Maybe we should spend more time encouraging alternatives-at $170k, UPS truck drivers will exceed the average college grad salary by quite a bit.
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That has me thinking - not sure if I’ve ever seen a female ups driver. Or FedEx. Definitely usps and Amazon.
We have female UPS drivers. And a female friend is a fedex driver.
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I work for an automotive manufacturer. There are HUGE technician shortages. Many make six figures. Diesel techs are especially in high demand ahd can name their price . I mean some dealers are getting well north of $200 /hr and some $300 for service. Of course vehicles are sophisticated and there is schooling but it can be very lucrative, easily six figures.
I would say most car sale salesman, at least high end brands, are educated. But not all. Some flame out. Some make half a mil. Some GMs seven figures. Some have degrees. Some don’t. Some have a passion for cars and start as a concierge etc but work into sales.
Not sure if a degree is required but some of these gas stations - Bucees, QT advertise various jobs at higher pay than normal and managers well into six figures.
I feel like with my MBA, I have a job, not a career. In some ways that’s by choice.
But - even for those starting out with a college education or not, there are opportunities to learn, grow and develop into something potentially lucrative and long term if the individual finds that fit.
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The military can be an excellent decision for some.
Trades of all kinds are lucrative. We know a 19-year-old who already has a very successful welding business.
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According to the linked page, this is the value of pay and benefits for a full time employee. The linked page lists the current value as $95k pay and $50k worth of benefits, or total $145k. Of course, the value of benefits to a specific employee may be higher or lower than what the employer spends on the benefits.
But if the new contract provides similar benefits, the cash pay would be around $120k.
The current benefits include “healthcare benefits with no premiums and very low or no co-insurance and co-pays” and “more than $23,000 per year to each full-time employee’s defined benefit pension plan, which supports generous pension benefits”.
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Trades can be lucrative. But for those that want to start their own businesses, there are many skills beyond their trade that they will need.
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Many years ago, I hired the female FedEx driver (who delivered/picked up from us every day) to join the tech start-up where I was employed. She was a great employee and stayed there long after I moved to the next.
Jobs like that (delivery drivers) pay well enough, but there is a trade-off where it comes to working conditions. At some point, I’ve known a lot of such workers would would trade for an office job with similar pay. Certainly there are those who prefer a more physical job in the elements, but I think there are an equal number who would prefer a more controlled environment in which to work … if the pay aligned.
The problem is, the type of “controlled-environment” jobs they usually qualify for, do not pay a wage competitive to driving a delivery truck.
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The automotive assembly line workers I supervised years ago made terrific money, and some of my “guys” only had eighth grade educations. Would I have wanted to switch places with them? No way. Their jobs were HARD on their bodies. I know, because I worked on the line the summer between high school and college … I came home every day and immediately fell asleep. Driving for UPS is no picnic. I appreciate the drivers, but I don’t know that I would aspire to the job.
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My dad was a truck driver. It was exhausting work.
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The trades can also be very hard on the body. The bending, crawling into tight spaces, standing on metal rungs, etc. often brings such a toll that people are physically unable to continue working in those fields much past 55-60, or if they do, it can just be very painful.
The trades are valuable and I would not discourage anyone from entering them (and do encourage students to consider them), but they are not a walk in the park.
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A person with a CDL can expect to make a good living.
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For Christian kids, I can’t recommend Youth with a Mission (YWAM) highly enough. It is a 12-week class program followed by a couple of months overseas. They have probably 1,000 locations all over the world. My middle son, the one who made me turn gray, attended the school outside Orlando. There was a different lecturer every week, and they really encouraged/enabled the kids to think about what they wanted to do with their lives. They lived communally and all had jobs to do - my son did landscaping and lost over 100 pounds during two successive programs. He had to raise money to attend. It was the BEST alternative to college for him. Every kid is different, but I wanted to mention what worked for mine. He learned so much compassion and has helped a lot of people.
And when he was told that in order to volunteer overseas he needed a college degree, that’s what prompted him to attend university! I don’t think anything else would have motivated him.
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From all accounts being a UPS driver is really hard work. They have to load the trucks and they aren’t heated or air-conditioned.
Sorry this wasn’t meant as a response to your post.
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Same. A good friend son went right into welding from high school since he was racing cars young and fell into it and loved it. His teachers wanted him to go to college. He loves his job and makes great money. He works on race cars.
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My sister was a Postal Worker. She was on the old time pension plan. She made great money. She loved meeting and talking to people. Everyone knew her name. She knew like all the kids on her route. Got them small gifts for their birthdays. Her customers were her extended families.She got amazing gifts for the holidays. She was also a union rep so got paid some extra. I don’t even know who my postal person is since it changes do much let alone their name.
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I appreciate this post as my recent high school grad is looking into trade schools and getting his CDL. One school I called, though, said that she can’t job-place under 21 year olds, apparently there is a law that an under 21 year old cannot drive a truck across state lines. So I did a quick job search and didn’t see any driving jobs for under 21 (including UPS, Amazon, driving companies, etc). Many are 23 or 25. Just wanted to post that in case anyone else is thinking about this. Not that I think an 18 year old should necessarily be behind the wheel of a semi, but it doesn’t look like truck driving is something that one can go to right from high school.
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My nephew always wanted to become a mechanic. His parents insisted on college, and he dropped out 6 credits shy of a degree, with thousands of dollars of debt. He ended up driving long haul to pay off his loans. He was over 21 but under 25. Not sure what the age is, but driving schools will know. By the way, my nephew now drives heavy construction equipment locally, and he loves it. I’m not sure if that’s a possibility for your S at his current age.
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Being in a mostly built up area where the local population is composed of NIMBYs and self interested landlords (both of whom lobby against more student housing) means that student housing will continue to be expensive.
My company rolls 40+ trucks per day, all in-state, so that wouldn’t be an issue. It’s also a union job with us that has great benefits. Have him look at beer distributors. They never deliver to customers outside their in-state footprint.
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