Would you recommend a trade job? And which?

Well.. I’ve been in the medical field for about 9 years, and I’m absolutely miserable. Pays well, but at 27 I’m probably at my most unhappiest. (Work in the ER).. anyhow, I wanted to go back to school but I don’t even know if I have the energy to do something long, if I did it would be engineering. I’ve considered doing a trade.. electrician, plumbing, trucking?

Anyone have some advice or work in a trade worth looking into?


Edit: forgot there’s a jobs section!! How do I move it over? Lol

 

There is no prefect job, or field. Way to many variables. Don’t listen to what other people have to say as your the one who will be doing the job everyday. I’m now training to become an industrial electrician. It’s not for everyone and most places you’re going to start off on weekends and nights in most bigger facilities. Some people love it and other hate it. Best advice I can give you is do something you have an interest in. In a setting/environment you can tolorate it or enjoy.

 

Machinist... it's a dying art that still has high demand for individuals who give a shit and are able to show up for work. Work your way up to 5-axis machining and you'll always have a job.

 

Start a business with your hobbie. Try to figure out what you enjoy most and make a business out of it. It may seem hard at first but in time and investment you will begin making money. Everything costs money and people spend it. My wife loves to cook and she started a catering/personal chef business a couple years back and now is banking. I loved to be outside and plants so I have a nursery and landscaping business. I am swamped with work. To me, hobbies are our passions and it makes you work with enthusiasm and drive to create what you love. Plus you have no boss or stipulation when you can take off work. It has worked out great fir my wife and I. Hard work goes a long way.

 

I've been in the HVAC trade since 2001. I went through the local Union's apprenticeship program which included 5 years of school two nights a week. My path was not the best one coming through but it's all about where you end up. I have been at my current company for 15 years now and enjoy my job. I run a major contract and am now considered one of the 'old timers' even though I started in this company as an apprentice.

This trade, any other , or any trade is not for everybody. It's all about you.

I see apprentices coming through now who don't even know what basic tools are. I don't understand why you would pick a physical career where you work with your hands if you can't. Remember, it is a lifetime of turning wrenches and sometimes it sucks.

See what interests you talk to some local people and contact you local Trade Unions. They can point you in the right direction and help you make a decision.

 

My 2 cents...

I suggest HVAC. Everyone needs heat and A/C. or learn BIM.

I'm a licensed Electrician and I love what I do. I now longer work in the field (I do miss the field). I now work in the office doing electrical design.

Find what intrigues you. You are never to old to start a new career.

This conversation can go many directions and i'm curious on others thoughts.

 

What do you actually do in the ER???

 

Welders are always well paid (well atleast in the refineries in East Texas which is where I work or any pipeline jobs really). I do concrete reinforcing and I make pretty good money (way better than any of my college graduate ex classmates) and I like it because I'm younger than most of my coworkers but I am their supervisor. I'd be interested in welding however I've gotten used to the high pace heavy work of carrying and placing rebar and wouldn't stand sitting near pipe fits and welding them. Really all trades pay well but you have to FIND the good paying jobs for the trades you're interested in. I can get a job doing the same thing but outside of the refineries which will pay me HALF of what I make now. Where you land the job is a big factor influencing pay.

 

Welding is a good field if you're a go-getter

 

I am a glass blower (fused quartz for scientific applications) and I walked on to the job knowing nothing whatsoever about it and apprenticed with my highly skilled boss. I was interested in construction and only interviewed for this job because it was stable and has lots of benefits, I didnt know the first thing about glass blowing. 7 years later I'm extremely pleased that I gave it a shot and I find my job very fulfilling. Glass blowing is a specialty trade, so I'm not suggesting that you seek it out, I'm rather suggesting that you might be surprised by how satisfying a manual job can be. Something about making things that work makes me happy. I think there is nobility in tradesmanship.

 

have you thought about being a travel nurse ( i use the term loosely) not sure about what degrees you have or don't have but it switches the routine and you get to go different places...it pays really well...interested in the responses in the trades

 

This 100%. Nothing makes me happier than taking something and making it into something else.

 

Trades have been good to me

Commercial union electrician
I love to be able to work with my hands in a specialized job that not everyone knows how to do. Keeps me real active and in shape, but at the same time it’s not all labor, I still get to think and problem solve to keep my brain active and sharp

Also in Seattle and San Francisco the pay is great when you get to journeyman. Bought my first house when I was 21, paid cash for my taco shortly after

Edit: like what was said above, not every trade is a good fit for everyone but most trades pay well. with more and more people going to college the demand for trade labor is only going to go up, and with that, the wages will too.

Go check out some local unions and see what the different trades are all about. See how their retirement packages are and see what might be a good fit. At the end of the day you really won’t know until you try one out, but I definitely recommend it if you like to be active and work with your hands.

Tradesman are a dying breed

 

Fabricate bumpers. Apparently there's more demand than anyone can keep up with

 

This is great for some, but remember it’s no longer you hobby, it’s work.

 

Stay out of auto mechanics, there used to be a time when you made money, now you make on average 23 per hr flag rate......on top of buying tools, added training which is not always covered by the employer. It is a hard life, lots of politics and about a 20year shelf life for most humans.

Good money right now is in diesel.

I started wrenching cause I loved it, now I hate it. Would rather mow grass.

Only a select few manage to do what they enjoy and enjoy what they do. HVAC will always be needed, so will elevator mechanics.

 

My son was a Sophomore in college when he gets his girlfriend pregnant and marries her. At this point trying to continue school just wasn't an option. A neighbor is an electrician and makes some calls and gets him in the electrical union. For the next 5 years he works every day he wants to work and gets decent pay. I think they started him at $15/hour. He goes to class two days/month. At the end of 5 years he finishes classes and turns out as a certified electrician at $30+/hour. That was about 3 years ago. He has a good retirement program and can get all the overtime he wants. Actually more than he wants lately.


We live about 60 miles north of downtown Atlanta and most of his work requires him to drive into the Atlanta area. Fortunately most of the work has been on the northern perimeter and he rarely has to go downtown. But last October they started a remodel job on one of the hotels in Atlanta that had to be finished before the Superbowl in February. He worked 6-7 days/week and got in 70+ hours per week for 4 months. Much of it at time and a half or double time. He had to go in at 3 AM on the day of the Superbowl to finish the job. They were done and out by 10 AM when most of the guests were waking up.

It ain't for everyone. It is physical work, but he is making more money after 3 years than I made when I retired in 2010 with a masters degree.

 

I'm a heavy equipment technician for a cat dealership. You have to provide your own tools, but your starting pay is double minimum wage and goes up from there. If you're willong to work overtime, you can make a lot of money.

 

IDK what to recomend but I can tell you what not to try. I have been doing autobody and paint work for 31 years or so DON'T do it. It may seem interesting but it is a nasty job that will litrally tear your body appart. Granted everything I have done has been large industrial type work not always vehicles but the aterials are basically the same. The guy Mike whatevr that does the dirtiest jobs show did it on an episode and flat said after all the jobs he had tried it was one of the 2 he'd never do again. I am sitting at home now out of work, terminated due to a disabillity I recieved from work. My shoulders are flat worn out there is almost literally no labrum left in either due to all the repetitive motion. Most of the materials you use are cancer causing also.

 

Elevator workers make good money but from what I’ve heard on the job sites it’s kind of hard to get into the mechanic niche. Most of the guys are installing/ building the elevators and making great money but when the economy slows a little and no new high rises are being built, they don’t need as many guys.

At least with hvac, plumbing, and electrical there is far more remodels than rebuilds so there’s more chance for work