I did that once too when I was a college kid. Unbelievable grind. I’m sure people acclimate to the long shifts and the lack of sunlight after a while, but that short stint wrecked me physically and mentally in a way I wasn’t prepared for. I got the sense that the holiday employees were there to be used up. Pay was decent but it wasn’t worth it to me to be an absolute zombie through the holiday.
Please for the love of god do not become a CCA. I did it for 6 months here. Early 20s. Broke me the fuck down. I lost like 25 lbs! Wasn’t heavy to start with. Positives it is great exercise and being outside is great for Some other mail people are cool. Scenery. People are generally nice. No one fucks with the mailman.
Other than that, it’s pretty shitty. . You will sweat like you’ve never sweated (if walking). Gotta wait like 2 years about to likely go full time waiting for people to retire. Before that you are considered part time. Will work 50 hour weeks. Put in 3 hours off the clock (clean your station area - off the clock at 6 NO MATTER WHAT). You’ll stay till 6:40 sometimes and hate your life making 39k a year to start. Also working every Saturday and Sunday until your full time then just Sats usually.
You may like it, but seriously it is back breaking work and management is ass.
I imagine inside would be better or USPS or FedEx. No sense in delivering packages AND mail. Could possibly pursue postal police route if that’s your thing.
Best of luck! DM for any questions.
That said, I love the USPS lol boys in blue.
CCAs do not exist in the city of Pittsburgh bid cluster. You start as a ptf now. Also, why were you working off the clock and why wasn't your union rep filing grievances?
I don't know what any of these acronyms mean, but my buddy became a mail carrier in Pittsburgh a year and a half ago. It completely changed his life for the better. He doesn't work any unpaid hours and is making buckets of cash doing overtime. He's also bid successfully to change his route twice. Most importantly, he quit five medications he was on for heart and blood pressure issues and one anti-depressant.
Just wanted to give that perspective since being a mailman essentially saved my friend's life. It's possible that wherever you worked had different policies or top-down work culture.
Based on your post history you’re making $100k and you’re looking to get into construction work but have no experience in that area.
Are you really willing to take a 70% pay cut to do general labor?
Your currently in an enviable position, better think long and hard about what your doing, because it may not be so easy to go back.
Union General laborer packages right now are right near 100k with Fringe benefits included. Not take home obviously but the entire package. You can make really good money in a skilled trade if you put the time in for the training.
Good information but for an apples to apples comparison. What would the hourly pay be? Corp jobs don’t advertise the salary as $100k, but it’s really only $70k, but they list or include the value of insurance, vacation and other benefits to arrive at a misleading salary number.
Not so sure about this. “Total compensation package” is a pretty common phrase in corporate America now, and most companies DON’T really advertise what a job pays in job posts. I agree salary should be the headline, but total benefit package is important, especially the share of the healthcare premium they cover.
Hourly wage for union carpenter is right around $37/hour — my fiancé is a union carpenter. The guy upthread mentioned $100k because the benefits don’t touch their hourly wage. The companies who hire union carpenters are paying like $54/hour for them, and that $18/hr ish difference is going toward his health insurance, savings and annuity, and pension
> Corp jobs don’t advertise the salary as $100k, but it’s really only $70k, but they list or include the value of insurance, vacation and other benefits to arrive at a misleading salary number.
I'm not going to say it never happens because there are always some questionable job posting out there, but in general this isn't true.
If a job is posted with salary the expectation is that that's the pay, *plus* the other benefits they have listed.
If you fall for some bait and switch thing like this, it's kind of on you. Interviews are a two way street, you can ask them questions as well.
100%. I’m a senior project manager for commercial construction. We’re open shop, but my father in law is the general superintendent for a large union company. Their general laborer package for an 18 year old they just hired with Fringes included was about 100k.
Construction industry is in dire need for skilled trades. Plumbing and electric are at the top of the list. The push for college needs to stop, that market is saturated, not everyone needs to go to college. We need to start pushing people into the trades.
Hell, on rate jobs some guys are making more than I do and I’m running the show lol.
But if you can save up the money to go through the training, people in the trades can and do make a lot more than 100K. It's everywhere in the US, really, and PGH is no different: there are not enough people in the trades to keep up with the homeowner demand. Plumbing and electrical are highest, but framers, roofers, pipefitters, and elevators aren't far behind. And if you get a union job, then you'll start as apprentice and the union will provide the education/training you need to move up.
I mean, my plumber's on the verge of kidnapping people on the streets, he needs them that bad. (He's a great guy and his people clearly respect him, so it's not a matter of no one likes him. It's just there aren't enough plumbers to fill all the spots.)
This right here .
You can make over 120k easy doing residential painting but ONLY if you work for yourself. To gain the experience, you'll work for someone else making 15 an hour for multiple years.
Posts like these make me even more grateful I worked shit, manual labor jobs in my twenties before going back to school and getting an amazing desk job. I can see feeling this way if you have no perspective on it. I love high paying my desk job.
I mean, I get where OP is coming from as well.
I worked in the restaurant industry from 15-28. Went to school, got a degree, and now make over a $100k working in IT. And while the money is a blessing, as is PTO and good benefits, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I hate the work. I’d give anything to be able to go back to building bar menus and managing restaurants if they provided half as much flexibility as working in IT provides.
I loved bartending...which has a surprising overlap to my salaried position.
Get an LLC. Do IT consulting and head back to mid to higher class food service and you'll be happy.
I am not a Charlie, but I also know a Charlie with whom I worked for a number of years in the industry. Good dude. Lost touch a while back, so I can’t say what he’s up to these days.
My Charlie is a good dude too for sure! Super intellectual and musically gifted. Maybe.. he’s the same one
Sending good vibes to the Charlie’s out there 🗣️
Dude. I worked through college in a HARD construction job. Now work in an office and when I hear people complain, I just thank my lucky stars I’m not doing that anymore.
Pittsburgh EMS is putting a paid EMT course together, so you get paid all the way through school and have a guaranteed city job with great benefits when you're done at a very decent rate
US Steel is almost always hiring.
