u/philsadvns

So I have a huge criminal record of thefts and drugs possessions and some minor driving stuff like driving suspended etc. I got my record from the state a few months back and it spanned 37 pages, which is just like...wow. But anyway, the thing that really seems to be the problem is all the stealing. I can't seem to even come up with a job that doesn't require at least having some access to something valuable, whether a cash register, a vehicle, a computer, whatever. Thus, I keep getting turned down outright when I apply or else have an offer rescinded when they get my background. This has been consistent across maybe 50-60 applications over the last 3-4 months. Previous to this I was working as a door dasher, (oddly the ONLY gig company that would take me - I applied to all of them in my area) but over the last 6 months to a year DoorDash is really slowing down, I think its just too much competition - even Walmart has their own delivery service now - so I started applying.

I'm open to pretty much any job with this one caveat, my spine is fucked up from multiple herniated/bulging discs so there's no way I can do a job that requires a lot of heavy duty physical labor. Every person, to a man, that I have asked for advice about jobs says the same thing - THE TRADES THE TRADES!! GET TO THE TRADES! But I can't. Theres pretty much 2 things I can't do, which are lift very heavy stuff over and over, and sit for long periods of time without being able to stand up and walk around for a minute. So what other, maybe less desirable, maybe lower paying, maybe part time jobs are there that im not considering? There must be something. I dont really wanna go work at McDonalds or Taco Bell but it's starting to look like that's the only route.

Just to give some extra info I am 40 years old, multiple felon, no violent charges, no sex crimes, just lots of drugs and and lots of stealing shit to pay for those drugs. Also no education past a GED and on probation post drug court - my last arrest was in like maybe 2023.

All help is appreciated, thanks.

Hello, writing to you from about 50 miles from some of the best paddling in the country, maybe the world, in the Adirondacks. Thing is im 40 now, not in the shape I was before, and I have an inexperienced wife and a dog and a bunch of crap to bring camping. We have gotten pretty into camping, and in the ADK there are a LOT of free to use, first come first served style primitive campsites that are only accessible by boat, or at least a boat makes it much easier to get there. So because we dont plan to be doing a lot of paddling ourselves but we are also poor and can't afford a proper motor boat, I want to just get a little canoe and strap an outboard on the back. Gets us to and from the campsites on islands etc and then during the camping trips we can also just go out and tool around in it, maybe a little fishing or something, im not a big fishing person, but maybe.

Ive been looking for a canoe with a flat stern and I'm not seeing too many. I came close to paying $400 for a maybe 1980 sears fiberglass flat stern that was only worth $250 back when it was NEW. But then I thought, wait, this canoe is not worth that much money, and I backed out of the sale. But now looking around for other options I see lots of pretty decent looking traditional canoes with pointed ends on both sides, and I know they have those clamp on transoms or whatever they are for mount a motor on a canoe. Has anyone here tried it with a gas motor? how did it work out? Ive been trying to work it out with like, AI and stuff and I just can't seem to decide on my own. What do you think. Would I be just as well off with a regular canoe? Thanks in advance!

I bought this A22 to use for an admittedly unusual grow: mushrooms. It’s not ideal because it’s not really rated for 99% humidity environments but when I asked support about it they said to give it a shot and it might work out fine, but this app is soooo confusing. First off, how to setup a heater? There’s no drop down option for heater when setting the plugs up, but then later in the recipes heater is listed as an available appliance. What the hell is going on here? I found an old Reddit post from someone who contacted support with the same questions, literally the only resource I could find on the subject, and they said to set the heater as a duct fan or some such craziness. And the weird clock Ring interface for the “recipe” time is confusing too. I changed the start time for a recipe by one hour and for some reason doing that caused the circulation fan to come on and then changing it back turned it off. Can anyone point me to a more useful resource on setting this thing up than what I’ve been able to find so far? Which is NOTHING because the company sent me literally a tiny little index card of a user manual that instructs on nothing past setting up the WiFi and downloading the app. THANKS IN ADVANCE TO REDDIT! I am sure someone here will be 1000% more helpful than anything I’ve managed to find so far.

Hello loyal soilers,

Im looking for a career in soil science or related field that would put a person in a job where they might spend some time outside with their hands in the dirt. My wife works part time and she just is sort of "meh" about her job. she wants to work more hours, but doesn't really love her job, and she wants to do something involving farming, soil, the outdoors....something. She grew up on a farm, loves animals and plants of all kinds, but doesn't want to work with animals or veterinarians because she loves animals too much to see them euthanized every day. She says he dream job is soil scientist, but the length of school needed is intimidating and really just more than she needs or wants to do at this point in her life (mid 30's). Is there a career that is soil science related or similar that she could get into with just farming experience etc, or maybe go back to a community college for an associates in something? would love to hear what soil people do for work that puts them in touch with the dirt but doesn't require a long education. She currently makes around $20/hr (min wage where I live is $15) so as long as it's not like back to the bottom of the ladder doing hard labor and milking cows or something pretty much any pay range is doable.

Hello everyone, as the title says I'm a 40 year old multiple felon living in the US and my highest level of education obtained is a GED. It's about the worst possible set of circumstances I could think of outside of maybe "massive brain injury" or something involving sex crimes. I got arrested back in 2023 for stealing to support my heroin habit and ended up in jail and then on drug court. Far from the first time I was arrested, my criminal record spans 37 pages (I recently got a copy of it from the state) 20ish misdemeanors and 2 felonies starting at age 26 and continuing until age 38. I'm not going to give any qualifying info or massaging of the facts.

Since completing drug court last year im not really into the idea of doing drugs and going to jail/prison anymore. Been there done that kind of thing. But while the rest of the world was getting degrees and jobs and buying boats I was nodding on couch and its pretty much too late to have any pipe dreams about landing some miracle job with a $50,000 a year salary. It's just not going to happen. Just for a little context I started college again last year, made the presidents list my first semester, and picked a field I thought might be achievable, only to get immediately shut down after getting accepted to the program at my school for X-ray techs. They only took 20 of 200 applicants and I was one of them, but the ARRT won't let me sit for the test due to my record.

That's where I'm at now, and I suddenly realized, all this stuff about "turn your life around, anyone can get a second chance" it might not be true. They preached a lot of that shit through drug court but I have yet to see the person offer me a chance. Currently I work for a gig work company, only one out of maybe 10 I applied even would accept me for that, and I just can't make it on what I earn from them. There has to be another way. I'm considering moving down south somewhere where I might be able to live outdoors in a tent year round to save money on mortgage/rent. I am 100% serious about this, I feel I have likely exhausted my chances at assimilating to society as a whole, and now I'm just looking for the exit.

Has anyone here or elsewhere identified a place or style of living that will allow me to live out my remaining years in peace without having to be constantly reminded of my status as a societal reject? How can I live the rest of my life peacefully without constant money/governmental/societal pressure to do better?

Edit: reading through this after posting I foresee a number of "just keep pushing, you're doing great!" or similar responses, and while I appreciate the sentiment, it's not what I'm looking for. I've been in "just keep pushing" mode for about 25 years now and I just don't have it in me anymore.