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918evo

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My wife is a 1st year RN who will make around 90K this year w/ overtime and bonuses. She works with agency nurses that make 120-160K a year and has a friend that made 320Kish during the first Covid frenzy. I have been self-employed selling cars, parts and doing mechanic work for the past 12 years and will have a finance degree in a few weeks. Being self-employed was difficult starting out, but now it gives me a ton of flexibility that I can't get with a 9-5.
 

John6185

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I would recommend anyone put money back for retirement or seek a job that did have a retirement (the are mighty scarce nowadays). Because that day will be on you seemingly overnight. I retired from one job and had retirement and found another and lived off of the second job and ratholed the first retirement and now I'm able to buy almost anything I want-except another house and move because they are too expensive.
Addendum: Some of you mentioned PhD degrees for NP's, Some folks have a Masters in their specialty and then go on to get a doctorate in philosophy and they are titled "Doctor." As in Audiology-and I think it's somewhat misleading. There was a Physician's Assistant at the OKC VA who got a masters degree and then a doctorate in philosophy and introduced himself as "Doctor" to patients. He was subsequently counseled and had to stop using the title Doctor.
 
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Frederick

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I would recommend anyone put money back for retirement or seek a job that did have a retirement (the are mighty scarce nowadays). Because that day will be on you seemingly overnight. I retired from one job and had retirement and found another and lived off of the second job and ratholed the first retirement and now I'm able to buy almost anything I want-except another house and move because they are too expensive.
a lot of you folks around here are older...i'm guessing pension plans were the thing back 40 years ago.....i grew up with that not being the norm, so i have always saved for my own retirement. my parents generation was the leap generation....they didn't have the luxury of having the importance of personal retirement savings being impressed on them at a young age.

getting a pension these days means that you're either working for the .gov or military. in the old days, a company took care of you when you got old. atleast that was the case 45-80s, from what i understand.

401ks are the thing now, but to me it seems like just a scammy way to take retirement away from workers, and putting the responsibility on the employee. a lot of younger people are woefully ignorant of it and live day to day...expecting to live off Social Security, if they even think about it at all. or to die when they're 50, which i don't believe them.
 

dennishoddy

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What's y'alls thought on as a machinist my son is taking a class at Tri County Tech . Is it a good trade to get into?
I got certified after two years of training at TTC. The CNC side will have the most demand, I wanted the old school manual stuff. With straight As and a great work record, that will put you in as a floor sweeper, as real machine shops tend to want you to apprentice as a new guy.

The CNC training will get you a better paycheck quicker. If one sticks with the conventional machining and becomes an expert, the pay is much better, and there is always demand.

CNC programming is a good option as well - more interesting than just listening to your machine run.
After almost 18 years in companies running CNC and manual machines I’d agree CNC is easier than conventional machining.
The avenue to top money is to focus on a tool and die position that involves both CNC and conventional machining.
CNC programming in the locations I worked at started lower in pay vs a machinist but went ahead in the pay scale after a couple years.
 

dennishoddy

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Instrument & Controls technician, Industrial Electrician (Journeyman) would be my pics for a great, well paid job and a good stable working life ... most things hands on electrical are in very high demand
I&C was my profession. As stated earlier, be ready to work mountains of overtime on days when the family is celebrating Christmas or Thanksgiving if the company is a 24/7 365 day operation as mine was.
Double time and a half was pretty good pay though on holidays. 😀
 

dennishoddy

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a lot of you folks around here are older...i'm guessing pension plans were the thing back 40 years ago.....i grew up with that not being the norm, so i have always saved for my own retirement. my parents generation was the leap generation....they didn't have the luxury of having the importance of personal retirement savings being impressed on them at a young age.

getting a pension these days means that you're either working for the .gov or military. in the old days, a company took care of you when you got old. atleast that was the case 45-80s, from what i understand.

401ks are the thing now, but to me it seems like just a scammy way to take retirement away from workers, and putting the responsibility on the employee. a lot of younger people are woefully ignorant of it and live day to day...expecting to live off Social Security, if they even think about it at all. or to die when they're 50, which i don't believe them.
Almost nobody offers pensions any more. FIL had a pension. When he passed last year, MIL’s share dropped 50%.
With a 401K the withdrawal can reduce the tax base making it a wash at times as one works through the pay raise process.
When a spouse passes you still retain that full amount until it runs out or in the case of an annuity, you get a guaranteed income for life.
 

JT708

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After almost 18 years in companies running CNC and manual machines I’d agree CNC is easier than conventional machining.
The avenue to top money is to focus on a tool and die position that involves both CNC and conventional machining.
CNC programming in the locations I worked at started lower in pay vs a machinist but went ahead in the pay scale after a couple years.
Thank You for your response and information on options.
 

trekrok

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This has been an interesting thread. Thanks to everyone sharing their story.

I've had two careers. One in the financial world requiring almost constant air travel. Burned out. Retooled in the stable and reliable O&G industry, lol.

Like many above, I too find myself struggling to see the value in non-technical college degrees nowadays. I wish schools didn't try to pigeon hole kids into one track or the other. If I had a do-over I think I'd get a plumbing license and then go to college part time. Or full time and work plumbing part-time in the off hours. Seems doable and money would sure beat my wages while I was working through college.
 

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