Post: #26

The threads about white vs blue collar jobs pop up regularly. I already mentioned it in one of the other threads, but it's worth repeating: unless somebody has tried doing both manual labor and office work, he is not in a position to compare them and give advice.

I've never had a full time blue collar job, but I helped out my parents and grandparents doing low-level manual work as a teenager, also did some manual work later in life as part of an office job to learn the ropes.

My preference is definitely a white collar job. Having said that, certain high skilled blue collar professions may be much better for guys. For example, airplane mechanics are in high demand and can get high paying jobs in many places around the world, including the kind of places where white collar internet marketers and English teachers move and live on 1000 bucks per month.

Post: #27

(04-20-2016 07:06 PM)Easy_C Wrote:  

(04-20-2016 01:30 PM)brob Wrote:  Lately I've been thinking that we all got tricked into thinking "white-collar" work is superior to "blue-collar". I sure don't feel very masculine sitting in a cubicle all day staring into a screen, listening to gossip about other people's job performance, and taking orders from obese menopausal women.

Depends to a degree. Keep in mind that most women(and feminine males) are very risk and effort adverse, so a lot of those negative aspects tend to get better when you're working in extremely difficult, competitive fields. The more objective the better. One area that I'm slightly familiar with, working as a trader, fits the bill.. I've also heard some good things from acquaintances who work in more difficult sales jobs where you neither work out of a strip mall or have a job title ending with "agent". Both areas are high risk, high reward careers that require a huge amount of work to be successful at and where having real skills (either market knowledge or people skills) determines your success. I've yet to meet an "obese menopausal woman" working in either field, and both are dominated by more aggressive, more aware men.

Yeah, good point. I can see how some of those industries could be more masculine. My first job out of college was actually one of those strip mall/agent type sales jobs. The particular job wasn't for me but I enjoyed the camaraderie of the male-dominated work space.

Post: #28

I'm in the market for a new day job. I've tried to avoid applying for anything in an office setting as I can't sit still for more than a couple hours at a time. I have a bachelor's in marketing and have management experience. I'd prefer to be on my feet more than behind a computer screen.

My endgame is real estate investing as Texas described, but that's about 5-7 years away for me. I've been looking into gigs in the industry, but haven't been chosen for the couple I applied and interviewed for. I want something that pays higher on paper than my current job involving tips in order to qualify for a higher mortgage. I'm trying to owner-occupy a duplex within the next 6-12 months.

I've been looking on indeed/monster lately at management jobs. Most of them are retail or restaurant and require working nights and weekends. I'd rather be working during normal business hours. A few of the blue collar construction/project management type jobs seemed to pay well but require experience in a various niche. I've also considered starting from the bottom if I find the right one for me and work my way up. I'm doing my best not to reject positions that appear "below" me. No one owes me anything because I received a degree.

I wouldn't mind retail if it was a specialty niche of interest to me. I could work retail if it was fitness or dog related for example. But I'm not trying to manage a K-Mart. I know guys who make close to six figures in retail management. But they absolutely hate their lives.

I was wondering if any of you guys had good ideas for me to look into. That hotel management data sheet seemed cool but I don't want to work outside of the US at this point in my life. I just need something that pays decently, looks good on paper, and allows me to pursue real estate in my spare time. I need to buy about 20 good rental units to go full-time in real estate. I'm not looking to build a career at the moment. Just something to pay the bills for 5 or so years while I build my portfolio.

Post: #29

White collar job doesn't mean standing in an office all day. For example as a consultant in management accounting you will be travelling weekly to the client's office (it's especially nice in Europe because you can travel in multiple countries, collect flight/hotel points, visit many places on company's payroll). You participate in meetings, you do presentations, you answer e-mails, some days you may have nothing to do and work only 4 hours, others you'll do a 12 hour marathon. You can work at the hotel, at home or in the office it doesn't really matter as long you deliver results. This allows you to have a lot of flexibility but it's definitely not for everyone. If you have a family you won't last long.

