People who didn’t get an education/learn a trade after High School, how did you “Make It” financially in the USA?

23 comments

1. I got a good job that didn’t require a degree, lived with my parents, and invested!

2. Not me, but my immigrant housekeeper moved to a low-cost-of-living town in a high cost of living state.

   She could charge high prices and bought a nice home in a nice town and put her kids through school. Her kids made solid 6 figures.

   I suggested my kid learn something like pool maintenance since they make big money here for just open and closing pools. 2 guys are here about an hour and it’s 500 bucks.

   A gutter cleaner, christmas light hanger, housekeeper, power washer can seriously do pretty well.

   People pay over a 1000 bucks to the guy that hangs your Christmas lights. My gutter cleaner charged 500 bucks for a few hours work. It’s worth it if you are afraid of heights.

   The other way is be a firefighter or cop.

3. A lot of people teach themselves computer programming and other IT-related things. Once you know more about tech than an ant, you can likely get a job and learn as you go.

4. I don’t have kids. I had an apartment, that I paid for by myself. I had a car that I was paying off. I was doing okay living on my own.

   The only education I had to show for by the time I was able to afford that life was a certificate. But it opened doors for me to work in the administrative side of healthcare.

   I lived almost an hour away from my job, in a lower cost area. That was the only way to afford rent on a single income. I bought my car while I was living with my parents. And I paid it off shortly after moving into my own apartment.

   Right after moving into my apartment, I was working a multiple jobs. But that didn’t last long.

   I think for a lot of people, they’ve been at their job long enough to afford to live in a low cost area. With other people, it’s a combination of that and living with their significant other and combining what they make.

5. I have many coworkers that hustled into tech through certificates or manager experience. If you’re in tech you usually have at least an okay wage.

6. Learn a skill, consciously become the best you can by self education and practice, place yourself in a position to earn from that skill. Teach people around you what you know about making money with that skill, grow that team of skilled people, teach them *everything* you know. Never stop learning to improve and teach. When you can learn and teach about this skill you will become an expert, experts are drastically needed in every field. Most people don’t know how to do any one thing REALLY well, they know how to do dozens of things kind of.

   TLDR: Become an expert at something, teach as you go, and enter the market.

7. “Learn a trade” doesn’t really mean “go to a specific trade school”. I think most people would say they’ve “learned a trade” once they’ve gotten to a point where they’re doing a specific skill professionally.

   In order to have a decent life you kind of need to learn *some* skill. There’s no jobs out there that pay really well to people who aren’t good at anything. There’s places that will hire you with no prior experience and teach you a skill but if you don’t pick up on it they won’t keep you.

8. Worked. Didn’t borrow money. Stayed with my parents as long as possible.

9. I enjoy how most of the answers are ‘Get an education or learn a trade’ just couched in terms of no degree or trade school.

10. Dropped out of high school a week after I turned 18. Spent 8 years working low paying jobs in the automotive industry. Finally committed to getting an actual career and became an automotive service writer. It’s a healthy mix of blue collar and a desk job with a heavy focus on sales and service. Learned the ins and outs of the job, got good. Making close to 6 figures at it now.

    I absolutely hate it, but it affords my family the things we like.

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12. Work harder than everyone else, be willing to do the crappy stuff nobody likes, always be learning from more experienced people, take advantage of any training that’s offered, be likable.

13. Tought my self how to program in the late 90’s and now with 25ish years experienve I make a pretty comfortable living.

14. I dropped out of high school. I went to work full time at McDonald’s. I have stayed in food service for my entire life. From McDonald’s I found my way to working for a contractor that handles food service in cafeterias in factories. I work for that company for a while and that lead to finding a job as a line cook at a country club. The chef there became my mentor, and as he advanced to new better jobs he took me with him and I moved up the ranks in the kitchen. Eventually I started running kitchens of my own. I’ve worked in casual restaurants and high end country clubs. I was executive chef at a boutique hotel in a tourist town in the mountains of North Carolina. Moved on from there to kitchen manager in a Latin-Asian fusion restaurant in Athens, Ga with a 90 minute commute each way. I got burned out by the drive and found a job as one of the sous chefs at a small residential liberal arts college outside of Atlanta. It’s the best job I’ve had in 37 years in kitchens. I work with a great team and the executive chef is phenomenal. I have great benefits and great pay. My salary is about the same as my SO’s salary and she has three degrees including a masters in her field. I’ve done well but I’m not sure if my experience is what OP means by not learning a trade since my job is considered a skilled trade.

15. My boyfriend enlisted in the military. Was active duty for 10 years. Had a MOS that translated into paying 4x as much in civilian life.

16. I started out in sales and thru they years I worked in appraisals and now I’m a buyer for a large recycling company. I’m not rich but the house is paid for, 2 cars in the driveway paid for, a little money in the bank and raised 3 sons who are all adults now and on their own.

    Sales can open doors to many careers. You just have to relate to people and provide a good product/service. You never know where it can lead you.

17. The restaurant biz is one of the last places where it goes by merit and not a degree. I worked really hard and gave up my social life in my 20s to get where I am today. Medium COL city, just hit 100K for compensation. Bought a little condo in my mid 20s, mortgage and association are under a thousand a month. Have a good 401(k) balance, drive a year old car, travel a lot. Life is good.

18. I started at the bottom and got low paying jobs and eventually I ended up with the office job somehow out of retail and I’ve been doing well ever since. I have also gotten government positions outside of my office job, but I ended up in another government position in an office. Go figure.

19. Worked a lot, lived well below my means and invested most of my income.

20. Not staying at the same job. Always applying for level up when I got tired of the shit after 2 years. I had some pretty remarkable jobs over the years, not gonna lie.

21. Bold of you to assume I’ve made it financially

22. UPS package car drivers made 80k ($40/hr) per year (unless they want that sweet amazing overtime $60/hr, then its 100k+) before the new union negotiations after 4 years,the feeder drivers made 120k+. Along with that our union fees give us arguable some of the absolute best health insurance in the country for a $10/week union fee.

23. Didnt. barely coping. Can barely afford 25$ christmas gifts for nieces and nefews.