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I'd like to learn a trade. I'm not picky about which. I'm really good at working with my hands, taking things apart and putting them back together, etc. and I think I'd do well at just about anything. The issue is, I don't even know where to start and I get overwhelmed looking for options and finding conflicting info, so I'd love some no-nonsense advice. Do I need to go to trade school first or is it possible to find a paid apprenticeship right off the bat? Where do you find apprenticeship programs that are looking for candidates? Will they even consider me, a 30-year-old who only has retail experience and a failed attempt at community college on my resume? I've heard that many trades are trying to hire more women, will that help me (afab nonbinary) or is it still very much a boys club? I'd also love to hear from anyone who works in a trade job about general conditions, what you like/dislike about it etc. Or if certain trades have more opportunities than others. I really just have no idea how to get started and any advice would be great!
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Jan 4, 2021 18:16
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 00:01 |
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Go to google and try looking into your nearby union halls. Also try doing some research near your community college. Some places are very selective and getting an apprencticeship might be difficult, other places it is less of an issue. You may want to be a bit pickier because some of the benefits or job opportunities are better compared to others. Pipefitters - http://www.ua.org/locals Electricians http://www.ibew.org/Tools/Local-Union-Directory Ironworkers - http://www.ironworkers.org/become-an-ironworker/apprenticeship Carpenters - https://www.carpenters.org/regional-council/ Laborer - https://www.liuna.org/find-local Teamsters - https://teamster.org/locals/ However, with that being said there are a whole lot of additional trades associated with each of those main organizations. Such as Sprinkler fitters, instrument technicians, high voltage linemen, millwrights, HVAC technician, etc Also, I would say it is important to... know your job market. For example, Boilermakers have fewer projects work at, as fewer locations use thermal (coal) power plants, certainly gas turbine power plants have boilers too but... not quite the same as building coal unit after coal unit after coal unit. As for age, I would say its never too late to learn something new and join. SA-Anon fucked around with this message at 02:06 on Jan 5, 2021 |
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Jan 5, 2021 01:56
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Call every union hall and see if they are taking apprentices. Crane operator is the gravy job baby. Probably not hiring.
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Jan 5, 2021 02:28
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About 5 or so years ago everyone was whispering about HVAC certs and the money there. If I were you I would look at where the trades actually perform their work and what it is and then decide based on that. Attics? Bathrooms? Do you mind client work on an individual basis? Residential vs commercial? Age doesnt mean anything, afab will probably be a benefit to you but jobsites and some (not all!) of the people within said jobs are as far behind on this poo poo as you could imagine. It's not as bad as it used to be Pick the medium the calls to you the most is my advice and enjoy seeing results at the end of the work day. Find a crew that needs someone to swing a hammer and see what it's like, stay busy, dont talk a lot and dont stand around and you'll be the best and most liked employee on the site Harry Potter on Ice fucked around with this message at 17:04 on Jun 10, 2021 |
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Jun 10, 2021 17:00
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I'm a union ironworker. I took a pay cut from my previous job to become an apprentice, but you get like a $2+ raise every 6 months until you are journeyman You forgot sheet metal workers, but good list. I could have been a journeyman carpenter off the bat, but I've learned how to weld, rig loads, move tons of machinery, tie rebar and erect structures. Union carpenters mostly erect scaffold and build forms for concrete pours, occasionally drywall/metal stud. I prefer residential carpentry. Depending on your location you could get right in or have 1000 people ahead of you and a year or more to wait. If they turn you down ask them about other halls/crafts are hiring we all brothers and sisters in the union. I ain't gonna lie, it is a boys club, but that's just the boomers and gen x, us millennials and younger tend to respect women. They are trying to hire more women and I've worked with many. If you don't have thick skin you'll learn in construction, they'll test you, just prove them wrong over time.
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Jun 20, 2021 02:44
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If you’re in an area with a substantial film industry take a look at that. In nyc the easiest way in is probably being a set dresser but there’s plenty of other options like carpenter or electrician if that’s your sort of thing. And as far as I can tell it’s easier than ever to get in one of the related unions these days. You can get good pay, healthcare, and pension.
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Jun 20, 2021 23:56
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I'm in very much a dying industry (digital media, more and more things are being outsourced, etc etc) and my (admittedly well paying) job is not something I enjoy very much. Trouble is, I'm 31 and I imagine it's prolly too late to start, right? At the very least my spouse makes a good income and I could maybe try to pick up part time things while I study. I dunno man, capitalism fucks us all in the end. I've been doing some light plumbing projects in our new house and I've been really enjoying them. I could totally see myself doing residential plumbing or something, even if it's kinda gross at times.