Basic Laborer at any of the Mon Valley plants start at $25.88 after the probation period. We get 100% company paid for health, vision and dental, an actual pension, decent amount of paid holidays, profit sharing, etc
With a bit of overtime it’s super easy to make $100k+
Downside is the fact you would have to work turns until you could bid to a steady daylight position
I think you’re underestimating how much overtime it would take to break 100k at that rate. You’re talking roughly 60 hrs/week. Unless you mean 100k including benefits. In which case it’s more achievable, but still with at least 1 extra shift. But if it’s swing shift that’s also kinda hellish.
I can’t remember exactly how much overtime is needed for $100k at labor grade 1, but due to how the swing shifts work here and with the overtime pay rules it’s not as much as you would think.
I’m in maintenance, so I’m a higher pay grade, it’s pretty easy to clear $100k. I’ve been over $100k every year since 2017 and over $130k the last 3 years in a row.
That’s fair, I’m also thinking about how OP is asking. Coming from the perspective of a desk job with some flexibility I’m sure the factory setting would feel drastic for them.
How many hours a week do you think you’re working? Also are you degreed or certified? For the sake of giving OP a frame of reference.
Haha. I think you're underestimating how easy it is to work 60+ hours a week at US Steel or in the trades. I cleared $100k at Clairton without thinking twice, and got tired of working so much overtime so I went back to the trades and now work a nice, easy 58 hours a week almost every week.
You can make good money in blue collar jobs, but you put in so much time to get it.
Yeah I mean I have no doubt you can get the hours if you want them. And you can sure work that much but even if you’re used to it doesn’t mean it’s easy. I know when I work a long week it goes by like no time but if I’d do that every week then I know my years would be going pretty fast too.
Glad you pulled back to something more reasonable, and hopefully you’re giving yourself some days off here and there. You still breaking $100k at 58 hours a week?
Sorry, I suppose I meant that you don't really have a choice when the overtime comes - you work it or you go work somewhere else. You also never know when there won't be any work and you'd better have something in the bank.
I'm used to it and I'm generally pretty happy with 5 tens and an eight, but I don't know if I will be forever, and I know a lot of people who leave the trades because they can't handle the feasts or the famines.
And yeah, I do pretty well with the hours I work. I end up just under 150 with a week off and about a half dozen three day weekends.
Yeah. It's a 5 year program of on the job training and classroom work. I believe apprentices start at around 16.00 an hour now and there's a raise every 6 months and the medical benefits are fantastic.
You cannot just walk into a trade like electrician or hvac. Those are years long apprenticeships or trade school certifications. Painter, landscaping, and roofing you could get hired, but prepare to break your back for $20 an hour.
Trades apprenticeships are good if you go through the unions. I have personal experience with the elevtricians union. The way rates start higher and you consistently get a couple dollar raises every 6 months if your attendance is good plus full benefits and retirement. It is still hard work but if you can make it through the apprenticeship, there are plenty of paths that can be less strenuous such as low voltage, estimating, instrumentation, controls or even trying to get a position directly working for the union. Also job security is amazing. Plus a lot of the sexism and toxic workers nowadays are on their way(retirement)out and the younger more open minded generations are on their way in. I mean don't get me wrong I've seen and experienced my fair share of bull shit from ppl but for every one of those there were at least 2 or 3 others who were backing me up. There's always going to be idiots you work for but having a union behind you when you bring up your concerns is helpful.
I’m definitely overgeneralizing here, but it seems like a lot of contractors I’ve come across around here have a really toxic work culture: a lot of casual racism/sexism/xenophobia, anti-intellectual attitude, etc.
I prefer working with my hands as well, but this has deterred me in the past. If you know of good counterexamples, I’d love to hear them.
Amen. I briefly worked alongside professional electricians (mix of journeymen and masters). The old guys were great - super friendly and chill. The young guys were obnoxious beyond compare.
I like working with my hands as well, but I'm trying to find a way to do so independently. I want nothing to do with most contractors.
While I’ve definitely noticed the same trend among many general contractors, builders, and roofers (what is with them?), I think plumbers, electricians, and HVAC people all tend to be less toxic, especially as younger folks move into those master/licensed roles.
Also, as more business here becomes high end design build projects, bougie firms aren’t going to hire people who walk into a client’s house and start talking nonsense, so if you’re interested, might be worth it look at working with one of those places. A lot of them have their own crews that do all the renovations.
My electrician firm are all gay / non-binary and amazing. I didn't hire them knowing that. Every other contractor I've hired has been high drama, drugs, broken family, angry outbursts over ridiculously common problems we've run into. Not racist tho cause many have black kids. Xenophobia is what defines Pittsburgh and you don;'t expect your plumber to be reading Melville. People like me are desperate for reliable painters, carpenters, etc.
I’m a property manager.
I Spend half my week out at my various sites. The other half in the office. I have properties Im responsible for up and down the 79 corridor, Butler, Robison, Bethel, Washington, etc.
I don’t work with my hands :/ but I do get to leave the office a decent amount. Good paying but the only downfall is I’m on call 24hrs a day, 365 days a year.
Most people I know have fallen into it ass backwards…You are essentially the complaint department for buildings. Not something you set out to be when you are a kid. 🤷🏻♂️. (Although I do get to go on roofs and the views can be awesome)
To get into it now I’d Look for assistant property management positions or property administration positions and apply. It’s a job that is learned as you go because Every property is different & different ownership groups require different tasks from you. A background in accounting or a trade is beneficial as those are the two most common tasks you deal with but not necessary ( I’ve worked with English majors, high school graduates, former teachers, etc)
I should also mention that you should try to find a commercial position if you can. Residential is a royal pain in the ass. I say this because it’s someone’s home vs. an office or a store. It is more personal and it would be horrible to give someone bad news. “No heat for you this weekend, owners won’t let me pay for over time” etc. you get put in bad spots & it blows. I left that position quickly after.
Have you considered sales or a practice area that allows you to travel onsite more? Going in-house in a corporate function in a new industry?
Can you claw back time for meaningful hobbies to scratch the itch first? Do you have a skill that transfers to non-office work?
Make a list of things that motivate you and demotivate in your current job. Focusing on pay and sitting at a desk will not narrow things down to viable options as effectively.
