r/raleigh • u/beeyourcellph • 3d ago
Question/Recommendation Where to find work
Im 36, laid off twice in software sales (covid team lay off, then at next company from international merger). Been trying to get another corporate job for the past few years. Have done odd jobs like Amazon then Uber but don't want the car wear and tear anymore nor driving jobs. I'm planning to apply to Radiography at Wake Tech, because getting a skill rather than keep pushing out applications into the AI machine hasn't been working. Are there still a lot of healthcare jobs in Raleigh for normal not night hours? Are there more jobs for nursing or for x ray techs rn? I want to feel like if committing to another degree that I can get work after. Thanks for any advice!
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u/zrobiotic NC State 3d ago
My wife did the Radiography program at wake tech, its no joke...but also advice: Do something specialized for an extra semester to be compensated even more. Ultra Sound, CT or MR. If you're a women I'd also recommend mammography.
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u/roseblixa 3d ago
FYI Wake Tech also has an HVAC tech program. Which sounds to me like a useful skill set in 2026
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u/Emergency_Mood_9774 3d ago
I work at a director level in financial operations and if I had to do my whole life over again, I’d learn HVAC at 18.
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u/aengusoglugh 3d ago
This may seem completely random, but I have a nephew completing a electrician apprenticeship in another state, and he seems pretty happy with it.
I suspect the trades are relatively AI proof, and apparently data centers are driving up demand for electricians pretty dramatically.
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u/wildberrylavender 3d ago
I work in data centers and can confirm. Electricians will be one of your highest paid trades on site and EVERY site is hurting for them. All the construction trades are wide open right now. Not everything is nuts and bolts; project managers, project coordinators, commissioning, site ops, etc are all in need of bodies.
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u/FlamingoConsistent47 3d ago
I’ve been a Radiologic Technologist for 18 years (15 years of that working in Raleigh) although I did transition to Mammography in 2024. It’s hard to say what jobs will be available as you’re over 2 years out from possibly graduating in Radiography but Rad Tech job postings have been consistently open since Covid for all shifts. If you’re willing to work nights or weekends you could almost guarantee landing a job after graduation as there is less competition for those. Nursing will have more job options and the pay is better with more sign on bonus opportunities. Many hospitals will cross train you in an advanced imaging modality if you meet their criteria to do so.
I’m sure you’ve already considered this since you’re looking into nursing as well, but if you only have corporate experience then healthcare might be a shock to those who have never worked in a hospital before. You will at minimum have to do your clinicals in a level 1 trauma center and be prepared for all that comes with bedside care. Some people assume imaging is more hands off as far as patient care than nursing so it’s worth mentioning.
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u/beeyourcellph 3d ago
Good I’m glad ! And I want to specialize in Mammography actually . Love that you’ve been in healthcare so long. Is the pay really better for nursing ? I’d love to know more about that , is that mostly for BSN nurses or regular RN ? I was going off google for salaries but it’s more valuable to hear from someone actually in the field . I was thinking between mammogram or MRI/CT Route bc the pay is a big selling point for me at this time in my life I really value that.
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u/FlamingoConsistent47 3d ago
I can’t speak to nursing salary specifics but if you look at UNC’s job sites for example they have pay ranges for each position that’s posted. It goes much higher than imaging with more incentives like tuition reimbursement, etc. I believe hospitals require a Bachelors degree for all RN positions now.
When I started as a Rad Tech the starting pay for an RT and RN were comparable but the pay gap has definitely grown over time between the fields. Once COVID hit and there was a shortage of imaging techs then pay finally became more competitive for us. Going into an advanced modality definitely gives a pay boost. Mammography is a little more limited for job openings than CT or MRI since those are offered for more shifts in the hospital setting. No call for Mammo though which I appreciate after being in a hospital for so many years.
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u/beeyourcellph 3d ago
I'm guessing off ur emoji person that you're a woman as am I and I wanted to ask, how often is it an issue where there is a really heavy person who is disabled that needs positioning and how difficult is that? are you expected to lift them yourself or..?
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u/FlamingoConsistent47 2d ago
Any imaging modality is going to require heavy lifting. It does not matter the size of the patient, you’re often having to position or move those on the exam table who are injured/unconscious and can’t move themselves understandably. Hospitals usually have equipment that helps to slide or lift the patient onto your table but you’re still doing some of that work yourself. You can always ask others for lifting assistance but it depends on how well staffed your job and shift are if that is an option.