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Jul 8, 2021 14:10
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I started an apprenticeship at 28. Commercial construction/plumbers would most likely pay more than residential. Being a first year apprentice sucks, you're kind of like the journeyman's gopher/mule, but like I said earlier, in union at least you'll get major raises every 6 months until you're a journeyman yourself. I took a pay cut for a year or two but now I make double what I was, or more than that with copious overtime.
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Jul 8, 2021 17:59
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I took a pay cut at 30 to learn a trade! Currently a surveyor instrument person (gopher) learning the ropes. It's not union at least where I'm at now. Basically they can never find enough people and are taking chances with anyone who has a work ethic and can be outside in the rain. It seems like I have the skills to move up and I've heard from old timers that becoming a PLS (professional licensed surveyor) is high demand because the only ones left are boomers and gen x. I love the work because it's hands on, workout on the job, also has some puzzles and math. Every job can be done differently and I get to be outside everyday. That last is my most important as I have learned from 13 jobs in 13 years that I'm so much happier and healthier with an outdoor job, and a job that doesn't get stale. I get to swing a hammer and a machete, I play in the woods a lot, I get to nerd out on where the water goes. My buddy at work realized early that it was probably hard for me to walk into a job and know nothing at 30. While it was, it's easier with the right mindset. But it was nice to hear from a crew chief I liked that this was a little unusual to have a 30 year old with no experience try out surveying. Basically this Harry Potter on Ice posted:Pick the medium the calls to you the most is my advice and enjoy seeing results at the end of the work day. Find a crew that needs someone to swing a hammer and see what it's like, stay busy, dont talk a lot and dont stand around and you'll be the best and most liked employee on the site I'm thankful I found a job that is almost what kid me imagined but never knew was a career. It certainly called to me. I did some residential carpentry and it was decent, get to be inside with heat usually and blasting music but the work wasn't exciting to me at all remodelling lovely housing to okay housing. Maybe a different employer but it was enough I knew to pick a different work. I've also toyed with electrical as I have 5 family members who've been in that trade at all different levels and areas so it's still in the back of my mind and the money is tempting. But I love my current and wonder if I'd be as happy switching. Getting on as a laborer should be doable at your age and in my experience your older coworkers will enjoy teaching you as you know how you learn and you no bad habits from previous jobs. You have life experience to be interesting and stable as an individual and good work habits. Plus showing up and staying busy makes you learn faster.
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Dec 11, 2021 17:33
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Hello, my name is ExplodingSims and I work in commercial/industrial HVAC. So I just joined a Union for the first time last year, and I can say, at least in the PNW, Union is the way to go. I suppose it depends on which trade you want to go into, but as someone who went to trade school as well, I can't really recommend going to a trade school. Most of what I learned there wasn't really something I ended up using in the field, it was mostly a lot of theory. So yeah, I'd say try to get in touch with whatever union hall is local for you and your trade, and see what their rates are of their apprenticeship are, and decide where you want to go from there. Speaking more towards the HVAC/R trade, if you do decide you want to go that way, stick to commercial. If you want to make the really big bucks, try to find something to specialize in, either working with Supermarket Rack equipment, chillers, or even ammonia systems. There's still a very open market for that, as there's a lot of older folks who are retiring or otherwise leaving the field, so there's still quite an open market. Just be prepared for some heavy lifting, lots of work outside, and a lot of rapid temperature shifts.
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Nov 24, 2022 07:04
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ExplodingSims posted:as someone who went to trade school as well, I can't really recommend going to a trade school. I'm a bad welder so far, but I'm getting good at the other skills of an Ironworker.
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Dec 15, 2022 21:28
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Might look into community colleges again, some like the ones in my area offer very useful courses, and include things like welding certifications as well as job placement. Personally I'd lean away from carpentry/plumbing/welding unless it really interests you because they can be hard on your body and/or dirty work and/or hard to find good paying jobs (depending on your location, of course). If I were starting now I'd consider electrical, with an eye towards specializing in things like panel upgrades, EV charger installs and mini splits- mainly because that type of work is popular in my area and because they're jobs that you can do solo or with a partner. They're also the kinds of jobs that you can underbid full service electrical contractors (because of the hefty overhead built into their rates) and still make good money- not as much as say rewiring entire houses, but you need a crew for that and the competition is stiffer (again, at least in my area). Depends too on the licensing requirements in your state, and if being licensed is one of your objectives (for any of the trades, that is). Note too that when I see a 60+ year old experienced electrician on a jobsite, it's almost always a good thing. You've got a lot of years ahead of you, and certain trades are better longevity-wise than others.
