Gas? Mining? Work for laborer type in mountains?

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Looks like I need to make some moves if I want to move back out west in the next couple years. Not making much money working for my family here in NJ, and the only reason anyone lives here is to make lots of money, so why stay right?

My plans for trying to expand the family business out west don't look too promising now, so I am just gonna have to go it alone. In the meantime, I need to find a way to make some decent money. Yeah, I went to college, but at the end of the day I like working with my hands. I have alot of construction experience. Masonry/concrete work, carpentry, painting, etc. It just comes naturally to me, and I had alot of guidance from a guy I have done alot of work with who has been doing it all for over 40 years.

With my skills what should I be looking to do if I want to live somewhere like the San Juans in CO (ideally) or maybe northern AZ or NM? I just want to work alot, but have some time to ride my bike and ski. Being a weekend warrior would be a big upgrade from the 6+ days/week I am pulling here for pay that barely covers the expenses in this damn overpriced hell hole.

How does one get into drilling, or mining or something similar where it seems like the only way to make good money and live in a rural place? My GF is a nurse, so its not like we will be totally fucked for money if I am not banking, but what should I do to be able to move west within 2 years and make at least 60k as soon as I get out there?

[splat]

Mining jobs in Nevada start at $30/hr and there's lots available.

[ace..]

North Dakota.

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[Whiteroom_Guardian]

ND = not gonna happen.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Guy! You're looking for a $60K blue collar job? I thought you were bitching that the physical labor was killing you? Instead of saying "ain't gonna happen" I'll give you a list of the professions of people I know that net $60K going to work in Carhartts.

1. Business owners - contractors
2. Master Plumbers
3. Master Electricians
4. Linesman
5. Shit Plant Supervisor
6. Operations Supervisor at a mine
7. Supervisor of a Road & Bridge Department
8. Tower Climbers
9. Traveling Industrial Contractor

What I'm telling you is two things. 1. $60K jobs don't exist for dudes who's experience is being hardworking 2. The only people who make lots of money either have lots of experience or own their own business.

I gots no ax to grind with you put this post looks like you've got no clue. Congrats on getting of the sauce and finding a girl but really? "make good money and live in a rural place" equals being smart, networking, investing in yourself (education, certificates, opening a business) and sacrifice.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Huh? I guess I should have said 60k before tax and health insurance. Its a ballpark for a decent living. I didn't know that 10+ years contracting work and several years of management didnt count as experience anymore.

This thread is asking for advice on certs/training that would be helpful. I think sacrifice is a given here since I am voluntarily leaving a multi-million dollar family business.

[Ski to Be]

Take your skills that you have built and start your own business doing what you know. If it is a family business than why not have someone in your family mentor you. Also the places you mention moving to aren't exactly hot beds of economic opportunities. In short you should move where the money is if you want to make money. Good luck


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[EaglesPDX]

My GF is a nurse, so its not like we will be totally fucked for money if I am not banking, but what should I do to be able to move west within 2 years and make at least 60k as soon as I get out there?

Marry the GF. Look at getting into nursing school (check out the pre-reqs for BSN) knowing it is hardest to get into vs. Med, Law etc. Get that lined up over next two years. Get accepted at nursing school in a ski area or Denver, SLC big urban areas with ski areas close by. GF looks for job near the nursing school to put you through school and pay for life stuff.

The fracking jobs out West are going down as oil prices drop so no future there over next 2-5 years and no future there long term. Boom, bust industry. Hard outside work in remote areas. OK for young guy but not a career job.

[glademaster]

Huh? I guess I should have said 60k before tax and health insurance. Its a ballpark for a decent living. I didn't know that 10+ years contracting work and several years of management didnt count as experience anymore.

