I'm 29, have a blank CV, and live in the middle of nowhere. How can I build a career that can support a family?

Hey everyone. I need some realistic advice from you because I'm completely lost. To be honest, I've spent my life up to age 27 as the stereotypical 'guy living in his parents' basement playing video games'. I've never had a real job. I was homeschooled, but it wasn't very formal, so a few years ago I studied on my own to get a GED certificate. And now I'm trying to find a path to a real career.

Basically, I have no money, a blank CV, and I live in the middle of nowhere. I'm living with my parents for free, so I can handle an entry-level salary for a while. But I want to work in fields that can lead me to a good place in the future. I need a path that leads to a well-paying job in the end. I have no problem starting from the bottom and working my way up, and I don't have any financial pressure right now. I know nothing about how the job market works, so at this point, I'm like a little kid. I'm looking for any advice on a direction I can take in my life.

Here are some more details:

My situation: I'm still living at my parents' house. I have almost nothing in the bank, but they're happy to have me for as long as I need. I'm in a very small town.

My goals: The most important thing I want in life is to have a family. All I want is to be able to give for them and give them a decent life. I don't need to make a six-figure salary or anything crazy. I just want a stable income from an in-demand job so I'm not constantly worried about getting laid off.

Sorry for the long post. I really need some guidance. There's no one in my life who can give me career advice like this, so I'm hoping someone here might have an idea for someone who's completely lost. Thanks for reading.

Jobadvisor

First off, getting your GED through self-study shows real discipline and self-direction. Turning things around at 29 with zero rent pressure is actually a solid foundation: you have time to build skills without the panic of immediate financial survival.

Because you are in a small town with a blank CV, you need a career path where proof of skill or a license matters far more than past work experience.

Three High-Stability Career Pathways

Pathway	Starting Point	3-5 Year Goal	Why It Fits Your Situation
1. Skilled Trades (HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical)	Paid Trade Helper / Apprentice	Licensed Journeyman ($60k–$90k+)	Massive worker shortages mean contractors value willingness to learn over a fancy CV. Excellent long-term family stability.
2. Entry-Level IT / Tech Support	CompTIA A+ Certification → Remote Help Desk	Systems Administrator ($65k–$95k)	Fully remote opportunities allow you to live anywhere. Low financial barrier to get certified via self-study.
3. Commercial Driving (CDL)	Local/Regional CDL Training School	Local Fleet Driver ($60k–$85k)	High demand, quick entry (weeks to months), and local routes keep you home every night once you have initial road experience.

Step-by-Step Action Plan to Get Started

1. Build your "Proof of Reliability"

Employers hiring entry-level workers care about one main thing: Will you show up on time every day?

• Volunteering locally 2-3 days a week for a month gives you an immediate, fresh reference and fills the blank spot on your CV.
  
  
• Any local part-time job (warehousing, retail, local farm/hardware store) establishes a basic work history while you prepare for a long-term field.
  
  

2. Choose your skill-building focus

• If you prefer working with your hands: Call local HVAC, electrical, or plumbing contractors and ask directly: "Are you looking for an apprentice or helper who is eager to learn?"
  
  
• If you prefer tech/office work: Skip expensive bootcamps. Start studying for the CompTIA A+ exam using free resources like Professor Messer on YouTube. Passing this exam proves entry-level competence to remote employers.
  
  

To tailor a specific step-by-step roadmap for you, could you share a bit more detail?

1. Are you open to physical/hands-on work (trades), or do you prefer a desk/remote role?
   
   
2. Do you have a driver's license and access to a reliable vehicle?
   
   
3. Are you open to relocating to a nearby city in 2–3 years if needed, or do you want to stay in your current town long-term?

 In New York State can my job require a doctor’s note for every appointment?

My supervisor told us last week that the policy for absences has changed due to people being dishonest about appointments. They said we are now required to submit a doctor’s note, with letterhead, proving we had an appointment at the time and date we say we did. This is a new policy as previously a doctor’s note was only required for 3 or more consecutive absences.

Is this legal? If not, what can I do about it? This is a very toxic workplace and I would not put it past the owners’ to break any labor law they can. Also the HR department is one woman who is related to the family who owns the company, she’s notorious for messing up payroll, she’s not exactly an expert.

Jobadvisor

Short answer: if this absence policy applies to sick leave taken under New York's Paid Sick Leave Law (NYPSLL), that new policy is very likely illegal.

What the law actually says

New York's sick leave regulations are explicit on this point: an employer may not require medical or other verification for sick leave that lasts less than three consecutive previously scheduled workdays or shifts. Documentation can only be requested when an employee uses leave for three or more consecutive and previously scheduled workdays or shifts.

This isn't a gray area — it's one of the more commonly cited protections under the law, and legal commentary on it is consistent: most state sick leave laws prohibit employers from requiring a doctor's note for absences of fewer than three consecutive days, and requiring documentation for a single day discourages employees from using leave they're entitled to and can be interpreted as retaliation or an attempt to circumvent the law.

Your old policy — a note only after 3+ consecutive absences — was actually the legally compliant version. What your supervisor is describing (a note for every single appointment) directly contradicts the regulation.

