I more or less washed out of highly paid tech work. I'm not writing off the possibility of returning just yet, but the farther I get from it, the less I feel inclined to return. We are well past the CoastFI threshold, but not yet at what I would call FI, so I recently started a job delivering for Amazon just to cover ongoing expenses. It's not glamorous, but there are some notable benefits. It tends to pay a cut above your run-of-the-mill minimum-wage retail jobs. There was also minimal screening. In my experience, crap jobs can be surprisingly picky about hiring "overqualified" candidates. For this one, I saw the job posting that said "IMMEDIATE HIRE" on Indeed, submitted my application within hours of it going up, and had an "interview" the next day, where they promptly "hired" all 11 applicants without asking for so much as a resume. Of those 11, only 2 of us showed up for the mandatory training, the other quitting after her 1st day, having realized the job is actually hard work. The people driving there are an eclectic mix from all ages and backgrounds who just sort of fell into it for one reason or another. I'm pretty sure it's nobody's dream job.In the meantime, one of those Home Depot or Walmart or Target jobs pays the bills, often has benefits and may be a stepping stone to a new career in your field or a related one that isn’t so hard on you.
For those who don't burn out in the first month or so, it can actually turn into a surprisingly flexible arrangement. From what I've witnessed, it seems that once you prove yourself to be at least a decent driver, they can't really afford to let you go. It seems there are many flakey drivers who face no consequences for what would be cause for termination in other jobs. Technically, I don't accrue enough PTO to take off all the time I need due to my daughter's preschool schedule, but there seemed to be a mutual understanding that they really have no intention of firing me, thanks to my performance. Additionally, my understanding is that the DSPs have some sort of agreement that allows employees to transfer between them. This can actually be a big deal because the warehouse sends us out in waves, so choice of DSP determines starting time, among other things (delivery area, vans, etc.). As far as scheduling, I know of at least several drivers who have scaled hours up or down annually or seasonally. 4-day work weeks seem to be the standard, but they also have part-time and seasonal drivers and offer additional days during peaks.
It's a very physically demanding job, sometimes demeaning, and not at all in line with my educational or career qualifications, but it fits with my family life, contributes to my fitness and financial goals, and has given me the mental and emotional distance from an industry that wasn't always kind to me. My wife still works in tech (makes more than I ever did, in fact) so it's not like we're struggling to pay the bills. I was already kind of the Mr. Mom of the house, so now I'm just Mr. Mom with a job that lets me drop off the kid. I figured I'd just throw it out there as an alternative to front-line retail.
Statistics: Posted by dboeger1 — Fri Nov 29, 2024 5:26 am — Replies 23 — Views 2475
