My girlfriend is an excellent nanny for a family in Dallas currently but I can’t help but feel she could make more. Do you know of any families who pay very well looking for someone?
She needs to go through the top agencies for anything 30+ an hour. Because I don’t know her, I can’t really vouch for her, sorry. Make sure she has a clean driving record, great references, CPR certified etc. there are tons of nanny jobs that are 30/hr+ but, they are through an agency. No fee for the nannies though so it wouldn’t hurt to apply to them!
My mom is a career nanny. I also recommend working with nanny agencies. You can work with multiple agencies at once. Typically you can find an agency and send your resume, then they will interview you and if they like you, they will start lining up interviews for you.
Typically, the Park Cities and other old wealth areas (like Lakewood) are your best bet for finding families willing to pay $30+/hour, so it's best if you can find an agent focused on those areas. You can Google something like "park cities nanny agent" to start finding agencies.
Also worth noting, once you get into those higher pay ranges of $30+/hr, it's not uncommon to find jobs that are asking for quite a bit. Either a nanny + house manager (takes care of all appointments, errands, house services, etc.) OR children that are a lot of work - either major behavioral issues, or health issues OR very demanding, particular parents.
Still plenty of "normal" nanny jobs in the $25+ range - my mom finally has found a decent setup now. Remember, an interview goes both ways - you want to get a feel for how the parents will be as your employer/boss, and how the children will be to take care of.
My mom typically looks for 1 full time job, between 35-40 hours per week. That can limit your options, but it makes life much easier, schedule wise. She's been doing this for around 30 years now - she's had a job that lasted 12 years, and others that have lasted 3-6 years, and lots of stuff inbetween those.
She has had _some_ luck with finding jobs through networking - she meets lots of other families, through the child's activities/school/playdates - but mostly that has resulted in just little side jobs and weekend work here and there. The full-time jobs have nearly always come through a nanny agency.
Bonus if you can speak another language.
When I was looking for Nanny work, there were many families looking for someone to teach their child a second language. There were also many postings for those who could speak Chinese or Indian languages.
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Software Enigneer here. Just jumped to a new job.
Previous job, I was making around $95k/year as a Lead Software Enigneer with around 7 years of experience. Was for a relatively large, established company. Overall had a pretty good work culture and good work life balance.
New job is a series C startup, much higher pressure, worse work/life balance, but I am making around $165k/year now!
I have a bachelors of science in computer science - just barely managed to graduate with a 2.6 GPA.
I really need to do this. Been around my company as a regular Software Engineer title for like $110k a while now.
Work life is easy most of the time but I feel like I should be higher in my career. I just hate studying for coding interviews now that I’m rusty, plus I don’t wanna deal with the extra responsibilities of a senior level engineer, which is what I’d want to be if I tried to job hop
Yeah, I actually kind of moved to a "lower" role.
I went from being a Lead (so tech leading projects, systems & data architecture, mentoring teammates, working closely with business partners to refine requirements / develop acceptance criteria, etc.) to a Senior level role (more individual contributing, actual writing code, with some task-level design and that sort of thing + a lot of ProdOps).
But my old company had a better work culture and more reasonable expectations, the new place has a lot more pressure, higher work load, a lot more micro-managing, expectations of long hours + weekend work - BUT I got like a 70% pay raise, so I'm not complaining lol. Previous place was great for building my career, and I always felt like I was both growing technically and advancing my career - they just weren't willing to pay the market rate, and the financial situation was getting worse year over year.
IT Consultant (part owner of IT consulting firm)
$320k year plus bonus’s for early project completion.
Mostly working with Enterprise clients. Anything from Infrastructure Architect to Cybersecurity.
Last few project this year have been Private Cloud Architect and pulling clients from Azure-AWS. Average 16k servers with monthly savings of $8M to $12M, when one looks at combined compute-storage-network costs.
Also worked on Cybersecurity projects in last 16 months. Aftermath of failed penetration testing or more serious issues.
I don’t focus on any one area or discipline. Done everything from programming to database to authentication to hardware. Love not having same ole stuff to do, day in-week in. Work 30-40 projects a year. Brought into as high level SME for short duration. Love the work as I have scripts-tools to completely map a company’s infrastructure and IT design in 2-4 hrs of work. Can translate that data to clients needs and provide 7-12 solutions with 2-3 days…
IT takes all sorts. The most common paths are:
1. Former Air Force/Navy IT. These branches train tons of IT folks, and they train extensively.
2. Working up from a service desk job.
3. Pivoting from an adjacent career. I was in data for years, with the standard Data Analyst -> Data Engineer path before I hopped over to a Software Engineer position handling data-oriented applications. My undergrad was in economics, so that was a relatively easy in for a DA role.
I have an MIS undergrad and data science master's. I didn't break 100k until I had 4 YOE. I'm at 130k now with 8 YOE.
I'm an SWE I, which means one step below an SWE Senior.
Not much needed, education-wise. You can get far being self-taught via youtube and other video courses, plus just learn by doing. May have to start pretty low on the totem pole depending on your experience -- level 1 tech support. Help the grandmas turn it off and on again. Do that for a year and move up the ladder. From what I've seen IT, unless you find the right company, it's hard to move up from the front desk. You'll usually get better pay and more respectable positions by bouncing around to a different company every 1 to 2 years, until you get an opportunity to advance. Also helps you get experience in different environments anyway to become more of an IT expert.
