Hey guys, I'm in a bind here and could use some help...

I'm 19, went to college for a year and dropped out. I need a job...I worked at a grocery store but got terminated today, the assistant store director said I'm a really hard worker but I'm just not good with the customers...I need a job that will have advancement opportunities like a trade (wood working, etc.) that I'll be able to learn on the job and not go to school for...any ideas?

 

I hate to say it but get your **** back in school... We all know it's not easy but today it is very much needed.... My daughter is 24 and still a full time med student. I personally only have an AA degree in business but very good with people and managed to climb up the corporate ladder, took my earnings and went to business for myself.
What do you like doing? Sometimes a career is right in front of your face, most don't even know until it's pointed out to them.

 

I can't afford to go back to school...the university wants $16,000 cash just for this year...not loans, straight up cash. I don't have that kind of money.

I just want something where I can work hard my whole life and actually get somewhere, not work hard bagging groceries my whole life and make a wage that tops out at $9.20 an hour. I don't care about working for minimum wage if I have the opportunity to make more.

 

You need to find something you like and start from there, since your not going to make money working for others (without an education) you are a perfect candidate to start your own business.
I have to ask, why the hell would you want to work hard the rest of your life?
I'm sure you can figure out a school part time for a fraction of that cost (find a small community college).

 

By the rest of my life, I meant until I retire(:

I guess I could work part time and go to CC, but I'm just at a loss right now if that makes sense.

 

You are 19 it's normal to be at a loss at that age... Part time is best in my opinion.

 

I saw an article on the net the other day that there is a shortage of Tradesman.. Electricians, Plumbers, HVAC..

You can start working in any of the fields without a degree and earn as you learn.. The company may even pay for you to attend school if your lucky..

You will start being a gopher and will have to take a lot of crap, but if you stick it out and get some schooling you will have a job for life..

You need to get some type of education to help yourself..

You will never stop learning..

There is an old saying.. "The world owes you a living but you have to work hard to collect it?

 

That's exactly what I'm looking for.

I start tomorrow as a general laborer for roofing. That's fine by me, it pays better than bagging and I'll learn some stuff.

 

Roofers are in short supply too...

More back breaking work than an electrician or plumber though... Not a good long term choice and not much advancement..

The only career ladder there is the one you climb to get on the roof...

 

It at least gives me some experience for now so that later on, I can apply for apprenticeships and stuff like that(:

 

Yeah it's definitely better than bagging groceries...LOL

 

My .02 -- only suggestions

The trades do offer good money -- but are often tough to get into. Nice to have a relative or friend to help you get in.

Roofing is killer work. Might be a way to make some $ while you decide what you want to do. Finding something to build up some cash is probably a good idea right now. But it doesn't have to be the last chapter.

You don't have to give up on school if there's something that you'd really like to get into. There are the (shudder) student loans that can work out if you know what you're getting into. There are also community colleges that can get you through the first two years a lot cheaper. In MN, community college credits transfer pretty much anywhere ( not like ITT Tech!)

There are also the vo techs ( or 'Technical Colleges ' as they call them now).
People used to look down their noses at them, but I never knew why. Sometimes they have programs to help with the costs.

You do want to spend some time deciding what you like and what you're good at. It's hard to bust your hump at something if you hate it.

As I said, you also want to do something that you're good at. I worked in electronics my whole life -- I just pretty much always knew that I wanted to do that. I would have loved to have been a designer, but in fact I would have been fairly lousy at it, so I worked in other parts of it and it worked out. So, go with your interests and your strong points as much as possible.

Best of Luck,

hj

 

I'm assuming by killer work, you mean bust your *** work.

Bagging was tiring and I was making 8.05 an hour, minus taxes and the horrible union dues.

I'm much more willing to bust my back making $10 an hour with benefits that have a steady 8-5 job schedule than being everyone's female mutt.

He said that there is room for advancement of course, which is all I need.

 

construction work is hard, and extremely physical. and starting out on the bottom wrung of the lader is the hardest of all. unless of course you get a good boss that will not make you do all the dirty work. but guys like that are few and far between.
but it is also a good learning experience, and is a step in the rite direction if you like hands on work.
it is hard, hot, dirty, back breaking work. but it is also good for the body and soul.
listen to your body closely though, if it tells you that you are thirsty or hot, get yourself a bottle of water real quick.
it is very easy to overheat and get heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

 

^^^ all good advice above.... Im 45 yrs old and I did all the construction ( mostly asphalt and concrete ) and did the roofing thing and framing houses thing. use to dig footers by hand. my advice would be find a local dump truck outfit and see if they will hire you but with you being only 19 that might pose an insurance problem. most bigger trucking companies want some sort of training and be at least 21 yrs old before they will even talk to you but its worth a shot. in my area northern va dump truck drivers earn anywhere from 15-20 dollars an hour. I hope it all works out it is very hard to find decent work these days