u/Responsible-Net8594

I’ve noticed something weird online: a huge percentage of the people aggressively telling young people to “skip college and learn a trade” don’t actually work in the skilled trades themselves.

They romanticize it from the outside.

They’ll point to union electrician or lineman wages like that’s the standard outcome, when in reality those are often some of the best-case scenarios, not the norm. If you actually look at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, most tradespeople are *not* making $150k+ a year.

And a lot of the “6 figure tradesman” stories conveniently leave out:

* insane overtime

* travel work

* years of apprenticeship

* inconsistent employment

* physical wear and tear on the body

People talk about trades like they’re some cheat code to financial success while ignoring the reality that many of these jobs are physically brutal. Knees, backs, shoulders, hearing, joints — there’s a reason older tradesmen constantly talk about pain.

Another thing I notice is that people making these arguments almost always compare trades to the absolute worst college outcome imaginable — usually some vague “useless liberal arts degree.”

Well yeah… obviously becoming an electrician is probably a better financial decision than taking on massive debt for a degree with weak job prospects. That’s not exactly a shocking revelation.

But they rarely compare trades to:

* engineering

* accounting

* nursing

* computer science

* finance

* healthcare

* other in-demand degrees

They also act like every college costs $30k-$80k a year when there are way cheaper paths:

* community college

* in-state tuition

* scholarships

* employer reimbursement

* transferring after 2 years

A lot of people graduate without life-destroying debt.

Then there’s the constant “AI will replace all white collar workers” argument.

Maybe some jobs change, but people talk like offices are about to disappear overnight. If companies could massively eliminate white collar labor that easily, they probably would have already started doing it at scale years ago.

So far it seems more likely that AI increases productivity — meaning the same employees can simply handle more work faster, not that entire industries instantly vanish.

And honestly, one of the biggest tells is this:

A lot of skilled tradesmen themselves encourage their kids to go to college if they can.

That doesn’t mean trades are bad. Society absolutely needs skilled labor, and some people genuinely thrive in those careers. But the internet has swung so far in the anti-college direction that people act like college is always a scam and trades are guaranteed wealth.

Neither path is guaranteed.

Both have pros and cons.

But the online conversation around trades feels heavily romanticized by people observing from the outside.

I’ve noticed something weird online: a huge percentage of the people aggressively telling young people to “skip college and learn a trade” don’t actually work in the skilled trades themselves.

They romanticize it from the outside.

They’ll point to union electrician or lineman wages like that’s the standard outcome, when in reality those are often some of the best-case scenarios, not the norm. If you actually look at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, most tradespeople are *not* making $150k+ a year.

And a lot of the “6 figure tradesman” stories conveniently leave out:

* insane overtime

* travel work

* years of apprenticeship

* inconsistent employment

* physical wear and tear on the body

People talk about trades like they’re some cheat code to financial success while ignoring the reality that many of these jobs are physically brutal. Knees, backs, shoulders, hearing, joints — there’s a reason older tradesmen constantly talk about pain.

Another thing I notice is that people making these arguments almost always compare trades to the absolute worst college outcome imaginable — usually some vague “useless liberal arts degree.”

Well yeah… obviously becoming an electrician is probably a better financial decision than taking on massive debt for a degree with weak job prospects. That’s not exactly a shocking revelation.

But they rarely compare trades to:

* engineering

* accounting

* nursing

* computer science

* finance

* healthcare

* other in-demand degrees

They also act like every college costs $30k-$80k a year when there are way cheaper paths:

* community college

* in-state tuition

* scholarships

* employer reimbursement

* transferring after 2 years

A lot of people graduate without life-destroying debt.

Then there’s the constant “AI will replace all white collar workers” argument.

Maybe some jobs change, but people talk like offices are about to disappear overnight. If companies could massively eliminate white collar labor that easily, they probably would have already started doing it at scale years ago.

So far it seems more likely that AI increases productivity — meaning the same employees can simply handle more work faster, not that entire industries instantly vanish.

And honestly, one of the biggest tells is this:

A lot of skilled tradesmen themselves encourage their kids to go to college if they can.

That doesn’t mean trades are bad. Society absolutely needs skilled labor, and some people genuinely thrive in those careers. But the internet has swung so far in the anti-college direction that people act like college is always a scam and trades are guaranteed wealth.

Neither path is guaranteed.

Both have pros and cons.

But the online conversation around trades feels heavily romanticized by people observing from the outside.

