LADWP vs commercial plumbing apprenticeship
Really struggling with this decision. Married, 32 years old with 2 very young children. Brand new to the construction world, coming from 10 years in the corporate/white-collar space.
Option A:
LADWP ECH (groundman). The path to utility lineman apprenticeship (EDMT) within the dept is not guaranteed and extremely competitive. Legendary job security, great benefits, decent work/life balance compared to contractor line work. If I top out, I'll basically have a job for life and can provide for my family with not much stress. I'm worried about the long hours and sacrifice I'll have to make away from the family.
Option B:
This is where I currently am. I'm a few weeks into a commercial plumbing apprenticeship at a very small mom & pop shop. Pay is barely above minimum wage with no clearly defined wage increase structure. Owner said I need to prove my self over the next few years. I really enjoy the job so far, but the uncertainty of pay, no healthcare and retirement benefits, and job security due to macro conditions scare me a bit.
Silver lining for option B is tons of opportunity to learn the trade and grow my technical skills. Great access to mentorship
The plan / goal with option B would be to transition to residential service in a few years and start my own service business. I do realize that this route is will also require a huge time sacrifice away from family.
Does anyone else have experience making a decision like this? Would I be crazy to give up one for the other?
My heart is leaning towards the lineman route, but the uncertainty of whether or not I'll even get into the apprenticeship is concerning. The safety is another factor, but I'm less concerned about it.
Thanks in advance for reading / helping.