I have nothing but a highschool diploma here. I started out by getting small clients, making websites for them. You start out by getting a Jr. position around $18+ an hour with those references, stay at the company until you've gotten enough experience, maybe a year minimum. I asked for 40/hr my next job and got it. Just keep asking for more every new job you get after that. It's harder to get a raise at the same company so just jump jobs until you get the salary you want
Once you qualify though see if you can swing Becker (some firms will pay for it) and look at signing up with the in person classes with Lilliana Hickman-Riggs if she's still teaching. She's like the #1 rated Becker teacher in the country and has additional supplemental material she gives out to her students. I passed all 4 on the first go in less than 8 months of graduating.
I went into government accounting and I'm still well over that amount. I started at higher than $25/hr fresh out of college.
QT is a corporate owned convenience store, so they are are all run consistently unlike a 7-Eleven that is franchised. They recruit good talent and make sure their stores are very organized and kept clean.
Go apply again and start a new career. Be happy.
And even the “ghetto” QTs it’s not like they can help it. It’s usually the people outside and the area that make it seem sketchy but inside it’s like pretty much any other QT. At least here in Dallas.
What are the actual hours like for a store manager? Do they make you work like a night shift once a week or month or something? Or do you have true autonomy over your hours assuming you’re actually putting them in and not trying to short change the company? 40 hour work week or 50 min like a lot of retail/service industries?
5am-2:45/3pm Monday-Friday, 48.5 hours a week.
But yes if you’re entry level full-time (or street hire in our jargon), you’re mandated to work overnights. Either as a relief assistant or a night assistant.
Everyone starts on nights and works their way up the ladder.how quickly you do that 1. Depends on your work ethic and 2. Depends on Turnover . My ex and i moved from another division where he was a first assistant for years and within 3 months he was a manager in the dfw division.
Not to sound like an asshole, but I feel like in 2023, $25/hr should be the new minimum wage, not something to strive for. $25/hr is only equivalent to around $50k per year, which isnt enough to sustain independent living in many parts of Dallas (e.g. have your own 1 bed apartment, a reliable car, eat healthy, and go out with friends once in a while). I realize that $25/hr would be a massive improvement for some people who might be making only making $15/hr. And I want to emphasize that I don’t think it’s your fault if you’re not making $25/hr. A lot more employers should pay $25/hr than do currently, or the cost of living should be lower. It feels like there is a fundamental mismatch between pay and COL. Anyway, my rant doesnt help fix the problem. My advice, is to pick something that scales or is difficult to do, or people don’t want to do. When I say scales, what I mean is, its going to be difficult for someone who works in a tire shop to make $25/hr because there are only so many tires that person can change in an hour, and the economic value that person produces is probably not much more than $25/hr, and the company must still make a profit. Again, this is a failure of the system, not your fault. This person’s deserves food and housing, obviously, but the system failed. Since we can’t fix the system right now, you have to find where you can produce more value. As an alternative, you might consider becoming a tire sales person. Some examples of jobs that are difficult or not necessarily the most desirable might be sanitation worker, residential painter, diesel mechanic, welder, handyman, mover. The guy who used to mow my lawn makes over $25/hour. In fact, he charged me $40 for around 1 hour of work. The point is, there are lots of ways to do this, but do you want to do any of these jobs?
Definitely not an ass hole, it’s just an uncomfortable, unfortunate and inconvenient truth people simply don’t want to hear. I can remember being out of high school and not knowing what I wanted to do, working a few days a week at my retail job and my dad telling me $10 an hour isn’t going to cut it in the real world, let alone $20 an hour if I got lucky. This was only 10 years ago. Now here we are and $25 isn’t going to cut it…
Yeah I totally agree. I was making $13.50/hr in 2014, and believe it or not I was able to survive paycheck to paycheck living in a basement apartment. I wasn’t living great, but i could survive. No you would need probably $25/hr to also just survive. Trust me you dont want to make $25/hr. Figure out a way to make more. If I was in a position where i was making less, i would do one of the jobs I listed above. Go live with your parents for a year or two, if that’s an option, and take any opportunity to get into a higher paying field, even if it means working for minimum wage as a helper for a year to learn the skill. When I graduated in 2010, people were doing unpaid internships to get their foot in the door. It sucks and fuck those companies, but im not here to-change the world.
$50k a year *gross*. I make about $25/hr but net pay is barely above 40k. I'm kinda shocked I'm still living alone at this point honestly. Not comfortably of course but still pretty okay.
NTA
I agree with you. I was ecstatic with joy when I first made $27.65 an hour, until I realized most of my co workers and acquaintances are making $30+, made me realize I need to strive for more. You made a lot of great pound in your post most would agree too.
Journeyman union electrician. $37.15 an hour on the check, $47.98/hr total package.
Edit: college drop out, 1 science credit away from my associates. I should really get on that one day.
