Having a degree that might not necessarily be relevant to the job does suggest to an employer that you have the ability to complete tasks as assigned to a satisfactory degree and generally indicates some amount of communication, problem solving and other soft skills.
Also technical colleges and community colleges exist. You can spend a lot less than 200k getting a degree
I have a degree in IT and have to compete with people more experienced than me for jobs that pay a dollar or two an hour more than retail jobs
In my experience the places paying barely more than retail wages are not hiring people with extensive resumes but mostly hiring people straight out of college. Places paying ~$20+ are where you’re probably competing with more experienced folks
Make sure you’re on LinkedIn, and also don’t discount uploading your resume to Indeed and marking yourself as looking for work on both. For as long as I’ve been working in the industry I’ve had recruiters contacting me on both platforms with various opportunities for contracts and employment.
Also work with your college/university and your instructors to be referred for openings. Often employers will reach out to colleges with IT programs when there’s openings in IT
Interestingly research actually shows electric bikes to have less of a carbon footprint than manual bikes even when accounting for the electricity, battery, motor, etc. due to the rider needing to consume fewer calories to provide the muscle power. But we’re talking numbers so small that it’s really not worth worrying about in the grander scheme of things. So if you’re feeling some guilt about the extra components in your ebike you don’t need to, but if you’re looking at an ebike to replace your regular one don’t make the decision purely based on carbon footprint, but instead focus on if you need/want it.