With inflation reaching record highs, and economic crisis looming above us, our lives are getting tighter. Most people are already feeling it: from increased rent and ridiculous gas prices, to things many people took for granted, like morning frappuccinos and sushi takeaways, now becoming luxuries.
So when every little penny counts, you gotta hustle. In order to get us all some ideas how to survive in this gloomy economy, we looked at these two illuminating Reddit threads (this and this). People are sharing overlooked yet well (some unexpectedly!) paying jobs that desperately need workers right now, so it may give you some ideas for money-making career prospects.
Psst! After you’re done, be sure to check out our previous article about the easiest legal ways to make money on the side!
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Self employed cleaning services (i dont know exaclty what to call it)
My parents started getting paid $35 an hour cleaning a community center to ~$50 from cleaning offices.
My mom started it then my dad joined in to help her with the hours and taking care of the house and kids.
Eventually my mom got good contacts, and started cleaning the offices of managers from factories, Sacramento politicians, and stuff alike.
Can't express how proud i am of my mom. She turned all those shitty Hispanic cleaning lady jokes into something brag worthy.
I work as a lunch lady.
I get school vacations off, summers off, and weekends. No nights, or even really afternoons, it's amazing. I also get benefits, and every year I get a raise, so between the money and the time off, the job is 100% worth it.
Garbage collectors in New York are paid up to $112k, a solid salary considering you don’t even need a degree. Sounds like a nice fallback plan for me.
Try a few months in a city without garbage collectors and then ask yourself if they're worth every penny.
If you've ever wondered what are the highest-paying jobs out there in this crazy job market right now, pull your seat closer.
According to recently updated data shared by Indeed, the top 3 best-paid jobs are as follows: cardiologist with a national average salary of $351,827 per year, anesthesiologist with $326,296 per year and an orthodontist with $264,850 per year. Understandably, these jobs are not something you can easily swap your career for and require years of preparation.
If you have a strong stomach, cleaning up death and crime scenes pays very well and requires little education.
They deserve every penny, they have extremely high rates of PTSD, because they see the outcome of some very tragic deaths and often have to do the cleaning around the family of the decedent, and iirc the average length of tenure in that job it 8 months because of it. They often have to do very physically demanding jobs fully suited up in PPE which can be extremely uncomfortable.
Plumbers, they can charge 100$ an hour easy because people are stupid about regular things.
Great money in pressure washing/exterior cleaning.
Also, gutter cleaning. $100/hr is no problem on gutter cleaning. Requires no skill, and minimal equipment. If you’re ever broke, buy a ladder and clean gutters.
And the neighborhood kids that used to go around asking if they could mow lawns are now walking with power washers and make bank.
If you are still wondering what career path to choose, it’s wise to look at the most in-demand jobs right now. According to indeed, based on 1M job postings, machine learning engineers who’re responsible for programming and deploying machine learning solutions have the biggest demand in the market. These careers have had a 344% growth in job postings since 2015, making it the top in-demand job right now. The average base salary for a machine learning engineer is $146,085.
Mobile crane operator, union guys pull over 200k and its a trade thats pretty easy on the body.
I’m a gardener. There’s a serious lack of folks willing to do manual labour in the outdoors year-round. Most commercial properties have to maintain a certain amount of green area in our city. Hospitals and other places like that need legitimate crews to do the work with professionalism (no cat calling or spitting or swearing etc) including bonded employees and good insurance and equipment etc.
As a result we are in demand and we get paid surprisingly well. No university education needed, low barrier to entry, great pay and job security.
I'm a petsitter & I make pretty good cash from it during the busy times (summer & holidays) for very little effort in some cases. I've been doing it for a few years now & after busting my a*s & whoring my time out to clients & their critters I've built a great client base and can relax a bit now. Of course I work a full time job too, petsitting isn't steady enough to rely on but I can make an extra $5-600 a month when it's busy. It gets hectic figuring out the timing between the two jobs sometimes but it's so worth it. I'm currently petsitting for a week, $245 to hang out with two adorable dogs, eat their food, drink the wine they bought me, and relax. I love what I do.
"hang out with two adorable dogs, eat their food..." No thanks, I think I'll stick with people food.