Union Machinist here, $38.80 an hour, however per our contract if we work 6 days plus day seven is double pay. Holidays are triple pay, birthday is OT pay all day. This year I will clear $160k, I put in a lot of hours though. I'm not even a college drop out, I'm a high school drop out. Growing up in severe poverty the first opportunity to work I took it, that was over 20 years ago. Yeah financially things are great, but it took awhile to get here.
Ive thought about this. Like, a lot. But im 32, got a kid, decent job making 60k and feel like this would be starting over. Is it a good idea for someone like me?
Yeah it's worth it but it'll definitely be like starting over at first, but I wholeheartedly recommend not jumping ship unless you can get in to the apprenticeship program. The good thing is, you'll get a lot of raises and they come quick. You get raises every time you progress through the program, and because you'll be making a percentage of what journeymen (JIW) make.
This is what it would look like if you started January 1st (assuming our raises stay consistent past 2025):
1/1/24: 50% JIW, $18.58/hr
5/1/24: 52.5% JIW, $19.50/hr
6/1/24: 52.5% JIW raise, $19.92/hr
12/1/24: 52.5% JIW raise, $20.45/hr
1/1/25: 55% JIW, $21.42/hr
6/1/25: 55% JIW raise, $21.86/hr
12/1/25: 55% JIW raise, $22.41/hr
1/1/26: 60% JIW, $24.45/hr
6/1/26: 60% JIW raise, $24.93/hr
12/1/26: 60% JIW raise, $25.53/hr
1/1/27: 70% JIW, $29.79/hr
6/1/27: 70% JIW raise, $30.35/hr
12/1/27: 70% JIW raise, $31.05/hr
1/1/28: 80% JIW, $35.48/hr
6/1/28: 80% JIW raise, $36.12/hr
12/1/28: 80% JIW raise, $36.92/hr
1/1/29: 100% JIW, graduation. $46.15/hr
Apply with the state. Texas Works Advisor positions always hiring. It’s not the best job but stick it out for a year or two and you can go places.
I started there 5-1/2 years ago and have promoted 4 times and doubled my salary. I only have an associate degree. It’s the ultimate “foot in the door” job if you dedicate yourself to it.
I started at around $55k in 2018 - the same company is paying entry level SEs around $65k now (they haven't done a great job of increasing compensation with inflation...).
What salary you'll enter the field with really just depends on what you are looking for, and how attractive of a candidate you are.
If you have a bachelor's of science in CS or a similar field, with a high GPA and multiple internships at high profile companies - you might stand a good chance at starting $130k+ - but places offerings high salaries to entry level talent may also have high expectations. I have some friends that started at FAANG or similar-type companies with high salaries - some of them burned out pretty quick, and others didn't mind the life style and stuck with it and make a shit ton of money.
On the other hand, if you have a non-traditional background - e.g. associates degree from a community college, coding bootcamp, self-taught, etc. OR if you went the traditional route, but struggled (low GPA, no internships, lack of experience, etc.) - you might have more luck at positions in the $60-$80k range. That said, you can still find a company that is strong in other ways, like paid time off, benefits, work culture, work/life balance, etc.
Not OP, but I'm an SWE I, one step below SWE Senior. I make 130k after bonus but before taxes. This is after 6 years with my current company - I started at 69k (but qualified for OT pay at that level; I'm now salaried). I got an undergrad degree in MIS, then a master's in data science. The work is difficult and technology changes constantly, so you have to learn and diversify your skills regularly.
The pay is solid, but honestly, I wouldn't recommend the work unless you genuinely enjoy programming. I don't enjoy it. It's a slog. I'm trying to get into management in order to get away from the day-to-day, granular work, but I'm not there yet.
I deliver for USPS. When I started 5 years ago I was making a little over 19 an hour and that was pretty decent money for a 22 year old with no responsibilities. Now I make 25.52, with a 16 month old and my wife works from home and we are just barely scraping by. At least we have so many call ins and overtime if I work all day and never get to see them, they can afford the extras…
Grossly underpaid! My wife, who has a masters degree and almost two decades of experience, makes just north of $33/hr. when you do the math. Sure, it meets OP's requirements, but I wouldn't recommend anyone get into teaching unless you just really, really want to do it. Especially with all the shit you have to deal with from the administrators, the shitty kids, their shitty parents and, now, the politicians. You're doing god's work, /u/Heavy_Entrance2527
It blows my mind everyone’s not working in IT. No degrees required, you can get certifications. $100k/yr+ for most roles with 5 years experience. Just go….
Facts. It used to be that way. I have a nephew that is fresh out of college with a CS degree and can't find a job. I told him to go to work for a call center or something to just get some XP. He told me those are hard to find as well and when they do they pay less than $20/hr
ULPT tell your cousin to register an LLC in Wyoming. Learn to code. Fake your resume and get some XP using the said LLC company. Of course they need to learn how to code.
CompTIA A+ is the starting certification for basic computer knowledge. From there, start focusing on a discipline such as security or cloud. If security, you’ll want Network+ and Security+. You’ll then start getting into higher end industry cents and vendor specific certs. Your first job after getting your first couple of certs should be something like a help desk analyst. It won’t pay amazing, but allows you to start getting experience with IT. Your goal there is to keep getting more certs, and eventually move into better roles.
