r/skilledtrades

My family thinks this. They think all trade workers are high school dropouts, felons, or addicts. Sure the trades have open arms when it comes to that stuff but some people actually have a passion for the trades. I graduated high school early with a 3.7 gpa BUT school is not for me. I don’t want to go into debt going to college just to get a boring office job and speak corporate all day. I don’t want to fake laugh at office humor. I’m not a people person. None of the college majors stand out to me. I’ve always wanted to have a hands on career ever since I was young. I honestly hate the stereotypes about the trades. I want to join because I have interest in it, not because it’s my “last option”. I’m going to trade school for electrical and I hope it’s the right call.

I'm sick to death of retail and I want to do something better with my life. I don't think I'm cut out for an office job (I'm not good with computers anyway) so I'm thinking about finding a trade.

But the thing is that I have rare condition called Hyperacusis. Basically, loud sounds (both sudden and prolonged) can cause me literal pain. This can range from burning pain in my ears to nerve pain in my face. Hyperacusis is a very individual condition and I'm very lucky that mine is managable now, but wasn't always that way, and I can always potentially worsen. Some people have hyperacusis so severe that they're unable to talk.

To manage my condition I avoid bars, concerts, clubs, and other consistently loud places. I always have hearing protection nearby.

So trades like construction, plumbing, welding, etc are no goes for me. Could I handle an hour or so of light hammering? Sure. But not eight hours or more on a construction site. I can't even work a call center job.

Again, this is a medical issue. I'm not being oversensitive, nor do I need to toughen up. I want to find a good trade that I love but I also need to maintain my health. Is there anything out there for me?

the apprentice and even jman wages are brutal and nobody talks about it(sounds primarily here in Ontario)
everyone says trades are starving to hire but the hiring happens at apprentice rates. which means you spend the first couple years learning on the job while making similar to your friends working as managers in fast food

the money gets good as a journeyman but "gets good in 4 years" is a long time when youre 19 and broke lol(I’m not 19 and broke for clarification, I’m 24)

not saying skip it. saying dont believe the people who act like you show up and start making 40 an hour. thats not how it works

oh and shops paying under 30 even with years of experience and a red seal. most places around here are 25 to 30. the people telling you trades print money are the ones who own the shop. or they saw a youtube video about some guy in alberta pulling 80 an hour. its not like that everywhere

if you get lucky and land at a good shop you can do okay. skill on top of that and you can get by. but the luck part is the thing nobody talks about. you can be the best welder in the province and still get stuck at a shop that pays garbage because thats just whos hiring

cant move out on that wage. and if you do you learn what living like a slave actually looks like

If a worker gets injured and files a lawsuit is he retaliated against by other workers? Or is he supported or given neutral treatment?

Is there a “Don’t sue unless it’s a major injury” attitude or are tradesmen regularly filing injury lawsuits against their employer?

I was asking if people had the same problems as me a couple of weeks ago. After reading loads of replies on here, it seems like work trousers always force a compromise:

- durable but stiff/restrictive
or
- flexible/comfortable but weak at the stress points

Does anyone feel like there’s actually a pair that properly balances both?

I’m an Apprentice E&I Tech, but really working more Industrial Electrical than E&I.
I think I’d prefer plumbing and I’ve been offered an apprenticeship in it. I’m just second guessing it because virtually everyone has told me Plumbing will be so much more physically demanding, it’s horrible work and that you’re so much better off doing what you’re already at. But I think I’d prefer Plumbing.
It’s mainly Domestic and Commercial work rather than Industrial Plumbing so probably a sizeable difference there.

I’m reaching out for some advice. I have been living in Santa Rosa, California, for two years now, where I’ve been studying Industrial Maintenance at the local community college. So far, I’ve completed several core technical courses as well as foundational classes like Pre-Calculus. I am also currently working toward my GED—I have passed three subjects and only have English left to go. On top of that, I am currently learning to drive to get my license.
Over these past two years, I have saved up $5,000, and I anticipate having enough for a down payment on a used car by Christmas. In terms of technical skills, I have been training in soft soldering and manual arc welding.
However, I am struggling to find relevant work in the area. I believe this is due to a few factors:
 1. **Lack of transportation:** Without a car, I cannot easily travel to job sites on demand.
 2. **Limited professional network:** I don’t have any local connections in the industry. Most of my classmates are from the local Mexican community, and they primarily work in supermarkets or restaurants, rather than the maintenance or repair fields I’m interested in.
 3. **Local market limitations:** This city seems dominated by the hospitality, medical, and wine industries, with very few factories or industrial demand.
I’m feeling quite conflicted. Should I continue my studies here, transfer to a city in Southern California with a stronger industrial base later, and wait until I have my bachelor’s degree to start job hunting? Or, should I focus on saving for a car first and look into leaving this city sooner, since I’ve realized there aren't many opportunities for the kind of industrial internships I need here?