The second most in-demand career is a full stack developer. This position requires a person to have a wide skillset and be able to work in front and back-end development with a variety of programming languages. Indeed states that these developers are in high demand, capturing 828 out of every 1M job postings. Full stack developers earn an average salary of $114,316 per year.
Waterslide tester, the rides are already confirmed to be safe enough for humans to ride. You're basically getting paid to ride on a safe waterslide and give feedback.
I was a bathroom attendant in a fancy restaurant. Made hundred of dollars a night in cash to do next to nothing.
Collecting golf balls. Saw on the news a guy makes over $250,000 traveling around and using scuba gear getting golf balls.
The third most in-demand career right now is realtor. Realtors play an integral role in helping people to buy and sell property. There has been an incredible 138% increase in job postings for realtors since 2015, which should be surprising considering the booming real estate market. Although most realtors work on a commission basis, the average salary earned is around $96,820, Indeed states.
Technical writing. If you have the ability to take complex technical information and simplify it according to the reading audience, you can make well over $100K annually.
People ridicule English degrees until they find out how much can be earned as a technical writer.
Medical illustrator.
You know like the anatomical drawings in scientific journals and such, the people behind that make a pretty good living. My friend dated one for a while and I was surprised how well she was doing.
Yeah, but ya gotta have the talent to draw well. Some folks (me) can barely draw a stick figure.
Skill trades. You don't need a 4year degree. Some programs are less than a year. Not everyone needs to be an engineer. Go be a welder, electrician, machine repair, or a pipe fitter.
This.All this. College is an expensive scam. A lot of knowledge learned in the trades can be used in other places. Im not a plumber, but I can repair my homes plumbing because I learned basic plumbing skills where I work. You can save money because you learn to fix your own stuff.
I was just talking to my daughter about this. She wants to be a writer and make graphic novels, and get back into singing. Even though there are community college courses for writing and graphic arts, it's not a field that requires certification. Some people benefit with learning how to construct stories better, but it's nothing practice from experience and researching independently can't help.
Load More Replies... My husband is a welder and made pretty good money, especially at the end of his career (the shop shut down after 25 years). But. It was a brutal job on him physically. Torn rotator cuff, bad knee, having to wear hearing aids, etc.. If you go into the field, can't stress this enough, wear your earplugs!
I'm a woman who went to college and got a Masters but I really wish I'd gotten into auto body or carpentry. It can be a tiring and difficult job but it doesn't feel unobtainable to learn, you know? I couldn't be a lawyer or doctor...my mind just isn't sharp enough. if you can get certified in auto body repair work or carpentry, you can open your own shop or make your own furniture/flip houses, etc and banks are much more willing to give you loans for opening this business because it's very in demand. There aren't a huge number of woman in the field so I feel like I could have gotten a small business loan very easily. I know people are pushing STEM careers for girls but I tell girls if you don't feel 'smart' enough to really get into that work -- and that's a valid fear a lot of people don't talk about. Not everyone can be an engineer or a successful scientist-- or even if they aren't sure what to do, get into auto body, carpentry, aviation or another typically male-dominated career.
Why can't you do it now? I don't know what your situation is, but I would encourage you to do what you want if possible. I wanted to be an architect, and through a winding path I ended up as a maintenance tech for a water utility. Do something you have interest in, but don't make your passion into a job.
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Don't be fooled though. These are dirty jobs in unconditioned spaces. I work as a welder and I have to wear a leather jacket and denim pants in 90°+F weather. There's hardly any sitting down. Lifting heavy steel. Crawling around in a pool of hydraulic oil while sparks are raining down in your ear. You'll make the money but you're going to be tired at the end of the day.
You speak some truth. But not all trades jobs are awful. And some of the awful is rare. I've been in a shower of sewerage before...but only once in 10 years. Some of it is like an adventure. I've had to weld guide rails hanging in a basket 20 feet below ground,but 15 feet above a well of the pure old nasty. Saturday, we put in new switchgear in a station. And I really enjoy my job.I don't think I'd wanna do anything else.
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HVAC often do a little bit of both with mechanical thrown in.