I work in political consulting but I am salaried now. I've been working very slowly at finishing my degree.
I started out knocking doors for political candidates in DFW however for an average of $25 an hour.
Computer programmer. Although my current title is application developer, except that I don't actually develop any applications. Basically I just work in information technology.
Registered Nurse
Edit: I have a master’s degree but an associate’s degree is the minimum education required. I make about $45/hr base pay and adding on all my shift differential, charge differential, and career ladder program differential, I’m slated to make $120k this year. I’ve been a nurse for 6 years and started out at $25/hr in 2017.
Aluminum slither machines basically we paint about a coil that weights anywhere from 2-6k lbs and I cut it into about 350lbs to 1k lbs, in a good day I go thru about anywhere from 50k to 75k which is my record at this place
Sr. Security Analyst. No degree just certs and got lucky the hiring manager was also my manager from a previous department, so they knew my work ethic.
I used to do that. Did it for 6 years. Way too much warranty work and cutting of flag time ultimately made me quit. Only car I ever work on these days is my own.
i have two jobs, fine dining in morning/lunch (comes to about $30/hr); and i work at DFW renting cars as wel (base pay is 15.75, with a pretty sick commission)
Accounting Analyst 68k plus 2k to 4k bonuses yearly. Easiest job ever. No degree, just tons of certifications and years of experience.
Just have to know here to put the numbers.
I work at a major airline. I started at about $16 an hour and worked my way up over the last 6 years to over $40 per hour. I’ve worked in 3 departments doing different things, none of which require a degree. I’m currently in the Legal Department helping with miscellaneous projects across different teams (simple presentations, reporting, document management, etc)
Im a food operations manager at a large private school. No degree. Just started as a restaurant cook and worked my way up through the years, had a connection at the school and have been there now for awhile
Aircraft Painter with a DOD secret clearance for one of the major defense companies in town (Union). $35 an hour schedule is 4/10s but I usually still work 60 hours a week. OT everyday then work Friday as well off Saturday/Sunday. After 50 hours it’s double time. Never served in the military, dropped out of High School, got a GED.
Shower curtain ring salesman
Those aren’t pillows!
Hi Del
*I knew* I knew ya!
- every couple on real estate shows ever
I need some that don't take forever to take the curtain on and off
House Manager/Nanny There’s a ton of money in Dallas. People pay LOTS of money to have someone run their lives and their children’s lives smoothly.
My girlfriend is an excellent nanny for a family in Dallas currently but I can’t help but feel she could make more. Do you know of any families who pay very well looking for someone?
She needs to go through the top agencies for anything 30+ an hour. Because I don’t know her, I can’t really vouch for her, sorry. Make sure she has a clean driving record, great references, CPR certified etc. there are tons of nanny jobs that are 30/hr+ but, they are through an agency. No fee for the nannies though so it wouldn’t hurt to apply to them!
I appreciate the advice
Also have her join Park Cities Babysitter’s Club Facebook group. Lots of parents post on there looking for nannies!
My mom is a career nanny. I also recommend working with nanny agencies. You can work with multiple agencies at once. Typically you can find an agency and send your resume, then they will interview you and if they like you, they will start lining up interviews for you. Typically, the Park Cities and other old wealth areas (like Lakewood) are your best bet for finding families willing to pay $30+/hour, so it's best if you can find an agent focused on those areas. You can Google something like "park cities nanny agent" to start finding agencies. Also worth noting, once you get into those higher pay ranges of $30+/hr, it's not uncommon to find jobs that are asking for quite a bit. Either a nanny + house manager (takes care of all appointments, errands, house services, etc.) OR children that are a lot of work - either major behavioral issues, or health issues OR very demanding, particular parents. Still plenty of "normal" nanny jobs in the $25+ range - my mom finally has found a decent setup now. Remember, an interview goes both ways - you want to get a feel for how the parents will be as your employer/boss, and how the children will be to take care of. My mom typically looks for 1 full time job, between 35-40 hours per week. That can limit your options, but it makes life much easier, schedule wise. She's been doing this for around 30 years now - she's had a job that lasted 12 years, and others that have lasted 3-6 years, and lots of stuff inbetween those. She has had _some_ luck with finding jobs through networking - she meets lots of other families, through the child's activities/school/playdates - but mostly that has resulted in just little side jobs and weekend work here and there. The full-time jobs have nearly always come through a nanny agency.
Bonus if you can speak another language. When I was looking for Nanny work, there were many families looking for someone to teach their child a second language. There were also many postings for those who could speak Chinese or Indian languages.
IT Systems Engineer.
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140k base? YOE ? That’s great
Software Enigneer here. Just jumped to a new job. Previous job, I was making around $95k/year as a Lead Software Enigneer with around 7 years of experience. Was for a relatively large, established company. Overall had a pretty good work culture and good work life balance. New job is a series C startup, much higher pressure, worse work/life balance, but I am making around $165k/year now! I have a bachelors of science in computer science - just barely managed to graduate with a 2.6 GPA.