Post: #30

Field Service is great for this. It's a good mix of White, and Blue collar. A lot of administration work, with some labor mixed in.

Post: #31

(04-24-2016 09:52 PM)wi30 Wrote:  I'm in the market for a new day job. I've tried to avoid applying for anything in an office setting as I can't sit still for more than a couple hours at a time. I have a bachelor's in marketing and have management experience. I'd prefer to be on my feet more than behind a computer screen.

My endgame is real estate investing as Texas described, but that's about 5-7 years away for me. I've been looking into gigs in the industry, but haven't been chosen for the couple I applied and interviewed for. I want something that pays higher on paper than my current job involving tips in order to qualify for a higher mortgage. I'm trying to owner-occupy a duplex within the next 6-12 months.

I've been looking on indeed/monster lately at management jobs. Most of them are retail or restaurant and require working nights and weekends. I'd rather be working during normal business hours. A few of the blue collar construction/project management type jobs seemed to pay well but require experience in a various niche. I've also considered starting from the bottom if I find the right one for me and work my way up. I'm doing my best not to reject positions that appear "below" me. No one owes me anything because I received a degree.

I wouldn't mind retail if it was a specialty niche of interest to me. I could work retail if it was fitness or dog related for example. But I'm not trying to manage a K-Mart. I know guys who make close to six figures in retail management. But they absolutely hate their lives.

I was wondering if any of you guys had good ideas for me to look into. That hotel management data sheet seemed cool but I don't want to work outside of the US at this point in my life. I just need something that pays decently, looks good on paper, and allows me to pursue real estate in my spare time. I need to buy about 20 good rental units to go full-time in real estate. I'm not looking to build a career at the moment. Just something to pay the bills for 5 or so years while I build my portfolio.

Have you looked into some sort of role in property management? Maybe something like community manager/property manager, leasing consultant, or even a general handyman position with a property management company. At least then you could gain some valuable experience in the rental market. The only downside is that some of those positions don't seem to pay very well.

Post: #32

Zona, I've looked into a couple property management and leasing agent jobs. They all seem to pay around $10-$12 an hour in my area. That's too big of a pay cut for me to take. I'm going to look into finding one part time or volunteering to help out for experience.

I've been keeping my eyes open on Monster/Indeed. I'm looking for something steady that pays in the $40-50K range and isn't 55-60 hours per week. That's enough to not be a lateral movement (currently around $35K) but not too much to be unattainable. Last summer/fall I took a job that paid $42K but forced me to work 62 hours a week. It was salaried and exempt from overtime. The extra seven grand wasn't worth it and bumped me up a couple tax brackets since I have been getting wage plus cash tips. Luckily, I was able to go back to my old/current job without any problems. I'd rather get paid $50 less per week and save 22 hours of my life. Not to mention keeping my sanity. It was a pretty high stress job.

Post: #33

Cook.

It's creative and nice work. If you are good you can earn stars and become famous. You can even open an own restaurant and earn $$$.

Post: #34

(04-07-2016 06:32 PM)frozen-ace Wrote:  Lots of outdoor jobs in Alaska.

Oil jobs up on the North Slope (it's not as easy as it used to be though to get a job up there). Pretty much every kind of job imaginable- driller, welder, maintenance, mechanic, list goes on and on. Great pay. 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off.

Bush pilot, or even pilot. There are a few regional airline companies that service the remote villages. You would be based out of Fairbanks or Anchorage, and fly freight or passengers to the remote villages. Or you could fly sea planes out of Juneau and service the small island communities.

Alaska has a string of radar stations part of the NORAD early warning system. There is a company that services these radar sites. You get to visit some pretty amazing places.

If I think of some more I'll post them.

It's been a while since you have posted this, but It feels to be a bit of a jewel for me currently. Do you have any insights or connections to getting jobs in AK? I've been hitting up Indeed and looking here. Definitely need a change of scenery and jobs and scenery are at the top of my list.