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OKC Direct Hire Jobs and Fast Track Pay Up · The 405 Payroll

• 0:14
  I, I, I was standing in line at the grocery store yesterday,
• 0:18
  right?
• 0:18
  And the guy in front of me, he, he was holding two different brands of sliced
• 0:23
  turkey, just, just staring at them like it was a calculus problem.
• 0:27
  Comparing the, the price per ounce?
• 0:30
  Literally calculating sixty cents, Claire.
• 0:35
  Sixty cents.
• 0:37
  And it, it just hit me how, how tight things are for people right now,
• 0:42
  especially with rent taking up like half of everybody's paycheck.
• 0:46
  Well, and that is why this September 14 event is such a, a big deal.
• 0:51
  The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, OESC, they have this job fair coming up
• 0:56
  in OKC.
• 0:57
  It is on Monday, September 14, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
• 1:03
  Wait, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM?
• 1:06
  That is a, a pretty tight window.
• 1:09
  It is three hours, yeah.
• 1:12
  But the key is, it is direct hiring.
• 1:15
  You are not dropping a, a resume into some online job board vacuum where a bot
• 1:21
  filters you out because you did not put the exact right keywords in.
• 1:26
  You are sitting down face to face with actual hiring managers.
• 1:31
  Right, right!
• 1:33
  Same day interview offers for positions starting at $18.50 to $21.00 an hour.
• 1:39
  Exactly.
• 1:40
  And think about what that means for someone currently making,
• 1:44
  say, $15.00 an hour.
• 1:46
  That $3.50 to $6.00 jump, over a full month, that is over $500 in
• 1:53
  additional income before taxes.
• 1:55
  Man, $500 a month?
• 1:58
  That completely changes the, the whole math on rent.
• 2:02
  Like, if your rent is $1,100, $500 extra is not just pocket money.
• 2:09
  It is the difference between paying on the first of the month or paying on the tenth
• 2:13
  with a $75 late fee attached.
• 2:16
  It moves a household from, from constant crisis management to actually having an
• 2:22
  emergency cushion.
• 2:24
  And one of the biggest employers actively recruiting in the area right now is
• 2:28
  Consumer Cellular.
• 2:30
  Oh yeah, over on Santa Fe Avenue, right?
• 2:33
  In the, the old Baker Hughes building?
• 2:35
  Yes!
• 2:36
  12701 North Santa Fe Avenue.
• 2:39
  According to OESC and local business reports, Consumer Cellular brought hundreds of
• 2:44
  jobs to OKC for customer service and IT support staff.
• 2:48
  Their average full time compensation is around $54,000 per year,
• 2:53
  which breaks down to about $25.96 an hour, plus full health insurance benefits and
• 2:59
  tuition reimbursement.
• 3:01
  Wait, $54,000 average?
• 3:04
  That is, that is massive for a role that does not require a four year degree
• 3:09
  upfront.
• 3:10
  It really is.
• 3:12
  And with tuition reimbursement, they are essentially paying you to upgrade your
• 3:16
  skills while you earn a solid wage.
• 3:19
  You know, I was helping a friend prep for a local hiring fair last spring.
• 3:23
  He was super nervous, keeping his head down, just handing out paper.
• 3:28
  I told him, man, do not just drop the paper and walk away.
• 3:32
  Bring three physical printed copies of your resume, look the hiring manager in the
• 3:37
  eye, and ask one specific question.
• 3:40
  What question?
• 3:42
  Ask them if they offer a second shift differential!
• 3:46
  Because if you ask about second shift or night differentials,
• 3:49
  they immediately know you are serious about working hours that other people dodge,
• 3:54
  and it instantly sets you apart from ninety percent of the people in that room.
• 4:00
  That is actually brilliant, Miles.
• 4:03
  It shows you know how operational scheduling works.
• 4:07
  So okay, getting that $18.50 to $21.00 an hour job gets you out of immediate danger,
• 4:13
  right?
• 4:14
  But how do you go from $20.00 an hour to $28.00 or $30.00 an hour for long term
• 4:21
  stability?
• 4:22
  That is the, the Metro Tech piece, right?
• 4:25
  Exactly.
• 4:27
  Metro Tech over at their Springlake Campus, 1900 Springlake Drive in Oklahoma City.
• 4:33
  They run short term workforce programs in high demand fields like logistics,
• 4:38
  clinical medical assisting, HVAC, and welding.
• 4:42
  Okay, but wait.
• 4:43
  If someone is working full time just to pay rent, how do they have time or money to
• 4:49
  go back to school?
• 4:51
  That is what surprised me most when digging into this.
• 4:54
  These certification programs run on 8 to 12 week schedules,
• 4:59
  often just 10 hours a week in the evenings.
• 5:02
  And as for the cost, many of these programs are fully or partially funded through
• 5:07
  Central Oklahoma Workforce Innovation Board, COWIB, tuition grants and state
• 5:12
  vouchers.
• 5:13
  So, wait, you can get certified without taking on thousands in student loan debt?
• 5:18
  Yes.
• 5:19
  Metro Tech has dedicated financial aid advisors who match students with Oklahoma
• 5:24
  Promise, Pell Grants, or COWIB funding so out of pocket costs stay near zero.
• 5:31
  Man, 8 to 12 weeks of evening classes for a $7.00 to $10.00 an hour raise.
• 5:37
  That takes you from $40,000 a year up to nearly $60,000.
• 5:42
  That is real money.
• 5:44
  It changes your entire trajectory.
• 5:47
  And while you are making that transition, if things get tight during those 8 to 12
• 5:51
  weeks, you do not have to fall behind on bills.
• 5:55
  Local resources like the Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City offer emergency
• 6:00
  rent stabilization and utility assistance to help bridge the gap so you do not drop
• 6:05
  out or face eviction while upgrading your credentials.
• 6:09
  That is huge.
• 6:10
  Because the hardest part of making a jump is that fear of slipping during the
• 6:15
  transition period.
• 6:16
  Right.
• 6:17
  You do not have to leap without a net.
• 6:20
  So if you are listening to this right now, do not wait until Sunday night before the
• 6:25
  September 14 event.
• 6:27
  Take ten minutes tonight.
• 6:29
  Go check out the OESC events calendar online or give Metro Tech financial aid a call
• 6:35
  at 405 595 4446 to sign up for an upcoming workforce orientation.
• 6:42
  Ten minutes today can save you months of financial stress down the road.
• 6:47
  Alright, good chatting with you, Miles.
• 6:49
  Yeah, talk soon!