I’m 24 and honestly I feel like I’m falling behind. I work a warehouse job, 10 hours a day from 7am to 5:30pm, making about $22/hour plus overtime. It’s a small company just four guys so they don’t offer health insurance, only a 401k.
I used to be a disciplined, motivated guy. I worked out regularly, looked for ways to increase my income, built up savings, and was even able to help my mom financially. I felt like I was on top of my life.
Since moving to a new state for this job, far from my family, everything changed. I feel drained, unmotivated, and like I’ve lost myself. Staying in this job makes me feel like I’m wasting my youth, like I’ve become a loser compared to who I used to be.
I’m thinking about doing Uber temporarily. I’d put $5k down to buy a new Honda Accord for about $18k because my current car (a 2015 Infiniti Q40) isn’t efficient for rideshare. I don’t have debt, live alone, and my biggest expenses are rent ($1k/month) and car insurance ($150/month). I want to use Uber as a way to make money while I work on my dream and figure out a more permanent plan for my life.
Has anyone done something like this using rideshare as a temporary hustle while trying to rebuild their motivation and plan for something bigger? How did you deal with feeling lost, far from family, and mentally burned out?
Feeling lost and unmotivated thinking of doing Uber temporarily while I figure out my life
byu/geechirevenue inpersonalfinance
Posted by geechirevenue
22 Comments
Are you going to do Uber in addition to your ten hour/day job? I feel like you’re burned out and stressed, and another job is not going to help with that.
Neither the answers, nor the sub rules, have changed in the last 2 hours.
As a per diem uber driver – really really do the math because it’s not as lucrative as it used to be car wear and tear no benefits , risk exposure increases because you drive more…uber is great for part time . You need 100$ to go out next weekend and you are bored at home? Go for a quick spin. For career in 2025 tough
I don’t know any Uber drivers who love their lives. You are strapped into a chair for most of your waking hours. If you are someone who likes to be physical, it will drive you nuts.
What is stopping you from moving back home? You tried a new place, you don’t like it, why not go back to the place where you used to be happier?
If you want to stay in this new place, I would look for a different career. Even Costco is a big upgrade with insurance and whatnot, if you want to stick to warehouse. But you can choose from SO MANY OPTIONS that are not Uber. Probably not a great idea to put a bunch of money down for a new car, only to ruin the value with excess mileage.
So your current plan is to gamble by taking on debt, for a job you know nothing about, to hopefully find your way in life. Stupid plan. Rideshare is only profitable if you are gaming the system effectively and working more than 40hrs a week at it. That means you’ll be working even more hours than you are now. Rideshare companies bank on that fact that drivers do not understand taxes, car depreciation, when to turn down bad rides, and prey on the uniformed. You will lose money, the corporation spits you out and finds someone else desperate.
Sounds more like you don’t have as much money as you expected at this age to enjoy life. That is super unfortunate for sure, but the reality of what this country has turned into.
Apply for jobs back where you were from. Go into a trade that hopefully teaches you while you work. Go get your associates part-time somewhere so you have the ability to make more off your education and less off your body in the future. Times are tough, real tough. You need to be increasing your skills always, and job hoping once the current place has nothing more to teach you.
I’d keep working the warehouse job to see if you can branch out from there. I doubt you’ll make more than $220 a day, after expenses, doing Uber.
Any promotion potential at your job? If not, any office work you can assist with? Try to expose yourself to different parts of the operation to pad your resume with various levels of experiences and skill sets. Try looking for a job that pays better and offers 8 hour days.
Borrowing money for a new car to do Uber is a terrible idea. You will lose far more money to depreciation and interest than you will save on gas mileage. Don’t dig yourself a brand new hole to try out a “hustle” while you “find yourself.” You may as well just light a huge pile of cash on fire.
I also think your decision to move to a new state far from your family for a shitty warehouse job with no health insurance was nuts. Did someone pressure you into doing that? Giving up your support network for a bottom of the barrel hard labor job with no advancement or growth opportunities is just flat out stupid.
There’s a very good chance that you will make less money doing Uber, especially factoring in extra car expenses and gas. You’ll also still not receive any benefits. Your income also becomes a gamble, there can be days where you hardly make anything and days where you make a decent amount. You’re also putting yourself at a significantly increased risk of getting into an accident, which would at least temporarily remove your source of income.
Uber is great if you need a little extra side money or it’s an emergency between jobs, but I would not do it as a full time job willingly. You can probably find a different job that pays the same but provides benefits while you pursue your dream. You could even consider finding a part time job and go to school to find a more lucrative career.
Don’t quit your current job until you have another lined up. I know it’s awful, but the economy is horrendous right now.
I was in your position before. Quit my job to do Uber full time. Ran into car issues I couldn’t afford after a month. That resulted in me no longer having an income and created more mental stress. It’s not really a good idea financially. Even with a new car, you can get into a car accident any time. Driving is extremely dangerous
Biggest recommendation I have is check your auto insurance policy. You may want to look into ride share gap coverage. You don’t want an accident on the way to pick someone up leave you uninsured.
Well I understand how you feel I’ve had the same title in my career for the past 5+ years. And it’s what do I want to do with myself? I don’t want to be a lead or have any responsibility outside of myself and helping my team. So I guess I’ll forever stay as is.
