Get a CDL (Class A) or industrial-equipment certifications (reach truck, OSHA, hazmat) within 12 months — the credential alone reprices you from the warehouse-associate floor to a 50-90% higher band and into a much smaller talent pool.

Move into a skilled trade via apprenticeship (electrician, HVAC, plumbing, welding) in the next 2-3 years — trades have a high floor, low automation risk, and a clear path to self-employment that warehouse work simply does not offer.

If staying in logistics, target a step into warehouse supervisor / operations lead — proving you can run a shift converts physical-floor pay into salaried supervisor pay (roughly +50-90%) and is one of the few realistic in-place promotions.