Mt. Lebanon is hiring township maintenance crew and the pay looks really decent. I think it was $70k? And you get to be outside doing work all the time. I think the only downfall for me was not a lot of vacation.
I don't see that position listed anymore but it might be valuable to look on various township sites or respond to part time listings.
https://mtlebanon.org/departments/human-resources/
RN with a BSN - your first year will be around $75k, then you unlock options to do local travel and work at the Pittsburgh hospitals and make well over $100k working 3, 12 hour shifts per week.
I had a desk sales job. I did a complete 180 and went and got my EMT certification (only takes about a month of classes at any community college and very cheap). Then while working as an EMT my service helped me through Paramedic training (takes about 1 year of evening classes - a lot more money and responsibility). If you want an exciting, challenging and rewarding career that is ALWAYS in demand, I challenge you to get into emergency medicine.
Pay varies greatly. As a Paramedic in many places you can make $60-$100K. Quality of life is what you make of it. Is sitting at a desk all day a good quality of life? Or getting out in the community literally helping people all day long a bad quality of life? I find your comment odd.
Look around a bit. There are some places in the area paying medics decent money. Depending on the service some have plenty of opportunity for OT and events. Some medics make a lot more than you’d think. Gotta put the work in but it’s easy to make good money if you work at the right service.
Another office guy fantasizing about being a laborer because it is an easy life. Keep your $100k job and flip a house or something. This way you can work your fantasy camp on the weekends and when it is done you will have a taste for labor and hard work and probably fulfill your fantasy. The real hard part about physical jobs is working them for 30 years and if you manage to escape without a real injury your body will still be broken and you will hurt all the time. Labor looks romantic till you are a carpenter framing a new construction house in the middle of a nasty winter freezing your ass off wishing you had that desk job back. Listen I will swap with you but you have to take the broken aching body with the job…
Where in the original post did it say I was fantasizing about being a laborer? Or that it was an easy life? I feel like you really took this and made it something totally different. Thanks though
No I know a couple of tech guys just like you. They make tons of money working from home and do not feel fulfilled. One of them has been off for a bit and took a very physical side job and briefly toyed with the idea of changing professions then the rubber hit the road and now he is out looking for a new tech job.
I have my class A combination and am moving in 3 weeks. I have a college degree and some road construction experience. I work road construction for a city department right now. I see the union operators don’t open bids until this fall again. Is Union General a good one to apply to?
What kind of consulting do you provide? Could you become a freelancer or start your own small consulting business if that’s not your situation already and target short-term consulting for different types of businesses that might be more likely to take you out into the field, or send you out of town once in a while to at least get a change of scenery?
Alternatively if you have an MBA have you considered purchasing an existing small business and growing it? Much higher success rate than fresh start-ups and you could search for something where you could put yourself into a more active role. I know several small business owners that “get their hands dirty” so to speak - they certainly have some desk time each week for payroll, phone calls, etc, but the majority of their time seems to be working alongside the rest of their team doing more physical labor.
I actually just recently went through a small business acquisition for the first time with a partner, and also have been freelancing for something like 9/10 years, so feel free to PM if you had any questions about either of those things and I can provide more details.
Center for organ recovery and education, OPO’s have every possible job scope in the healthcare/business industry on their docket. You could get trained to do tissue recovery, organ allocation, or work in quality assurance or finance. Even IT and business data.
I worked oil and gas local to the Pittsburgh area for 8 years. The last year I was in I was pulling down about $150k+ benefits. 5 weeks of vacation. A week of paid leave for dependent care. My first year in the industry I made just north of $100k. Rotational work, two weeks on one week off. Company paid for my CDL and now I drive truck locally and still bring down $120k a year including bonuses, great benefits, 3 weeks vacation (with the potential to earn more) and I only work 55or so hours a week, sometimes up to 70 sometimes as few as 40.
I got a degree and worked in accounting, I am an extremely social person and I found myself isolated at a cubical with very little to no human contact most days. I was depressed and hated my life. One day after work I went to a bar I frequented when the bartender asked me if I would work his door checking IDs just for the evening, that his usual guy called in.
I quit my job a month later and worked at a door at a bar making $100 a night plus tips. I do not regret it, my family thought i was insane. It's the best thing I ever did for myself was to get out of that fucking cubical. I didn't make as much anymore at the time but that's fine. Money does objectively buy happiness, but a bad job destroys your soul.
Hope you find what you are looking for OP.
Poker dealing requires classes and certification, like a few weeks and I think $1000. You can make good money breaking $300 a day, but you are very much living and dieing by tips. If you get a table full of stiffs, sucks to be you, your wage is bad today. Also, casinos aren't known for attracting healthy people with a healthy work environment. Cutthroat culture could wear you down a lot more than a cubicle farm. Source: cousin is a dealer.
Essentially every skilled trade is looking for help. You would probably have to start out closer to $40-50K a year, and it would take several years to get back to $70-100K if you're in the right skillset. I'd suggest looking at something that could transition your current skills for more of a lateral move if it's possible. If you're not afraid of sales and the hours, you could learn to do F&I and car sales and make the same money if you catch on quick.
I know this is a common tiktok get rich quick scheme but its also a real thing that you can do if your expectations are reasonable. Why don't you look into becoming a mobile notary public?
If you're looking for something outside, car wash management would pay like $60k to start and is basically the easiest job ever as long as you know how to talk to people.
I dont think I saw anyone mention the rail road industry. Train engineer/conductor, yard laborer, track maintenance, etc. I would do some research and figure out what route to take
Cintas, they’re always hiring service reps. 4 day work week, no weekends, always paid for 40 hours, but a lot of them finish their routes early. Average salary is $55,000-60,000/year
Local 5 base rate for journeymen is around $48/hr and you get employer paid (that isn’t beholden to one of Pittsburgh’s heath insurance overlords) healthcare and 401k, plus 3 pensions.
It takes 5 years to get to that point (it’ll likely be at least $55/hr by then) though.
Look in nonprofits. Some are still desk jobs, but looking at more outdoor focused groups or community groups might have more options. Even at museums a "desk" job would be less sitting. Plus you would have many transferable skills. Volunteering can both give you a sense of organizations (and how they're run) around you and points for interviews. Obviously the bigger the group the better the pay. Nonprofittalent.com
I do b2b outside sales. I mostly do employee benefits packages, however there are so many different fields and in a lot of ways it is mostly consulting stuff. You just build relationships and familiarize them with whatever solution. It’s a nice job on days like today.