That experience definitely counts, for landing an entry level, $10/hour job doing grunt work. Experience means less than you think when you're relocating across the country, unless you happen to have one of a handful of highly desirable skill sets, which you don't. If you really want to live somewhere as out there as you say, and want to make 60K a year, you better get a full time job working for someone else, start your own small business, and set up some sort of online revenue stream as well. People who make it work in remote places spend a hell of a lot of time hustling and wear a bunch of different hats.

When you only have 2,000 neighbors, and 1,950 of them are poor, where the hell is that 60K a year going to come from? Multiple sources of revenue, not one "dream job" you've deluded yourself into thinking exists.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Yeah, I never thought there was one "dream job". I realize it will probably be a combination of self employment and working a couple other jobs.

[mud]

Not sure about the San Juans or AZ but the Boulder Denver area is booming again. Looking in Craigslist, renovation carpenters are getting anywhere from $20 to $50 an hour depending on exp. You will probably have to move out here to get a job. I've never met a GC who would hire someone without meeting them in person.

http://boulder.craigslist.org/trd/4785310319.html

[leftfield]

You under 30? Get a work visa for australia and set yourself up as an independent contractor and work seasonally, plenty of labor/construction jobs in Sydney paying $25+/hr. Plus there's surf. Granted, this was a better deal when the Aus dollar was at $1.07...

[jamesp]

$25/hr = going backwards in Sydney, its an expensive place to live. A few years ago in Australia grocery stores were paying $21/hr to pack shelves.

[ill-advised strategy]

Marry the GF. Look at getting into nursing school (check out the pre-reqs for BSN) knowing it is hardest to get into vs. Med, Law etc. Get that lined up over next two years. Get accepted at nursing school in a ski area or Denver, SLC big urban areas with ski areas close by. GF looks for job near the nursing school to put you through school and pay for life stuff.

The fracking jobs out West are going down as oil prices drop so no future there over next 2-5 years and no future there long term. Boom, bust industry. Hard outside work in remote areas. OK for young guy but not a career job.

I strongly discourage anybody from pursuing nursing unless they're intrinsically motivated towards the field. If you don't really want to be a nurse (and I don't mean "really want a nurse's schedule or a nurse's compensation) it's wrong to pursue it and you will likely fail on some level, because even if you grind your way through school and into the field you've got a long, hard way to go until you get the kind of nursing job people actually want.

[Tye 1on]

equipment skill like this may be worth bonus points?

[EaglesPDX]

I strongly discourage anybody from pursuing nursing unless they're intrinsically motivated towards the field.

My GF is a nurse, so its not like we will be totally fucked for money if I am not banking, but what should I do to be able to move west within 2 years and make at least 60k as soon as I get out there?

The OP pretty much answered your quesiton with the facts of his situaiton. Within two years he wants to have a portable job skill with a $60K base. The GF already makes that as a nurse, has the mobility to move to the ski area and support the OP to achieve his goals long term.

He had suggested the Dakota oil fields but US and Saudis are in an oil war to take out the US fracking industry and, as one sees from the price of gasoline, the Saudi's are winning. So no short term future there, really no long term, an historical boom bust industry with remote locations.

Though the salary figures may sound appealing, be warned that few of these jobs are located in a cushy office environment or require a mere 40 hours a week. Most employees report working anywhere from 80 to 120 hours a week, and conditions in North Dakota can be brutal, with temperatures regularly dropping below minus 30 degrees during the long winters. Housing is difficult to find, and many workers live in man camps with shared bathrooms and dining quarters.

[abraham]

The OP pretty much answered your quesiton with the facts of his situaiton. Within two years he wants to have a portable job skill with a $60K base. The GF already makes that as a nurse, has the mobility to move to the ski area and support the OP to achieve his goals long term.

Wanting to make nursing money is absolutely not the same as being motivated to be a nurse. Did you read what yetiman wrote?

