Making six figures without going to college

I think the basis of this whole thread comes down to- LIKE what you do, learn a trade no one else does as well as you, and be really berkeleying good at it. I know everyone thinks he's a toolbag, but look at Jesse James. Worth PILES of money. He's QUIT making bikes, and still has a waiting list. Same with Matt Hotch. These guys are selling $250k+ bikes and have multi-year waiting list. I don't believe either man graduated high school. I believe Foose went to design school, but a lot of the high end rod builders/custom guys and people of that ilk are just really damn good at what they do and they love it.

People still want quality, and those that can afford it, can really afford it. Find a niche that sets you apart.

If you count the numbers right of the decimal, 6 figures is easy to do.

I can top 100k working at the fire department if I take overtime twice per month.

Also, there are countless blue collars around here topping 100k working in the oil field. Everyone from deck hands to truck drivers. They work a lot of hours but the pay and benefits make it worthwhile. Only problem is that the business is boom or bust and they don't have any decent job security.

Early in the thread, one of the posters mentioned being an airplane mechanic. I spent two years in college getting my A&P licenses. Looking back, I regret it. Low pay and no real job security. I wouldnt want to commit to a life with a career where I had to worry about layoffs. I did it for a few years and moved on to my current career.

EastCoastMojo wrote: People still want quality, and those that can afford it, can really afford it. Find a niche that sets you apart.

There was a lot of trouble right after I delivered the first few kidneys from my Homeless Harvest brand. Seems there is some kind of monopoly where only medical professionals can sell the damn things at a decent mark-up or I'd be a freakin' billionaire by now.

Capitalism my ass.

Self employed plumbers, electricians, well and pump guys, excavating contractors, and HVAC guys do very well if they actually work 5 days a week. Added benefits include extra cash from scrap, cash jobs, and vehicle and tool write offs. Things that cost more that regular employed people don't have to worry about include no paid vacations, no employer sponsored retirement plans, or health care, liability and workers comp insurance. Become a master plumber or electrician and you can have other people work for you, provided you have enough business to support employees.

mndsm wrote: I think the basis of this whole thread comes down to- LIKE what you do, learn a trade no one else does as well as you, and be really berkeleying good at it. I know everyone thinks he's a toolbag, but look at Jesse James. Worth PILES of money. He's QUIT making bikes, and still has a waiting list. Same with Matt Hotch. These guys are selling $250k+ bikes and have multi-year waiting list. I don't believe either man graduated high school. I believe Foose went to design school, but a lot of the high end rod builders/custom guys and people of that ilk are just really damn good at what they do and they love it.

He quit making bikes? Does he just make parts/frames/etc now?

He's always posting stuff he is making on Instagram.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

EastCoastMojo wrote: People still want quality, and those that can afford it, can really afford it. Find a niche that sets you apart.

There was a lot of trouble right after I delivered the first few kidneys from my Homeless Harvest brand. Seems there is some kind of monopoly where only medical professionals can sell the damn things at a decent mark-up or I'd be a freakin' billionaire by now. Capitalism my ass.

Stop shopping in shelters and join a church? remember Quality is job one.

z31maniac wrote:

mndsm wrote: I think the basis of this whole thread comes down to- LIKE what you do, learn a trade no one else does as well as you, and be really berkeleying good at it. I know everyone thinks he's a toolbag, but look at Jesse James. Worth PILES of money. He's QUIT making bikes, and still has a waiting list. Same with Matt Hotch. These guys are selling $250k+ bikes and have multi-year waiting list. I don't believe either man graduated high school. I believe Foose went to design school, but a lot of the high end rod builders/custom guys and people of that ilk are just really damn good at what they do and they love it.

He quit making bikes? Does he just make parts/frames/etc now? He's always posting stuff he is making on Instagram.

Ostensibly, yes. He closed down West Coast Choppers and picked up the whole show and moved it to Texas. Is part owner in Austin Speed Shop- they make hot rods. He still "makes bikes" but it is more of a....hobby? He has more machinery in his shed and talent in his hands than most of the state of MN combined. But he's more of a one man operation now. Similar to Hotch I guess.

no one has mentioned porn star yet

Eh, I'll disagree with liking what you do. Tolerate it? Sure. Everything becomes oldhat eventually.