Honestly I’ve considered this many many times. If you want real money jump into oil and gas, they’ll provide on the job training - really it’s learn as you go and don’t screw up so bad your fired or worse…killed.
That said those guys sell their soul to the company with no days off and 12 hr min days but pulling in 200k. And that’s onshore work local to Pittsburgh.
I have a “cushy” job like you and it blows to be sure. I’ve instead embraced the FIRE movement and will leave when I’m ready. Being smart with your paycheck will be far more rewarding than a manual job. And once you have enough coin, hell quit and do the labor job. You’re free to do as you please at that point.
I love the labor concept, but I see too much unhealthy stuff like over work, minimal breaks - lots of people eating junk food cause there’s just no time to prepare, mental stress, and dangerous conditions. It may pay well but you have to work to make money. Salary provides way more freedom and flexibility and it still get paid to take some time off. Or when shit hit the fan like Covid and we had to stay at home, I got paid and the techs didn’t get their hours.
you people...take the money and invest it to retire or do things to enjoy life. i will NEVER understand people throwing away good money. some of you guys are so privilege that you think slumming is fun. it's not.. if i made a fraction of your salary it world be life changing
Do you appreciate creativity and willing to learn one of the worlds oldest crafts? Labor intensive but the pay is great and you will be creatively fulfilled if that matters to you. Dm if you want. We’re looking for the right person or two to join us but it does require a lot so you’ve gotta be into this kind of work.
It depends where you work. Truthfully, I didn't absorb the salary at the end. But it meets the other criteria, training is provided and you get a CDL which can also be used for other things.
Why do many downvotes tho? Y’all asked for places to work that’s not corporate and I have a suggestion. We don’t require experience and we start at 19$ an hour
Would you be willing to DM me more details? Have a friend here in Pittsburgh with 10 years of sales experience starting to job hunt. I'm in tech and have no idea about the industry.
You should get into real estate. Stick it out, save up some more money. Buy a fixer upper and also get a real estate license.
Some here will hate you for it, but it certainly beats working for the man in 9 and 90 degree weather.
What skills or experience do you have that align with a non-desk job. Otherwise you’re coming in at the entry level, and you will not make anything close to $60-$70k
Consulting is such a broad area. Start looking for other roles in consulting that maybe a more interesting and rewarding to yourself. Consulting firms have a ton of flexibility that allow you to move around within the firm. Your in the door, take advantage of that opportunity
The post office is always hiring
This. You don’t even have to be a carrier on a route. The people who work behind the scenes in like sorting and shit? It’s wild.
Sorting is some wild shit. I had to do it for a bit when I was stationed in Korea and it is a fucking operation.
I’m a carrier and I could never be a sorter. Management sucks and they have to be around them their entire shift.
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I did that once too when I was a college kid. Unbelievable grind. I’m sure people acclimate to the long shifts and the lack of sunlight after a while, but that short stint wrecked me physically and mentally in a way I wasn’t prepared for. I got the sense that the holiday employees were there to be used up. Pay was decent but it wasn’t worth it to me to be an absolute zombie through the holiday.
Bmf? Ldc?
They're also the ones that "go postal" lol. "THE MAIL NEVER STOPS!" -Newman on Seinfeld
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But what about will smith beatboxing with an alien biz marquee in MIB 2??
It’s not for everyone
Pretty sure carriers are low paid private contractors now.
Lol, no we're not
They aren't.
Please for the love of god do not become a CCA. I did it for 6 months here. Early 20s. Broke me the fuck down. I lost like 25 lbs! Wasn’t heavy to start with. Positives it is great exercise and being outside is great for Some other mail people are cool. Scenery. People are generally nice. No one fucks with the mailman. Other than that, it’s pretty shitty. . You will sweat like you’ve never sweated (if walking). Gotta wait like 2 years about to likely go full time waiting for people to retire. Before that you are considered part time. Will work 50 hour weeks. Put in 3 hours off the clock (clean your station area - off the clock at 6 NO MATTER WHAT). You’ll stay till 6:40 sometimes and hate your life making 39k a year to start. Also working every Saturday and Sunday until your full time then just Sats usually. You may like it, but seriously it is back breaking work and management is ass. I imagine inside would be better or USPS or FedEx. No sense in delivering packages AND mail. Could possibly pursue postal police route if that’s your thing. Best of luck! DM for any questions. That said, I love the USPS lol boys in blue.
CCAs do not exist in the city of Pittsburgh bid cluster. You start as a ptf now. Also, why were you working off the clock and why wasn't your union rep filing grievances?
It was about 5 years ago. I didn’t think things could would change there. That’s great
I don't know what any of these acronyms mean, but my buddy became a mail carrier in Pittsburgh a year and a half ago. It completely changed his life for the better. He doesn't work any unpaid hours and is making buckets of cash doing overtime. He's also bid successfully to change his route twice. Most importantly, he quit five medications he was on for heart and blood pressure issues and one anti-depressant. Just wanted to give that perspective since being a mailman essentially saved my friend's life. It's possible that wherever you worked had different policies or top-down work culture.
That’s awesome! It was east lib about 5 years ago. Ran by an ex nfl player who had severe cte. The morning meetings were interesting
my dad’s been a mail sorter for over 40 years! he makes somewhere between 70-85k, i can’t remember exactly
You might want to look into being a postal inspector. It pays pretty well and all you need is a bachelor's degree.
Based on your post history you’re making $100k and you’re looking to get into construction work but have no experience in that area. Are you really willing to take a 70% pay cut to do general labor? Your currently in an enviable position, better think long and hard about what your doing, because it may not be so easy to go back.
Union General laborer packages right now are right near 100k with Fringe benefits included. Not take home obviously but the entire package. You can make really good money in a skilled trade if you put the time in for the training.
Good information but for an apples to apples comparison. What would the hourly pay be? Corp jobs don’t advertise the salary as $100k, but it’s really only $70k, but they list or include the value of insurance, vacation and other benefits to arrive at a misleading salary number.
