Trade Jobs

[xkatz]

So can anyone describe what pursuing a trade (eg plumbing, welding, etc) is like in terms of necessary training and costs? If you work in a trade, how does employment generally work? Do you enjoy it?

 

[Revoltingest]

I can't answer your specific questions, but I can tell you something possibly useful.
Think about the trade & how it fits your personality.
Example:
Do you like making things? Welding is great for that.

 

[Wirey]

So can anyone describe what pursuing a trade (eg plumbing, welding, etc) is like in terms of necessary training and costs? If you work in a trade, how does employment generally work? Do you enjoy it?

Trades are an enjoyable job, but ask yourself these questions:

What drives my local economy? Learning to be an electrician in a farming community means you had better be ready to move.

What are your skills? If you're weak in math and physics, but artistic, skip electrical and try cabinet carpentry.

Is this a stepping stone? If you think you'll make a few bucks to finance something else down the road, think again. The apprenticeship period of the trades won't starve you, but saving money will be a little tough.

 

[Tarheeler]

So can anyone describe what pursuing a trade (eg plumbing, welding, etc) is like in terms of necessary training and costs? If you work in a trade, how does employment generally work? Do you enjoy it?

I'm a tradesman. My "official" title is Journeyman Mechanical Equipment Service Technician; in real-word terms, I install, maintain, and repair: boilers, chillers, furnaces, air conditioners, and their associated pumps, pipe systems, fans, ductwork, and control components.

When I started almost two decades ago, everything was done on-the-job. You started as a green helper, and the mechanic/journeyman you worked under directed and taught you. As your knowledge and skills progressed, so did the level and difficulty of the tasks you were given. It's still primarily the same today, but classroom instruction has become much more prevalent in the training process.

A lot of tech schools offer diplomas and certificates in the trade, and they have some value; they give you some basic knowledge and show a potential employer that you are willing to learn. But experience trumps everything, and a greenie with a diploma is still seen as green, only he comes in knowing some of the basic terms and (hopefully) how to read a tape measure. In my area, showing a potential employer that you are reliable, a hard worker, and, (most importantly IMO) trainable is the key to getting started in a trade. Most decent employers will provide annual classroom training, and OJT is automatic.

I've fallen under a union for the last seven years, and have to say that I think their approach is probably the best for producing skilled tradesmen. They bring in people as apprentices, regulate how many apprentices each journeyman can train to help insure no one gets left behind, and uses a solid system of OJT, classroom training, and skill assessments to ensure growth and accurate placement.

The starting costs can be considerable, depending on your employer and trade. Different shops have their own criteria on what qualifies as personal and company-provided tools. Typically, your going to expected to provide your own hand tools and small power tools. In my trade, that means it's your responibilty to provide screwdrivers, wire cutters and strippers, wrenches and such, a multimeter and amp-clamp. The shop will typically provide a truck, ladders, torches and tanks, welders and large power tools, and specialty tools.

I started out with a basic tool kit with a hammer, a couple of adjustable wrenches, a tape measure, and some trade-specific tools that my employer "sold" to me for weekly payroll deductions.

Potential income is going to depend on a lot of things, but you'll most likely never get rich just turning a wrench. In my area, framing carpenters, masons, painters, and roofers tend to be the lowest paid tradesmen, and mechanical service techs, electricians, and auto techs tend to better paid. Being union will increase your wage, and the dues are usually reasonable. There really isn't a lot of movement up the ladder though; once you become proficient in your trade, you're pretty much done advancing; most of us will never see an office (and most of us don't care to); the skills and character traits that make us good technicians and tradesmen tend to work against us as supervisors.

Overall, I enjoy it; I've learned skills that have allowed me to make a decent living and that can never be taken away, and there's a big sense of accomplishment to step back and see what you've made at the end of the day. The biggest two downfalls for me is that it isn't very intellectually stimulating, and working a trade takes a big toll on your body.

 

[Wirey]

So can anyone describe what pursuing a trade (eg plumbing, welding, etc) is like in terms of necessary training and costs? If you work in a trade, how does employment generally work? Do you enjoy it?

If you don't mind my asking, what US State do you live in?

 

[dawny0826]

So can anyone describe what pursuing a trade (eg plumbing, welding, etc) is like in terms of necessary training and costs? If you work in a trade, how does employment generally work? Do you enjoy it?

Depends on your trade.

Often a local union (pipefitting/steam fittiting) will offer an apprenticeship program. My ex-husband went through our local union's program.

Ultimately, he loved his work - all commercial "ground-up" projects. He made very good money and had decent benefits as well.

The challenge of course is that with contracted work, there are lapses in work between contracts. My ex-husband wound up working for several different companies, post union and he experienced the same thing with each - furlows and lay offs between contracts.

My suggestion would be to take advantage of the educational opportunity that will yield a formal certification such as HVAC. You'll be worth more if you're licensed/certified. Most programs don't require four years of school. Some vocational programs are fairly short lived.

My ex would have had more longevity in the field had he been licensed or had an additional certification to fall back on.

With this said, he loved plumbing and may have had different experiences if his area of focus was residential plumbing and not commercial. Here in our area, there's a lot of competition for contracts as well. It's hard for a plumber to find a job as is. Many people get in with a good company and are there for many years.

Might be worth researching the demand for trade work in your area. I wish my ex-husband had gone trough the apprenticeship program at then, Northrop Grumman vs. the union's program, as it would have yielded an associate's degree and he would have had greater choice as to which trade-field he went into.

 

[xkatz]

If you don't mind my asking, what US State do you live in?

My home state is Maryland, whose motto SHOULD be btw, "If it exists we'll tax it. And well put speed cams in your bathroom. Heil Öbama!".

 

[Wirey]

My home state is Maryland, whose motto SHOULD be btw, "If it exists we'll tax it. And well put speed cams in your bathroom. Heil Öbama!".

Take a look at the industrial base in Maryland. If it's high manufacturing or oil and gas, think technical (electrical, instrumentation). If it's more agrarian, think mechanical (mechanic, welder). Pick one that looks appealing and find the skill set that matches your market place.

 

[factseeker88]

So can anyone describe what pursuing a trade (eg plumbing, welding, etc) is like in terms of necessary training and costs? If you work in a trade, how does employment generally work? Do you enjoy it?

Start out as a beginner, learn by asking questions and doing, and in time you become a journeyman with higher pay.

 

[Valjean]

I think "trade" training varies a lot from trade to trade, state to state and country to country. Some are licensed, with formal training, exams and ongoing education. Some require apprenticeship and exams. Some are learned on-the-job. Requirements, I suspect, vary hugely.

It wasn't that long ago that physicians and lawyers here (USA) learned on-the-job or as apprentices.