Most jobs that keep you on your toes constantly can remain exciting indefinitely, but usually come at a cost of your personal time. Even though I was away from home a lot, having a large amount of responsibility while away made things interesting. Of course, I've worked around a thousand hours of OT in the past 12 months.

Another big thing to take away from this thread is six figures doesn't mean the same standard of living to everyon depending on where they are and what they do. I earned just shy of that over the past 12 months. Between paying off all my debts and racing, that money disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Its not very realistic to expect to earn six figures without an education IMO unless you're willing to put in the time. You also have to figure in that most of the jobs that do will take a toll on your body, and may not allow you to transition into something less physically demanding later on in life.

HiTempguy wrote: Eh, I'll disagree with liking what you do. Tolerate it? Sure. Everything becomes oldhat eventually.

^This. I love the company I work for, I don't necessarily love my job each and every day. It's certainly not what I'd choose to do if I could do anything I wanted with my time and effort. It's a balance, I could be doing a job I really love to do but be putting in more time away from my family for a company who doesn't treat me as well.

Any job becomes just a job if you do it long enough.

I've been a tradesman for 30+ years and can assure you that the only toll it's taken on my body is in a positive way. Physically, I'm a lot better off than the cubicle jockeys.

I'll say this: we design and service packaging equipment, and it is INCREDIBLY difficult to find a good trades person who doesn't mind travel. You could make $150k in our industry if you're good with customers, great with your hands, can learn PLC and HMI programming, and have great trouble-shooting skills.

What shop?

We have been short handed in the maintenance shop since I started here 3 years ago. $75k to start, and OT if you want it.

Nathan JansenvanDoorn wrote: I'll say this: we design and service packaging equipment, and it is INCREDIBLY difficult to find a good trades person who doesn't mind travel. You could make $150k in our industry if you're good with customers, great with your hands, can learn PLC and HMI programming, and have great trouble-shooting skills.

Finding someone with those skills that doesnt mind the travel and all the bs that goes with it. Double your number and I'd consider it. Not for a penny less.

I don't mind travel or BS, as long as my boss understands that I'm traveling and the BS I put up with.

Zomby Woof wrote: Any job becomes just a job if you do it long enough. I've been a tradesman for 30+ years and can assure you that the only toll it's taken on my body is in a positive way. Physically, I'm a lot better off than the cubicle jockeys.

that is the truth. All my body's aches and pains have come from off the job. I know guys half my age with bad backs... and half my age is 22

Nathan JansenvanDoorn wrote: I'll say this: we design and service packaging equipment, and it is INCREDIBLY difficult to find a good trades person who doesn't mind travel. You could make $150k in our industry if you're good with customers, great with your hands, can learn PLC and HMI programming, and have great trouble-shooting skills.

I'm pretty sure you're in Edmonton. Send me a job posting link why doncha?

Slippery wrote: I honestly think, and I mean no disrespect by this, that if you are asking how to make x amount by putting in less effort (lets say not go to school), you are not going to get there.

This.

I have very little to add, but I will say that, from my experience, people get out of life what they put in. You can't just put in hard work, either. You need to use all your faculties at all times. Anybody can make lots of money. What are you willing to sacrifice to get it, because there will be sacrifice.

Also, opportunity waits for no man. You need to be able to recognize and capitalize on opportunity. This is an art.

I am a high-rise window cleaner. If I can ever change my transient lifestyle, creating a business that yielded six-figures in ten years wouldn't be unreasonable. The business itself would even be worth a fair bit of money. However, this business isn't for everyone and it would take lots of long weeks and some hard times to reach its ultimate potential. The advantage of it would be that it could start small and reach profitability fairly quickly. I imagine the same would be true for plumbers or electricians.

madmallard wrote:

poopshovel wrote: For someone intending to own their own business, I'd absolutely say that ten times out of nine, $100k put toward startup is a better value than $100k in business school.

i would agree except for one expenditure. accounting courses. learn your good bookkeeping & spending habits early.