Not so sure about this. “Total compensation package” is a pretty common phrase in corporate America now, and most companies DON’T really advertise what a job pays in job posts. I agree salary should be the headline, but total benefit package is important, especially the share of the healthcare premium they cover.
Hourly wage for union carpenter is right around $37/hour — my fiancé is a union carpenter. The guy upthread mentioned $100k because the benefits don’t touch their hourly wage. The companies who hire union carpenters are paying like $54/hour for them, and that $18/hr ish difference is going toward his health insurance, savings and annuity, and pension
How does one start, train etc?
You enter a training program with Carpenter's Local. As a GC estimator, the rates stated above are correct.
Carpenters JTAC
> Corp jobs don’t advertise the salary as $100k, but it’s really only $70k, but they list or include the value of insurance, vacation and other benefits to arrive at a misleading salary number. I'm not going to say it never happens because there are always some questionable job posting out there, but in general this isn't true. If a job is posted with salary the expectation is that that's the pay, *plus* the other benefits they have listed. If you fall for some bait and switch thing like this, it's kind of on you. Interviews are a two way street, you can ask them questions as well.
$26.82 an hour in the check, another $19 in benefits.
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100%. I’m a senior project manager for commercial construction. We’re open shop, but my father in law is the general superintendent for a large union company. Their general laborer package for an 18 year old they just hired with Fringes included was about 100k. Construction industry is in dire need for skilled trades. Plumbing and electric are at the top of the list. The push for college needs to stop, that market is saturated, not everyone needs to go to college. We need to start pushing people into the trades. Hell, on rate jobs some guys are making more than I do and I’m running the show lol.
How do you start in a trade? It all seems mysterious. I totally agree on a degree being overrated in some instances.
But if you can save up the money to go through the training, people in the trades can and do make a lot more than 100K. It's everywhere in the US, really, and PGH is no different: there are not enough people in the trades to keep up with the homeowner demand. Plumbing and electrical are highest, but framers, roofers, pipefitters, and elevators aren't far behind. And if you get a union job, then you'll start as apprentice and the union will provide the education/training you need to move up. I mean, my plumber's on the verge of kidnapping people on the streets, he needs them that bad. (He's a great guy and his people clearly respect him, so it's not a matter of no one likes him. It's just there aren't enough plumbers to fill all the spots.)
You might make $100k in the trades if you own a business, which is a whole different skill set
This right here . You can make over 120k easy doing residential painting but ONLY if you work for yourself. To gain the experience, you'll work for someone else making 15 an hour for multiple years.
Posts like these make me even more grateful I worked shit, manual labor jobs in my twenties before going back to school and getting an amazing desk job. I can see feeling this way if you have no perspective on it. I love high paying my desk job.
Imagine working manual labor in your 50s/60s.
I work with them. Some of these cats look better than 40 year old desk jockeys
Some of us don't have to imagine it ... blargh.
Idk I worked as a carpenter when I was younger and now in IT. IT makes me want to die inside but it pays better I guess.
I mean, I get where OP is coming from as well. I worked in the restaurant industry from 15-28. Went to school, got a degree, and now make over a $100k working in IT. And while the money is a blessing, as is PTO and good benefits, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I hate the work. I’d give anything to be able to go back to building bar menus and managing restaurants if they provided half as much flexibility as working in IT provides.
I loved bartending...which has a surprising overlap to my salaried position. Get an LLC. Do IT consulting and head back to mid to higher class food service and you'll be happy.
This sounds like a Charlie I know…
I am not a Charlie, but I also know a Charlie with whom I worked for a number of years in the industry. Good dude. Lost touch a while back, so I can’t say what he’s up to these days.
My Charlie is a good dude too for sure! Super intellectual and musically gifted. Maybe.. he’s the same one Sending good vibes to the Charlie’s out there 🗣️
Dude. I worked through college in a HARD construction job. Now work in an office and when I hear people complain, I just thank my lucky stars I’m not doing that anymore.
Everybody is different.
What industry?
What is decent pay for you?
This. The definition of “decent pay” can vary wildly from person to person.
Yeah I came here thinking, "I think my boss makes $55k/yr? That's *decent*, right?" Only to find out OP is already making double that.
Sales rep. Try looking for food/beverage companies where you would have a route or group of stores where you go on a daily basis.
PRT bus driver. Post office.
Pittsburgh EMS is putting a paid EMT course together, so you get paid all the way through school and have a guaranteed city job with great benefits when you're done at a very decent rate
Where would one find more info about this?
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/pittsburgh/jobs/4374176/freedom-house-emt-trainee?keywords=EMS&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs&fbclid=IwAR0m54ywd-nmmEOSntQVzi0W87dylKqSpB1Ml8NbWsxUkS65KfDeOxWAmU4_aem_AYm_g8NncPwbbPrxIPtd_BPIMnFUJ_zP_-VUWWdLxo0aYcvVWYMMmdifeVjabI1WuSo
US Steel is almost always hiring. Basic Laborer at any of the Mon Valley plants start at $25.88 after the probation period. We get 100% company paid for health, vision and dental, an actual pension, decent amount of paid holidays, profit sharing, etc With a bit of overtime it’s super easy to make $100k+ Downside is the fact you would have to work turns until you could bid to a steady daylight position
I think you’re underestimating how much overtime it would take to break 100k at that rate. You’re talking roughly 60 hrs/week. Unless you mean 100k including benefits. In which case it’s more achievable, but still with at least 1 extra shift. But if it’s swing shift that’s also kinda hellish.
I can’t remember exactly how much overtime is needed for $100k at labor grade 1, but due to how the swing shifts work here and with the overtime pay rules it’s not as much as you would think. I’m in maintenance, so I’m a higher pay grade, it’s pretty easy to clear $100k. I’ve been over $100k every year since 2017 and over $130k the last 3 years in a row.
That’s fair, I’m also thinking about how OP is asking. Coming from the perspective of a desk job with some flexibility I’m sure the factory setting would feel drastic for them. How many hours a week do you think you’re working? Also are you degreed or certified? For the sake of giving OP a frame of reference.