Websites like Sophia, Study, Straighterline allow you to pay a monthly fee and knock out as many general ed classes as possible. Are these transferable into most colleges? I know they transfer into legit ones like WGU and SNHU.

I am in Utah BTW.

Websites like Sophia, Study, Straighterline allow you to pay a monthly fee and knock out as many general ed classes as possible. Are these transferable into most colleges? I know they transfer into legit ones like WGU and SNHU.

I am in Utah BTW.

I’ve noticed something weird online: a huge percentage of the people aggressively telling young people to “skip college and learn a trade” don’t actually work in the skilled trades themselves.

They romanticize it from the outside.

They’ll point to union electrician or lineman wages like that’s the standard outcome, when in reality those are often some of the best-case scenarios, not the norm. If you actually look at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, most tradespeople are \*not\* making $150k+ a year.

And a lot of the “6 figure tradesman” stories conveniently leave out:

\* insane overtime

\* travel work

\* years of apprenticeship

\* inconsistent employment

\* physical wear and tear on the body

People talk about trades like they’re some cheat code to financial success while ignoring the reality that many of these jobs are physically brutal. Knees, backs, shoulders, hearing, joints — there’s a reason older tradesmen constantly talk about pain.

Another thing I notice is that trade advocates often compare learning a trade to getting a completely non-marketable degree with massive debt attached to it. Of course becoming an electrician or plumber is probably a better financial decision than borrowing $120k for a random liberal arts degree with no career plan.

But that’s not the only alternative.

They also act like every college costs $30k–$80k per year when there are way cheaper paths:

\* community college

\* in-state universities

\* scholarships

\* employer tuition assistance

\* transferring after 2 years

\* commuter schools

A nursing, accounting, engineering, IT, or healthcare degree from an affordable state school is a completely different conversation than taking on huge debt for a low-demand major.

People also love bringing up tradesmen who own successful HVAC/plumbing/electrical companies. But at that point you’re really talking about entrepreneurship, not just “learning a trade.” There are successful entrepreneurs from both blue collar and white collar backgrounds.

And honestly, one of the biggest tells is this:

A lot of skilled tradesmen themselves encourage their kids to go to college if they can.

That doesn’t mean trades are bad. Society absolutely needs skilled labor, and some people genuinely thrive in those careers. But the internet has swung so far in the anti-college direction that people act like college is always a scam and trades are guaranteed wealth.

Neither path is guaranteed.

Both have pros and cons.

But the online conversation around trades feels heavily romanticized by people observing from the outside.

I’ve noticed something weird online: a huge percentage of the people aggressively telling young people to “skip college and learn a trade” don’t actually work in the skilled trades themselves.

They romanticize it from the outside.

They’ll point to union electrician or lineman wages like that’s the standard outcome, when in reality those are often some of the best-case scenarios, not the norm. If you actually look at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, most tradespeople are *not* making $150k+ a year.

And a lot of the “6 figure tradesman” stories conveniently leave out:

* insane overtime

* travel work

* years of apprenticeship

* inconsistent employment

* physical wear and tear on the body

People talk about trades like they’re some cheat code to financial success while ignoring the reality that many of these jobs are physically brutal. Knees, backs, shoulders, hearing, joints — there’s a reason older tradesmen constantly talk about pain.

Another thing I notice is that trade advocates often compare learning a trade to getting a completely non-marketable degree with massive debt attached to it. Of course becoming an electrician or plumber is probably a better financial decision than borrowing $120k for a random liberal arts degree with no career plan.

But that’s not the only alternative.

They also act like every college costs $30k–$80k per year when there are way cheaper paths:

* community college

* in-state universities

* scholarships

* employer tuition assistance

* transferring after 2 years

* commuter schools

A nursing, accounting, engineering, IT, or healthcare degree from an affordable state school is a completely different conversation than taking on huge debt for a low-demand major.

People also love bringing up tradesmen who own successful HVAC/plumbing/electrical companies. But at that point you’re really talking about entrepreneurship, not just “learning a trade.” There are successful entrepreneurs from both blue collar and white collar backgrounds.

And honestly, one of the biggest tells is this:

A lot of skilled tradesmen themselves encourage their kids to go to college if they can.

That doesn’t mean trades are bad. Society absolutely needs skilled labor, and some people genuinely thrive in those careers. But the internet has swung so far in the anti-college direction that people act like college is always a scam and trades are guaranteed wealth.

Neither path is guaranteed.

Both have pros and cons.

But the online conversation around trades feels heavily romanticized by people observing from the outside.