I want to make this short and sweet but I’m 19 and I went straight to working after graduating. I’ve wanted to get into a trade for a while and I currently work at a oil and gas refinery as a labourer for a rental company (contractor) but I want to go back to school for something. I never liked math too much but I’m sure I could manage if it came down to it. I want to find something easier on my body (I’m female if that matters) and something to really grow with and gain skills as well as make some good money. If anybody with experience and skill could give me any recommendations that would be super appreciated. (I’ve been looking into maybe instrumentation, HVAC, heavy duty equipment operator, electrical, ect..) I just really want to learn about opportunities and maybe even discover trades I never knew existed. I’d appreciate the help.

Gabes tends to be my go to especially their clearance rack whenever I need to replace my work gear. Though because of limited stock, I sometimes have issues finding bottoms that fit me since I'm very thin. I would perfer in person shopping but I am open to online stores as well so long as they are reputable.

It seems like a lot of people say “plumbing is the best trade” or “electrical is the best trade” but at least in California, it seems like there’s hundreds of plumbers and electricians serving a single county. It’s insane.

Then there’s other trades, like a woman I was talking with at one point had a mom that owned a lathe and plaster business and she had a super huge house. I had never heard of that before but I’m not sure if it was a trade of the past or if it’s still good.

So I was just curious to see if anyone knows of any trades that aren’t super saturated that would be great for ownership too.

25 in NYC local, we have a double pension and an annuity for retirement. Given that we have two pensions I’ve been thinking of rolling over to a 401k so I have more flexibility with withdrawing money and hoping the 401k can out perform the annuity. I also have my own investment portfolio that I’m investing some money into every week. Just wanted to hear your guys thoughts on the idea. Thanks

I took a drug test today for my local boiler maker union but last night I drank a beer do they test for that if so will I fail ?

EDIT: You guys are such assholes! Thank you for the laughs. Love you all!

No tools or truck, otherwise I would kill it as a small job handyman. Turk jobs? what do you do and where do you seek opportunity?

Both catch my interest but not sure which one to pursue. Would like some insight or information. Just looking for something to support my family

(Joking obv) but like for real any tips, right now ive got my own tools and a good work ethic...

We’re a crew of 3 and every morning we do a quick 15-minute huddle to go over the plan for the day, but right now I just write everything on a whiteboard and then someone takes a photo so the others can reference it later, and it feels a bit clunky, so I’ve been looking for something where I can just type the daily plan once and have it automatically show up on my two guys’ phones without needing extra features like GPS tracking, scheduling systems, or customer signatures, just something simple for sharing team notes.

If you are a foreman of a sheet metal duct shop. I mean as in you are in charge of the whole shop. You get the cut sheets you enter them into the program and run the plasma, inventory, order materials, and just run the shop top to bottom. What you guys making hourly? Asking for a friend. I honestly think shop guys are undervalued personally. but I'm just trying to compare thats all. Please share if you don't mind. Thanks!

Advice on skill

As a 21 yr old from bcom background with 7.39 cgpa

I don't wanna do mba

Right now what are the skills in demand?

What are the skills I should acquire?

Within 6 months I wanna land on a job Or start some freelancing work remotely and move to some big cities so start my career so how do I get started?

Imagine you live in a cash free world or community where you can ONLY trade your day-to-day skills (hair cut, hair making, child care, repairs) for free, what skill would you love to receive and what skill would you be willing to offer?

I would love to get a Chef, and offer child care.. I am so done with cooking!

Please comment below, would love to hear from y'all! 🙏 👇

I'm working for a company right now that is pushing to get jobs done at what seems to be an unrealistic pace. We're so busy and we're short workers but are now expected to ro Rough in a 2 story home with a suited basement in 2 days. With only 2 guys. A van driver and an apprentice and they're usually a 1st year. This seems crazy. We are losing guys faster than any company I've worked for ever. 10 guys quit in one month and we're only a 40 guys. Is this a normal expectation now in the industry?