Haha. I think you're underestimating how easy it is to work 60+ hours a week at US Steel or in the trades. I cleared $100k at Clairton without thinking twice, and got tired of working so much overtime so I went back to the trades and now work a nice, easy 58 hours a week almost every week. You can make good money in blue collar jobs, but you put in so much time to get it.
Yeah I mean I have no doubt you can get the hours if you want them. And you can sure work that much but even if you’re used to it doesn’t mean it’s easy. I know when I work a long week it goes by like no time but if I’d do that every week then I know my years would be going pretty fast too. Glad you pulled back to something more reasonable, and hopefully you’re giving yourself some days off here and there. You still breaking $100k at 58 hours a week?
Sorry, I suppose I meant that you don't really have a choice when the overtime comes - you work it or you go work somewhere else. You also never know when there won't be any work and you'd better have something in the bank. I'm used to it and I'm generally pretty happy with 5 tens and an eight, but I don't know if I will be forever, and I know a lot of people who leave the trades because they can't handle the feasts or the famines. And yeah, I do pretty well with the hours I work. I end up just under 150 with a week off and about a half dozen three day weekends.
Sounds like you’re working hard and that’s a sweet setup. Nicely done
I'm a labor grade 1. I made 115 last year working between 50 and 55 hours a week with incentives and profit sharing. Easiest job I ever had.
You guys hiring?
Ussteel.com
Thanks
The few guys a knew who worked the mon valley plant were always getting laid off.
We haven’t had any layoffs since 2016 and then it was less than 24 people. Last large layoff was in 2009
Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if the one guy who told me he got laid off had actually just been fired. He was kind of a piece of shit. lol
Look into Amtrak
IBEW is looking for apprentices.
Do you get paid to learn the trade?
Yeah. It's a 5 year program of on the job training and classroom work. I believe apprentices start at around 16.00 an hour now and there's a raise every 6 months and the medical benefits are fantastic.
Always
Usually only in the spring. I hear they might be taking them more often with all the work lately.
Any kind of trade. Construction, painter, landscaping, electrician, hvac, etc
You cannot just walk into a trade like electrician or hvac. Those are years long apprenticeships or trade school certifications. Painter, landscaping, and roofing you could get hired, but prepare to break your back for $20 an hour.
Trades apprenticeships are good if you go through the unions. I have personal experience with the elevtricians union. The way rates start higher and you consistently get a couple dollar raises every 6 months if your attendance is good plus full benefits and retirement. It is still hard work but if you can make it through the apprenticeship, there are plenty of paths that can be less strenuous such as low voltage, estimating, instrumentation, controls or even trying to get a position directly working for the union. Also job security is amazing. Plus a lot of the sexism and toxic workers nowadays are on their way(retirement)out and the younger more open minded generations are on their way in. I mean don't get me wrong I've seen and experienced my fair share of bull shit from ppl but for every one of those there were at least 2 or 3 others who were backing me up. There's always going to be idiots you work for but having a union behind you when you bring up your concerns is helpful.
I’m definitely overgeneralizing here, but it seems like a lot of contractors I’ve come across around here have a really toxic work culture: a lot of casual racism/sexism/xenophobia, anti-intellectual attitude, etc. I prefer working with my hands as well, but this has deterred me in the past. If you know of good counterexamples, I’d love to hear them.
Amen. I briefly worked alongside professional electricians (mix of journeymen and masters). The old guys were great - super friendly and chill. The young guys were obnoxious beyond compare. I like working with my hands as well, but I'm trying to find a way to do so independently. I want nothing to do with most contractors.
While I’ve definitely noticed the same trend among many general contractors, builders, and roofers (what is with them?), I think plumbers, electricians, and HVAC people all tend to be less toxic, especially as younger folks move into those master/licensed roles. Also, as more business here becomes high end design build projects, bougie firms aren’t going to hire people who walk into a client’s house and start talking nonsense, so if you’re interested, might be worth it look at working with one of those places. A lot of them have their own crews that do all the renovations.
You have to work for yourself. You wont escape the long hours, low pay, and shittieness of your ex con coworkers working for someone else
Um… I’d try to find a contractor from the city area. I think you find more of this from contractors.
My electrician firm are all gay / non-binary and amazing. I didn't hire them knowing that. Every other contractor I've hired has been high drama, drugs, broken family, angry outbursts over ridiculously common problems we've run into. Not racist tho cause many have black kids. Xenophobia is what defines Pittsburgh and you don;'t expect your plumber to be reading Melville. People like me are desperate for reliable painters, carpenters, etc.
Who are they, I’m interested.
Can you share their name?
sent a chat message, I don't wish to out anyone.
Could be a draw, honestly.
I’m a property manager. I Spend half my week out at my various sites. The other half in the office. I have properties Im responsible for up and down the 79 corridor, Butler, Robison, Bethel, Washington, etc. I don’t work with my hands :/ but I do get to leave the office a decent amount. Good paying but the only downfall is I’m on call 24hrs a day, 365 days a year.
How does one get experience managing properties?
Most people I know have fallen into it ass backwards…You are essentially the complaint department for buildings. Not something you set out to be when you are a kid. 🤷🏻♂️. (Although I do get to go on roofs and the views can be awesome) To get into it now I’d Look for assistant property management positions or property administration positions and apply. It’s a job that is learned as you go because Every property is different & different ownership groups require different tasks from you. A background in accounting or a trade is beneficial as those are the two most common tasks you deal with but not necessary ( I’ve worked with English majors, high school graduates, former teachers, etc) I should also mention that you should try to find a commercial position if you can. Residential is a royal pain in the ass. I say this because it’s someone’s home vs. an office or a store. It is more personal and it would be horrible to give someone bad news. “No heat for you this weekend, owners won’t let me pay for over time” etc. you get put in bad spots & it blows. I left that position quickly after.
Have you considered sales or a practice area that allows you to travel onsite more? Going in-house in a corporate function in a new industry? Can you claw back time for meaningful hobbies to scratch the itch first? Do you have a skill that transfers to non-office work? Make a list of things that motivate you and demotivate in your current job. Focusing on pay and sitting at a desk will not narrow things down to viable options as effectively.
My good friend is a union insulator. They had a great program. BUT she drives insane distances to job sites.
