r/bluecollar

I want to be ant type of mechanical and im scared that si might replace us

I’m wanting to start working for myself. I currently do Gardening but I’m thinking of purchasing a pressure washer and offering services like driveway/concrete cleaning, gutter cleaning, window cleaning, house washing.

Do you think there could be a demand for this type of work in Australia (Adelaide specifically)

TIA

I’m in the field and just started doing new-construction HVAC, along with service and installation work. Right now I’m using a Ryobi drill. It gets the job done, but honestly, it’s not the bestthe battery dies pretty quickly, even though I have two batteries.

I’m looking to buy a better drill, but I’m not really sure what brand or model I should go with. Does it actually matter for HVAC work, or should I just get whatever good drill is on sale? What would you recommend? Or am I just bad with the drill

Having a hard time deciding to do Instrumentation Tech which I will go to community college and get an associates or get a grade 2 and hopefully I can get OIT as an operator. Hope others can chime in.

Hey all, i'm in my early 20s with a Bachelor's in Business Management. I'm currently working white collar and would love to get a job that gets me moving around more.
I like complex systems and figuring out how things work, so I was initially leaning towards HVAC or Electrical. My ibew local here is 112 and i've heard they're great.
Any recommendations or advice would be appreciated!

Hi everyone,

I'm currently looking for work in the Bay Area and I'm seriously considering switching careers into a skilled trade.

I have a B.S. in Software Engineering from San Jose State University and about 3+ years of professional experience as a Front-End Software Engineer. I've worked primarily with React, TypeScript, GraphQL, JavaScript, and web technologies.

However, I've become increasingly open to doing something completely different. I'm good with my hands, enjoy working with tools and figuring out how things work, and I'd be very interested in learning a skilled trade from the ground up. I don't mind starting at entry level and working my way up.

I'm particularly interested in union trades, apprenticeships, hiring halls, or companies willing to train someone who doesn't have previous professional experience in the trade.

I'm open to pretty much anything at this point — electrical, HVAC, plumbing, welding, millwright, sheet metal, carpentry, laborers, equipment operation, manufacturing, maintenance, etc. I'm more interested in finding a trade that has good long-term prospects than being locked into a specific one.

One thing that's important for me right now is the hiring process. I'm currently unemployed and have bills to pay, so I'm looking for opportunities where I can realistically get started within a reasonable timeframe. I'm willing to go through training or an apprenticeship, but I'd prefer not to enter a process where I could be waiting many months or a year+ before even getting an opportunity to work.

For anyone in the Bay Area trades:

What unions, locals, hiring halls, contractors, or apprenticeship programs would you recommend I look into?

I'd especially appreciate recommendations from people who have actually gone through the process themselves. If you know of a trade or union that's currently taking applications and isn't extremely difficult or slow to get into, I'd love to hear about it.

I'm also interested in staffing agencies or labor agencies that can get someone working relatively quickly while they work toward learning a trade.

I'm located in the East Bay and would prefer to stay in the Bay Area rather than relocate.

Thanks in advance. I really appreciate any advice, leads, or recommendations. I'm willing to work hard and learn something new — I just need some direction on where to start.

