Without a degree, you may be struggling to find a job with decent wages. This is true of people across the country. But maybe college isn't for you. That's OK. It's true of a lot of people and doesn't mean anything bad about you at all. It doesn't mean you can't get a job with good wages, it just may mean that you need to get creative.
Have you thought about a trade school? More specifically, have you thought about going to trade school to become an electrician? The average wage of an electrician is around $24 an hour. This is much, much higher than many state minimum wages and over triple the current Federal minimum wage (which is, at the time of this writing, $7.25 an hour).
That's a pretty big jump, especially if you've been toiling away in fast-food jobs.
Now, trade school can vary between a few months and 2 years. This may be particularly ideal if you found yourself struggling with a 4-year collegiate program, or if you don't have the ability to take that amount of time out of your life. In addition, many trade schools are aware that you will likely still be working through this period of time and set their schedules accordingly.
Costs can vary quite a bit, so in order to get a better idea of what you may need to pay, you will want to look at a trade school that's offering electrician certification near you. Even if it's a little higher than you were expecting, don't despair. Like many schools, both trade and degree, you can get scholarships, loans, and grants to help cover the cost of going to school. If you live particularly frugally, this money actually may even help you work less, or even to be able to quit working entirely. Even if it makes your finances a little bit tight, it may give you the time you need to devote to your education alone. This will be even more useful if you're doing the more intensive, shorter-term certification.
As with anything, getting a job as an electrician is not for everybody. But it is a really rewarding career, you get to help a lot of people with a really important part of their homes and businesses. In addition, you'll really be able to upgrade your whole life with a higher paying job that you can be proud of.
For more information, reach out to a company like HVAC Technical Institute.