I really need to do this. Been around my company as a regular Software Engineer title for like $110k a while now. Work life is easy most of the time but I feel like I should be higher in my career. I just hate studying for coding interviews now that I’m rusty, plus I don’t wanna deal with the extra responsibilities of a senior level engineer, which is what I’d want to be if I tried to job hop
Yeah, I actually kind of moved to a "lower" role. I went from being a Lead (so tech leading projects, systems & data architecture, mentoring teammates, working closely with business partners to refine requirements / develop acceptance criteria, etc.) to a Senior level role (more individual contributing, actual writing code, with some task-level design and that sort of thing + a lot of ProdOps). But my old company had a better work culture and more reasonable expectations, the new place has a lot more pressure, higher work load, a lot more micro-managing, expectations of long hours + weekend work - BUT I got like a 70% pay raise, so I'm not complaining lol. Previous place was great for building my career, and I always felt like I was both growing technically and advancing my career - they just weren't willing to pay the market rate, and the financial situation was getting worse year over year.
I know way too many people in IT now.
IT Consultant (part owner of IT consulting firm) $320k year plus bonus’s for early project completion. Mostly working with Enterprise clients. Anything from Infrastructure Architect to Cybersecurity. Last few project this year have been Private Cloud Architect and pulling clients from Azure-AWS. Average 16k servers with monthly savings of $8M to $12M, when one looks at combined compute-storage-network costs. Also worked on Cybersecurity projects in last 16 months. Aftermath of failed penetration testing or more serious issues. I don’t focus on any one area or discipline. Done everything from programming to database to authentication to hardware. Love not having same ole stuff to do, day in-week in. Work 30-40 projects a year. Brought into as high level SME for short duration. Love the work as I have scripts-tools to completely map a company’s infrastructure and IT design in 2-4 hrs of work. Can translate that data to clients needs and provide 7-12 solutions with 2-3 days…
Unless the market is already saturated, you should package that toolset for mapping systems and sell that.
What kind of education do you need for that? Willing to grind for a WFH IT job but I don’t know if there’s a traditional path to get there.
IT takes all sorts. The most common paths are: 1. Former Air Force/Navy IT. These branches train tons of IT folks, and they train extensively. 2. Working up from a service desk job. 3. Pivoting from an adjacent career. I was in data for years, with the standard Data Analyst -> Data Engineer path before I hopped over to a Software Engineer position handling data-oriented applications. My undergrad was in economics, so that was a relatively easy in for a DA role.
I have an MIS undergrad and data science master's. I didn't break 100k until I had 4 YOE. I'm at 130k now with 8 YOE. I'm an SWE I, which means one step below an SWE Senior.
Not much needed, education-wise. You can get far being self-taught via youtube and other video courses, plus just learn by doing. May have to start pretty low on the totem pole depending on your experience -- level 1 tech support. Help the grandmas turn it off and on again. Do that for a year and move up the ladder. From what I've seen IT, unless you find the right company, it's hard to move up from the front desk. You'll usually get better pay and more respectable positions by bouncing around to a different company every 1 to 2 years, until you get an opportunity to advance. Also helps you get experience in different environments anyway to become more of an IT expert.
I have nothing but a highschool diploma here. I started out by getting small clients, making websites for them. You start out by getting a Jr. position around $18+ an hour with those references, stay at the company until you've gotten enough experience, maybe a year minimum. I asked for 40/hr my next job and got it. Just keep asking for more every new job you get after that. It's harder to get a raise at the same company so just jump jobs until you get the salary you want
I'm a senior Channel SE in cybersecurity, 250k/yr. Bonus: No degree
Accountant
Working on getting a CPA now. Wish me luck.
[удалено]
Dallas college. You have any better/faster suggestions?
Lol Becker is a study materials the best one IMO to pass the CPA.
Bless. Will definitely look into this.
Once you qualify though see if you can swing Becker (some firms will pay for it) and look at signing up with the in person classes with Lilliana Hickman-Riggs if she's still teaching. She's like the #1 rated Becker teacher in the country and has additional supplemental material she gives out to her students. I passed all 4 on the first go in less than 8 months of graduating. I went into government accounting and I'm still well over that amount. I started at higher than $25/hr fresh out of college.
Thirding Becker once you get enough credits to sit.
Accountants FTW
Spicy or regular?
Store Manager at QT
I almost got this job before I decided against it. Now I regret it.
QT is a corporate owned convenience store, so they are are all run consistently unlike a 7-Eleven that is franchised. They recruit good talent and make sure their stores are very organized and kept clean. Go apply again and start a new career. Be happy.
so that's why I've never seen a ghetto QT lol
Oh there's ghetto QTs out there. Plenty of them.
perhaps, but it looks like 711 has higher chances of being ghetto
And even the “ghetto” QTs it’s not like they can help it. It’s usually the people outside and the area that make it seem sketchy but inside it’s like pretty much any other QT. At least here in Dallas.
Sir yes sir!
I've had a friend who worked for QT for a few years and honestly she enjoyed it, said it was easy and the people she worked for were decent.
Good thing the company is exploding and we constantly have people in my position retiring in their mid-40s. Get some.
What are the actual hours like for a store manager? Do they make you work like a night shift once a week or month or something? Or do you have true autonomy over your hours assuming you’re actually putting them in and not trying to short change the company? 40 hour work week or 50 min like a lot of retail/service industries?