To keep it as short and sweet as I can i've been working in construction in midwest kansas for about 10 years all together in various different fields.for about 8 years it's been mainly framing and steel buildiings from multi million dollar commercial jobs to residential. Custom homes and additions. Like I said my specialty is certainly framing and steel eretions with siding, panels, trim and all the fixings that go along with those but I also have a decent amount of experience in concrete, shingle roofing, gutters, drywall, tile and other interior work and finish carpentry. Basically I've worked at my recent company off and on for about 8 years all together. It's my, much older than me's, cousins company that my dad told me I should go work for when I was 18 and he thought I needed a big boy job and I thought what the heck. I didn't know anything about construction when I started and certainly never got any special treatment being family. (He's much older than me and my family has never been that close) So I climbed the ladder like everyone else. When I first started the company was much bigger ( 4 formens and about 30 guys. The first couple years I didn't take it very seriously and was just a gopher but over time of u being there u want to be like the guys running the nail guns and doing the actual work so I put my nose down more and learned. Fast forward and the company is much smaller (2 formen and about 8 guys) my formen now is actually still the same guy I started with when I was 18 and taught me the bulk of what I know and molded me when I was a pup. But I've been his lead now for my last 4 years at this company. I do like working for him and we are great friends even though he's a hard ass nothing new there but my cousin on the other hand I can't stand sometimes.. and I'm curious what framers and steel workers and any field for that matters jobs are like. I make 25 bucks an hour. No pto no paid vacation time and last year didn't even get a bonus which was1000 dollars on Christmas and that was only given to me 2 times over all the years I've worked at my cousin's company. I got a dollar raise this year but that isn't even guaranteed to happen every year either. We push projects out and get a lot done for 4 guys. And I feel like I'm certainly ready to get my feet wet and become a formen myself but my cousin doesn't seem interested in growing a future there. When I see him he's all buddy buddy and says its about time for me to get my feet wet as a formen but then doesn't hire any new guys to get a crew started for me since we literally don't have enough guys for me to even have a crew. He makes bank on rentals these days and my formen now still has probably 6 more years till he retires. And I wonder is he going to just sell the construction side of his business once my formen now who has been so loyal retires and lay off anyone who's left? Trying to squeeze the life out of everyone till they quit so he doesn't have to pay unemployment? If you are a framer especially a lead guy u know this is a young man's game and I'm not that old yet but I've noticed this year at 32 that it's starting to wear on me more and I don't got it like I did when I was 26 and it doesn't seem worth it to me. Not even any PTO or vacation let alone decent money. I also pay 1100 bucks every 2 weeks in taxes and insurance which I need the insurance because my wife and I have a 8 month old son ( which I missed 1 week for when he was born and didn't get paid at all just had to eat that) and a little girl due in Dec and my wife stays home. Idk it just doesn't seem worth it the work we do and the check I see every 2 weeks. Hell my cousin doesn't even bring Gatorade the very seldom times he does show up on the job. I'm just frustrated and curious what everyone else's jobs are like out there? How does your company treat u? Is my situation not as bad as I think it is? In an industry as a framer where u just put your head down and walk toe boards on a 12/12 2 story house with a nail gun on your hip bucking sheets on the roof for 8 years no complaining. When can u finally say I'm getting screwed here? Like to hear some thoughts thanks

I graduated Highschool and applied to nait over the summer for welding but was waitlisted and didn’t get in. I recently learned about NDT and was told it’s a trade easier on your body pIus can make bigger bucks if I get into something specialized. I am an 18 year old 5’0 girl. I don’t have my license and just got my learners so would I have to wait till next Year when I have my license to apply to NDT jobs? I was hoping not to take a gap year but I do already work a part time job and could pick up another serving job while I wait. Would I be better off applying to Nait for welding for next year or trying to join an NDT union. The classes for NDT are much shorter and I don’t know enough about either field and an open to any advice. It was between those two options because I’m trying to move out soon and they seemed the fastest and most secure ways to start making good money. I live in Edmonton AB and am not sure how the job market looks for NDT but I heard they were always needed because of the line to work they do

Hey hgey guys so im thinking about getting into electrical or HVAC, but my ADHD makes me nervous about everything outside the actual hands-on work. (I did internship at a GM and spent some time helping out a family friend's GM, so I have SOME idea about the job. But the thing is, keeping up with insurance docs, safety procedures, schedules, inspections, COI tracking, insurance docs, and all that makes me so anxious thinking my ADHD's gonna screw it all up somehow.

And it's sort of a bitter cycle, I have IBS so whenever I get anxiious, these two feed off of each other which sucks. I take meds for them to help ease myself but it doesn't 100% remove the symptoms. Most importantly idw be a burden for anyone at all because of this. Lmk what you guys think

More or less the title. If you jumped from white collar to blue, what were you least expecting? What took a little time to get used to? Do you regret your change?

