r/bluecollartrans

After 27.5 years with the same company, they shut down my department and let me go. They couldn't find any other place for me. Bullshit. Corporate bought and took over. They wanted to get rid of my payroll. It was a good run. Started my transition just over 2 years ago. Guess I don't have to worry about coming out at work now. There's some good things about this. But also, it stings a little.

So Im ftm and want to become a welder I’m in northeastern PA and hoping to start welding school sometime this year and get a welding job before I finish the program next year, I’m starting my transition in October but so I might be able to go stealth by the time I get a actual welding job since I’d be 4-6 months on T depending on when I start welding school.

So I want to know what’s you guys’ experience has been like? Are most people at least respectful? Have you been able to make friends?

I’ve always wanted to look into blue collar work as a potential career opportunity as hands on work to me has always been the most easy for me to understand. Office/desk jobs as well as other fields I feel involve a lot of psychological social manipulative mind games and classist atmospheres + I have no idea what degree in college would suit me.

although with blue collar I
was always intimidated by the fact it’s very male dominated.

All of my jobs as an adult except for my current one, have been in warehouses and I did a youth conservation corps when I was younger involving trail work and some use of power tools.

In those spaces I’ve always had a hard time communicating with men effectively or establishing those necessary co-worker collaborative working relationships.

I tend to surprise people when I show my work ethic in those spaces but at first impression I’ll be under estimated of my strength or capability to carry out the tasks as my queerness will subjectively have them consider me as “weaker”
(I don’t mind a weak job though lol)

In the past at warehouses
(and I understand these aren’t social jobs) I’ve either always experienced very odd stares and avoidant behaviors from co-workers as well as managers alongside slight discomfort or hesitation from the men when it came to having to engage and also on my end too.

I’m not insisting that I need to be best buds with anyone. just regular typical interactions that are necessary for the team to get things done effectively have been complex in the past.

I'm a trans guy who works as a groundskeeper, so I have a little experience with larger mowers and a forklift certification. My dream is to become a an operator. I'm waiting until I pass better to start applying anywhere because I'm already dealing with so much misogyny and mistreatment in my vaguely blue collar job.

I'm looking for advice on getting into this trade. Should I apply for apprenticeship? Should I take out a loan and go to school? A lot of people say to start out as a laborer, but I'm nearly 40 years old with hypermobility spectrum disorder, so 55 hour weeks doing manual labor is not a great option for me. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

Hey, so I'm a 26 yo trans women looking to start an IBEW apprenticeship, I want a path to a hopefully more stable job and career. I like my current job but there aren't any certifications or real skills that provide security. I have some questions like what does the normal working schedule look like for electricians (inside or telecoms I guess), what pay can I expect to earn during the apprenticeship (looking at Ohio based apprenticeships), how easy is it to transfer to another state if I have/want to, how much should I brush up on my math skills before jumping into this, and lastly what advice would you give to someone looking to start in the trades. I'm a little hesitant because my last trades experience was a pretty terrible time at a pretty terrible machine shop out of highschool and the culture around trade jobs is pretty scary sometimes, tho the construction folks doing renovations at my current place of employment all seem pretty chill. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer my questions and calm my anxieties

I am not really any kind of collar worker now, as I am retired. When I was working, I had desk jobs. I am doing a late life transition, and there are still things that are new to me. I have a clothing question that I thought would be apt for r/bluecollartrans .

If you know you have a day of sweaty work ahead of you, what is your preferred choice of upper body undergarment? Since I developed a bust, when I have to do work like gardening or rearranging the garage, I have been using a tank top under a tshirt that is inside a long sleeve button shirt (for arm protection).

I am interested in any brands and models of bras or other stuff that have worked well for you during manual labor. If it makes any difference, I'm A/AA cup size.

I’m very interested in both plumbing and welding, and I’m looking for some guidance on getting an apprenticeship through a union. I’ve recently applied to several unions because I’m willing to relocate anywhere in Canada for the right opportunity.
Would attending college first improve my chances of being accepted, or is it still realistic to get hired as an apprentice without any formal trade schooling? From what I’ve read, school isn’t always required, so I’m trying to figure out whether I’m not getting contacted because there simply aren’t any opportunities available, or because I don’t have any trade education.
I’m 24 years old and, since graduating high school, I’ve mainly worked in non-trade-related jobs. The only construction experience I have is one summer as a seasonal construction labourer. I’m eager to get into the trades, work hard, and build a long-term career doing something I genuinely enjoy.

I was already thinking about dragging up, and the boss told me he's got to let me go. Struggling small fabrication shop. No hard feelings either way, and him and the foreman have already offered to be references. Everyone seemed pretty sad to see me go, too.

This is going to be my first time looking for a job as a woman. I have a decade of experience welding, and I live in a very blue area, so I should be ok. Still, I'll take any advice i can get.

Hi! I'm trying to make a career change into the trades, currently in the electrician's union application process and set to take the aptitude test in September. I am interested in other trades though as well, and possibly going non-union. Anyone here have experience in any of the trades in Chicago?

I started with Electricians union simply because it seemed interesting and seems to pay the most, but I'm now starting to get more interested in carpentry. Plus local 134 is extremely selective and I would pretty much have to get 100% on the test to have any chance of getting in. I know having construction experience helps with the union applications, but I'm struggling to find non-union apprentice/helper positions. I'm also still working my 9-5 IT job so I can keep my insurance that covers my HRT. Any advice?

EDIT: also considering not going electrical because I don't love the idea of working on data centers