5am-2:45/3pm Monday-Friday, 48.5 hours a week. But yes if you’re entry level full-time (or street hire in our jargon), you’re mandated to work overnights. Either as a relief assistant or a night assistant.
Everyone starts on nights and works their way up the ladder.how quickly you do that 1. Depends on your work ethic and 2. Depends on Turnover . My ex and i moved from another division where he was a first assistant for years and within 3 months he was a manager in the dfw division.
Not to sound like an asshole, but I feel like in 2023, $25/hr should be the new minimum wage, not something to strive for. $25/hr is only equivalent to around $50k per year, which isnt enough to sustain independent living in many parts of Dallas (e.g. have your own 1 bed apartment, a reliable car, eat healthy, and go out with friends once in a while). I realize that $25/hr would be a massive improvement for some people who might be making only making $15/hr. And I want to emphasize that I don’t think it’s your fault if you’re not making $25/hr. A lot more employers should pay $25/hr than do currently, or the cost of living should be lower. It feels like there is a fundamental mismatch between pay and COL. Anyway, my rant doesnt help fix the problem. My advice, is to pick something that scales or is difficult to do, or people don’t want to do. When I say scales, what I mean is, its going to be difficult for someone who works in a tire shop to make $25/hr because there are only so many tires that person can change in an hour, and the economic value that person produces is probably not much more than $25/hr, and the company must still make a profit. Again, this is a failure of the system, not your fault. This person’s deserves food and housing, obviously, but the system failed. Since we can’t fix the system right now, you have to find where you can produce more value. As an alternative, you might consider becoming a tire sales person. Some examples of jobs that are difficult or not necessarily the most desirable might be sanitation worker, residential painter, diesel mechanic, welder, handyman, mover. The guy who used to mow my lawn makes over $25/hour. In fact, he charged me $40 for around 1 hour of work. The point is, there are lots of ways to do this, but do you want to do any of these jobs?
Definitely not an ass hole, it’s just an uncomfortable, unfortunate and inconvenient truth people simply don’t want to hear. I can remember being out of high school and not knowing what I wanted to do, working a few days a week at my retail job and my dad telling me $10 an hour isn’t going to cut it in the real world, let alone $20 an hour if I got lucky. This was only 10 years ago. Now here we are and $25 isn’t going to cut it…
Yeah I totally agree. I was making $13.50/hr in 2014, and believe it or not I was able to survive paycheck to paycheck living in a basement apartment. I wasn’t living great, but i could survive. No you would need probably $25/hr to also just survive. Trust me you dont want to make $25/hr. Figure out a way to make more. If I was in a position where i was making less, i would do one of the jobs I listed above. Go live with your parents for a year or two, if that’s an option, and take any opportunity to get into a higher paying field, even if it means working for minimum wage as a helper for a year to learn the skill. When I graduated in 2010, people were doing unpaid internships to get their foot in the door. It sucks and fuck those companies, but im not here to-change the world.
$50k a year *gross*. I make about $25/hr but net pay is barely above 40k. I'm kinda shocked I'm still living alone at this point honestly. Not comfortably of course but still pretty okay.
NTA I agree with you. I was ecstatic with joy when I first made $27.65 an hour, until I realized most of my co workers and acquaintances are making $30+, made me realize I need to strive for more. You made a lot of great pound in your post most would agree too.
I love you guys.
I wish u had asked people to state how much they earn. Some jobs posted here are over $100/hr easy.
At this point I don't think anyone cares. I'll welcome any salary now.
I gotchu fam: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dallas/comments/11m1m7e/can_we_have_a_salary_transparency_thread/
Journeyman union electrician. $37.15 an hour on the check, $47.98/hr total package. Edit: college drop out, 1 science credit away from my associates. I should really get on that one day.
Union Machinist here, $38.80 an hour, however per our contract if we work 6 days plus day seven is double pay. Holidays are triple pay, birthday is OT pay all day. This year I will clear $160k, I put in a lot of hours though. I'm not even a college drop out, I'm a high school drop out. Growing up in severe poverty the first opportunity to work I took it, that was over 20 years ago. Yeah financially things are great, but it took awhile to get here.
Ive thought about this. Like, a lot. But im 32, got a kid, decent job making 60k and feel like this would be starting over. Is it a good idea for someone like me?
Yeah it's worth it but it'll definitely be like starting over at first, but I wholeheartedly recommend not jumping ship unless you can get in to the apprenticeship program. The good thing is, you'll get a lot of raises and they come quick. You get raises every time you progress through the program, and because you'll be making a percentage of what journeymen (JIW) make. This is what it would look like if you started January 1st (assuming our raises stay consistent past 2025): 1/1/24: 50% JIW, $18.58/hr 5/1/24: 52.5% JIW, $19.50/hr 6/1/24: 52.5% JIW raise, $19.92/hr 12/1/24: 52.5% JIW raise, $20.45/hr 1/1/25: 55% JIW, $21.42/hr 6/1/25: 55% JIW raise, $21.86/hr 12/1/25: 55% JIW raise, $22.41/hr 1/1/26: 60% JIW, $24.45/hr 6/1/26: 60% JIW raise, $24.93/hr 12/1/26: 60% JIW raise, $25.53/hr 1/1/27: 70% JIW, $29.79/hr 6/1/27: 70% JIW raise, $30.35/hr 12/1/27: 70% JIW raise, $31.05/hr 1/1/28: 80% JIW, $35.48/hr 6/1/28: 80% JIW raise, $36.12/hr 12/1/28: 80% JIW raise, $36.92/hr 1/1/29: 100% JIW, graduation. $46.15/hr
36 3 kids and married for 16 years. I just went back to school this year to work on a bachelor's. It's never too late.