I’m a 34 year old guy living in the SLC, Utah area and honestly feeling stuck in life/career-wise.

I still live with my dad (I pay rent) and currently work for Grubhub/UberEats. I actually make decent money doing it, but I know it’s kind of a dead-end long term and I don’t really have any strong marketable skills.

I’ve been looking into affordable online schools like Western Governors University and Southern New Hampshire University because I’d realistically need something flexible and affordable while continuing to work.

My problem is I genuinely don’t know what degrees/certifications/skills are actually worth pursuing in 2026.

If you were starting over at 34 with no real career skills, what would you focus on that is:

* Actually marketable

* Realistic to complete while working

* Not insanely oversaturated

* Has decent long-term income potential

* Ideally doesn’t require going into massive debt

I’m open to:

* Degrees

* Certifications

* Trades

* Tech

* Healthcare

* Anything practical honestly

Would really appreciate advice from people who turned things around later in life or found a path that actually worked.

I’m a 34 year old guy living in the SLC, Utah area and honestly feeling stuck in life/career-wise.

I still live with my dad (I pay rent) and currently work for Grubhub/UberEats. I actually make decent money doing it, but I know it’s kind of a dead-end long term and I don’t really have any strong marketable skills.

I’ve been looking into affordable online schools like Western Governors University and Southern New Hampshire University because I’d realistically need something flexible and affordable while continuing to work.

My problem is I genuinely don’t know what degrees/certifications/skills are actually worth pursuing in 2026.

If you were starting over at 34 with no real career skills, what would you focus on that is:

* Actually marketable

* Realistic to complete while working

* Not insanely oversaturated

* Has decent long-term income potential

* Ideally doesn’t require going into massive debt

I’m open to:

* Degrees

* Certifications

* Trades

* Tech

* Healthcare

* Anything practical honestly

Would really appreciate advice from people who turned things around later in life or found a path that actually worked.

I’m seriously debating whether I should spend the next 1–2 years learning to code, but I honestly can’t tell if it’s still worth it anymore.

Everywhere I look, people are saying:

AI is replacing junior developers

The job market is brutal right now

Bootcamp grads can’t find jobs

Companies want senior experience for “entry-level” roles

At the same time, I still see people saying coding changed their life, gave them freedom, helped them build businesses, automate work, make SaaS products, etc.

What I’m trying to figure out is:

Is learning to code still a high ROI skill?

Is it only worth it if you want to become a top-tier engineer?

Is coding becoming more valuable because of AI, or less valuable?

If you were starting from zero today, would you still learn?

For context, I’m less interested in grinding LeetCode for FAANG and more interested in potentially building online businesses, tools, automations, SaaS products, or just having a valuable skill long term.

I don’t want to spend thousands of hours learning something that’s getting commoditized, but I also don’t want to miss out on a skill that could massively increase my opportunities.

Would appreciate honest opinions from people actually in tech right now.

I’m a 34 year old guy living in the SLC, Utah area and honestly feeling stuck in life/career-wise.

I still live with my dad (I pay rent) and currently work for Grubhub/UberEats. I actually make decent money doing it, but I know it’s kind of a dead-end long term and I don’t really have any strong marketable skills.

I’ve been looking into affordable online schools like Western Governors University and Southern New Hampshire University because I’d realistically need something flexible and affordable while continuing to work.

My problem is I genuinely don’t know what degrees/certifications/skills are actually worth pursuing in 2026.

If you were starting over at 34 with no real career skills, what would you focus on that is:

* Actually marketable

* Realistic to complete while working

* Not insanely oversaturated

* Has decent long-term income potential

* Ideally doesn’t require going into massive debt

I’m open to:

* Degrees

* Certifications

* Trades

* Tech

* Healthcare

* Anything practical honestly

Would really appreciate advice from people who turned things around later in life or found a path that actually worked.

1. How did you get the motivation/discipline to drop the weight?

2. How much weight did you lose and how long did it take?

1. How did you get the motivation/discipline to drop the weight?

2. How much weight did you lose and how long did it take?

What are the best appetite suppressants I can get OTC? Preferably on Amazon.

Reddit has a fetish with skilled trades. There seems to be a lot of hype around skilled trades lately. I think it's just that, hype. People will recommend learning a trade over getting a good college degree. I don't get it. Everyone and their mother claim these tradesmen are making 100k a year. A simple look at BLS average salaries says otherwise.

I'm not saying they're not needed. I'm just saying I think they have become overrated as career options lately.