I think this is worth repeating again. 5-10 years ago you couldn't move for people in the auto industry rushing off to do MBA's. It was seen as the must have to even staying level, let alone advancing. I considered it and didn't as I already have a Masters. With a couple of exceptions where the MBA got people an in to find a new job, I don't see anyone worrying about them anymore. YEs you need an MBA to make a Director level, but below that the pendulum seems to have swung back towards being good at your job, not getting another degree. I know several people with MBa's who have fallen back in the last few years too. The hype seems like a broken promise these days.

mattmacklind wrote: One thing to keep in mind is the cost of trade schools. Good 4 year trade school educations for technical areas run in the upper 70's for a four program. That's not much less than a four year engineering degree at a strong state school (in my state, Missouri University of Science and Technology) and that includes room and board at the state school, not at tech.

Bah. That's 'University of Missouri, Rolla', not Missouri S&T. And get off my lawn. :P

Throwing my own few cents into the ring....

Spent 7 years in college getting BS & MS engineering degrees and accumulated no debt- parents saved wisely for my undergrad and I went to a (good) state school, and did the leg work to get a fellowship that paid for all of my grad time as well as paying me for doing research work (the University really wanted more non-foreign students in their grad programs...). I stayed on to get my advanced degree because there were really no decent jobs to be had when I was finishing up my BS- in the intervening two years, there was a solid upturn in the industry and companies had finally started hiring again.

Got a job right out of college at the jet engine division of a major international corporation for roughly $50k. Also got offered a job working at a major manufacturing company in my parents' then-hometown in the time between when I graduated and started my full-time job. I took a temp job at the company doing data entry, and when I finished that in a fraction of the time they expected was asked to assist one of their engineers- who when he found out my background and education tried to hire me to work there with him despite it being an almost entirely different field of engineering than what I was trained in.

Worked at the initial division for two years, and then transferred to their whirly-bladed flying things division to be closer to my now-ex-wife's job. When said ex BECAME an ex, I took a transfer to a semi-managerial job halfway across the country in a place MUCH cheaper to live than where the company is based. Shortly after moving there was promoted to a level more appropriate for what I was doing, and we got a massive pay adjustment up since the company was hemmoraging engineers to contractors because they were paying so much more.

I just hit the 13 year mark out from college. Mostly work 40 hour weeks at the office, occasionally get sent out to engineering support on-site across the country where I will put in overtime as necessary. At the current minimum yearly pay-raise level and not accounting for potential promotions, I'll hit 6 figures in 3-4 more years.

Will I still be working here then? Good question. I don't have any concerns about getting laid off- the position I fill here is pretty much required under the company rules, and there's really nobody else with the necessary experience who'd come out and do it. It does however have its boring stretches where there's not much urgent going on and the contract company I help oversee can handle things largely on their own. I've long loved the idea of starting a charity-subsidized auto shop, but have never been comfortable enough with things to try and have a go at it. The GF however is in the final phases of starting up a non-profit dance company to do outreach to teach developmentally disabled children dance, and if it takes off well enough I may more seriously revisit my own idea once we're settled more and I could potentially take the financial leap necessary.

My own suggestions/experiences:

• I'm an Army Brat, and thus moving across the country wasn't something I gave a second thought to- most of my contemporaries didn't even want to think about leaving the region. If you're flexible in being able to follow where the jobs are, you've got a solid leg up on everyone else
• There's doubtless an element of luck in getting a good job and advancing- but being willing to take a risk and shoot for things you might consider out of reach can definitely pay off
• You don't have to LOVE what you do all the time, but if there isn't the spark there about something that you do/work on, you should probably be looking for something to do that DOES provide that spark. Much of the time my job is kind of dull- but when I get to go out and work on the actual aircraft and see what I'm working on in practice, it's fantstic. And seeing them flying around and on the news/in movies/TV always makes me smile.
• Own your mistakes as much as your successes. I've made several mistakes that have set us back several weeks of work, but have always immediately owned up to having been the one responsible when discovered the mistake. My bosses have obviously not been pleased at the lost time, but I've also never gotten more than a verbal chastisement for it and have actually had it cited as a positive thing in reviews. On the other hand, I've seen others fired for trying to cover up mistakes or shift the blame for them to other people (often their subordinates, who are then less trusting and willing to go the extra mile when necessary).