How to pick a rewarding career that pays a living wage
The main hurdle is balancing careers you would genuinely enjoy with the practical need for a stable job and room for growth. Without knowing if a path will actually pay enough to support a family or offer advancement, people get completely stuck going back and forth between a few different options.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to pick a rewarding career that pays a living wage
- 1Taking personality tests like the MBTI to generate career ideasDid this help you?
- 2Going back to school to pursue new degreesDid this help you?
- 3Asking for firsthand advice in online forumsDid this help you?
- 4Pursuing trades with heavy outdoor work like becoming an IBEW journeyman lineman.Did this help you?
- 5Land surveying or geomatics technician roles for GCs or civil projects.Did this help you?
- 6Using government/state park roles as temporary stepping stones for heavy equipment or CDL experience before pivoting.Did this help you?
- 7Entering military trades (Navy diving, combat engineering, line technicians) to gain paid training and certifications.Did this help you?
- 8Working with a professional coach to explore the current state and take responsible action.Did this help you?
- 9Writing a one-page proposal for each option to outline trade-offs and next steps.Did this help you?
- 10Testing a path by doing the smallest version of it for 30 days instead of just thinking about it.Did this help you?
- 11Reading books like 'So Good They Can't Ignore You' or 'Decisive' for frameworks.Did this help you?
- 12Speaking thoughts into a voice memo instead of trying to organize them on a blank page.Did this help you?
- 13Browsing the Occupational Outlook Handbook to research detailed job profiles.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Im a 22yr guy with a high school diploma trying to figure out what career to pursue. Ideally I’d like something outdoors,hands on and rewarding that can also provide me a living wage I’m not looking to be rich just enough to build my life and support a family in the future.”source ↗
“All 3 sound like careers I’d genuinely enjoy and take pride in but I’m unsure how practical these careers are and what other things I’ve might’ve not considered about these jobs I’m assuming pay for majority of these jobs wouldn’t be the highest pay and there wouldn’t be a lot of room for growth within the industry.”source ↗
“I'm trying to decide between Human Resources and Nursing.”source ↗
“I've been going back and forth between the two careers, but I'm constantly stuck.”source ↗
“When I graduated from college with my bachelor's degree, I struggled to find a stable job and more opportunities to grow.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 13Accounts receivable vs bank teller for a finance degree?
- 23Should I get an accounting certificate or degree while working?
- 2How to choose a career when you have no passion
- 2What to major in when you don't know what to do
- 6Should I give up a comfortable remote job for career growth?
- 2What are some AI-proof skills I can learn?