Student Loan Debt?

[5030]

BIL and his wife both drive OTR, team (that too much together time to be healthy...) and each make around $90k/year.

Interesting. One of my hunting buds manages 65 tractors leased to Fed-Ex, running teams and his drivers average a bit more than 100 grand a year with fully paid benefits and profit sharing plus paid vacation and a fuel bonus for not wasting diesel fuel from excessive idling. All new or 2 year old tractors, mostly Freightliner Cascadia's or Peterbilt conventional's.

Heck, back before I retired I was making close to 100 grand a year driving a company truck with full benefits and 4 weeks paid vacation plus at 57 when I retired, I received a full pension and the company matched whatever I put in my 401 as well. Always drove a long nose Western Star with a 48 foot covered wagon (flatbed with a roll tarp). In fact, when I retired, I bought the tractor I drove and it's in the barn presently, coupled to a 42 foot Timpte grain hopper. 3406 Cat B model with a 13 speed Road Ranger with 44 rears and a 259" wheelbase frame and of course all polished Alcoa wheels with 24.5 rubber. It's a walk in double bunk as well. It only gets used in the fall when it's time to haul grain to Anderson's in Toledo, Ohio. Actually, I never used the bunk when driving for the company as they would put me up in a motel and paid my meals if I got 'stuck out'. Plastic is still on the matteress though I did use the fridge to store my drinks and lunch.

 

[Eagle1]

Agree, and I have had nothing but septic tanks myself. It’s a necessary job, but I still can’t picture anyone liking it.

Maybe not "like" but I like it not bubbling up next to my house or an RV. Messy once it comes out in the wrong places

 

[5030]

Now that sewerage work is not only a male thing, they need to change the name from a man hole to something more appropriate, like just 'hole' or something....lol

 

[paulsharvey]

Now that sewerage work is not only a male thing, they need to change the name from a man hole to something more appropriate, like just 'hole' or something....lol

Note, sewage work is dangerous too (traffic, Hydrogen Sulfide, tench collapse), and I know county/city utility guys (not my REDI County 'rural economic devoplement intiative' ie poor), making $20-40/hr as foreman. Before I paint that as too rosy, they are frequently on call, work over time, all weather conditions; But they are often bring home more money (and most I know, seem to get for fulfillment) from that, then many teachers, or other degree jobs.

I believe the closest medium city (Gainesville) starts utility techs at $16.50, with rapid raises as they get CDL, water/waste water licenses, trainings, ect, till they cap out at like $33 as a non-lead man, in I think, 5 years.

 

[5030]

Not something I'd be interested in as I'm quite gainfully retired anyway. I would have been interested in being a refuse collector back then if I knew what I do today. back then I didn't. Between farming, owning my own fab and machine shop and dealing with a German wife, I have my hand quite full. Worse part about shop ownership is dealing with the government concerning my 2 full time employees. Glad I have a good accountant, as that is quite involved.

 

[MossRoad]

When I did bedside nursing in the hospital, I had to clean up people at times. It isn't that bad, especially if you remind yourself one day that may be me laying in the bed and how would I want to be treated. I always treated the patient with dignity and respect. Somedays that was the most satisfying part of the shift, knowing I had really helped someone that needed it. But that is why I went into nursing, to help others in need.

Good job!

As a young man, I had typical fear of other peoples' poop! That changes when you have children. (at least is should) You'll clean up anything. Heck, you'll cup your hands and catch their barf so it doesn't stain the car seats.

Then, when you get older, you may have to take care of elderly relatives, help them to pee and poop, and clean them up if they have an accident. It's all part of life.

But it takes a really special person to help strangers.

 

[MossRoad]

Agree, and I have had nothing but septic tanks myself. It’s a necessary job, but I still can’t picture anyone liking it.

Our septic guy seems to like his job. He owns the company and has no employees. I shoot the **** with him (pun intended) while he does the job and he's quite happy.

 

[jyoutz]

Our septic guy seems to like his job. He owns the company and has no employees. I shoot the **** with him (pun intended) while he does the job and he's quite happy.

It’s good that some people enjoy those jobs. It takes people with dead olfactory senses.

 

[5030]

If it wasn't for my wife and her taking care of me in my time of need, I would not be here typing this post, I'd be in the ground. As it is, I still need her to help me get dressed and bandage my foot which is very slowly healing because of the on going chemo, which I just had and that is every other Tuesday until I'm not here anymore. I will say I'm still farming and managing my welding and fabrication shop and doing everything I always did except riding motorcycles (which I'm gonna sell this spring, I have 4 of them), but I do everything slower than I did in the past and I'm acutely aware of the persistent fact that I may not be here tomorrow. My cancer is not operable. All I can do is postpone the inevitable.... and I do 110%.

Like I always tell everyone on the forums I frequent, when I don't post anymore, I'm pushing up weeds.

 

[MossRoad]

It’s good that some people enjoy those jobs. It takes people with dead olfactory senses.

You get used to it. I used to dump lavatories on airplanes. (part of my student debt avoidance plan).

We had a local TV evangelist. He bought a Falcon20 from the San Diego Chargers. It was white with a lightning bolt on the tail. We had to empty his lav every time they came home. Amazing what they flushed down that toilet.

We'd hook the honey wagon onto the dump port, pull the chain and yell "HOLY ****!"

