u/General-Lie8709

I’ve seen too many of these posts that I figured I’d make my own on this topic.

“I have zero mechanical engineering experience and no schooling but I’ve been a plumber for 4 years so I want a job as a mechanical engineer making 100,000$!” That’s how ridiculous these posts sound, just reversed.

So many of the college educated/non trades individuals on here discuss the blue collar route like it’s some easy hack to making 100k a year. Like anyone can get an apprenticeship anywhere, and all you have to do is learn to use some tools and you’re golden. Not even close lmao

Getting into a union is difficult. They may only hire 3 guys out of thousands of applicants, from high schools, trade schools, private companies. Theres nepotism in the trades too.

Or you get hired by a private company. Then it’s the Wild West in terms of scheduling, pay, mandatory OT, etc.

Then if you get a job, you’re gonna be working from 6:30 am until 7-8 some nights. Saturdays the first year or so too probably. Don’t get me started if your company has on-call. 50 hour week is the norm. The trades are not like a 9-5.

So no, with zero experience and zero connections you will not be getting into an apprenticeship and making 100,000$ a year. And if you do, it’s not just some 9-5 where you punch in and clock out. At the same times every day.

Sorry for the rant, just sick of people who have no idea what they’re talking about spouting off on this stuff.

Hey guys. As my title says, I played minor professional hockey. I never really struggled with weight gain or loss due to being on the ice all the time. I was always under 10% body fat. (Tested on multiple occasions by different trainers)

So now that I’m done playing hockey professionally, I’ve been getting into “personal bodybuilding.” Just lifting to grow, but not compete. You get the gist.

I bulked all winter and definitely gained some fat and lots of strength which I am very happy about. I have begun my cut, but what I’m struggling with is my heart rate zones. I am trying to keep it in zone 2, as I understand that is the “fat burn” zone?

Admittedly, my cardiovascular conditioning is quite good from playing hockey, so I can stay in zone 4 for quite some time. Today I was on the incline treadmill for 30 minutes, and my watch tells me at least half of that was zone 4. It felt like a brisk walk, nothing crazy. But apparently that’s my zone 4?

Should I be consciously dialing back my “intensity” and really trying to stay in zone 2? I would hate to be 2 months from now and see minimal progress because I was training incorrectly. That would suck.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. Please enlighten me, as I’ve never really had this kind of education before!

I did not go to college. I played a minor professional sport for a very short period and joined the work force immediately. I am 23, and work at a landscape company. 45-50 hour weeks and I love it.

I always held this view, but I recently had some health issues that put me out of work for a few months. This solidified my opinion even more.

The ability to show up for 8-12 hours, do a task, give your best effort, and get paid to do it is a blessing. The ability to go to work, and make money is awesome. And then the ability to manage that money responsibly so that it grows is even better.

I guess I don’t understand the “I don’t want to work” posts. Then what’s the alternative? Are you going to learn to day trade or start a business so you have infinite free time? Probably not considering going to work is too daunting of a task. So then where’s the windfall coming from? Most of the time, it’s not lol.

So idk. I love being able to go to work and earn a paycheck. I can’t be the only “twentyager” who thinks this way, right?

I worked in residential plumbing before the on call hours and literal shit got too much lol. I just got hired by a pretty small company that does fertilizer application for properties all around our area.

Seems pretty standard, start at 7, home by 5:30 or 6 and generally Saturday and Sunday are off. (5 10s, built in 10 hours of OT WITH a weekend is freakin sweet!) Get laid off at Christmas and start back up around March. Opportunities to plow to make a little cash in winter months. I love being outside so this is a great opportunity I think.

Anyone have any experience? Did you like it? Up/downs? Would this be considered a skilled trade? This sub was great for info in the plumbing world, so I’ll stick with it for now. Thanks guys!

To start, I played professional hockey. I’m used to pushing myself really hard (which may be the issue) and my conditioning is good.

My leg days are simple. Leg press, RDL, Bulgarians. That’s it. I stopped squatting because of a knee injury (from hockey but that’s too long winded).

The nausea almost always comes after Bulgarians. I do 3x8 with 80s in each hand. I’ve tried to alter which workouts I do first, second, and third, but no matter what I feel extremely sick after the second set of Bulgarians. It’s brutal.

I love Bulgarians because they give me the insane leg pump that normal squats did, without the knee pain. This is the only issue.

Has anyone had this issue and overcome it? Thanks guys, much appreciated

My car is a 24’ WRX. The entire time I’ve had it, over worked under 2 miles from home. It was nice, but I recently got offered a new job that’s 20 miles one way from home.

The company offered to pay for one tank of gas a week for me. I am Very thankful about that, but I am concerned about miles. The WRX is my dream car and I don’t love the idea of racking up the miles on it.

Maybe I’m just used to such a short commute, and 40 miles a day isn’t too abnormal? What do you guys think?

Context, I’m 23, 6’2” 220Lbs. Former minor professional hockey player. I’ve seen they look for elite athletes so I think I would qualify.

I love cars, and since retiring from hockey I’ve worked in a mechanical environment. I miss performing in front of a crowd and I’d love to bridge my two passions.

How would I even get into this type of thing? And how? If it’s anything like hockey was, it’s hard, I get it. I played a professional sport, tell it to me straight. If it’s gonna be damn near impossible at this point, tell me. I can handle it haha.

If there is a chance for me, I’d love to pursue it though. Any insight would be awesome. Thanks guys!

So I got offered a job as an entry level auto mechanic today, starting somewhere between 15-18$ an hour.

I’m 23(m), I’ve always been intrigued by cars and loved working on my own and family/friends. Until now, no shop has ever given me a shot because of my lack of professional experience. I just get lost working on cars. Using my mind and brain to figure out problems and diagnose them accordingly, time just goes by and I absolutely love it.

I really can see myself doing this job as a career, but I just don’t know about the starting wage. It’s gonna be hard to buy a house on under 40k in this current economy. My fiancé makes 70k, combined we’re doing decently well but I do feel bad making so much less. Maybe that’s an issue I need to explore myself.

There’s definitely room for growth in this career, and it wouldn’t be so tight forever, but the first few years does scare me. Any thoughts from people my age?

So 2026 has been rough. I stopped working early in January because I was dealing with a neurological issue that was causing excruciating headaches that would last hours long. Cluster headaches for anyone interested.

I’ve been on medication that’s been working, and I’m feeling better. I have been applying for jobs and studying for a test next month to hopefully get into my local pipe-fitters union!

My question is this, over that time I’ve racked up a small credit card debt of around 2200$. I hate this as I’ve always been debt free minus my car, and really want to get rid of it.

I have the cash to cover, around 5500$ but I would feel really uncomfortable draining half of my savings. I have a Roth account I set up that has about 2500$ in it, with only 100$ of that being growth. Would liquidating that to pay off my cc be a poor decision?

I can think in favor of either, one side wants to let that continue to grow and do its thing, while the other part of me thinks once I get working again I can come up with 2500$ to put back into a Roth pretty quickly.

Any other thought processes would be welcomed, I’d love to hear from anyone else about other options or ideas! Thank you guys.