Those seeking work who were unable to earn a college degree or receive advanced training needn't be discouraged.
There is a wide range of jobs out there that surprisingly require little to no experience and actually pay a decent wage.
Many would even argue holding a degree of higher learning didn't help them land the jobs that made them happy.
Curious to hear examples of the kind of work people do without extensive training or expertise in a field and are able to earn a comfortable living, Redditor moonlightandmischief asked:
"What is a well paying job that requires minimal schooling or training?"
These jobs deal with death and rebirth.
Handling Road Kill
"Picking up dead animals for the highway department. The training is mostly just handing you a shovel and assigning you to a truck. It pays really well, which is nice, because you'll want to burn your clothes. Try to get promoted to 'driver' as soon as you can."
Having A Green Thumb
"For students in Canada, treeplanting can be very lucrative but is also very physically demanding. No education required. My first summer I only made about $3.5k a month but that went up every year. My last few seasons I was making about $10k a month."
Backyard Farmer
"Growing microgreens to sell to high end restaurants nets around $150,000 in London. Or if you're in California, you can legally sell weed."
The benefit of these jobs is on-site training.
Mining Business
"Mining/Miner. I work in an above ground stone quarry."
"Needed no degree, all training was on the job. I was familiar with equipment from running farm equipment. People here make around 85-100K per year."
"Blessed."
Only Requirement Is A Jacket
"Where I work in a cold storage warehouse requires little to no experience. Around $25/hr, all the overtime you can handle. Some parts of the year when they need extra help they pay 10 extra an hour, and sometimes 20. So you could be making like 53/hr including overtime. Not bad. It's pretty hard work though."
Obscure Opinions People Are Fully Committing To | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
We all have a set of beliefs about even the smallest of topics. Like sandwiches should have structural integrity. That's something we can all agree on, right...Making The World A Cleaner Place
"Trash collector."
"The high pay is more about the hazards and health risks, i guess. As well as the fact that you have to find ppl who actually want to work in this field."
Staying Vigilant
"Honestly, unarmed contracted security. For an entry level job where you mostly just stand there and call the police when needed, here it averages between $15-20 an hour and it seems anyone with a clean criminal record and a negative drug test can land a position."
Unlimited Overtime
"Natural gas technician… I was making 40 an hour with unlimited OT. They hired me and after 1 year of training on the job I was making 100k a year without trying. Had guys working 60-70 hours a week making almost 200k a year."
"Saved a sh*t ton of money for 5 years and bought a pizza shop. Make close to same money but own my own business now! I loved the job and had a ton of fun but never had any passion for it and hated being on call constantly."
– MoNeyMillz28
Communication Skills Are A Plus
"Apparently the helpdesk at my work are making 19/hr. Basic hardware/software/windows OS knowledge, attention to detail and ability to communicate and you're gucci."
– SourLimeSoda
Training In Under A Week
"Becoming an insurance adjuster."
"I took a 5 day class, passed a test, total cost a few hundred. Found a job and make about $32K starting and you pretty much learn as you go and switch companies/get promoted every few years. Doesn't take too long to get into the $80K range and you can become senior-manager level after 10 years if you want."
– absolute4080120
Playing Hostess
"Just went through the entire thread and I'm so surprised there are only 1-2 people saying to work at a semi high end restaurant being a server/ bartender. Im a hostess and make 25/hr."
– sglstudios
The following jobs dealing with machinery get the spotlight here.
Getting On Track
"Railcar Carman. Just need a drivers license & a high school diploma or equivalent. Twice yearly raises and great benefits for a job they do on the job training for and also send you out to training."
"Also conductors and engineers but their schedules are crazier and even the guys who have 20 years in get sh*t schedules."
Working With Plastics
"I work in the plastic industry. Setting up blow mold machines and injection machines. Only about 4 months of training no school. Make about 30 a hour."
– ImCr4fty
Going With The Flow
"I hate to put it out there but tow boating in the Mississippi River 42k a year for six months work all the over time you can stand. The catch is it is miserable work, you'll be cold, hot, tired and well fed. Its a mostly male dominated field as the work is very body intensive but I've seen 3 females out here in 6 years so its not impossible."
– HardcaseHondo
It Pays To Maintain Heat, Ventilation, And Air Conditioning
"HVAC Tech. Still need an aptitude for figuring out mechanical problems. And must be ok working in hot dusty attics and the occasional weekend/holiday."
"If you set up your own residential shop after a couple years, and are prompt and good at your job, you could rake in the money. And if you get into commercial, that's where the very big money is."
When I first started college, I was a theater major. But then I realized a degree in theater was not going to guarantee me a stable career in a very unstable and unpredictable industry.
So I switched my major and study focus to English literature.
When I became lucky enough to eventually sustain a living supporting myself as an artist, I wondered if having a BA in English would have taken me further in life if being a performer didn't work out for me.
Many of my friends started well-paying jobs that had nothing to do with what they studied in university.
Again, I'm not here to knock a college education, but with so many jobs out there that don't require much experience and offer on-the-job training, I wonder if all my money spent on college tuition could've served a better purpose in investments.
Just a thought.
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Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Every now and then, a friend of ours might say something, or we might overhear a complete stranger say something that makes us stop in our tracks.
More often than not, what we can't believe we just heard is something so ridiculous, we can't help but put the person who said it in their place.
Other times, however, what we just heard might have stunned us silent because of how shockingly clever it was.
Resulting in our not wanting to scold or yell at someone, but rather give them a handshake.
Redditor SubmergingOriginal was curious to hear the sharpest and wittiest things they've ever heard, from friends and strangers alike, leading them to ask:
"Enough with the dumbest; what is the wittiest thing you've ever heard someone say?"
