TL;DR BELOW
Couple quick facts… I'm 40, my highest level of education is a two year business admin degree, and I'm an ex-con. No kids. Single. No debt.
Long story short, got in trouble when I was 19, spent ages 23-26 in prison. Got out, couldn't get a job. Started selling weed and wouldn't you know I simultaneously had the most money I ever had with the everyday freedom to go with it. This was sustained for about 8 years until legalization pretty much ended it. Had to somehow try to find a job. Luckily my sister was pretty well regarded at the car dealership she worked for and I was able to get a foot in at the parts department. So now (then) in 2018 at the age of 36 after a 12 year gap in my resume, I'm making $14 an hour, or about $27,000 a year.
A year later I started driving for Amazon. Started at $18 an hour which was eventually bumped up to $21 after a few months. Did this for two years and the last couple months of it I drove for FedEx (owner contracted for both) for $180 a day. So by the end of this time, just two years later, went from $27,000 to about $46,000.
Now I drive for Ready Refresh. Water delivery. I'm not gonna lie, the compensation package is really good. Some of the highest paid drivers make over $100K. I started there in October at $58,300. In addition to this is 401K, HSA, annual raises, plus tips. Well just two weeks ago, they implemented a company wide salary adjustment to keep up with the market. So overnight I went from $58,300 to $64,000. I've made no less than $500 a month in tips since I started so assuming that keeps up over the course of the year (plus the Christmas boost) that brings me to roughly $70,000.
Sounds great, especially considering my situation and background and that my job options are much more limited than your average person. Anyone can start there tomorrow and make this salary, but that's just it, people see the salary and go oooh nice. Then they see the job and they're like yeah no. The guys that stick it out really stick around. I'd say 90% of the drivers have been there at least 5 years with the longest tenured guy in year 33. But I've already lost count of the number of guys that came in after me and quit the first day.
This being the case, I feel kinda trapped. Here's where I should explain what my job entails. First, I have to wake up at 430 am every day for a 615 am start. Maybe not a big deal to some, but I am NOT a morning person at all! Now the crux of my job delivering water, is delivering those 5 gallon jugs of water that go on top of the cooler in your office. One jug weighs about 45 pounds. I deliver roughly 220 of these a day. In addition to the jugs, there's cases of water which are also heavy when you're delivering 10+ per stop. Post Offices by themselves take two pallets of water. That's 156 cases you have to move by hand.
Yes I have a hand truck and yes MOST buildings have elevators, but some buildings don't and the hand truck can't maneuver everywhere. Some places, like this one old ballet school I deliver to, require you to hand carry multiple jugs of water up three or more flights of stairs. They take 10 bottles per delivery. I can carry two at a time which is still 5 trips up, I've counted, 62 stairs over three flights. I have yet to deliver in the summer time.
Where I live, the money is pretty good. After me and my ex went our separate ways I found two roommates online and moved in here for $430 a month between the three. With what I'm making now I was able to pay off my credit card debt in no time and can now save a ton of money towards finally getting my own place probably next summer. This wasn't even a possibility in any previous job.
With all that said, the problem is what good is all this if I can't even stand without help by the time I'm 45? I'm in pretty good shape, I go to the gym regularly and especially more so now to keep up with the physical requirements of the job. But by the end of the week I'm completely wiped out. I work Monday thru Friday and I'm out like a light by about 8pm Friday night. Then I spend the whole weekend on the couch because my back hurts too much to go anywhere or do anything, and then after the blink of an eye it's Monday morning and time to go to work again.
I've never been one to go backwards financially. I've never had a job making less than what I've made in a previous job but in this case I feel like my only options are work this job until they grind me into dust, find another less intensive job but, what will they pay? And remember… felony. Or lastly just quit and have no income and see how far I can make it in life like that lol.
Bottom line, when the salary I'm making now seemed unattainable, I used to think man if I ever made that kind of money what would I have to complain about? Now that I'm here, well yes, many of the financial stresses that I've had have been alleviated, but have been replaced by physical stress on the body. And I'm not sure this isn't much worse.
TL;DR – I make good money, but my job is super physically demanding and idk how long I can physically do it. Plus a felony on my record severely limits my job prospects. So if your options are make good money (enough to get ahead) but your body has to pay for it, or put no wear and tear on your body at all but you'll at best make only two thirds of your current salary (back to check to check), which would you choose?