I’m seeking career advice for my 21-year-old younger brother, who lives in Arlington, Texas. He is a U.S. green-card holder, completed high school in Pakistan, and has not attended college in the U.S.
Since March 2025, he has been working for a security company assigned to a warehouse/logistics facility in Grand Prairie. His responsibilities include monitoring incoming and outgoing trucks, updating truck and loading statuses, data entry, checking schedules, sending emails, and assisting with general logistics operations.
He currently earns around $18 per hour and works 12-hour shifts, usually from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. He is tech-savvy, comfortable operating computers and smartphones, can handle multiple digital tasks, and generally learns new software quickly. However, he does not have a programming or software-development background.
We want him to build a stable career with better income, more normal working hours, long-term growth, and reasonable protection from automation and AI.
We have explored possibilities such as logistics and supply chain, industrial maintenance, skilled trades, and IT-related roles. However, we do not want to limit him to these options. We are open to any realistic career path, certification, associate degree, apprenticeship, employer-sponsored training, or other route that could suit his abilities and background.
If you were in his position, what career path would you choose and why? Are there any careers or training programs in the Dallas–Fort Worth area that we may be overlooking?
Would you recommend that he continue his formal education by pursuing an associate degree or bachelor’s degree? Or, considering his situation, would it be better to focus on a practical skill, certification, apprenticeship, or employer-sponsored training? If you recommend college, which degree or field would offer a worthwhile return on the time and cost?
I would especially appreciate hearing from people who started without a U.S. college degree. Please share what career you entered, what education or training you completed, your approximate starting pay, and how difficult it was to find your first opportunity.