Trades Are A Viable and Underrated Career Option

[james.hendrickson]

Everyone focuses on going to college, but this can short sighted.

Trades are a viable career option. You learn a craft, typically you're paid to learn it, and you end up making as much as a college grad. You'll also have no debt.

Highly skilled trades like carpentry, electrical work and plumbing can all earn six figures annually. They're hard to outsource and its hard to be replace these jobs with a machine.

[Smallsteps]

I know many in trade type jobs with little or no schooling beyond high school, my DH is one of those.

One owner of a business repairing CNC machines would PAY for a two year vocational training and has jobs for those who complete program but many would not do it. We asked one of my sons but he said this line (I feel he has taken out of context).
He says he wants "to work smarter not harder " which to him means sitting in dress clothes in an office had he taken the original offer up he would have had a few years of 6 figure income instead he went to school has so much debt he will not share exact figures to me. He barely makes $50,000 and pays about 900 a month on student debt. Now he complains how a buying a home etc are so far out of his reach but I just nod and say nothing.

[~bs]

ive said it in other threads, trades are worthwhile and just as good as a college career path.

some people arent' cut out for college and white collar work and viceversa. it makes no sense to throw a lot of money down the drain struggling through a college education if there's little prospect for a job, and they'd end up switching careers anyways.

With trades, you can get a good career start with little or no cost for education (many trades have apprenticeship programs) and the programs are at 2 year community colleges.
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Assuming 2 equal people that applied themselves over 4 years. The person that went to college has a degree, no related job experience, and a lot of debt. The person that went in the trades has 4 years experience, an education in their trade, and probably making $25/hour or more, and had the opportunity to save money from their full time job for 4 years.

[kork13]

I'm fully supportive of trades as a college alternative. It needs to get into the national discourse that the trades are good, honorable, well-paid, respectable career paths. Too many kids/families buy into the lie that everyone had to go to college to find success.

There are so many people supposedly "trapped" in unskilled minimum wage jobs, but going into a trade would easily be a way to move forward. Dozens of skilled trades exist. The physical demands of some trades scares some people off, which to a point is valid. Some trades are labor intensive (various construction fields, for example), but others that are not (locksmith, CNC operation/repair/programming), and there is everything in between (electrician, cabinetry, plumbing, auto/diesel mechanics, etc.) All of them start with earning $25-$30/hr! Plus, as they grow into master-levels in their trade, it becomes a great opportunity for them to start their own business in their field, and at that point, sky's the limit.

If my kids aren't interested in college, I will 100% support them & help to hook them up with a tradesman to start an apprenticeship, or put them through a trade school, or whatever. Minimum wage jobs are for high school students. Once you're an adult, act like it, and get a real job.

[cypher1]

I should have listened to my dad as a teen and looked into a trades school. I one uncle a carpenter, another plumber, and another electrician. They got their sons into their trade as well.

I ended up dropping out of college and went into IT field, which I love. Otherwise I definitely enjoy doing carpentry, automotive, plumbing and electrical work. However, I'm sure my attitude may have changed if I did that everyday as well.

[~bs]

trades aren't perfect either, the industries can be very cyclical (depending on what you go into) and physically demanding.

the upside is that you can make a ton of money, and very quickly. if you get into the trades in your 20s and play your cards right, you could very well be retiring by the time you're 40s. Look at kork13 example.

And if you're good enough to go into business for yourself, you can retain most of the billing cost for yourself. If you're a plumber with a $200/hour billing rate, you're making more money than most professionals.

[Fishindude77]

Yep, I've been preaching this for years. You also get a four year (or more) jump into earning a living -vs- the kids tied up in college.

I worked my way up thru the trades and eventually owned an industrial contracting firm for many years. Quality tradespeople were always in demand and never got laid off. The demand now is higher than ever. Several of our top guys earned six figures and $50-60,000 is pretty easy to make.

I'm sure somebody will chime in and talk about how tough it is on you physically, but that just isn't the case anymore. Good companies run safe, clean jobsites, have wellness programs, and most of the old back breaking work gets done with equipment these days.

Having said all of the above .... Stay away from residential or light commercial construction. That's where all the guys that can't pass a drug screen and the illegal minorities wind up. Wages aren't that good and, benefits are almost nonexistent, safety and jobsite housekeeping are horrible.

[disneysteve]

trades aren't perfect either, the industries can be very cyclical (depending on what you go into) and physically demanding.

Quality tradespeople were always in demand and never got laid off.

I'm sure somebody will chime in and talk about how tough it is on you physically, but that just isn't the case anymore.

You can't both be right.

I'm not a tradesperson but I am a physician who has treated thousands of tradespeople over the years, both for their routine medical care and for work-related issues and injuries. Maybe there are jobs that aren't physically demanding but a great many of them are. Lots of heavy lifting, carrying, bending, squeezing into small spaces and awkward positions, climbing, reaching, working with power tools, chemicals, and other dangerous things. These jobs are hard enough when you're 20. They can be nearly impossible when you're 50 or 60.

[Fishindude77]

I think you could make a valid argument that working a trade keeps you healthier than many other occupations because of the; lifting, carrying, bending, climbing, reaching and other physical activity. Many trades are outdoors in the fresh air much of the time too which is much better than being cooped up in a building.

Good companies take worker wellness and health very seriously. Many have very strict drug free policies, great healthcare plans, daily and stretch & flex routines, health screenings, routine wellness activities and challenges, extensive safety training, daily safety talks, rewards programs for working safe, etc.

Getting good people up to speed and trained is a huge investment. It's good business to take care of those people so they spend a happy, healthy career with your company.

[disneysteve]

Good companies take worker wellness and health very seriously. Many have very strict drug free policies, great healthcare plans, daily and stretch & flex routines, health screenings, routine wellness activities and challenges, extensive safety training, daily safety talks, rewards programs for working safe, etc.

You're talking about a whole different world than I'm referencing.

[Nutria]

You're talking about a whole different world than I'm referencing.

Yeah... yoga, pilates and walking the dog is more than substantively different from hauling toilets up stairs, then contorting yourself into awkward angels to install it.

[~bs]

You can't both be right.

I'm not a tradesperson but I am a physician who has treated thousands of tradespeople over the years, both for their routine medical care and for work-related issues and injuries. Maybe there are jobs that aren't physically demanding but a great many of them are. Lots of heavy lifting, carrying, bending, squeezing into small spaces and awkward positions, climbing, reaching, working with power tools, chemicals, and other dangerous things. These jobs are hard enough when you're 20. They can be nearly impossible when you're 50 or 60.

It depends on the industry, as I mentioned. My example plumber will always have a demand. If someone gets their pipes backed up badly, they wont really have a choice but to engage a plumber to fix it. The "elevator guy" ALWAYS gets called to fix a problem. Asking people to walk 50 flights of stairs while the elevator is broken for the year is not an option. lol My state has a strong federal presence, so the related jobs will always be in demand, welders, painters, crane operators, etc. Whereas someone that mainly works building new houses might be out of a job during a sustained economic downturn.

And I did mention the "physically demanding" thing. I do know quite a bit of people that retired out in their 60s, so it's not impossible, just that the chances are higher of you suffering a physical related injury throughout your career (and possibly career ending) than the typical white collar job. The REASON trades get paid a decent amount of money is because in addition to their time working, they're risking their health. So the extra compensation is an acknowledgement of the extra physical labor. Your best bet is to work hard, save your money, and have the option to retire early or start a business. Instead a lot of trades people I know waste their money on material things and strippers.