20 years old and not sure about a career

there is job security in trucking...go to trucking school, get your own place, be your own person, and cut the umbilical cord.

i think its YOU that doesn't want to leave your parents house, free food, free room, free cable tv.....

go out and support yourself.

 

I've been driving 20 years now, local only, can't do highway. It's rewarding if you like working just by yourself. I can't deal with coworkers BS, bosses crap, I'd rather work alone and not take any #### from anyone. I'm a owner op. Total freedom. I work if I want to and take as much time as I want.

 

First of all, slow down! I'm 42 and I've never found a career because I was never looking for one. I tried college and hated it because I realized that unless somebody else was paying for it it was a debt trap. The fact that you have the mindset that you actually want to get out there and try something puts you ahead of most of your peers, so don't worry and don't be too hard on yourself. If say you get into truck driving and it doesn't work out, or you just don't get into truck driving, you could always do something like join the Coast Guard and get some good life experience and money that way.

If you do want to work on getting started in truck driving you will need to acquire a CDL first and foremost, there are countless independent schools that can help you do this and there are also many truck driving companies that have their own driver training schools that you will most likely have to sign a contract to receive their training for. Fair warning, if you sign one of those contracts you are on the hook to complete all conditions as the company demands and if you don't expect that they will come after you with collections to get the money you contracted for.

I have heard that there are some "free" CDL schools out there that are government funded or that you can get some sort of scholarship to, don't spend too much time looking for one because those tend to be the rare exception and may only exist in certain areas of the country and require things like residents in said area to get the benefit of.

 

Do you know this person? I cannot conceive of how you could write that post based on their post you that you quoted.

Not everyone has their stuff together by the time they're 20 years old, the poster eluded to as much. Like I alluded to in my previous post, I appreciate the fact that they're at least interested in making an effort. I mentor a few young adults in their late teens and early twenties and they all talk about all most of their friends are the types that do seem want to be perpetual dependents.

Tearing people down that have a willingness to put forth an effort, especially when you don't know the first thing about them, is not advice it is careless discouragement.

 

Going trucking is a good way to earn money while you try to figure out what you REALLY want to do. For myself, it showed me what I would NOT want to do; work in a glass factory, live in S. California; have to put tire chains on, live in the south, live in Chicago, live in Eastern Massachusetts, etc.....
Still, my first 'real job' after getting my degree was working inside a trucking company (hey, the economy was bad at the time...). Still, it only took me a year to decide it was time to make a clean break from the transportation sector in general...

 

You’re doing good. When I was your age I was a total mess. Thankfully I got my life straightened out because I’d probably be dead or in prison.

 

Yeah, too bad it doesn't work that way. You literally will have no time except drive the truck, it's not a vacation. While it is entirely possible to maybe do ONE of those things, the truck will always limit you as to where you can go, and dropping the trailer brings up a new set of problems. I think by reading the responses, trucking, generally was not something you planned or trained for. It was the last resort for many of us that couldn't make it elsewhere and needed a job. Back then, a 3x5 index card was all the requirements needed. Many here, me included, thought, "I'll just drive for a while", and got hooked, so then any other job sucked, so be aware of that. Again, trucking is not a one size fits all, like many may believe. Once you decide what type,( local, OTR, etc) then there's what sub-type( reefer, van, tank, etc) and where to go. It can be overwhelming, and mistakes are costly, unlike when I was learning. Also, with no experience, you'll have to accept the bottom of the barrel, and that usually does most newbies in. Patience, many of us did crummy jobs for YEARS, until landing a good one, so hang in there.

 

My state has CDL classes at the vocational schools and community colleges, a very good 320 hour course for $1,700

my nephew did one year of college ,
Then did hvac service for a year
Then did welding for a year
Then took the CDL class and got hired by a heavy haul company at 20
They have a 8 month company training so he was 21 before he finished their company training .

He’s Been doing it for almost six years and loves it , home every weekend .

trucking is an ok job if you’re young and single and don’t mind working 70 hours a week .

I was in trucking when I was in my mid 20s
I was working at a state park, loved the job but was starving with the low pay

got into trucking, and earned 5 times as much as working for the state mowing grass and cleaning bathrooms .

I kept living on the same budget as before so I was able to save a lot of money .


Wages are like real estate prices :
Solely determined by supply and demand

and
nowdays you’re competing with and endless stream of immigrants from Eastern Europe soviet countries and from India and Pakistan etc

so if you can pass a security clearance you need to find a company that requires a clearance , that eliminates competing with the endless supply of immigrants.
So you will get paid more .

If you’re looking at other trades , I’d reccomend going after your state electrician license

in my state it takes four years as an apprentice for a licensed electrician to be able to get your own license

and it’s a license to print money .
State licensed Electricians make tons of money where I live .

hvac is another good one
In my state it takes two years to get your state ticket and again it’s a license to print money

same with plumbing license

 

First off, you're still very young. Not many people at age 20 have settled into a career. No need to rush as you have time to figure that out.

I got started at age 25, and it was not very popular among those closest to me at that time. I didn't care because I do what I want to do. Trucking has been good to me. It's been steady money and gave me the ability to make a living, pay my bills, and have occasional indulgences. Trucking will make a man out of you, because you'll learn life lessons and won't even realize it. If used properly, you'll develop some level of survival instincts and problem solving ability. Then you get to see different ways of living traveling around the country. If you have conversations with these people and keep and open mind, then your horizons become broadened. Where many have complained about this industry, I have enjoyed myself. I get tons of freedom and liberation to work and live. As someone that values freedom of the mind, this lifestyle suits me well. That's why I've stuck around for 15 years. Maybe someday I'll do something else, but I'm very content with trucking. I still have a lot to give to the industry. I never aspired to be a trucker growing up, but I'm glad I made the choice to do it, and i went to college and graduated. I don't regret my college education either. I think it adds to my versatility and allows me to see the industry and various ways.

My advice to you is do whatever you desire to do, regardless of what your parents say. You have to find your path. If it is trucking, be prepared for people to shoot that down as the industry has a negative image. It's negative because people really have no idea what it's like. If you decide to get your license, make you do your part to show a positive image to those closest to you. Take goof care of yourself and your truck and then opinions start to change.