Now, obviously, if you get a worthless degree then a skilled trade would be way better.

One thing I definitely noticed is people who recommend skilled trades don't work in the trades themselves 90 percent of the time. They just glorify it.

What do you guys think?

I’m a 34 year old guy living in the SLC, Utah area and honestly feeling stuck in life/career-wise.

I still live with my dad (I pay rent) and currently work for Grubhub/UberEats. I actually make decent money doing it, but I know it’s kind of a dead-end long term and I don’t really have any strong marketable skills.

I’ve been looking into affordable online schools like Western Governors University and Southern New Hampshire University because I’d realistically need something flexible and affordable while continuing to work.

My problem is I genuinely don’t know what degrees/certifications/skills are actually worth pursuing in 2026.

If you were starting over at 34 with no real career skills, what would you focus on that is:

* Actually marketable

* Realistic to complete while working

* Not insanely oversaturated

* Has decent long-term income potential

* Ideally doesn’t require going into massive debt

I’m open to:

* Degrees

* Certifications

* Trades

* Tech

* Healthcare

* Anything practical honestly

Would really appreciate advice from people who turned things around later in life or found a path that actually worked.

I’m a 5’7”, male, 34 years old, 234 pounds with a 42-inch waist, and I’m currently on day 11 of a PSMF diet. My doctor wants me to stay on it until at least July 4th, possibly longer if I choose. What are the best ways to stay disciplined and mentally consistent for the next 7+ weeks without burning out or quitting?

BTW, this is not a question of whether to do PSMF or not. I am doing it, it is very effective and safe and the doctor wants me on it. It is also a very good "baseline" diet where when I up my calories I just keep the PSMF foods in and add some carbs and fats.

FYI, PSMF is a low carb, low fat (except for essential fats from fish oils) diet that can be run for months on end when you're fat like I am. I train with weights every 3 days (2 to 3 times per week). I walk a bit every day also. For more info visit r/psmf.

Thanks.

I’m a 34 year old guy living in the SLC, Utah area and honestly feeling stuck in life/career-wise.

I still live with my dad (I pay rent) and currently work for Grubhub/UberEats. I actually make decent money doing it, but I know it’s kind of a dead-end long term and I don’t really have any strong marketable skills.

I’ve been looking into affordable online schools like Western Governors University and Southern New Hampshire University because I’d realistically need something flexible and affordable while continuing to work.

My problem is I genuinely don’t know what degrees/certifications/skills are actually worth pursuing in 2026.

If you were starting over at 34 with no real career skills, what would you focus on that is:

* Actually marketable

* Realistic to complete while working

* Not insanely oversaturated

* Has decent long-term income potential

* Ideally doesn’t require going into massive debt

I’m open to:

* Degrees

* Certifications

* Trades

* Tech

* Healthcare

* Anything practical honestly

Would really appreciate advice from people who turned things around later in life or found a path that actually worked.

I’m a 34 year old guy living in the SLC, Utah area and honestly feeling stuck in life/career-wise.

I still live with my dad (I pay rent) and currently work for Grubhub/UberEats. I actually make decent money doing it, but I know it’s kind of a dead-end long term and I don’t really have any strong marketable skills.

I’ve been looking into affordable online schools like Western Governors University and Southern New Hampshire University because I’d realistically need something flexible and affordable while continuing to work.

My problem is I genuinely don’t know what degrees/certifications/skills are actually worth pursuing in 2026.

If you were starting over at 34 with no real career skills, what would you focus on that is:

* Actually marketable

* Realistic to complete while working

* Not insanely oversaturated

* Has decent long-term income potential

* Ideally doesn’t require going into massive debt

I’m open to:

* Degrees

* Certifications

* Trades

* Tech

* Healthcare

* Anything practical honestly

Would really appreciate advice from people who turned things around later in life or found a path that actually worked.

College vs skilled trades.

Reddit has a fetish with skilled trades. There seems to be a lot of hype around skilled trades lately. I think it's just that, hype. People will recommend learning a trade over getting a good college degree. I don't get it. Everyone and their mother claim these tradesmen are making 100k a year. A simple look at BLS average salaries says otherwise.

I'm not saying they're not needed. I'm just saying I think they have become overrated as career options lately.

Now, obviously, if you get a worthless degree then a skilled trade would be way better.

One thing I definitely noticed is people who recommend skilled trades don't work in the trades themselves 90 percent of the time. They just glorify it.

What do you guys think?