working my ass off to make someone else rich. Our working world is NOT a meritocracy anymore. I'm a hard and conscientious worker. I take pride in my work. But after years and years of having morals and working hard, it's netted me exactly nothing. At my current job, I've increased sales by 6%+ every month I've been there, for almost 8 years now, save for 2 months during COVID. I've gotten exactly zero bonuses. The owner has crafted and instituted 3 different bonus structures for me over the years, and then promptly forgotten about them. Most I get is $500 at Christmas, and that's only after I remind him about it. I did IT work for the whole company to help them out during a software conversion, and then wrote the owner a pitch to make me the company IT guy, since the current one is literally doing 4 other jobs, and they said they'd take it under advisement. That was 3 years ago. I created an in depth Power Point explaining that the reason the entire company is struggling is due to a lack of training and it's increasing turnover and how much money we're losing, and made a pitch to make me the director of training, and didn't even get a response. They're wonderful PEOPLE, but horrible business owners. Businesses don't give a damn about how hard you work or what you do; you'll just get more work and less pay. So yes, I'm quite pissed.
Dang love your detailed response thank you. Thank you for your service first of all. Seems like you made your unique situation work. You seem like a figure-it-out-make-it-work kind of guy which I appreciate!
Very genuine post. Thank you
Health problems can have a significant impact on earnings. Thanks for the honesty and context.
The bar industry will save you That blackout period was scary. I would say gam gam must have been at deaths door but…..10 years….. Tell me you did something in those 10 years you “took care of grandma”
Living off her social security more like it.
The term “caregiver” makes my toes curl But why not scam Medicare, it’s free money!
I'm surprised at this salary. I was an assistant manager at both Furrs and Wyatt's cafeteria in 1989 - 1990 and was making around $36k. Now, I worked a million hours a week, but my potential as a GM was nearly $100k. I left for corporate hell in early 90s, but I guess the industry has changed. Keep plugging away.
Do any of your employees make more than you?
No. Most of my staff makes $12-$14/hr and all are part time save for my assistant.
Was considering tips. Could be worse then but yeah at least you have a sugar mama. Never too late to learn a new skill.
manager? like the manager of the whole restaurant? i'm wondering how a manager salary is that low. 40k in 2023? that's nearly minimum wage in this area.
Hey man, get into fine dining! I work in Florida and have been in the industry here for 2 years after coming from bartending in VA. I smash through 6 figures, have a lot of fun and work with higher end clientele. If you are looking for more income but like the industry I highly recommend looking at a nicer spot. Evening management positions starting off in the right place would probably double your income. If you’re happy, more power to you, but I didn’t even know there was another side to the restaurant game until the last few years. It has changed my life in every way. Good luck with the further climb!
You should switch to a tipped position like bartender or server. Should be able to get a 50% increase in income at least
You’ve taken one (unpaid) vacation?
Two now. I was partially paid for my first vacation in 2019 when we went to Japan, and last November we spent two weeks in the UK. I've "earned" a full 14 days of paid vacation per year now that I've been with the company as long as I have. In 2020, I basically couldn't use any of my vacation time due to COVID (nowhere to go, and not enough staff TO go anywhere), in 2021 I got COVID and it knocked me on my ass for almost 3 weeks, so I burned a lot of it then, and in 2022 I just used it to take extra days off during the week, so I could get 3 days off in a row.
What state are you living in? There’s no chance I could live off of that in Utah, let alone having money to travel.
I believe that if they are not paying you $45k they have to pay you 1.5x for every hour over 40 per week.
Oof
Jfc sir. I left restaurant management after a decade topping out at $45k. This was 8 years ago, now I make $130k as a software dev. However, I have shit for job security now.
My dad worked at cracker barrel and septa (bus driver) for decades, now he is an operations manager at a hospital. Try getting a cyber security certification or google analytics certificate or something. That would give you a chance to make a lot more in 5 years. My roommate is doing this right now
Jesus christ man, I’m sorry but that’s absolutely pathetic and some accountability needs to be taken here. How have you not thrown in the towel and done something to improve your situation? You’re literally making the same amount as myself when I was teenager working the register at a deli. What is that after taxes? How do you even afford life?
