Optimal Jobs

List the best career choices and job opportunities. This is for jobs that do not require a college education.

Being a plumber or car mechanic (or motorcycle etc.) are good career choices that take about 1 year of vocational school or one must get lucky and get on the job training or learn themselves somehow. Generally I feel if a person is smart enough they should avoid committing to these jobs and simply work towards jobs that require a higher education and towards investing and such.

Investment opportunities abound. Yet what about most of us who don't have money to invest? Where is the best way to make it?

Obviously a college education is best, and really ANYONE can afford a college education if they try hard enough. In Europe its free, and in America a person can attend a community college (optimal degrees are discussed elsewhere). But College notwithstanding most job opportunities suck.

The best job opportunity for someone who has no connection (no one who can "hook him up" with a good job) and if the person is 21 or older and no major criminal history would be to get a CDL and drive a semi-truck or some similar work. CDL classes should be taken at a vocational school where it will cost little to nothing as opposed to a private school, or one should contact an employer who will pay for training. Do not pay a private school unless you don't mind sinking a couple thousand extra bucks.

A new truck driver will have to work for the shitty companies at shitty jobs and then after a few years experience can move on to the nice companies. Be ready to eat shit for the first two years. That is the name of the game, but it is no worse than the treatment at minimal wage jobs. Just hang in there. Usually a person will earn about $500 a week starting pay driving a semi, and around $800 to $1,000 a week after they have experience if they are willing to go long distances (be gone for days or weeks at a time for instance which does not provide a lot of time for a family). It is not easy to back up a truck and maneuver but after about 3 months of school and a couple months of practice it should not be a problem.

This job requires almost no intelligence and the main reason people can't do it is because of failing a drug test or prison record. Thus there is usually a very high demand and shortage of truck drivers. Most intelligent people go to college and earn better jobs, most people at the bottom of society are too lazy (or too young) to get a CDL, won't put the effort forth for future gain to take the training, and so on. So it is a solid middle class job that cannot be shipped over seas (though they are using trains more to ship some items).

When first starting out if you find a company that will pay for your training they will lock you into a contract. Also other companies will try to lure you in with contracts (work for us for 2 years) etc. Avoid these if possible. You will be earning less money than others with similar experience, work worse routes, be treated worse etc. in contract jobs. But if that is all you can get then just smile, eat the shit, and you will still earn a good paycheck.

The real golden ticket is an experienced truck driver. Most truck companies pay really high, treat their employees really well, but only hire people with several years experience at a minimal.

One should perfect the art of living cheaply while making a good pay check such as what is above. The money should be put aside into optimal investments which will generate cashflow.

It is also possible a person can find local opportunities. Coal Miners earn about $25 an hour with only a high school education, pass a drug test etc. and they can't find people to do it even though they live in towns with high poverty, because no one can pass a drug test! The job is dirty and dangerous though!

Working on an off shore oil rig is also a possible option which does not require a great deal of education and pay ranges from $40,000 to $60,000 a year (roughly $600 a week). The starting pay on an offshore oil rig is probably higher than that of a truck driver, but also it is a harder life as a person is totally isolated from everything. Also most of these jobs require some type of training (usualy a few months on the job) most likely any job here will require a contract of at least a year if not longer. This is a job that requires working out in the heat and cold, isolated on the ocean for long periods of time and so forth, but is a way to save money quickly. The main downfall of offshore oil rigs is there aren't a lot of them! Employment is not guranteed. Every town, city, and country side needs truck drivers to deliver goods to stores, factories and so forth so there are jobs everywhere and are very easy to find.