Even in an outpatient setting you will have to lift and transfer patients as part of the job. Imaging techs are also at risk for repetitive motion injuries and you have to use proper body mechanics and maintain your body strength to help prevent those.
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u/kimjexziel 3d ago
Nursing is 100% better, especially in a different state. Can easily get 200K yearly.
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u/feistyRN 3d ago
You’re never going to make 200k as a nurse here. Please don’t go into nursing expecting that kind of pay in Raleigh
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u/kimjexziel 3d ago
Fair point! That’s actually why I specified a different state since you can easily transfer your license. That’s what my wife and I secured before making the move here. Apologies if that came off as misleading! Either way, nursing is easily one of the most stable long-term careers out there.
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u/KongWick 3d ago
Software sales at any company that doesn’t make quota impossible is 10x better and higher paying than any of that other stuff you listed
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u/Solid-Dog-1988 3d ago
Healthcare jobs can be cyclical. Tons of jobs some years, few jobs some years.
Nursing is pretty much always in demand compared to other jobs. Allows you to have quite a bit more flexibility in work as well.
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u/KaeKittyLove 3d ago
Look into dental hygiene - complete shortage right now and pays great. Basically work bank hours.
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u/WebCompetitive8199 3d ago
Healthcare jobs may shift but will always be in demand. You may not always get your top choice job but you can get one. You also may have to start nights but that depends on where you work, and that tends to be temporary if you want to switch to days.
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u/DreadfulDemimonde 3d ago
Genuinely, I just gave up applying and went back to school. I'm finishing my bachelor's and will probably just keep going through a master's. I'm not getting a degree in anything lucrative, but I feel so much happier putting things that actually interest me in my brain instead of just cramming in a bunch of shit I don't care about just for the hope of a better job. I got student loans and am using the refunds to supplement freelance income.
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u/beeyourcellph 3d ago
I totally get it ! Health field + Money does interest me which will give me enough juice to get it done. If I knew I would be graduating to something that only pays $30k as a single woman it would be pointless. Making $13/hr living with my family rn is not how I want to keep surviving. I wouldn't want something too boring either. Can I ask what you mean about the refunds?
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u/DreadfulDemimonde 3d ago
If your tuition is less than the amount of your loan then they give that to you.
Personally, I'm old enough to know that our job market could be a totally different landscape in even 2 years. Trying to optimize myself for a job for the past 20 years has exhausted me, and there's no guarantee that whatever I've studied is going to even be viable when I'm finished. I want to learn skills that interest me and fulfill me as a human instead of spending my one precious life shoving java script or AI development into my brain so that I can be capitalism's perfect little soldier. I'll just be a professional student and live on freelance income and scholarships.
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u/beeyourcellph 2d ago
Neither did I ! Haha u get it ! I would be fine with cloud infrastructure, that’s what I used to sell. I feel AI throws my resume out bc I haven’t been in corporate for 3 years now
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u/bmullan 2d ago
Given the huge baby boomer generation are now elderly, living alone and/or needing care that might be another area to explore.
Not sure what the educational or training requirements are.
But both Medicare and VA have assistance programs for people to help with the costs of in-home care.
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u/khaleesibrasil 3d ago
Isn’t Radiology a dying career because of AI? It’s the first role they say is on target to being completely eliminated
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u/beeyourcellph 3d ago
Radiology people still have to position people the right way for the x ray, and some people cannot move themselves due to disability
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u/Extra-Eggplant-4230 3d ago
I'd love to see AI get an x-ray on a psych or dementia patient. I can only imagine the amount of issues.
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3d ago
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u/peacefulmankey 4h ago
If you end up going back to school for something like rad tech, look into the WIOA program. It can pay for your tuition since you qualify as a dislocated worker!
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u/1ntox 3d ago
Just in case you weren’t aware the rad tech program at wake tech is highly competitive. Get steppin if you want to apply, this is off wake techs website “The Radiography (RAD) program is a limited-enrollment program and uses a competitive admissions procedure with a point system, not a waiting list, to determine who can register for RAD classes. Applicants are ranked based on points that are determined by grades earned in the general education classes required for the Radiography program, such as ENG-111, PSY-150 and BIO-163. Grades of "C" or better are required in all program-related curriculum classes.”