u/SeparateSherbert5439

[removed]

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I’m considering starting a pressure washing business while keeping my full-time job. My goal would be to work mostly Saturdays and maybe a few evenings during the week before sunset.

For those of you doing it part-time:

1. How many jobs are you doing each week or month?
2. About how much revenue and profit are you averaging?
3. How many hours are you actually working (including driving, estimates, equipment maintenance, etc.)?
4. Where do most of your customers come from? (Google, Facebook, yard signs, referrals, Nextdoor, door knocking, etc.)
5. How much are you spending on advertising each month?
6. What’s been the hardest part? Getting customers, scheduling, weather, equipment, pricing?

I’m not looking to replace my full-time income, just trying to build a solid side business that brings in an extra $1,000-$3,000+ per month. I’d appreciate any advice or lessons learned.

I’m 30 and have been working since I was 16. I built my life around school, work, and trying to build a career. Now I have a great wife and two kids under 4, and after work I genuinely enjoy spending time with them.

But lately I’ve realized, I don’t really know what I enjoy anymore. I don’t care much about cars, watching TV, gaming, or even going to the gym just for the sake of it. Most of my satisfaction comes from being productive, learning something, or becoming a better engineer but it’s not the kind of satisfaction where I remember the day I smiled or laughed so hard because I don’t. When I’m not doing those things I feel out of place.

Has anyone else gone through this? What hobbies or interests did you discover later in life? How did you figure out who you were outside of work and being a parent?

I sometimes feel unhappy and I just feel like somewhere along the way I forgot to develop interests that weren’t tied to productivity.

I’ve been curious about this and wanted to hear from people who have actually worked in the trades or engineering.

I’m a civil engineer with about 8 years of experience making around $130k/year base salary working a typical 40-hour week and I live in Tampa FL.

I constantly hear that “the trades are where the real money is,” especially union trades like linemen, electricians, pipefitters, and elevator mechanics.

But whenever I look at labor statistics or ask AI, the numbers seem to show that the average civil engineer still earns slightly more than the average tradesperson, with the highest-paid union trades earning significantly more primarily because of overtime, storm work, prevailing wage, travel, or specialized roles.

For those of you who have worked in the trades:
Is that actually true in your experience?
How common is it to make $130k+ while working a fairly normal 40 hour week?

Is the “trades make way more than engineers” idea based mostly on top earners and overtime, or is it representative of the average career?

I’m not trying to argue one is better than the other. I’m genuinely trying to understand whether the average tradesperson is actually outearning the average civil engineer, or if the perception comes from seeing the highest earners.

Because I’m looking to get to the 160s/180s and eventually 200s in the next 10 years. The sooner the better.

Edit: I should add some context. I genuinely enjoy my work and I like earning more money, but money itself isn’t my primary goal. What I struggle with is deciding whether the extra income is worth the extra time and sacrifice.

I value work life balance and spending time with my wife and kids. Growing up, we were poor. My parents worked constantly because they had to, and there was always stress about paying the bills. I don’t want my kids to grow up with that same experience.

I don’t want to make more money just so I can buy more things for myself because I’m not interested in a lot of things. Most of what I earn gets invested or goes toward our family’s expenses. My goal is to build enough wealth that my kids have more opportunities than I did and, hopefully, leave them something meaningful one day.

That’s why I think about earning more but I also don’t want to look back and realize I traded away too much time with them while they were young. That’s the balance I’m trying to figure out and that’s why I ask these questions.

I’ve been curious about this and wanted to hear from people who have actually worked in the trades or engineering.

I’m a civil engineer with about 8 years of experience making around $130k/year base pay working a typical 40-hour week and I live in Tampa, FL

I constantly hear that “the trades are where the real money is,” especially union trades like linemen, electricians, pipefitters, and elevator mechanics.

But whenever I look at labor statistics or ask AI, the numbers seem to show that the average civil engineer still earns slightly more than the average tradesperson, with the highest-paid union trades earning significantly more primarily because of overtime, storm work, prevailing wage, travel, or specialized roles.

For those of you who have worked in the trades:
Is that actually true in your experience?
How common is it to make $130k+ while working a fairly normal 40 hour week?

Is the “trades make way more than engineers” idea based mostly on top earners and overtime, or is it representative of the average career?

I’m not trying to argue one is better than the other. I’m genuinely trying to understand whether the average tradesperson is actually outearning the average civil engineer, or if the perception comes from seeing the highest earners.

Because I’m looking to get to the 160s/180s and eventually 200s in the next 10 years. The sooner the better.

Edit: I should add some context. I genuinely enjoy my work and I like earning more money, but money itself isn’t my primary goal. What I struggle with is deciding whether the extra income is worth the extra time and sacrifice.

I value work life balance and spending time with my wife and kids. Growing up, we were poor. My parents worked constantly because they had to, and there was always stress about paying the bills. I don’t want my kids to grow up with that same experience.

I don’t want to make more money just so I can buy more things for myself because I’m not interested in a lot of things. Most of what I earn gets invested or goes toward our family’s expenses. My goal is to build enough wealth that my kids have more opportunities than I did and, hopefully, leave them something meaningful one day.

That’s why I think about earning more but I also don’t want to look back and realize I traded away too much time with them while they were young. That’s the balance I’m trying to figure out and that’s why I ask these questions.

I’m a civil engineer with about 8 years of experience and recently received an offer to leave a well-established ESOP land development firm for a publicly traded engineering company focused on energy and utility infrastructure.

Current company:
Excellent culture and work-life balance
Strong ESOP performance
Relaxed environment
Salary is average for the market

New company:
~45% increase in base salary
Annual bonus opportunity
401(k) match
Exposure to utility, substation, and federal infrastructure projects
Potential for broader technical and leadership experience

A lot of people talk about the long-term wealth-building potential of ESOPs, which gives me pause. On the other hand, the pay increase is significant, and I feel like I’ve plateaued somewhat in my current role and want exposure to larger and more diverse projects.

For those who have left a successful ESOP for a public company (or vice versa), do you regret it? What factors would you consider beyond compensation?

Context:

I’m at a point in life where I have two young kids and a wife depending on me. As the provider, I can make things work, but sometimes it comes at the cost of extra sacrifices and navigating in and out of debt. Some days I will go without eating just to cut back on food spending but I’m not starving.

When evaluating career opportunities, money matters - but it isn’t the only factor.
I ran the numbers. With this new opportunity, I can maximize my retirement investments, including my 401(k) and Roth IRA, and still bring home more than I do today. That’s important. But what excites me most is growth.

I’m 30 years old with a PE, and I keep asking myself: What will make me more valuable 10, 20, or 30 years from now? What will make me a better engineer, leader, husband, and father?

That’s what makes this opportunity so compelling. More responsibility. More exposure. More learning. More chances to grow. And hopefully cross my fingers less stalling like it has been so far.

I know I’m already doing okay. My cars are paid off. My house is on track to be paid off within the next 10 years. My wife plans to return to work in a few years. We’re building a solid foundation.

But when I think about my kids being in their early 20s someday, I want to know I made decisions that positioned our family for the future not just financially, but professionally and personally.

Conclusion: Thank you everyone. Based on reading all this, it helps reinforce my decision to take this opportunity and try it out. The overwhelming response has been that I’m not crazy for considering it, but I’m crazy for overthinking it.

This is why I need more engineer friends.