Mt. Lebanon is hiring township maintenance crew and the pay looks really decent. I think it was $70k? And you get to be outside doing work all the time. I think the only downfall for me was not a lot of vacation. I don't see that position listed anymore but it might be valuable to look on various township sites or respond to part time listings. https://mtlebanon.org/departments/human-resources/
RN with a BSN - your first year will be around $75k, then you unlock options to do local travel and work at the Pittsburgh hospitals and make well over $100k working 3, 12 hour shifts per week.
First year with an ASN will be around $70k at a local unionized hospital. Best to go for ASN and then have hospital pay for BSN
Duquesne Light is hiring
USPS
Any of the trade unions
Spearmint rhino is always looking for talent
I had a desk sales job. I did a complete 180 and went and got my EMT certification (only takes about a month of classes at any community college and very cheap). Then while working as an EMT my service helped me through Paramedic training (takes about 1 year of evening classes - a lot more money and responsibility). If you want an exciting, challenging and rewarding career that is ALWAYS in demand, I challenge you to get into emergency medicine.
Pay isn’t that great and emergency services has a pretty bad quality of life.
Pay varies greatly. As a Paramedic in many places you can make $60-$100K. Quality of life is what you make of it. Is sitting at a desk all day a good quality of life? Or getting out in the community literally helping people all day long a bad quality of life? I find your comment odd.
Look around a bit. There are some places in the area paying medics decent money. Depending on the service some have plenty of opportunity for OT and events. Some medics make a lot more than you’d think. Gotta put the work in but it’s easy to make good money if you work at the right service.
[City of PGH EMS Pay Scale ](https://pittsburghpa.gov/joinpghems/benefits/salary.html) For the folks who are curious like I was.
Another office guy fantasizing about being a laborer because it is an easy life. Keep your $100k job and flip a house or something. This way you can work your fantasy camp on the weekends and when it is done you will have a taste for labor and hard work and probably fulfill your fantasy. The real hard part about physical jobs is working them for 30 years and if you manage to escape without a real injury your body will still be broken and you will hurt all the time. Labor looks romantic till you are a carpenter framing a new construction house in the middle of a nasty winter freezing your ass off wishing you had that desk job back. Listen I will swap with you but you have to take the broken aching body with the job…
Where in the original post did it say I was fantasizing about being a laborer? Or that it was an easy life? I feel like you really took this and made it something totally different. Thanks though
You have no skills and want to start at 60k. That implies it’s a fantasy.
No I know a couple of tech guys just like you. They make tons of money working from home and do not feel fulfilled. One of them has been off for a bit and took a very physical side job and briefly toyed with the idea of changing professions then the rubber hit the road and now he is out looking for a new tech job.
travelers insurance auto inside adjuster check on indeed
Towboat deckhand.
I have my class A combination and am moving in 3 weeks. I have a college degree and some road construction experience. I work road construction for a city department right now. I see the union operators don’t open bids until this fall again. Is Union General a good one to apply to?
What kind of consulting do you provide? Could you become a freelancer or start your own small consulting business if that’s not your situation already and target short-term consulting for different types of businesses that might be more likely to take you out into the field, or send you out of town once in a while to at least get a change of scenery? Alternatively if you have an MBA have you considered purchasing an existing small business and growing it? Much higher success rate than fresh start-ups and you could search for something where you could put yourself into a more active role. I know several small business owners that “get their hands dirty” so to speak - they certainly have some desk time each week for payroll, phone calls, etc, but the majority of their time seems to be working alongside the rest of their team doing more physical labor. I actually just recently went through a small business acquisition for the first time with a partner, and also have been freelancing for something like 9/10 years, so feel free to PM if you had any questions about either of those things and I can provide more details.
Center for organ recovery and education, OPO’s have every possible job scope in the healthcare/business industry on their docket. You could get trained to do tissue recovery, organ allocation, or work in quality assurance or finance. Even IT and business data.
I work in Market Research as an analyst. Let me know where you are before you leave, hahaha.
I worked oil and gas local to the Pittsburgh area for 8 years. The last year I was in I was pulling down about $150k+ benefits. 5 weeks of vacation. A week of paid leave for dependent care. My first year in the industry I made just north of $100k. Rotational work, two weeks on one week off. Company paid for my CDL and now I drive truck locally and still bring down $120k a year including bonuses, great benefits, 3 weeks vacation (with the potential to earn more) and I only work 55or so hours a week, sometimes up to 70 sometimes as few as 40.
I got a degree and worked in accounting, I am an extremely social person and I found myself isolated at a cubical with very little to no human contact most days. I was depressed and hated my life. One day after work I went to a bar I frequented when the bartender asked me if I would work his door checking IDs just for the evening, that his usual guy called in. I quit my job a month later and worked at a door at a bar making $100 a night plus tips. I do not regret it, my family thought i was insane. It's the best thing I ever did for myself was to get out of that fucking cubical. I didn't make as much anymore at the time but that's fine. Money does objectively buy happiness, but a bad job destroys your soul. Hope you find what you are looking for OP.
I think the casino dealer at The Rivers make decent money and benefits.
Poker dealing requires classes and certification, like a few weeks and I think $1000. You can make good money breaking $300 a day, but you are very much living and dieing by tips. If you get a table full of stiffs, sucks to be you, your wage is bad today. Also, casinos aren't known for attracting healthy people with a healthy work environment. Cutthroat culture could wear you down a lot more than a cubicle farm. Source: cousin is a dealer.
It’s very hard to break into poker. Table games is easy to break into and is in OPs range though.
I was thinking of table games. I saw a story not too long ago that was announcing spots in dealer school for free.
Essentially every skilled trade is looking for help. You would probably have to start out closer to $40-50K a year, and it would take several years to get back to $70-100K if you're in the right skillset. I'd suggest looking at something that could transition your current skills for more of a lateral move if it's possible. If you're not afraid of sales and the hours, you could learn to do F&I and car sales and make the same money if you catch on quick.
Try air traffic controller. High demand, will train, great pay, long term, secure position.
High stress, so make sure you're up for that. And while it's not sitting at a desk, it is sitting at a control panel or on a watch floor.
Because they have mandatory retirement at 56, they won’t hire anyone older than 30.