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This! The company I work for is in desperate need for maritime engineers and is offering huge bonuses to anyone ready to work. They're desperate enough to offer bonuses to fellow employees who recommend it. I promise skill trades are much in demand. Some jerk once filled you with lies about university degrees helping you on the way to a cushy life and that skilled jobs are something to look down upon. How can that be so when society would crumble in a day without the background workers keeping things going?
Knowing a trade is useful, profitable and essential. College is what you make of it. Back when I went one of the biggest benefits of college was interacting with so many different viewpoints, cultures, histories and perspectives that you didn’t get back home in grade school. Especially now that most universities, at least in the US, push one narrative that doesn’t allow dissension, I say yeah save the cash and learn to be a plumber. Stay off social media and talk to your neighbors and you’ll be the smartest person alive!
I was a lab analyst jumping from temp job to temp job for about 15 years. Finally waked up, research where they need workers. Took a leap and in 18 months became a machinist, and realised it was just my thing. Got a great, permanent job straigt out of school and never been happier.
I was a machinist for 17 years before I moved to maintenance work.
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My ex son in law trained as an electrician directly after he finished school. First job after training was 50k dollars. He has been doing it for 5 years now and his wage is now over 110k a year. No school loan debts at all.
I drive machinery in a coal mine in Australia. I make about 170k. Even our new trainees are paid pretty well, about $48 per hour. I think it ends up being close to 90-100k. Easy money for sitting on your a**e in an air conditioned cab.
Becoming a locksmith changed my life. Well paid and I get to help people out I love it
Q: Who are you and how did you get in here? A: I'm the locksmith and I'm the locksmith
Utility lineman. There is a developing shortage nationwide due to baby boom retirements. It's well paid base, but the overtime is fabulous.
NO thanks - have watched life on the line - high risk of death, especially for a clumsy sod like me
Court reporting. Stenography is a tough skill to learn, but plenty of court reporters earn over $100k. And no college degree required (although most CRs will need to be certified).
This is a risky job field to start in at this time. Automated voice stenography is not far from being perfected and once it is, the need for stenographers is going to plummet along with the salaries.
UPS drivers can make close to 100k if you stay there long enough.
But the stress of finishing your route and you don't start as a driver. You have to work your way up to being a driver
I work at home as a closed captioner broadcaster for the News. I make my own schedule and make between $35-$65 per hour depending on the job. Large investment to get started but significantly worth the payout.
Environmental Inspector in the Oil and Gas industry. Make $200,000 a year saving the planet.
Landscape lighting installation, never knew the industry existed. Now I love it and hope to run my own company someday.
Even better, how about focusing on environmentally-friendly, dark-sky compliant plans and fixtures?
Scrum masters in software development industry. They are paid 6 figures for basically setting up meetings and being cheer leaders. They don't have any responsibility for delivery of work and they don't have any work beyond what I described.
Update: I am talking about a dedicated scrum master who does absolutely nothing else but be a scrum master.
Update 2: I agree with you when you say you hate that this position exists as an individual entity and do believe that having one person just do this is wasteful.
Update 3: I am specifically referring to Scrum masters. Project Managers and engineering managers and POs are not included in this.
Hotdog vendors can earn 6 figures in a year
I think the operative word here is probably “can” - surely a lot of factors at play here.
Dog groomer. It’s a weird industry, though, and a skill that really has to be learned hands-on (grooming schools can be a good start, but I know great groomers that never went to school for it, and terrible groomers that spent thousands on classes). Just being good at handling dogs is the best foundation for success.
It’s not the easiest job in the world. It’s largely commission-based, and you’re lucky if you get any benefits out of it, but if you get enough practice in to be good at it and build up a loyal clientele base in a decently affluent area, it’s good money. The haircuts I do range from $70-$175, and I’m paid 50%, which averages out to around $30-$35 an hour most days. Not everyone tips, but those that do usually tip $5-$20 per dog, and because I do about 40 dogs in an average week, that’s an extra couple hundred in my pocket.
So if you don’t mind working on your feet all day, sustaining repetitive motion injuries, not taking lunch breaks, dealing with insane customers, and picking s**t off dog buttholes, it’s a good living.
