Sage Driving School Endicott NY - Masters Degree To Driver

I saw that this was a great place to document the experience of getting a CDL , now here is my story. This might be long. I apologize in advance.

In the midst of the pandemic, I graduated with my masters degree in business administration and digital analytics thinking that it would give my partner a shot at the middle class. While I was in my degree program, I worked relevant jobs in order to increase my chances of getting an even better job. At first things were okay. I got a job at a big advertising company making a decent wage but the job was soul crushing and quite honestly I sucked at it. I lasted a year and put in my two weeks notice for two reasons, the job made me the most miserable person that I have ever been and my grandmother was going to pass soon.

The aftermath of this was that I went to look for a new job soon after and had interviews with 12 different companies but zero offers. These were positions that ranged in pay from minimum wage to 75k/yr in my given field. It was soul crushing and I felt like a failure and that there was something wrong with me. Then I remembered how in the past, I looked into being a truck driver and how much I enjoy driving and how much I liked being an Uber driver. My parents and ex told me that I would never be able to do that job as a woman and I never pursued it further.

I furthered my research and decided that being a driver is what I would like to do. I am in my late 20s, have zero children and never will as a lesbian, and have a supportive partner that I have been with for almost 7 years. We have been long distance in the past while I was in grad school and we handled it well. Right now, we are not doing well financially and trucking will pay more than what anything will pay in my regional area. We would have breathing room and the job would give me fulfillment.

At first, I planned on going to Prime for training but the year long contract scared me. I was able to secure funding for Sage Driving School thru Vocational Rehab and will be starting on 2/14. I am so excited but nervous at the same time. I really want this, I want to pass my road test, not be in the red financially, and be a safe driver. Thanks for reading!

I saw that this was a great place to document the experience of getting a CDL , now here is my story. This might be long. I apologize in advance.

In the midst of the pandemic, I graduated with my masters degree in business administration and digital analytics thinking that it would give my partner a shot at the middle class. While I was in my degree program, I worked relevant jobs in order to increase my chances of getting an even better job. At first things were okay. I got a job at a big advertising company making a decent wage but the job was soul crushing and quite honestly I sucked at it. I lasted a year and put in my two weeks notice for two reasons, the job made me the most miserable person that I have ever been and my grandmother was going to pass soon.

The aftermath of this was that I went to look for a new job soon after and had interviews with 12 different companies but zero offers. These were positions that ranged in pay from minimum wage to 75k/yr in my given field. It was soul crushing and I felt like a failure and that there was something wrong with me. Then I remembered how in the past, I looked into being a truck driver and how much I enjoy driving and how much I liked being an Uber driver. My parents and ex told me that I would never be able to do that job as a woman and I never pursued it further.

I furthered my research and decided that being a driver is what I would like to do. I am in my late 20s, have zero children and never will as a lesbian, and have a supportive partner that I have been with for almost 7 years. We have been long distance in the past while I was in grad school and we handled it well. Right now, we are not doing well financially and trucking will pay more than what anything will pay in my regional area. We would have breathing room and the job would give me fulfillment.

At first, I planned on going to Prime for training but the year long contract scared me. I was able to secure funding for Sage Driving School thru Vocational Rehab and will be starting on 2/14. I am so excited but nervous at the same time. I really want this, I want to pass my road test, not be in the red financially, and be a safe driver. Thanks for reading!

Welcome to Trucking Truth, MBA !! We are TOTALLY non gender specific, so .. no worries there! Heck, I'm arguing with a guy in the diaries section as to who's marrying Sophia Vergara, haha!!

The founder of this SITE is from Upstate NY; as am I. From Rome, to LI, Nassau County ... (stopped in Florida, now in Ohio!)

Seriously; you've come to the right place. The seasoned vets on here will help you EVERY step of the way. You are in NO WAY a failure, and SO MANY people left similar careers, to 'come here!' Chief Brody was an attorney (and maybe still is?) IDMtnGal (Miss Laura... RETIRED AirForce.) Pack Rat, same ... Navy. So many military vets. Heck, PJ ... highly decorated LEO ... driver ... and a contributing member here! There's not enough character availability to list it all. If you'd start with looking up those I'd mentioned, you're off to a start!