 

[jyoutz]

If it wasn't for my wife and her taking care of me in my time of need, I would not be here typing this post, I'd be in the ground. As it is, I still need her to help me get dressed and bandage my foot which is very slowly healing because of the on going chemo, which I just had and that is every other Tuesday until I'm not here anymore. I will say I'm still farming and managing my welding and fabrication shop and doing everything I always did except riding motorcycles (which I'm gonna sell this spring, I have 4 of them), but I do everything slower than I did in the past and I'm acutely aware of the persistent fact that I may not be here tomorrow. My cancer is not operable. All I can do is postpone the inevitable.... and I do 110%.

Like I always tell everyone on the forums I frequent, when I don't post anymore, I'm pushing up weeds.

Hang in there.

 

[paulsharvey]

I've known several guys that work at waste water treatment plants. They'll tell you, your gonna get sick as he'll for the first 2 or 3 weeks; there isn't any amount of hand washing, gloves, whatever, there is particles in the air; but once you recover, you are fine, and your develop immunity. The smell is kinda always there, and it doesn't smell good, but it just doesn't bother you. Dog food factory, I think that smell is not as acute, but don't know I'd ever get used to it.

 

[riptides]

If it wasn't for my wife and her taking care of me in my time of need, I would not be here typing this post, I'd be in the ground. As it is, I still need her to help me get dressed and bandage my foot which is very slowly healing because of the on going chemo, which I just had and that is every other Tuesday until I'm not here anymore. I will say I'm still farming and managing my welding and fabrication shop and doing everything I always did except riding motorcycles (which I'm gonna sell this spring, I have 4 of them), but I do everything slower than I did in the past and I'm acutely aware of the persistent fact that I may not be here tomorrow. My cancer is not operable. All I can do is postpone the inevitable.... and I do 110%.

Like I always tell everyone on the forums I frequent, when I don't post anymore, I'm pushing up weeds.

Push up the flowers, when the time comes.

 

[Hay Dude]

I've known several guys that work at waste water treatment plants. They'll tell you, your gonna get sick as he'll for the first 2 or 3 weeks; there isn't any amount of hand washing, gloves, whatever, there is particles in the air; but once you recover, you are fine, and your develop immunity. The smell is kinda always there, and it doesn't smell good, but it just doesn't bother you. Dog food factory, I think that smell is not as acute, but don't know I'd ever get used to it.

I stayed in a hotel near a Purina dog food factory, once.

I will never forget how putrid the smell was….and I drive onto the mushroom plants to deliver hay. I thought they smell kinda bad.

The dog food plants were 10 times as foul smelling.

 

[MossRoad]

I've known several guys that work at waste water treatment plants. They'll tell you, your gonna get sick as he'll for the first 2 or 3 weeks; there isn't any amount of hand washing, gloves, whatever, there is particles in the air; but once you recover, you are fine, and your develop immunity. The smell is kinda always there, and it doesn't smell good, but it just doesn't bother you. Dog food factory, I think that smell is not as acute, but don't know I'd ever get used to it.

There's a dog food plant in the next town over. It's right across the street from a high school. There's a sewage plant sludge field right next to the dog food plant, too. It's usually down wind, but on occasion, the wind shifts, and YIKES!

 

[RjCorazza]

I've known several guys that work at waste water treatment plants. They'll tell you, your gonna get sick as he'll for the first 2 or 3 weeks; there isn't any amount of hand washing, gloves, whatever, there is particles in the air; but once you recover, you are fine, and your develop immunity. The smell is kinda always there, and it doesn't smell good, but it just doesn't bother you. Dog food factory, I think that smell is not as acute, but don't know I'd ever get used to it.

I took an unofficial tour of a waste water plant many years ago. It was certainly an eye opener. The smell wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
The relative that gave the tour fell into one of the first few treatment pools some years later. He survived, but never went back.

 

[jyoutz]

There's a dog food plant in the next town over. It's right across the street from a high school. There's a sewage plant sludge field right next to the dog food plant, too. It's usually down wind, but on occasion, the wind shifts, and YIKES!

I used to live about 6 miles to the east (downwind) of the Purina plant in Flagstaff. Depending on what they were making, we could smell it when the winds were blowing gentle. During high winds, we couldn’t smell anything.

 

[paulsharvey]

Had a coworker who as a 16 y/o worked on a rat/feed rodent farm; where they raised 100k rodents for testing and reptile feed. He told me it was the worst thing you can imagine, a 20,000 sq ft metal building with thousand and thousands of rats in cages

 

[MossRoad]

Had a coworker who as a 16 y/o worked on a rat/feed rodent farm; where they raised 100k rodents for testing and reptile feed. He told me it was the worst thing you can imagine, a 20,000 sq ft metal building with thousand and thousands of rats in cages

I'd bet the ammonia smell was horrid!

 

[dmccarty]

I was surprised how little smell there was when we have had our septic tank pumped. What I could smell was not that bad. Our pumper has one of the best looking and maintained trucks I have seen. I really is pretty. They keep it in a garage that is heated.

Regarding professors and using their books in class. A family member was a professor and required their text book to be used in some classes. If you are the person that literally wrote the book on the subject whose book should be used in class? Believe it or not, the professor ain't making much money off the book being sold in class. They will only make money if other, many other, professors/instructors use the book, and even then, it is not as much as people think.

What gets me is that the basic classes still require a "new" book on various basic subjects that don't change. The cost of text books is criminal but the professor/writer ain't making the money.