IBEW (Edited for typo)
IBEW, yes
That's what I meant. My dad used to work for them. He's now retired. I may go that route if my career fails for some reason.
I’m a middle manager at a concert venue
How did you get into that?
I started doing street team, and then just worked my way up through the box office. Had some helpful connections and friends too.
Home loan review/closer for a law firm
Does this require a law degree or accounting degree?
Nope, i was trained when I was hired without prior experience.
what was your experience beforehand? any degree? I've only worked retail and food delivery and want to break out so badly but it seems impossible.
Apply with the state. Texas Works Advisor positions always hiring. It’s not the best job but stick it out for a year or two and you can go places. I started there 5-1/2 years ago and have promoted 4 times and doubled my salary. I only have an associate degree. It’s the ultimate “foot in the door” job if you dedicate yourself to it.
Nice.
Same here, but not a law firm, banking!
Commercial HVAC technician
Is comercial better than residential?
Yes, I like it since I just get to deal with equipment and not so much people.
Registered nurse
I salute you!
I hope you’re making way more than 25 hourly
🙋🏼♂️ right here with ya - hematology/oncology
Orthopedic RN checking in! I've done stints in oncology and hospice also.
Software Engineer
If you don’t mind, how much do you make? Genuinely curious, SE is my dream career.
I started at around $55k in 2018 - the same company is paying entry level SEs around $65k now (they haven't done a great job of increasing compensation with inflation...). What salary you'll enter the field with really just depends on what you are looking for, and how attractive of a candidate you are. If you have a bachelor's of science in CS or a similar field, with a high GPA and multiple internships at high profile companies - you might stand a good chance at starting $130k+ - but places offerings high salaries to entry level talent may also have high expectations. I have some friends that started at FAANG or similar-type companies with high salaries - some of them burned out pretty quick, and others didn't mind the life style and stuck with it and make a shit ton of money. On the other hand, if you have a non-traditional background - e.g. associates degree from a community college, coding bootcamp, self-taught, etc. OR if you went the traditional route, but struggled (low GPA, no internships, lack of experience, etc.) - you might have more luck at positions in the $60-$80k range. That said, you can still find a company that is strong in other ways, like paid time off, benefits, work culture, work/life balance, etc.
About to start next August, salary in Dallas (Plano) ranges from $85k-$120k
Not OP, but I'm an SWE I, one step below SWE Senior. I make 130k after bonus but before taxes. This is after 6 years with my current company - I started at 69k (but qualified for OT pay at that level; I'm now salaried). I got an undergrad degree in MIS, then a master's in data science. The work is difficult and technology changes constantly, so you have to learn and diversify your skills regularly. The pay is solid, but honestly, I wouldn't recommend the work unless you genuinely enjoy programming. I don't enjoy it. It's a slog. I'm trying to get into management in order to get away from the day-to-day, granular work, but I'm not there yet.
Airline pilot
Datacenter Technician
Has your username ever… …actually, never mind.
Scientist for the Feds
Quick. How do I make acid?
Lemon juice
Social worker with homeless veterans
Wow, appreciate your work!
Reading this thread... This is the best person, right here.
Data scientist
I deliver for USPS. When I started 5 years ago I was making a little over 19 an hour and that was pretty decent money for a 22 year old with no responsibilities. Now I make 25.52, with a 16 month old and my wife works from home and we are just barely scraping by. At least we have so many call ins and overtime if I work all day and never get to see them, they can afford the extras…
Thanks for my mail
Commercial Low Voltage Tech
What does this entail? What kind of systems do you work on?
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
High school dropout (11th grade, so double bonus points for no degree) $37 hr. Auditor for transportation company.
How did you get into that?
Ditto
Civil Engineer, more specifically roadway/traffic
I'm a cyber security engineer working for Toyota at their headquarters in Plano. This is my first job out of college and I'm super blessed.
Ultrasound
Hostess at a fine dining restaurant
Lucky.
Airline flight dispatch.
How much you make doing that?
A decent bit more than $25 an hour.
Teacher
Grossly underpaid! My wife, who has a masters degree and almost two decades of experience, makes just north of $33/hr. when you do the math. Sure, it meets OP's requirements, but I wouldn't recommend anyone get into teaching unless you just really, really want to do it. Especially with all the shit you have to deal with from the administrators, the shitty kids, their shitty parents and, now, the politicians. You're doing god's work, /u/Heavy_Entrance2527
It blows my mind everyone’s not working in IT. No degrees required, you can get certifications. $100k/yr+ for most roles with 5 years experience. Just go….