Just curious, as to why you chose 'private' schooling over company paid ?!?!? A year of your life with an 'almost' guaranteed job... paid for both ways, is a small small small compromise. Read around here, to see!

Did you get set up with the WIOA grant? That'd be a good deal.

Here's our starter kit, either way!!!

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

We STILL recommend Company Paid Training... Here's a few good reads, on that alone!

Paid CDL Training Programs

Busting the Free Agent Myth . . .

Again,WELCOME !!!

Glad to have you;

~ Anne ~

ps: You still have a day to 'rethink this' .. and maybe the vets and the mods will stop in & weigh in!! BEST TO YA!

pps: If you're awake and receive this ... have you looked at our Kearsey? Truckin' Along With Kearsey! <<< She's the BOMB!

I saw that this was a great place to document the experience of getting a CDL , now here is my story. This might be long. I apologize in advance.

In the midst of the pandemic, I graduated with my masters degree in business administration and digital analytics thinking that it would give my partner a shot at the middle class. While I was in my degree program, I worked relevant jobs in order to increase my chances of getting an even better job. At first things were okay. I got a job at a big advertising company making a decent wage but the job was soul crushing and quite honestly I sucked at it. I lasted a year and put in my two weeks notice for two reasons, the job made me the most miserable person that I have ever been and my grandmother was going to pass soon.

The aftermath of this was that I went to look for a new job soon after and had interviews with 12 different companies but zero offers. These were positions that ranged in pay from minimum wage to 75k/yr in my given field. It was soul crushing and I felt like a failure and that there was something wrong with me. Then I remembered how in the past, I looked into being a truck driver and how much I enjoy driving and how much I liked being an Uber driver. My parents and ex told me that I would never be able to do that job as a woman and I never pursued it further.

I furthered my research and decided that being a driver is what I would like to do. I am in my late 20s, have zero children and never will as a lesbian, and have a supportive partner that I have been with for almost 7 years. We have been long distance in the past while I was in grad school and we handled it well. Right now, we are not doing well financially and trucking will pay more than what anything will pay in my regional area. We would have breathing room and the job would give me fulfillment.

At first, I planned on going to Prime for training but the year long contract scared me. I was able to secure funding for Sage Driving School thru Vocational Rehab and will be starting on 2/14. I am so excited but nervous at the same time. I really want this, I want to pass my road test, not be in the red financially, and be a safe driver. Thanks for reading!

Welcome to Trucking Truth, MBA !! We are TOTALLY non gender specific, so .. no worries there! Heck, I'm arguing with a guy in the diaries section as to who's marrying Sophia Vergara, haha!!

The founder of this SITE is from Upstate NY; as am I. From Rome, to LI, Nassau County ... (stopped in Florida, now in Ohio!)

Seriously; you've come to the right place. The seasoned vets on here will help you EVERY step of the way. You are in NO WAY a failure, and SO MANY people left similar careers, to 'come here!' Chief Brody was an attorney (and maybe still is?) IDMtnGal (Miss Laura... RETIRED AirForce.) Pack Rat, same ... Navy. So many military vets. Heck, PJ ... highly decorated LEO ... driver ... and a contributing member here! There's not enough character availability to list it all. If you'd start with looking up those I'd mentioned, you're off to a start!

Just curious, as to why you chose 'private' schooling over company paid ?!?!? A year of your life with an 'almost' guaranteed job... paid for both ways, is a small small small compromise. Read around here, to see!

Did you get set up with the WIOA grant? That'd be a good deal.

Here's our starter kit, either way!!!

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

We STILL recommend Company Paid Training... Here's a few good reads, on that alone!

Paid CDL Training Programs

Busting the Free Agent Myth . . .

Again,WELCOME !!!

Glad to have you;

~ Anne ~

ps: You still have a day to 'rethink this' .. and maybe the vets and the mods will stop in & weigh in!! BEST TO YA!

pps: If you're awake and receive this ... have you looked at our Kearsey? Truckin' Along With Kearsey! <<< She's the BOMB!

Thank you for your warm welcome. The big reason why I am doing private schooling is because I was provided a grant from the state vocational rehab organization called Access VR to pay for it. Ive had the pleasure of watching Kearsey's vids and they are helpful.