Boring is not a bad thing. It means there is no chaos that you have to manage. And you’re a good guy by the sounds of it, you take care of your family. Just because someone has some glamourous job means nothing if you’re able to afford the life you want without debt and save for your retirement you’re doing hell of a lot better than most Americans. Do NOT sell yourself short.
My only advice for the “complacency” you’re feeling get out of your comfort zone. also cars make you poor. I’m 36 on my 2nd car in my life. This one I plan to have until I’m 45-50. Has less than 40k miles on it. I’ll drive it into the ground.
No. Putting money down on another car for Rideshare period is a bad idea.
What happens if you get in accident and hurt yourself? You got enough money to survive that?
Uber is for people who don’t have options anymore.
If you’re willing to drive all day, get a class B CDL and drive a truck. You’ll make way more money and you won’t have to buy a car.
The Uber thing is a terrible idea.
You moved states for a warehouse job?
I am giving this as financial advice.
You feel burned out moving away from your family. Working a financially worse job while staying in the state is not going to make you feel better. You’ll just be making less money.
If you could go back in time to moving for this job would you still do it? If the answer is no you know what is bothering you.
Do you want to go back home with your family and try and find work near there? Are you able to move in with one of them until you are back on your feet?
Until you are honest about what you want you will not be motivated to support yourself financially no matter what job you work because you’ll be too depressed to work.
OP, I think you’re suffering from depression. You should look into that and ways to treat it, medical or non-medical.
It’s like you’re trying to hit the nail on somewhat of a solution, in that you recognize you need another job, but you’re doing it the wrong way (Uber is a downgrade, not an upgrade). Maybe it’s worth spending some time to figure out what you want from life/work and put effort into going that way. It might mean going back to school, or just finding a better job, or any of a raft of other things.
In addition to all the other concerns mentioned, if you’re feeling unmotivated I’d be concerned about working Uber where it’s on you to actually begin the work day.
Go back to your family. Community is everything and life is short.
I think you should consider going to college or trade school rather than driving uber.
I’m an accountant so I am biased but it’s one of the most solid career options that lets you do a lot of different things.
New hire accounting grads are pretty easily earning 70k+ straight out of state college 4 year programs and the growth potential is very good.
If you can move in with your parents or something and commute to a nearby university you could be looking at a very different life for yourself in 4 years than if you had driven uber for 4 years.
Dude. Hear me out.
I’m in no way a financial whiz at all but I was exactly you at almost the same age. I felt like I was at a dead end with no direction and life was just slipping away. Work felt like I was busting my butt for peanuts and the cash went out what felt like faster than it came in.
I researched interests and doing these interests as a source of income to spice up life or something. Nothing really resonated or at least nothing really seemed to make sense in a way that felt worthwhile to investigate further.
By some weird chance a relative of mine was in town that I never saw. I’m talking 10 years at a clip between visits. We were talking about work and I mentioned how shit things were at the moment and they just said I should get my CDL. Take some time and see the country and have “me” time while earning solid money.
So that’s what I did and some 20 years went by and it was the best decision I had ever made. Mind you I also had a full college education prior to this and it really just proved that the “standard” life path of college leading to a great job isn’t always the right path for everyone.
At the time though I started off making something like $60,000 a year. I would stay at my mom’s when I wasnt working as I lived in my truck for some 3 to 4 weeks at time. I was ABSORBING money out of thin air it felt.
At my best I was doing $85,000 a year and was able to get myself home on weekends, weekly. By this time I had my own place that I practically bought in cash.
Its not glamorous and it can be hard but man, I never saw the same place twice largely and it allowed me to still pursue my interests when I was done working. Completely uninterrupted.
So yeah, long story short is that for me getting my CDL was life changing mentally and financially. I now have hung that hat up and work in a field that is just for me, no pressure on living check to check, etc.
Good luck 👍
What you need is a hobby, or go back to school part time to find something that pays more. I’m assuming you don’t or can’t back home? Where you were making less money but had less expenses? I’m inferring because you said you moved for this job so it must have been an upgrade.
Do not take out a car loan to do uber. Even if you had a paid off car I wouldn’t recommend uber. It’s hard enough maintaining a car with regular mileage.
Take online course, get a library card, read some self help books. It sounds like you’re just a little lost in a new city, but I feel like you can find yourself there, rather back home where everything is familiar. Go out on the weekends and meet people.
To have no debt and biggest expenses be $1k in rent and $150 in car insurance is a blessing. I was spent 4 years in a job with the same pay + a little overtime, except I had higher rent, a car note and higher car insurance. During that time I kept learning and moved up to a role making way more in only 40 hours a week. It’ll seem bleak at times, but those are the times you’re grateful for later.
Warehousing is absolutely a dead-end career right now like truck driving. It’s future looks almost certain to be minimizing costs into obscurity. You need a skilled trade to learn – consider investing in yourself and adopting a growth mindset. That DOES NOT mean chasing material possessions like a new car or major purchase. Your major purchases need to add to your net worth financially/personally, not be a depreciating liability.
Give yourself a good slap, read a few books, and learn a trade to put yourself on a solid career path. Get the hell out of the gig economy now before you end up in debt without a real career.
Edit: and call your damn family. They are probably worried about you. You need other people who care about you. They probably need you too.