Did you know people put gutters on their houses to catch the rain as it falls off the roof? I didn’t either until a guy walked up to me and handed me a job doing it. Turns out making $300-600 a day is an every day thing doing it piece rate in Florida.
Underwater welding pays a tremendous amount.
The only one I know personally retired comfortably in his 40's.
You have to spend all day in heavy gear underwater and frequently get shocked
Funeral Director is a great paying job with not a whole lot of schooling. That’s what I do and I make about $75,000.
Ice, producing Ice with industrial machines and selling it to people who export food makes you about 3k per day(about 60 tons of ice sold per day)
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It depends on where you live and the company you work for, but work for a ferry company, or maybe a cruiseship (but do research, some cruiseship lines may not be as great). I work for a ferry company and work on a rotation of two weeks on, two weeks off. It's a 12 hour day but I don't even notice and they go by fast. I live on the boat during those two weeks and have my own little cabin to unwind in, I have free access to the food on board and get to travel for free on their boats. I get a decent paycheck each time. Yes some of these jobs listed are hard and can cause strain, but you also need to look at what you get in return. And if you take care of your body, there is less damage. I know it's cheesy but exercise and eat good food!
If you have experience in customer service, places like Cumberland Farms, 7-11 and other retail gas stations offer store manager training and it takes just a few months. You can apply right off the street if you have basic management training at fast food or elsewhere. You get a bump once you take position. I made 82K a year to start. You get crazy bonuses every 4 months. The problem is the hours. I worked a 12 hour shift every day and I was on salary. And if you have callouts-expect to cover them yourself a lot of the time. If you are someone who is even remotely personable, it's a fantastic opportunity. I quit because I couldn't take the hours anymore (i'd work 2am -2pm and then come back and close whenever someone called out. At one point I was dealing with call outs constantly and I hadn't had a day off in 3 months). Most managers didn't have a lot of the issues I did. I was great at the back office stuff. I had the best profits in town but I didn't have patience for my employees.
I quit being a nurse and now work in the seafood department of a huge chain store. Make alot of money for something I didn't need an education for and I deal with way less people and death now. Bad side ... I smell like a fish after work. Lol.
I'll add medical imaging! X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, Cath lab, and more are only 2 years at community college and depending on your specialty start around $50k a year! And because these jobs are usually associated with health systems you usually get good benefits and health insurance to boot
It depends on where you live and the company you work for, but work for a ferry company, or maybe a cruiseship (but do research, some cruiseship lines may not be as great). I work for a ferry company and work on a rotation of two weeks on, two weeks off. It's a 12 hour day but I don't even notice and they go by fast. I live on the boat during those two weeks and have my own little cabin to unwind in, I have free access to the food on board and get to travel for free on their boats. I get a decent paycheck each time. Yes some of these jobs listed are hard and can cause strain, but you also need to look at what you get in return. And if you take care of your body, there is less damage. I know it's cheesy but exercise and eat good food!
If you have experience in customer service, places like Cumberland Farms, 7-11 and other retail gas stations offer store manager training and it takes just a few months. You can apply right off the street if you have basic management training at fast food or elsewhere. You get a bump once you take position. I made 82K a year to start. You get crazy bonuses every 4 months. The problem is the hours. I worked a 12 hour shift every day and I was on salary. And if you have callouts-expect to cover them yourself a lot of the time. If you are someone who is even remotely personable, it's a fantastic opportunity. I quit because I couldn't take the hours anymore (i'd work 2am -2pm and then come back and close whenever someone called out. At one point I was dealing with call outs constantly and I hadn't had a day off in 3 months). Most managers didn't have a lot of the issues I did. I was great at the back office stuff. I had the best profits in town but I didn't have patience for my employees.
I quit being a nurse and now work in the seafood department of a huge chain store. Make alot of money for something I didn't need an education for and I deal with way less people and death now. Bad side ... I smell like a fish after work. Lol.
I'll add medical imaging! X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, Cath lab, and more are only 2 years at community college and depending on your specialty start around $50k a year! And because these jobs are usually associated with health systems you usually get good benefits and health insurance to boot