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Dec 16, 2022 22:33
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Electricians have it made and the pay is good, hardest they have it is some hard wire pulls occasionally. Good points. Ironwork is inherently very dangerous, insulators, painters, laborers probably breathe more dangerous stuff though over the course of a career. I started union work late aged and came from residential carpentry, stuff can wear you down almost as much as furniture movers, roofers, tile/flooring and carpet. I may do this 30 years but I may also get out after 15-20 Whoever said elevator engineers, yes, but them and boilermakers are on the road almost 100% of the time. Weld inspectors are super high in demand and it would be semi close to an office job for work, but the pay can be like a programmers.
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Jan 17, 2023 16:17
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I live in NYC, but I know a couple guys who are in-house elevator repairmen. The company owns maybe like 5-10 buildings so there's some variety, but it's not like they have to travel. They make a shitload of money pretty much as soon as they start working. On the other hand, you have to know a guy to get into the trade. And it's enough of a brozone that imo it would suck as anything but a cishet white guy
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Jan 17, 2023 16:57
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i like nice words
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I started working as an apprentice at 31, learning to be a CNC machinist. The situation in the Netherlands is that basically all the technical and skilled trades are in dire need of personnel, from CNC machinists to welders, technicians, mechanics, bricklayers, carpenters, you name it. The shortages are such that companies will pay the full price for your education, and pay you for the time you spend in school. Salaries are also much higher than normal for lower tertiary education.
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Jan 17, 2023 17:59
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Im biased as all hell but Fire Protection is hands down the best trade. My main argument to this point is that the trade is large enough that getting a job isn’t impossible like elevator or other super niche trades, but at the same time has a smaller overall scope compared to electrical/plumbing/hvac so there is a much smaller chance of getting stuck doing one of the shittier facets of the big 3 for years on end. Occasionally you might get stuck having to ladder hang some 6” steel pipe, but overall the industry has been heavily optimized with labor saving products/techniques. Also, regardless of job size, sprinkler work takes way less manpower than MEP so you get both more variety in tasks on a project, but also more variety in projects which can keep things way more fresh. It also has a great later-career escape plan from harder labor by jumping into inspection/testing work that the big three dont really have. Have to be able to handle the paperwork obviously.
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Jan 18, 2023 00:17
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SpaceCadetBob posted:Im biased as all hell but Fire Protection is hands down the best trade. I feel a little silly but I never realized "fire protection" was its own distinct trade. This sounds pretty interesting, I'm googling now but am curious to hear more.
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Jan 18, 2023 04:50
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We call them sprinkler fitters, their pension and insurance is faring pretty good compared to a lot of other crafts. (In my region of the US) I haven't heard any bad things, travel is a possibility for all the crafts, maybe not in New York city, but that's gotta be top 3 hardest to get into and stay into locals.
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Jan 18, 2023 15:50
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You're getting tons of great advice. One thing I'd like to add, once you're in a trade, keep an eye out for opportunities to get any highly specialized certifications/training/experience. I've met people who make tons of money because theyre one of the few people that can work on ventilation systems in operating rooms or something crazy like that.Dance Officer posted:I started working as an apprentice at 31, learning to be a CNC machinist. The situation in the Netherlands is that basically all the technical and skilled trades are in dire need of personnel, from CNC machinists to welders, technicians, mechanics, bricklayers, carpenters, you name it. The shortages are such that companies will pay the full price for your education, and pay you for the time you spend in school. Salaries are also much higher than normal for lower tertiary education. Where I live businesses are so desperate for machinists the companies got together and fully funded the local community college machining program. No strings attached, for anyone who wants to go to the college for machining its just free.
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Jan 18, 2023 19:17
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socketwrencher posted:Might look into community colleges again, some like the ones in my area offer very useful courses, and include things like welding certifications as well as job placement. Hello my friend I don't know if you'll read this but I would love to maybe hear a step by step breakdown about how I, average Joe Goon, could get into that kind of thing.
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Oct 2, 2023 05:04
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 00:01 |
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The actual nuts and bolts is usually some version of: contact the local hall you're interested in and find out about apprenticeship applications. Sometimes it's a waiting list, or an annual test, or some combination of the two. TBH it really helps to have connections with tradespeople in the union already. Once you're on the list, and an available apprenticeship opens up and it's your turn, you'll work at a site or with a company for like 3-4 years as an apprentice. You do your regular work week usually assisting a journeyman and go to trade classes a few days a week after work. You get paid less to start but your pay generally increases quarterly or semi-annually until you're making as much as a journeyman at the end. If you're already practiced in the trade or have applicable skills you can sometimes skip the apprenticing process straight to journeyman - for example I went to a maritime academy for engineering, and was able to jump straight into my local operating engineers union, but that can be somewhat rare and very dependent on trade.
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Oct 6, 2023 17:13
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