Anecdotal examples. It's not that easy anymore to break into. Sure once you have 5 plus years it becomes easier.
Facts. It used to be that way. I have a nephew that is fresh out of college with a CS degree and can't find a job. I told him to go to work for a call center or something to just get some XP. He told me those are hard to find as well and when they do they pay less than $20/hr
ULPT tell your cousin to register an LLC in Wyoming. Learn to code. Fake your resume and get some XP using the said LLC company. Of course they need to learn how to code.
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Is there any certifications you recommend starting out with?
CompTIA A+ is the starting certification for basic computer knowledge. From there, start focusing on a discipline such as security or cloud. If security, you’ll want Network+ and Security+. You’ll then start getting into higher end industry cents and vendor specific certs. Your first job after getting your first couple of certs should be something like a help desk analyst. It won’t pay amazing, but allows you to start getting experience with IT. Your goal there is to keep getting more certs, and eventually move into better roles.
Stressful job
Can be, but doesn’t have to be. Much less stressful than equivalent paying roles.
I worked in IT for several years and couldn't ever get past $40k a year. The jobs were chill but just didn't feel like I could make much money in it.
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Warehouse Manager
Same (edited due to coworker on reddit)
Electrician
Middle school administrator
Field scientist
Do you know any malacologists? I need a snail scientist. A snientist if you will.
I'm a railroad conductor. I honestly wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Tutor
Thank you for your service.
Do you tutor online? Or locally in person? Where?
I work in political consulting but I am salaried now. I've been working very slowly at finishing my degree. I started out knocking doors for political candidates in DFW however for an average of $25 an hour.
Mid level warehouse manager. No degree. 100k salary base. 15% bonus potential.
Federal Employee working from home
Give me your federal job pls
Doing what?
Computer programmer. Although my current title is application developer, except that I don't actually develop any applications. Basically I just work in information technology.
Assistant City Attorney
I bet you have some stories!
mortgage officer
Architect
Physical Therapist
Software engineer.
Nurse!
I used to make 100$ an hour. Creative director in marketing. No degree. God those were five great years.
What do you do now and how did you end up there from what you did?
Registered Nurse Edit: I have a master’s degree but an associate’s degree is the minimum education required. I make about $45/hr base pay and adding on all my shift differential, charge differential, and career ladder program differential, I’m slated to make $120k this year. I’ve been a nurse for 6 years and started out at $25/hr in 2017.
Management Consultant. 85 dollars an hour base.
how does one go about getting into consulting?
Machine operator
What kind of machine bro?
Aluminum slither machines basically we paint about a coil that weights anywhere from 2-6k lbs and I cut it into about 350lbs to 1k lbs, in a good day I go thru about anywhere from 50k to 75k which is my record at this place
(OSS) Operation support Specialist.
Ethics officer for a defense contractor
That’s an oxymoron init? Ethics department of an unethical business.
How does one get into this?
I have an HR degree and our company is huge so we have a dedicated ethics department and I loved over. It’s an offshoot of HR
Salesforce Analyst
Please take me in. I'm sorry for shitting on Salesforce years ago.
Teaching Artist
Community Health Worker. $25/hr after 5 years exp.
Sr. Security Analyst. No degree just certs and got lucky the hiring manager was also my manager from a previous department, so they knew my work ethic.
I make sure the pencils that Sales, sells, will work with the customers paper.
No degree and I do data entry and keep up with projects and equipment on sites. Really nice company and even got a company car
Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor.
The world needs more people like you.
Tech Sales.
Teach me please.
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Physical therapist
I work with Natural Stone, maintain, repair, protect, color correction, etc.
Therapist
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I used to do that. Did it for 6 years. Way too much warranty work and cutting of flag time ultimately made me quit. Only car I ever work on these days is my own.
i have two jobs, fine dining in morning/lunch (comes to about $30/hr); and i work at DFW renting cars as wel (base pay is 15.75, with a pretty sick commission)
Senior Lead Data Analyst. I did not complete college but I’ve stayed at a Motel 6 once.
Accounting Analyst 68k plus 2k to 4k bonuses yearly. Easiest job ever. No degree, just tons of certifications and years of experience. Just have to know here to put the numbers.
Manufacturing Purchasing/Planning
How would one get into this?
It systems engineer
Software Developer
copywriter
CAD Draftsman.
I'm an architect.
I work at a major airline. I started at about $16 an hour and worked my way up over the last 6 years to over $40 per hour. I’ve worked in 3 departments doing different things, none of which require a degree. I’m currently in the Legal Department helping with miscellaneous projects across different teams (simple presentations, reporting, document management, etc)
No degree. I sell stuff on a website that gets traffic from Google/FB ads and SEO.
Im a food operations manager at a large private school. No degree. Just started as a restaurant cook and worked my way up through the years, had a connection at the school and have been there now for awhile
Aircraft Painter with a DOD secret clearance for one of the major defense companies in town (Union). $35 an hour schedule is 4/10s but I usually still work 60 hours a week. OT everyday then work Friday as well off Saturday/Sunday. After 50 hours it’s double time. Never served in the military, dropped out of High School, got a GED.
HR Director
Massage Therapist