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The company I work for keeps on making new polices and changes that amount to all of us doing more work for not more pay (including not giving 90-day raises for newer employees, which I am not, thankfully). I moved to the city I'm in in order to move OUT of this company, and into some creative field that I love (hopefully tattooing) and so far all it's done has made those goals less-workable. I work early mornings quite a bit, and I just found out that our hours are going to be even earlier, which will make my lack of a social life more like a bottomless pit of no return to social life. It's sucking my soul out and I want to escape. I've asked for suggestions before and you all have been very responsive and helpful, so I'll ask again, because I'd like nothing more than to give my notice to this job, but I've been doing it so long that I have no clue what else to do. I need a job that'll pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $13.50 to $15 and hour, full time, in order to continue living here. I was stupid and didn't go to college, so I don't have credentials for any specialized field. Help? Suggestions?

How about getting a job in a marijuana shop? They probably pay ok for retail. The big draw back of course is the possibility of a Mexican cartel kicking down the door and executing everyone inside.

Also, I heard COSTCO pays well and has great benefits. And everyone I talk to there when I am shopping seems to love working there.

I would try working for a pot shop, but I don't use it, so

I don't think they can legally discriminate against you for that.

Me neither. I think I'd just be a poor fit, is all.

If you can stick with it, construction pays really well.

Factory work? That's what I'm moving into, and if you're not a weed smoker, then you can pass the whizzer with ease. Which is probably increasingly hard to find in CO.

Soul-sucking as it is, as someone currently in a management position I think you could have a hard time adjusting to the lack of autonomy in a construction or factory job, and no way would you be less exhausted at the end of the day.

spacelordmother wrote:Soul-sucking as it is, as someone currently in a management position I think you could have a hard time adjusting to the lack of autonomy in a construction or factory job, and no way would you be less exhausted at the end of the day.

Yeah, I know. Everyone tells me to get into graphic design or something, but I've never even used photoshop in my life. I'm still aiming at getting into tattooing, but something else has got to pay the bills until then. That means at least a couple more years, and that's if I can even get into an apprenticeship sooner than later.

spacelordmother wrote:Soul-sucking

It's a thankless job but the pay is good

HVAC seriously. I'm a personal trainer and own my own business and neither one makes me enough money to be even close to comfortable. I've gotten to the point of not even liking most of my clients because I'm unhappy about my money situation.

People will always need heating and cooling.

dude serving or bartending. make 500$+ cash a week, work nights so you can sleep in, flexible schedule to start a serious band. cons are people suck, late nights, and you always have cash in hand so it's hard to save. but if you get into the right place, and get the good shifts, you can actually make decent money.

gunslinger_burrito wrote:

spacelordmother wrote:Soul-sucking as it is, as someone currently in a management position I think you could have a hard time adjusting to the lack of autonomy in a construction or factory job, and no way would you be less exhausted at the end of the day.

Yeah, I know. Everyone tells me to get into graphic design or something, but I've never even used photoshop in my life. I'm still aiming at getting into tattooing, but something else has got to pay the bills until then. That means at least a couple more years, and that's if I can even get into an apprenticeship sooner than later.

As a graphic designer who loves my job, I'm gonna say that nobody should go into the field unless you're ready to hustle and grind like hell, and are ok with taking criticism all day every day from all quarters. And since Adobe products are readily available for free, everyone thinks that they can design... which means if you're a freelancer, the haggling is endless, since everyone has a nephew, friend, ex-roommate, whatever, who could "do the job for less." Whether they could do it well is of course never considered.

That said, it beats many other gigs, and I can't imagine doing anything else at this point. When a gig does work out, and you manage to make a client happy and still produce something you're satisfied with, it's like magic.

jrmy wrote:
As a graphic designer who loves my job, I'm gonna say that nobody should go into the field unless you're ready to hustle and grind like hell, and are ok with taking criticism all day every day from all quarters. And since Adobe products are readily available for free, everyone thinks that they can design... which means if you're a freelancer, the haggling is endless, since everyone has a nephew, friend, ex-roommate, whatever, who could "do the job for less." Whether they could do it well is of course never considered.

That said, it beats many other gigs, and I can't imagine doing anything else at this point. When a gig does work out, and you manage to make a client happy and still produce something you're satisfied with, it's like magic.

I've spent enough time around tattooing to know that it shares many of the same issues. Many of my not-very-tattooed friends have been recommending the "some guy they know" that I need to get in touch with. Every time I find their portfolio online, I think to myself " if that person is tattooing to make a living, then why in the hell aren't I?!" I'm fine with people thinking they know better all the time. It's no different from any other customer-related job. I'd just prefer to be doing something I gave some sort of a shit about. Until then, I need something to pay the rent. I thought I was going to have to put in my two weeks (with no plan for the future) today. But alas, the shit did not hit the fan quite that hard.

Having worked briefly helping out behind the register of a tattoo parlor, I totally agree - any customer-facing service job is going to have the same sorts of hangups. Especially when notions of art / self / expression are on the line. In design, it's people or corporations worrying (or not worrying enough) about their brand and how they're perceived. In tattooing, it's the clients worrying (or not worrying enough) about their visual representation of self. If you're cool with negotiating those waters, hell, go for it! I've seen the stuff you've posted here, and it would make gorgeous tattoos!