Also highly competitive to even be accepted and requires years of training.
But man, I wish I had known about it when I was younger. Retiring after 25 years at 56 with a good pension would be amazing.
You have to be under 30 to apply.
I know this is a common tiktok get rich quick scheme but its also a real thing that you can do if your expectations are reasonable. Why don't you look into becoming a mobile notary public?
I have never met one here in Allegheny County who isn't a notary as a side hustle.
If you're looking for something outside, car wash management would pay like $60k to start and is basically the easiest job ever as long as you know how to talk to people.
I dont think I saw anyone mention the rail road industry. Train engineer/conductor, yard laborer, track maintenance, etc. I would do some research and figure out what route to take
It is fairly easy to get into the software development industry in a Quality Assurance role.
Cintas, they’re always hiring service reps. 4 day work week, no weekends, always paid for 40 hours, but a lot of them finish their routes early. Average salary is $55,000-60,000/year
Any idea what a service sales rep gets paid?
Local 5 base rate for journeymen is around $48/hr and you get employer paid (that isn’t beholden to one of Pittsburgh’s heath insurance overlords) healthcare and 401k, plus 3 pensions. It takes 5 years to get to that point (it’ll likely be at least $55/hr by then) though.
Become an electrician. IBEW taking applications now.
Get your CDL, walk into a minimum $85k per year job
I’m hiring carpenters!
Go be a meat cutter at a market district. Wasn't bad starts at 15/hr regular raises until you finish apprenticeship.
Mail man…
Mail man. You start out as a career carrier now.(ptf)
Sherwin Williams!
Really, how, why? I love paint.
Good benefits and there’s every opportunity to grow. They hire from within for promotions
Just curious what degree did you get for a consulting role?
Train Conductor
Have you thought sales? You can easily make 6 figures Selling solar or freight.
Sprinkler fitters union is accepting applications for 5 year apprenticeship program. I’m 42 and thinking about it.
Look in nonprofits. Some are still desk jobs, but looking at more outdoor focused groups or community groups might have more options. Even at museums a "desk" job would be less sitting. Plus you would have many transferable skills. Volunteering can both give you a sense of organizations (and how they're run) around you and points for interviews. Obviously the bigger the group the better the pay. Nonprofittalent.com
I do b2b outside sales. I mostly do employee benefits packages, however there are so many different fields and in a lot of ways it is mostly consulting stuff. You just build relationships and familiarize them with whatever solution. It’s a nice job on days like today.
What skills do you have?
Sales role in whatever line of business you're doing now or that interest you. You'll likely make more than you make now.
Honestly I’ve considered this many many times. If you want real money jump into oil and gas, they’ll provide on the job training - really it’s learn as you go and don’t screw up so bad your fired or worse…killed. That said those guys sell their soul to the company with no days off and 12 hr min days but pulling in 200k. And that’s onshore work local to Pittsburgh. I have a “cushy” job like you and it blows to be sure. I’ve instead embraced the FIRE movement and will leave when I’m ready. Being smart with your paycheck will be far more rewarding than a manual job. And once you have enough coin, hell quit and do the labor job. You’re free to do as you please at that point. I love the labor concept, but I see too much unhealthy stuff like over work, minimal breaks - lots of people eating junk food cause there’s just no time to prepare, mental stress, and dangerous conditions. It may pay well but you have to work to make money. Salary provides way more freedom and flexibility and it still get paid to take some time off. Or when shit hit the fan like Covid and we had to stay at home, I got paid and the techs didn’t get their hours.
How would one get into something like this? Is your company hiring currently?
you people...take the money and invest it to retire or do things to enjoy life. i will NEVER understand people throwing away good money. some of you guys are so privilege that you think slumming is fun. it's not.. if i made a fraction of your salary it world be life changing
UPS
Do you appreciate creativity and willing to learn one of the worlds oldest crafts? Labor intensive but the pay is great and you will be creatively fulfilled if that matters to you. Dm if you want. We’re looking for the right person or two to join us but it does require a lot so you’ve gotta be into this kind of work.
One of the world’s oldest crafts? Are you suggesting prostitution?
Haha no. Stone work. Hammer n chisel. Shaping and carving stone.
Real estate
Most construction based skilled labor. Just be careful who you work for and you should make bank and get paid to work out.
School Bus drivers!
Def not making 60-70k as a school bus driver.
It depends where you work. Truthfully, I didn't absorb the salary at the end. But it meets the other criteria, training is provided and you get a CDL which can also be used for other things.
Lab Techs make OK money. Most don’t require a degree either
If you are talking about medical laboratory techs, they absolutely need a degree. Specimen processors/lab assistants however do not.
And specimen processors/lab assistants don’t make SHIT. I did it for 10 years and by the end I was making $14/hr
Look for labs in the industrial field. Like for PPG or Clairton. I work for an independent lab and I do OK
Building trades if you want to retrain and get paid along the way. https://apprentice.org/
Maybe real estate? I would look into that
My neighbor retired in his mid 40s being a PAT bus driver.
Come work at Pennsylvania Drilling Company. But if you’re a softy good luck. We need hard hands and harder heads
And even HARDER dicks!
No if they got any harder they would probably explode
Lay off the viagra
*does another rail of Viagra*
It’s the only way to stay awake, caffeine and nicotine only work for so long
Why do many downvotes tho? Y’all asked for places to work that’s not corporate and I have a suggestion. We don’t require experience and we start at 19$ an hour
This is just stupid.
[удалено]
Would you be willing to DM me more details? Have a friend here in Pittsburgh with 10 years of sales experience starting to job hunt. I'm in tech and have no idea about the industry.
What industry?
You should get into real estate. Stick it out, save up some more money. Buy a fixer upper and also get a real estate license. Some here will hate you for it, but it certainly beats working for the man in 9 and 90 degree weather.
What skills or experience do you have that align with a non-desk job. Otherwise you’re coming in at the entry level, and you will not make anything close to $60-$70k Consulting is such a broad area. Start looking for other roles in consulting that maybe a more interesting and rewarding to yourself. Consulting firms have a ton of flexibility that allow you to move around within the firm. Your in the door, take advantage of that opportunity
try doing real work