PresentWerewolf21's journey

I recently had a conversation with a friend who's considering a job opportunity that raises a lot of red flags for me. He’s looking at paying $4,000 to secure a position with a subcontractor in electrical and pipe fitting work for a data center, with a promise of making $150,000 a year. The job entails two weeks of training and requires working 60-80 hours a week. After completing 8,000 hours, he could potentially work his way into a union. What’s concerning is that his cousin, who is a supervisor at the company, assured him that this is a legitimate opportunity. His cousin and uncle both got in for just $3,000, and the manager is set to collect the $4,000 after the training is finished. I tried to explain to him why this sounds suspicious, especially the upfront payment and the high earning promise, but he seems to trust his cousin completely. I’m curious if anyone else has encountered a situation like this or has insights on whether this could be a scam or if there’s any legitimacy to it.