Gotcha, MBA.

That makes sense, then!! Good deal, for sure.

Best wishes to you Monday, starting school; hoping you'll post a diary as time permits, then!

Again, welcome to the forum! :)

~ Anne ~

I would recommend to reconsider a company school. You will get a much better training and a guaranteed driving job, which is after all the real purpose of getting a CDL. Also, you don't need any funding at all should you go this route - most companies will pay for your travel, stay, food and training.

Hi Andrey! Thanks for joining my thread. I think I may have seen your reply a bit too late as I had my first day in class today. I appreciate your thoughts/feedback.

Today was my first day of class and I was a bundle of nerves last night. I only got about 3 hours of sleep because I had to be up in time to take the 5:25am bus in order to get to class at 7:15am. I cannot wait til my household has a second car once Wednesday evening hits. It was bitter cold waiting for that bus but that's not anything I can't handle. I'm a tough chick lol.

Now for the good stuff. Our class seems to be a good group of positive, like-minded individuals. The only difference between them and myself was that I am the only female in this cohort. The men were respectful and I was respectful towards them and that's all that matters. What I really liked about this class was that every student seemed to be serious about their studies. I've never had this happen even in college so it was refreshing.

Class started off a bit slow but then we started getting into the good stuff by discussing the pre trip, different parts of the truck, and safety precautions. My instructor seemed to be impressed by my research about HOS prior to class because I asked about "big day." Hopefully that didn't make me look like a super trucker. I was curious more than anything.

We were given our expectations and itinerary for the program. It's great that instruction is 1 student per truck and that they are able to work the driving time around a job for those of us who cannot afford to go without an income. That was a part of the reason I opted out of company sponsored training because I live paycheck to paycheck right now and even if I went with Roehl (they pay while training), it would not be enough to cover my living expenses. Being underemployed really sucks but that's part of the reason why I am starting. This new career.

Anyways, we finished class around 4pm and I took the bus home. On the bus I studied for my pre trip and did for a little bit at home while waiting for dinner to finish cooking. I am not the greatest storyteller when it comes to my experiences but this was a snapshot of my first day.

As a side note, I'm really excited for a recruiter for a company that I'm interested in that is coming in tomorrow. Wish me luck in making a great impression!

Wish me luck in making a great impression!

Best wishes, MBA!!!

EXCELLENT articulation in your post, btw!!!

I'm rooting for ya, ma'am.

~ Anne ~

(And Tom, the fat guy in my avatar, haha!)

ps: Hopefully, you'll let us know the mystery company ... and ... hope it works out for ya !!!

Wish me luck in making a great impression!

Best wishes, MBA!!!

EXCELLENT articulation in your post, btw!!!

I'm rooting for ya, ma'am.

~ Anne ~

(And Tom, the fat guy in my avatar, haha!)

ps: Hopefully, you'll let us know the mystery company ... and ... hope it works out for ya !!!

Thank you kindly from both of you! The mystery company is Willow Run Foods. It's food service but I am very much interested in touching freight so I am well aware of what it would entail. Schneider will be coming tomorrow and DOT Foods on Friday for both their drop and hook and delivery parts of the business.

Today consisted of understanding turns, taking up space, speed, and the all important pre trip. All very important components of safety. Safety is both important for trucking and for me. It comes before money and time. No load is too hot to be safe. Speaking of safety, I was selected for a random urine test but thankfully I studied hard in the morning with my 3 bottles of water haha.

Half of the day, the class was out in the yard learning the pre trip and getting acquainted with the parts of the truck/trailer. Man was that intimidating. Luckily, I have built good rapport with the diesel mechanic turned driver in our cohort and he was able to help me understand the parts and their purposes. The instructor had us meet with some students that were further into the program to show how much they progressed in a short time to reassure my class that the pre trip is not impossible.

Everything was exciting today and I hope it continues to be like that. I love learning about this industry and I see my future on the horizon. I think I'm going to warm up now and study for my pre trip. Thanks all for reading!

The pretrip can be overwhelming at first, but it gets easier with time and practice.

I would also say that there are two very different pre-trips: one is taught at school and is used for the test, the other one happens in real life, it is partially taught by a trainer, but mostly learned by a driver himself.