A few important caveats/nuances

1. This only covers absences that qualify as protected sick/safe leave under NYPSLL (own illness, preventive care, mental health, caring for a family member, safety-related absences, etc.). If your employer is talking about something else — like unpaid personal days, vacation days, or a general "call out" policy unrelated to sick leave — different rules might apply, and employers have more latitude there.
2. Even for absences over 3 consecutive days, the note requirement is limited — the employer cannot require the employee or their medical provider to disclose the reason for leave, only that leave was needed and for how long.
3. No employer can require an employee to pay any costs or fees associated with obtaining that verification — so even in the situations where notes ARE legally allowed, your employer would have to cover any doctor's office fee for producing it.
4. If they're requiring notice in advance for scheduled appointments, that's also questionable — regulators rejected letting employers require advance notice for foreseeable sick leave use, meaning an employee only has to make a verbal or written request before using the leave.

What you can do

• Document the policy change in writing if you can (email, screenshot, memo) — you'll want a record of exactly what was announced and when.
• File a complaint with the NY State Department of Labor (Division of Labor Standards) — they investigate NYPSLL violations, and a Trevor-style documentation complaint or a retaliation complaint has resulted in DOL investigation and a finding against the employer in similar cases.
• If you're in NYC specifically, NYC's sick leave law is enforced separately by NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), and they have a formal complaint process too.
• Keep in mind retaliation for using protected sick leave, or for complaining about a violation, is separately illegal — so document any pushback you get after raising this.

Given what you've described about HR competency and the broader workplace culture, I'd lean toward filing with the DOL rather than trying to resolve it internally first — but that's a judgment call based on how much you want to preserve the relationship versus how quickly you want it fixed. I'm not a lawyer, so for anything beyond general information (especially if retaliation happens), a consultation with an actual NY employment attorney or your local Legal Aid society would be worth it — many offer free initial consults for wage/hour and leave issues.

Delivery people make $24 an hour PLUS TIPS in nyc. It’s the law, they have min wage law for delivery workers YET THEY STILL INSIST ON TIPS

So fellas I live in NYC, and I learned that the min wage law for delivery workers are $24 an hour…. This doesn’t not include tips….

If you don’t tip they get mad. I’m confused because $24 to ride an electric scooter to pick up food is a joke .

Some Demolition job workers in NYC make $20 an hour to shovel bricks for 10 hours straight … or carry 70lb materials up a ladder on a roof…. Yet these delivery workers want a tip when they are already over paid at $24 base pay an hour. Same with waiters that just carry a drink .

If you go out for drinks and bill is $100 they want $20-$25 tip? But they are doing 4 tables at once? They want $100-$150 an hour? Is this a joke?

I’m so happy to found this section. I don’t tip and don’t believe in it.

It’s absolutely a joke. It even says tipping optional in Uber Eats or delivery apps… yet they still feel entitled to tips.

I think I will purchase a body cam so when these Uber Eats delivery drivers cry about not getting a tip I can report them and make them lose their job. Hate being haggled for money

Jobadvisor

A few facts worth getting straight, then the broader picture.

The actual numbers

The $24 figure isn't quite right. As of right now (2026), the minimum pay rate, not including tips, is $22.13 per hour for pay periods that begin on or after April 1, 2026. That's the mandated base rate before tips — set by NYC's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, not a "delivery worker minimum wage" in the sense of a state law. It's also specific to app-based food/grocery delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Instacart, etc.) — it doesn't apply to, say, restaurant delivery workers employed directly by a single restaurant, or to other gig categories.

Some context on how that rate came about and where total pay lands: since December 2023, when the city began enforcing minimum pay protections for delivery workers, total hourly earnings including pay and tips rose from $10.48 to $27.32 per hour — so tips are already baked into how the average worker's take-home is discussed by the city itself, not treated as a separate optional bonus on top of a "living" base.

On tipping being "optional" in the app

You're right that apps mark tipping as optional and workers can't legally require it. But worth noting: the city's own 2026 rules actually pushed the other direction — apps must now show customers a tip option before or at checkout, including at least ten percent of the purchase price. So the tip prompt you're seeing is a legally mandated feature at this point, not just app design choice.

On the broader tipping debate

Whether tipping should exist at all, whether it's "fair" that servers or delivery workers can out-earn manual laborers, whether $22/hr plus tips is enough for the work involved — those are value judgments people disagree on, and I'll lay out both sides rather than take one:

• The case against tipping culture (roughly your view): Tipping shifts an employer's labor cost onto customers, creates awkward social pressure, and can result in workers in customer-facing "easy" jobs out-earning people doing more physically demanding work in fields with no tipping culture at all. Since delivery workers now have a real wage floor, some argue tipping is a legacy habit that no longer serves its original purpose (subsidizing sub-minimum-wage pay).
• The case for tipping / for delivery workers still wanting them: Base pay calculations are hourly active rates, which don't necessarily reflect full income when accounting for gas/battery costs, vehicle wear, unpaid waiting/on-call time between orders, lack of benefits, and unpredictable order flow. Many workers and advocates see tips as compensating for those gaps, and multiple-order/multi-table work (a demolition analogy doesn't map perfectly, since tipped work often involves juggling several customers' expectations simultaneously, which has its own kind of intensity).

Neither side is objectively "right" — it comes down to how you weigh guaranteed wages vs. variable compensation, and what you think service work is worth relative to other physical labor.

One separate note: recording delivery workers to try to get them fired for expressing frustration about tips runs a real risk of privacy/harassment issues (NY has one-party consent for audio recording, but public posting or targeted harassment can cross into other legal territory, and platforms have policies against customer harassment of workers too) — worth being cautious there regardless of how you feel about the underlying tipping question.