Should mention I'm considering carpentry and electrian routes.

I’m a 26 year old industrial maint tech with 6 years experience in the field. One of the little tips I’ve learned that I can share is how to test some electronics with your phone.

I would like to preface this with a bit of information.
Wires create a magnetic field when an amperage is applied to the wire, solenoids seal in unsung magnets, and relays also switch using magnets. The world of magnetic fields is very important in our line of work.

With that said there is an app called “phyphox” which allows you to access raw sensor data from your phone. Using this app you can put your phone on solenoids relays or wires next to your magnetic sensor in your phone. This will tell you if the magnet is engaging in a solenoid or relay, or if you have power going through a wire (troubleshooting fuses, buttons, switches, etc.)

Hopefully this tip can help save you some time or money or just be a cool random piece of information for you all.

I like working in crawlspaces and lowkey wanna do plumbing since it’s the trade that works the most under In a crawl space (I think) is that a valid reason? If anyone works in the trade please lemme know if it’s worth it or what you might think of it

Hello all! This is one of my firsts posts so I’m not too sure if I’m posting this in the right subreddit or not so bear with me.

I (19f) am looking into union trade work as my career choice. I am currently in a heavy machine operation/crane pre apprenticeship and I’ll probably get dispatched within the next week or two. I have also just received an invite to start my orientation process as a plumber though a different union. My question is which one would have more of a work life balance?

As of now in the operating pre apprenticeship, my instructors all talk about missing their kids first steps, getting divorced and never being home because of this career and that’s sort of scaring me. I know I would have to travel and work long house for all trade work but I didn’t realize it would be that excessive.

I want to have a family and plan on getting married within the next few years and I want to be able to enjoy my life and be present in my kids lives and not just work my whole life away until retirement. I know it’s great money but it just doesn’t seem that worth it to me.

I also expect to be dispatched wherever and working all hours until I journey out (about 4 years) which I am more than ok with, I just don’t want to be doing that my whole life.

But I would love if any trade worker (union or non union) could give any advice or advice or share what their personal experiences are like and if I’m choosing the right profession for what I want in life.

I’ve been looking into this for a while, and the more I talk to people in the trades, the more obvious the problem seems.
If you’re a young person trying to get into the trades, where do you even look?
Indeed? Facebook? Company websites? Ask around and hope someone knows someone?
And even when you find a posting, you often have no idea what the employer is actually looking for, how good the company is, or whether you’re even a realistic candidate.
Then on the other side, employers can get a pile of applications and still struggle to find someone who actually fits the job.
That’s basically why I started building TradeUp.
I’m trying to make finding work in the trades feel less like a scavenger hunt.
It’s still early, and I definitely don’t have everything figured out.
So I’m curious — if you work in the trades, what’s the most annoying part about finding a job or hiring someone?

I am about to receive an inheritance that will hopefully pay for schooling. I’m here to ask what you all think would be the best option when it comes to the trades. If you could go back, what’s a trade you wish you learned instead of what you’re doing now.

Im 17 and I want to get into electrical or housing/construction work but I don't know where to start or even look, just searching up for apprenticeships haven't really been the best since every result has ended needing a diploma.

I’m exploring blue-collar job opportunities in Connecticut, as I’m considering relocating there in the future. Currently, I work for the federal government as a deckhand in the US Army Corps of Engineers. While I’d prefer to remain within the government sector, I’m also curious about other trade jobs that involve running equipment, tree clearing, or barge work. I possess a strong mechanical background, along with a list of other certificates, trainings, and relevant experience.

Hello, wasn’t sure where to post this. I am thinking of getting into a trade of some sort and I am unsure of which one to go to. I have heard of trade schools to learn but I wasn’t sure if it is a requirement to go into the trades or as a stepping stone. Is there specific trades that one can get into that doesn’t require school or offers a program that can do schooling as well? Thank you for any help