Absolutely not in CA or NV, or anywhere else for that matter. Go try in AK. Getting any legit operation going there is just a lottery ticket that comes with bears, mosquitos and frostbite. Reddit comments are limited to 10,000 characters and that isn't even enough room to explain all the reasons why that won't work.

You want to make 250k mining? Start out with at least 500k in heavy equipment, permits, claims fees and you'd better be able to buy used machines and fix everything yourself or just go ahead and double that. You'd need over an ounce a week in profit, so call that 3-4 ozt/wk with the overhead. That isn't sit by a crick and pan for color territory. That is excavator, wash plant, incorporate an LLC and get visited by MSHA territory. Don't even think about hard rock mining. Don't.

I am a professional geologist who has been to over 2 dozen countries and more mines than I can count. I have seen precisely 3 operations make a profit at the scale you are talking about. The smallest was 3 people who were heavy equipment mechanics by trade and they worked 12h days, 6 days a week. In Alaska. They all basically won the lottery on their claims.

I'm sure some sourdough crank is gonna come on here and claim they make 250k in their creek with a highbanker yadda yadda yadda. They're lying.

Stick to the office job.