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OKC Jobs, Training, and Cash-Flow Wins · The 405 Payroll

• 0:13
  If you are paying eleven hundred dollars a month for a standard apartment in
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  Oklahoma City right now, those job market announcements about big regional growth
• 0:23
  can feel, um, kind of abstract.
• 0:27
  Oh, totally.
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  You see headlines saying local chamber assisted companies added over thirty four
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  hundred jobs with an average salary around sixty thousand seven hundred dollars,
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  and you think, okay, cool, but what about my rent due on the first?
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  Right!
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  But here is why the September second community hiring event hosted by the Oklahoma
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  Employment Security Commission actually matters for renters.
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  With the metro set to add nearly forty five hundred jobs this year,
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  employers are, they are genuinely competing for people.
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  Look, I used to do those ungodly four in the morning radio shifts,
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  and I get the skepticism.
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  People think job fairs are just tables full of cheap pens and forms that go straight
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  into an online applicant tracking black hole.
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  Except at a live OESC event, you are talking directly to recruiters who need
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  positions filled immediately.
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  It gives you actual leverage to negotiate better starting wages or move away from
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  those ghost online postings to direct hire roles.
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  And speaking of direct hire, let us talk about who is actually hiring in town right
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  now.
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  Over in South OKC, near Will Rogers World Airport, Amazon has entry level
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  fulfillment and sortation roles starting at $17.50 to $19.00 an hour.
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  And those come with day one healthcare benefits and flexible night or weekend
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  shifts.
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  You can apply directly online at amazon.com/okcjobs without playing guessing games.
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  Then if you want solid public sector stability, the City of Oklahoma City has full
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  time maintenance and customer service positions open starting at $16.85 an hour.
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  They include OPERS retirement benefits and paid training.
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  You just go to okc.gov/careers.
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  If you are hitting that OESC hiring event on September second,
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  bring your state ID, bring two printed resume copies, and ask the recruiters right
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  at the table for an immediate direct hire interview.
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  Do not just hand over paper and walk away.
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  Now, $17 or $18 an hour keeps the lights on, but jumping to $24 to $28 an
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  hour?
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  That is where household cash flow really changes.
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  Exactly.
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  And you do not need a four year degree to build that bridge.
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  Metro Tech has a program called EMPOWER that covers one hundred percent of tuition,
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  textbooks, and testing fees through grants from Oklahoma Human Services.
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  Wait, so zero out of pocket cost?
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  What kind of training programs are we talking about?
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  Things like 12 week Phlebotomy or CNC Machining certifications at their Springlake
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  Campus.
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  High demand technical skills in healthcare and advanced manufacturing.
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  And the best part for anyone working full time right now, classes are held in the
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  evening, like 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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  So you keep your day job while grinding out 12 weeks to upgrade your income
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  potential.
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  While you are building toward that bigger paycheck, sometimes you just need extra
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  cash for this month's electric bill or groceries.
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  There are solid short term options across OKC.
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  Yeah, like event staffing at Paycom Center or Scissortail Park.
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  Through apps like Instawork, you can pick up weekend setup or venue support gigs
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  paying $16.00 to $18.50 an hour, often with weekly pay.
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  Or if you have a reliable vehicle, Spark Driver delivering for Walmart across
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  Northwest Expressway or South OKC hubs, plus Amazon Flex, can bring in $20 to $25 an
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  hour during peak weekend morning windows from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
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  Just remember to subtract gas and wear and tear.
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  If you spend $15 on fuel over a morning run, you are still pulling in a clean $120
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  net for a few hours of work, which easily wipes out a monthly utility bill.
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  That brings up a huge point: earning more money only works if seasonal expenses do
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  not eat it all up.
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  That is where local support resources come in.
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  The Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City over at 319 Southwest 25th Street
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  offers emergency utility assistance and LIHEAP support to keep winter heating or
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  summer cooling spikes from destroying your budget.
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  You can reach them at 405-232-0199.
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  They also partner with organizations like the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City
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  to offer free one on one financial coaching and tax prep, ensuring working families
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  get every dollar of their Earned Income Tax Credit.
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  Pairing local bill assistance with a modest wage increase is how you actually build
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  long term rental stability.
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  It stops you from playing catch up every single month.
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  Look at Marcus, a renter in South OKC who was making $15.50 an hour in retail.
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  He used community utility support to keep his overhead steady while completing his
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  Metro Tech certification, and within six months, landed a $24.00 an hour medical
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  technician job.
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  That is real progress.
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  So here is your five minute action step before midnight tonight: pick one thing.
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  Go submit a direct application at okc.gov/careers or fill out the free tuition
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  inquiry form at metrotech.edu/empower.
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  Take one concrete step today to take control of your financial future in OKC.