$10/hr, must have cell phone, car, drug test and 4 yr degree????

[ucmike]

this is what i am facing. i have a bachelors in construction management and my options are 70+ hour weeks full of stress and headaches and dealing with obnoxious people building projects that are usually part of the problem-not the solution, and making too much money, or working in the field for a salary that won't even pay my bills.

i got laid off months ago from my telecom construction job and have been odd-jobbing it, building decks, cabinets, handyman, etc. i've been paying the bills, but no benefits, paying for material out of my pocket and driving around looking at customer wish lists. the problem is that no one wants to pay for what they wish for. (thanks home depot and hgtv-but thats another rant) now the state of nj is requiring registration for any "home or building improvers" as of dec 1. so i started looking for a hands on construction job in my area. lots of them $10-$11-$12/hour, some with 25% travel!!! i should be on the road 25% of the time for $10/hour? i should provide my own vehicle and cell phone for $450 a week? its an insult, and it makes me angry that i went to college. (which i'm still paying for - another rant for later)

my options are to go back into project management, which will pay the bills quite nicely, except that i did those jobs already and hated myself and the business. between the subcontractor offering "favors" (like a trip on a luxury yacht filled with nyc strippers) and the employees convinced that us "college boys" were stealing from them (once a week i'd get yelled at about paychecks by union workers who didn't realize that us fancy office guys made less than they did and worked more hours), to the owner of the company demanding that we hit up each of our vendors for a $10k donation in the vendors name, to George W (really-i refused).

i could go work for bechtel, halliburton, or any number of program managers of that ilk, (my presence on DU, indicates that wouldn't be a good fit) or a big home developer, if i can get past the revulsion i feel everytime i drive by a cookie cutter housing tract on what used to be farm, or a stand of trees.

oh well, i'll keep looking. maybe there's a $14hour job out there for an experienced carpenter with significant management experience and an expensive degree who will pay for his own cell and travel.

[JVS]

1. Get the high paying job and pay off college.

then get the slacker job and enjoy life

[ucmike]

4. i'm close to paying the college bills.

it really pisses me off to write a check to the federal govt for $400/month.

thanks for the adjustable rate loans at prime + 1%. they never really tell you the implications of student loans.

[JVS]

5. It beats not being able to go at all.

[xmas74]

2. That's ok.

I'm finding jobs that want secretaries w/ at least 10 years of experience for $6 an hour and no benefits-part time of course w/ the only schedule being when they call you in at the spur of the moment.

McDonalds is starting to look decent right now.

[KamaAina]

3. Did you say construction?

Halliburton won't be rebuilding all of New Orleans! I fyou can just hold out a few more months...

[ucmike]

7. i got a lead on telecom work there, but....

i worked at ground zero and saw the waste and mismanagement involved. i won't be involved in federal govt waste and ineffiecieny and contractor greed hidden in a disaster site again.

[JohnnyBoots]

6. Ever think of Technology Education? On the high school or

JuCo level? Get certified and in a good district and you should be ok with out compromising your morals. Just a thought, High School kids can be bad...but nowhere near as bad as the ex-cons I work with now(Temp gig, in you same boat in three weeks). Anyway good luck, let me know how it works out.