[skifishbum]

ifin your workin at a multi millions dollar family business
surely they wouldn't miss a million if the gots multiples
but i guess 2 is a multiple
have you asked your disco biscuit bros for career advice
didn't you have multi thousands of posts there
i could crank out 60k roofin but my fishin and skiing gear would be lonely

[EaglesPDX]

[QUOTE=abraham;4386202]Wanting to make nursing money is absolutely not the same as being motivated to be a nurse. Did you read what yetiman wrote?[/QUOTE]

But it is absolutely the same thing as wanting make money as an oil field worker so he can ski and bike and have free time to do it. Not really doable as an 80-120 hour oil field worker in a remote man camp. Doable as a nurse (or other job available with two years of schooling) working 36 hours in ski town like Denver or SLC.

Did you read what the OP wrote?

[skifishbum]

no oil feild workers and skilled tradesman don't empty bedpans or wipe asscracks or wear nametags
totally different gigs
so jong whats your gig and how much do you actually ski?
nice fail at the color attempt have you tried the font options yet?

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

The boulder/denver area does seem the the best bet. I lived there for a while, so its not totally foreign to me. Doing my own contracting work while scouting potential business locations would be perfect.

Getting into nursing just for the money is never a good idea. You really have to want to care for someone to do a good job and clean up shit and wash some whales bed sores. I'm just not that person.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Dude! What question are you even asking? You've got a bunch of reality in this thread. I'll clarify:

$60K = 60,000/52weeks/40hours = +/- $29 hr. before taxes. Benefits will vary by employer. I interpreted your questions as "how do I move out west somewhere fairly warm by a hospital that my girl will work at and make $29/hr. full time with my skill set and experience?"

I, and other posters, gave you some ideas and got to the brass tacks that it's fuckin' hard. Let's talk about a few thinks.

Expectations - refine your "60K". What do you actually mean?

Experience - express it as if you had to write it on a resume or communicate it during a job interview

Sacrifice - "multi million family business" I have no idea what this means nor do I need to. Are you being trained for management? Are you going to get an ownership stake? What makes you something other than an employee of a multi-million dollar business?

Paycheck job vs. self employed - they each have their pluses and minuses. most people who've never run their own businesses love to only see the benefits of "being your own boss".

Mining - check the price fluctuation of moly, copper, nat. gas and oil and get back to me. These are boom and bust industries. To make it on the labor side of these industries you've gotta be fuckin hard!!! Mentally and physically. Like ex-military. I have friends making $100K plus out in the patch and they wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It's a means to an end, not a career. You do it till you snap.

Short story. Blue collar jobs in the rural west pay relatively high compared to what they pay in the city. That said, $60K by my definition is a stretch. It may be more common in communities with higher costs of living. I'm unclear if your experience means shit.

If you want my honest advice I'd be telling you to get going on being a plumber or electrician. Unfortunately, to make good money, you'll need a state licence that is not reciprocal.

[concretejungle]

ND = not gonna happen.

You don't have to live in ND full time but if you can't figure it out I'm not going to hold your hand.

[Foggy_Goggles]

I guess really my advice is to work on a spreadsheet with all your pro-forma expenses in order to determine how much you "need" to make.

Employment is a marketplace and none of us set the prices. Most full-time mountain/rural/ski-town residents make some pretty significant "lifestyle" sacrifices to make it work. To others, it just ain't worth it.

Regarding starting your own business, if you are talking contracting, it usually takes time. Unless you've got some serious change to have a marketing campaign, it's a referal/reputation business. The usual path is as follows. Develop a local reputation as a paycheck guy while building up your skills and tools. Establish your business and start subbing work of contractors you know. They go customer direct.

[EaglesPDX]

Getting into nursing just for the money is never a good idea.

But getting into "Mining" or "Gas" for the money is a good idea?

Mentioned nursing because you mentioned nursing, your nursing GF is already doing what you "dream" of doing, making $60K in a transportable job skill with lots of time off for skiing and biking...and even supporting slacker significant other.

Construction is doing well and you say you like it so get a construction job out West...if the nurse will move with you and support you.