Minimal training for maximum pay-off

[cafe]

Originally Posted by The_Liquid_Laser

Heh the job that comes to mind is professional truck driver. I don't think it requires too much training and you can make a ton of money. As an added bonus you can live in your truck to cut down on expenses. There are several truckers who have retired in their 40's doing this.

The company program my husband went through to get his CDL provided the training for free with an agreement that he would work for them for a year. It took six weeks if I remember right and during that time, they provided a small stipend. The starting pay was low to mid-thirties, but within a few years, it's not hard to get closer to fifty.

My husband did the over the road thing for nine months and we found that the cost of eating was pretty high and it was difficult to eat healthy. The standard work day is fourteen hours, though only eleven of that can be driving, so it's not easy, but there are plenty of jobs that are as hard and pay a lot less.

[CzeCze]

Originally Posted by cafe

The company program my husband went through to get his CDL provided the training for free with an agreement that he would work for them for a year. It took six weeks if I remember right and during that time, they provided a small stipend. The starting pay was low to mid-thirties, but within a few years, it's not hard to get closer to fifty.

My husband did the over the road thing for nine months and we found that the cost of eating was pretty high and it was difficult to eat healthy. The standard work day is fourteen hours, though only eleven of that can be driving, so it's not easy, but there are plenty of jobs that are as hard and pay a lot less.

My ex became a truck driver (hahaha, I know what a stereotype, a butch lesbian truck driver) but after she got her CDL she quit in under 6 months. Unless you own your own truck, the pay is not as good as everyone says, the lifestyle takes a toll, it's a bit seedy, and it's dangerous. She was already dirt poor to begin with, so she would just literally take a loaf of bread and jar of jam with her on the road to equal 25 or 30 or however meals that is.

Maybe if you join the Teamsters it gets better?

[CzeCze]

Do you want to be a music executive or music journalist? NO training required but it's ALL hustle. Or try working for an online music provider like Pandora or Rhapsody?

Otherwise, sell musical instruments? Do you want to teach solo? My friend's old roommate is a musician with a band. To pay bills she taught in a middle school and now does solo lessons. It gives her a nice lifestyle of freedom and allows her to tour with her band.

Higher degree? How about working at a think tank or non-profit? Not a ton of money usually but you can work with what you have.

What another poster said is true: little training --> big pay off jobs is anything in beauty: massage therapy, aesthetician, hair stylist, even spa manager. If you are naturally good at sales, you can parlay that into big money just get into the right industry or market.

[Xander]

Depending upon the recruitment trends of your locale I'd suggest IT. All you need to show is proficiency and you should hit your target. It would require a certain amount of geeking though like knowing what BIOS is and what the various switches do but depending on your enthusiasm for such subjects it can be relatively easy to pick up. Hell I learned almost all about water cooled computers in like a month so it's not that difficult.

[cafe]

Originally Posted by CzeCze

My ex became a truck driver (hahaha, I know what a stereotype, a butch lesbian truck driver) but after she got her CDL she quit in under 6 months. Unless you own your own truck, the pay is not as good as everyone says, the lifestyle takes a toll, it's a bit seedy, and it's dangerous. She was already dirt poor to begin with, so she would just literally take a loaf of bread and jar of jam with her on the road to equal 25 or 30 or however meals that is.

Maybe if you join the Teamsters it gets better?

According to my hubby's research, owner operators don't net a whole lot more than company drivers, especially with fuel prices being so high right now.

Our experience with it was pretty different from your ex's. Maybe it was the company he worked for. He did a lot of research before choosing. He was making low to mid-thirties the first full year. It wasn't perfect or easy, but not terrible either. He got a local route after driving OTR for nine months and by way of a very lucky break is making quite a bit more than his starting pay after doing it less than four years.

I've heard the Teamsters is a good way to go, but the trick is that they don't want you until you've driven a few years, then you have to be able to survive on very little work until you get some seniority. Once you're over the hump, you do very well, but that hump can take several years to get over.

I think your ex probably got hooked up with a bad company (her company should have given her an advance so she could eat) and she may also have been a victim of sex discrimination and been given sucky runs.

[maidenhair]

If it doesn't have to be in the music/arts realm, I suggest technical writing. There's considerable demand now and the average starting salary here in Canada is about 36k (not sure about elsewhere). Some companies hire freelancers on a contract or project basis. Programs are post-grad and typically offered at vocational schools. The program length is usually a year or less, depending on if co-op is required.

Anything naturopathic or holistic is trendy right now. Training can be completed in a year or two. Most people start out in a professional setting but once you've established yourself and built up clientele you can start your own business, giving you more flexibility with your hours. I'm considering taking a course in holistic nutrition myself in a few years. I don't know exact salaries but I'd think you can easily make 20k or more.

[alicia91]

I recently read that the highest paying jobs that don't require a bachelors is Medical Technology (doing ultrasounds, CAT scans, radiology). I belive the average pay in the US for these jobs was over $60,000 and it only requires a two-year Associates. With the aging population, there are lots of jobs. My friend in AZ, works for a temp agency/contract type place and gets $75 per hour and works as much as she wants.

[563 740]

Hella thread bump, but janitors (esp. if it's through the state, like at a school or something) can make $20/hr pretty easily and it's arguably a cake job.

[Jack Flak]

*shrug* If I cared about money more, I'd be ace at making it, I'll tell ya.

I am a proponent of entrepreneurialism. (entrepreneurship, perhaps, but it doesn't sound as good.)

[Rajah]

Originally Posted by 563 740

Hella thread bump, but janitors (esp. if it's through the state, like at a school or something) can make $20/hr pretty easily and it's arguably a urinal cake job.

Fixed.


*rimshot*