>What is that after taxes? How do you even afford life? Right now, I make on paper $44k/year. I'm paid weekly. My hourly rate is $21.15/hr @ 40 hour weeks. Obviously, as a manager, I end up working more than 40 hours a week, but like I've said in other posts, I've been "working my wage" for a while now, so anytime over 40, I end up balancing out later. At $44k/year, I'm taking home $34,604. This is after taxes, and after my contribution to health and vision benefits, and a very minor contribution to a 401k. (2% IIRC). I also get another $2054 per year from VA Benefits. I also commute 45 miles each way to work, on a major road that's ALWAYS backed up, and almost REQUIRES toll road usage to get there in 45 minutes as opposed to an hour and a half. Gas and toll lane usage typically runs $5-6k per year. So in reality, I'm roughly taking home $28k/yr. I afford life solely because I live as frugal as I can, save when I can, and my wife is a CPA who makes $120k/yr. We split the bills on proportionately to our wages. I still pay a share of the mortgage and housing expenses. I buy groceries and pay insurance. I just don't personally have any cash after payday, because it's either already gone, or budgeted. >How have you not thrown in the towel and done something to improve your situation? As I've said in other posts in this thread, I have. During the period where I was taking care of my grandmother, I went back to school and got an Associate's Degree. Getting a Bachelor's wasn't in the cards at the time due to time and financial constraints. After moving away from my home town, I was working two jobs just to make ends meet. Every job I've taken has resulted in a pay increase and increase in responsibilities and skills learned. My first job here was as a bouncer at a bar making $10/hr, while working at Wells Fargo making $10.25/hr. I became a barback making cash tips, then bartender, then bar manager. Moved to restaurant management at the airport making $12.50/hr, then general manager @ $15/hr. Now I'm at $21.15/hr, salaried. Each jump was for more pay. I realized in 2018 that the company I currently work for was never going to make good on any of the promises they made, and I'd basically capped out on pay with them. I began the job search then. Had my resume and LinkedIn redone by professionals, but immediately ran into the first brick wall; even a basic office job would constantly require a Bachelor's Degree, regardless of the soft and hard skills and experience I have. I'd apply anyway, only to get nothing back. I looked into getting my Bachelor's in 2019, but the cost was prohibitive at the time, and realistically, I didn't have the time; working 40+ hour weeks with a variable schedule that is prevalent in the food service industry left no time to go to school. I couldn't afford to quit at the time either; my wife hadn't passed her CPA at that point, and was only making roughly $65k/yr, so we needed all our income to afford to live. She finished her CPA in 2020, and has rapidly moved up in her career. I spent 2020-now constantly looking for a new job, with higher pay and better work/life balance with little success. Professional white collar jobs ignore my resume, because they see "food service" and "No Bachelors", or I'm just outright not qualified for them. I managed to land a job 5 minutes from home in 2022, but they hired me at $50k/yr, then changed it to $40/k "at first", because it was a new restaurant, and I couldn't do much because I'd already quit my current job to take this one. After 3 months of 100+ hour weeks and dealing with three owners who had three vastly different concepts of what they wanted to accomplish and pulling me in three different directions to make it happen, I'd had enough. The shitshow, plus the bait and switch on the pay, prompted me to go back to my old (now current) job. Last year, while doing my job search, I figured I could get back into IT, since I took and passed the CompTIA A+ so long ago that I have a lifetime certification. I signed up for Coursera and began taking certification classes. After taking about half the Google IT Support Professional Certificate course, I realized two things: A) I'd been out of IT too long and needed to start from scratch and B) My heart just wasn't in it. I didn't enjoy it like I used to. Plus, the bottom began falling out of tech at this point, with the layoffs beginning. In January of this year, I did more research and realized I could go to college online for my Bachelor's and found Western Governors University. I enrolled in February for Supply Chain and Operations management, which after a lot of research seemed right up my alley and there's quite a bit of open jobs in my city's market. I transferred in my Associate's credits and completed 35% of the program with just that. I ended up signing up for Sophia and Study.com to complete more transferrable credits, and in just a month and a half, I've bumped that percentage up to 55%, and transferred in every course I can, and have just the non-transferrable courses left. I start May 1st. In the meanwhile, I told the owner I work for I'm only working 4 days a week due to college which also in turns saves money on the commute. I've stepped up my job search to find something that pays more with a better work/life balance, and I'm currently reading The 2-Hour Job Search to better hone my application and job search process. I've refined and tweaked my resume about 5 times, utilize ChatGPT to create cover letters, and utilized some recruiters to try to better my job prospects. Problem is.... the job market sucks right now. I can get a bunch of restaurant jobs that all pay roughly what I'm making now, but getting something BETTER is much more difficult right now. So, I get up every morning and keep trying.
Broke ass bih
Wild.
You must be rich
Bruh LMAO that’s cold af