opportunities in manufacturing, you'll need some training or schooling. I started in a paper mill just out of BYU. I've worked at 4 different mills across the country. I'm in Oregon now (for the last 4 years) and some of the people we hire are at about $75k the first year. In the right ladder you could be well over $100k the second year. My top direct report will be close to $200k this year, and yes he works a lot.

This means they work a lot of Sundays, Holidays and Birthdays. Some decide they want a different path and going Salary or into the trades are options. I've been there for less than 4 years and 5 of my former direct reports have come to the dark side (Salary). One is a Performance Leader (hourly for 3 years previous), another is a Superintendent (3 years hourly), another is a Reliability Coordinator (10 years hourly) and two are Manufacturing Engineers (one at around 30 years hourly and the other 12 years).

Understand that without schooling or training your initial stint starting in the workforce will probably involve work. Try to find someplace that has a path to something you are interested in or are willing to do, and where you can advance.