Don't Give Me So Much Credit...
'I was on a team at work that was on a project working insane overtime."
"One night after an 80-90 hour week, we were all sitting around the table trying to finish up so we could go home."
"Around 11, my buddy's wife called, dubious about the hours he'd been keeping."
"We heard her through the line - 'are you cheating on me?'"
"Exasperated, he looked at our boss, then replied 'honey, if I was cheating on you, I would have been home by now'."- lionbatcher
Eternal Optimism...
"Asked a blind guy if he'd been blind his whole life."
"He said 'Not yet'."- Feeling_Mode_6465
Free time Isn't The Only Thing He Has On His Hands...
"My brother got a vasectomy and when the doctor was releasing him and giving him instructions (with the nurse listening in), one of the orders was to 'come back and have a follow-up appointment after you’ve ejaculated 30 times'.”
"Without missing a beat my brother asked 'what time do you open tomorrow?'”
"The nurse couldn’t keep it together after hearing that."- UtahUtopia
Awkward Season 8 GIF by The Office
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Double Whammy!
"My pal uses the phrase 'he doesn’t look strong enough to carry information' and it cracks me up every time."
"Calling someone stupid and weak in one fell swoop."- JennyW93
Can't Hide Your DNA...
'Whenever I jokingly insult my mum, she says 'that must be where you get it from'."
"She cracked the code."
"I can never offend her without offending myself."- JennyW93
Self-Sufficient!
"My brother was a line cook at a New Orleans restaurant."
"My mom was in town, staying at a fancy hotel, and he stopped by after work, still wearing his kitchen whites."
"He was reading a newspaper in the lobby waiting for her to come down when the shocked lobby manager sputtered at him, 'MAY I HELP YOU!?!?'
"He answered, 'thanks, but I know how to read',” and went back to his paper."- jobrody
Morph Current Affairs GIF by Aardman Animations
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A Miracle!
"My brother-in-law’s comment."
"The entire family went out for my mother’s 80th birthday and after the meal we all went to a local park, largely occupied by the elderly, to rest."
"My mother needed crutches at this point, and they were resting against her bench."
"My 10-year-old niece, who looked like every starving waif image from Dickens, grabbed the crutches and started hobbling round the park."
"All the OAPs were following her progress with looks of pity until my brother ran up behind her, and kicked away the crutches."
"There was an audible gasp from round the park and then my niece picked the crutches back up and started chasing my brother, clearly intending to hit him."
"In the confused silence my brother-in-law’s voice rang out 'Praise be! She can walk again!'"
"We still think this was the highlight of the birthday celebrations."- DdraigGwyn
Still Legal, Whichever Way You Cut It...
"I picked up my pleasantly tipsy boyfriend from a nightclub."
"We were stopped by the Police for a random breath test."
"They asked me my age, and I said, 33."
"My bf blurted out '33? You told me you were 22'."
"Police just laughed and let me go."- Aggravating-Corgi379
Music Video Police GIF by Andrew W. K.
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A Bit Too On The Nose?
"Business law class in college years ago, talking about the issues that black Americans had before the Civil Rights."
"Amendment, trying to travel through the south with the discrimination so rampant, trying to find restaurants to serve them and decent lodgings."
"My instructor was posing a hypothetical: 'So you pull up out front of this place, you're exhausted from driving for hours, and you see the sign out front says 'Ku Klux Klan Motel'."
"'What would you expect to find there?'"
"Without missing a beat, from the back of the room came this gem: "'Extra sheets in every room?'"- NedsAtomicDB
Not Yet, Anyway...
"I was working with my friend and his dad."
"My friend (26) heard an ice cream truck near where we were working."
"He asked his dad if he could have a couple dollars."
"His dad asked, 'what for?'"
"My friend told his dad that there was an ice cream truck in the neighborhood, and that they were playing music."
"My friends dad told him "'They don't charge anything to listen to the music'."- tatersalad1234567890
Words Escape You In The Literal "Heat" Of The Moment...
"A friend of mine is a teacher and her husband is known for his wit."
"She told this story to him:"
"One day at school a kid took the hall pass and returned reeking like smoke."
"She asked the kid if he’d been smoking and he denied it over and over."
"She was about to send him to the office when she noticed smoke coming from somewhere."
"She told the kid and he realized that he didn’t put his cig out completely and it was burning in his pants pocket."
"The kid noticed and frantically tried to put it out and someone finally poured water on it."
"Her husband sat listening to this with a weird look on his face."
"She asked him what was wrong."
“'What’s wrong???'"
"'This was probably the only chance you’ll have in your life to say literally, ‘liar,liar, pants on fire’ and you missed your chance'."- Luder714
On Fire No GIF by PEEKASSO
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Amazing What You Might Say A Few Drinks In...
"When I went to a renaissance faire once, I went to a beer tent and ordered a Newcastle Brown Ale (seemed the most fitting for the surroundings)."
"The beer wench, without skipping a beat, said, 'Everyone wants a Newcastle - no one wants to remodel!'"- jayhof52
Read The Room People!
"My dad wiped out when skiing down a mountain and lost a ski."
"After a few minutes of hunting for it, he gives up, slings the one remaining ski over a shoulder and starts walking down the mountain in his ski boots."
"About half-way down, another skier stops and goes 'Gee! Did you lose a ski?'"
"My dad instantly replied 'No, I was out for a walk and found one!'"- PeterJoAl
There's a reason your mother always told you to "use your words".
As clever remarks can have a much more lasting effect on people than a push or shove.