Construction, plumbing, electrical, and hvac

Can yall list some trades that are 6 figures? I’m new to this and I wanna pick something up that not a lot of people are doing I won’t lie I’m not extremely interested in the 4 trades I mentioned would like something different.

Ik this is a generalized question but like I’m 19m I have my certifications for construction, nocti carpentry certification, pre contractors liscense, and osha 10.

I really don’t like construction because it doesn’t pay well at all until u really get ur class A contractors license with like 10 years of experience and the real way to make money is or even touch 6 figures is to own ur own business and I honestly don’t wanna do that. So I guess I’m asking like out of electrical, plumbing, and hvac what is the highest paying trade with the salary that you would recommend? I plan on hopping into another trade and just full sending it. I can’t really decide if I wanna do hvac because that probably requires the most knowledge with having to know a little bit of everything. At the same time with plumbing I don’t really wanna get covered in crap. Then I have heard countless horror stories with electrical work when other ppl don’t shut the breaker off and people have gotten electrocuted. I am a very hard worker tho and I can learn very fast but I just need some advice here. I appreciate all the advice thank u

Recently retired but looking for another career. I’m thinking about enrolling in my local community college to get some training on either of these two trades, I just haven’t decided which one yet. I plan to work for someone until I can get enough experience to branch out on my own. For HVAC I think doing service and repair would be good. I’ve replaced my own rooftop AC’s but that’s as big of a job (maybe too big) that I would want to do on a regular basis. Welding it would be smaller jobs. I’m not looking to grow anything much beyond myself and I don’t need to make a lot of money right away. Just a profession that I can work in. I have a lot of tools and the right vehicles. I have all types of welders but not a vehicle mounted portable type. Any ideas or advice on where to focus would be helpful. Thanks!

Hi! Just curious what high paying blue collar jobs you would recommend if I truly like working and thinking ob my own? I am currently in my electrical apprenticeship sponsored by a heavy duty tech company. I dont like working alongside other electricians. What are your thoughts? Thanks

hey so for the past 10 months i’ve been doing panel beating due to not getting paid by my employer i had decided to leave that garage and im now in the dilemma of going to another bodyshop or if i should go into mechanical, got quite a bit of experience doing mechanical as i did quite a bit in the body shop with my employers project cars but i was wondering what would be better?

Hey so I just started my carpentry apprenticeship and they have me traveling a lot, my question is mileage. Are they obligated to cover every mile I drive? They do cover mileage after 40 miles of driving and they pay me my hourly rate if my drive is more than an hour. I originally thought this was fair but I’m hearing different things now and now I’m just not sure. Any answer appreciated.

My post was removed from r/plumbing, so I'll ask here... who is actually doing plumbing work in a major metropolitan area for such little money? Wages have gone DOWN in my area since COVID... what gives?

Just received 2 job offers. Private contractor will pay me more to start.. private contractor gives free health insurance/ good retirement/ vacation and sick days/ room for advancement I’d be going in as a pipe layer laborer $56k a year to start

City- stability/ lots of overtime opportunities I’d be going in as a utility worker Pay is $45k yearly, slow growth

Also the private contractor does a lot of prevailing wage jobs for public work installing main water lines

Any advice would be appreciated

I currently work for a different city in the public works dept making $45k and that’s why I’m getting out of city job

Cross posting.

I’m in my mid-30s, coming from a corporate background, and I'm seriously considering making a career switch into the trades as a heavy-duty mechanic. After researching my options, I came across the 15-week pre-employment Heavy Equipment Technician course at SAIT (link here). Given the job market and how competitive things can be, I’m wondering if this program could be the right stepping stone to break into the field, especially since I don't have any previous experience in mechanics.

The course seems like a condensed version of a typical apprenticeship, covering the basics that are necessary to get started. My biggest questions are:

1. Is this course recognized or respected enough to help me get a job or apprenticeship afterward? I know hands-on experience is critical, but I'm hoping this course could at least get me a foot in the door.
2. Is it worth the investment for someone my age switching careers, or are there better ways to get into this field? I’ve seen some other options out there, but I like the shorter length of this program since I’m trying to minimize time off work.
3. What’s the learning curve like for someone with little to no technical background? I’m ready to put in the effort, but I want to make sure I’m realistic about how intensive this might be.

Any feedback from people who’ve taken this program or know someone who has? Or just general advice on getting into the heavy-duty mechanic field as a second career? Thanks in advance!

I'm 21 years old, and I am currently second guessing enrolling in college. I've been in college for about 4 years now and have been slowly pulling myself through with subpar performance. I have trouble focusing on lectures, and find close to no interest in any subjects I'm studying or try to study.

Would looking into developing a trade skill be better for me at this point? I'm not sure how good the job market is for certain trades, but I know I would be much more engaged in hands on learning/work.

Or should I just stick through college and get a degree. Is a degree with no plan afterwards worth the effort?

Is it easier to join an open shop as green than to join the Union directly? calgary only looks for 2nd year apprenticeship iirc

Currently 28 with a wife and two year old daughter working as a phlebotomist. I have no where to go “up” I’m just stuck making what I make in the state of Indiana. I want to make more and I’m wanting to still be home on the weekends with my family. Any trades suggested better than others? Was an electricians apprentice out of high school but, wasn’t particularly fond of the heights!

I’m a 32 year old Asian Indian American living in Sacramento, CA; 5’6” and 186 lbs (yeah I gotta work on the weight). Graduated from Purdue with a BA in Pre-Law and working in HR/Compliance for the last 7 years.

I gotta tell you: I have severe ADHD and can’t sit behind a desk to save my life. I take adderall but will be switching to vyvanse as it’s a bit smoother.

Anyways, any recommendations for skilled trades that I can work into my late 50’s? I know the common wisdom is that trades are tough on the body, but I think I should give it a go. Not sure I’ll make it to my 60’s with desk work as it is, but at least I can try to live a better life with a skilled trade through my 30’s and 40’s.

I have no idea where to start I have nothing except for a job. No license to drive hardly any experience. I saw lineman and thought that would be cool but apparently it's super competitive and they aren't needed right now? Just trying to do something here. Where should I look what do I need to do to get into a union apprenticeship like IBEW or IUOE or something. If I can make a decision I can start working towards something but I have no idea whats really best tbh

New electrician here. I want to buy prescription safety glasses. My regular glasses prescription is strong (-6) and my lenses are pretty thick (high index). Lenscrafters in Canada was only able to offer me metal frames with weird plastic blinders on the sides that only cover half the eye. I don't see the point in those :( They also offered to let me try plastic safeties that actually cover the whole eye, but as they predicted, my prescription is too strong, resulting in thick lenses that left a huge obstructing line near the bottom of my visual field.

I can't be the only person in trades with a strong prescription who wants real safety glasses lol. Any solutions? The best idea I have is getting the tiniest regular frames I can and then wearing the annoying and huge over-glasses safeties on top of them. So if I can't just get regular safeties for work, I'll do that.

Just got out of the Army looking to join a trade. In Columbus the Plumber/Pipefitter/HVAC Union pay 49 an hour for journeyman the Electrician Union pay 40.50 an hour. My question is are these rates almost always what you are getting paid or are companies offering Electricians more to even the gap? If so, I’m leaning towards HVAC or Electrician is choosing HVAC because of the substantial pay difference logical? Will Electricians catch up? Why is the pay so different?

Any general advice is welcomed aswell especially from vets that transitioned.

Thank you.

I'm retiring from the military next spring and I'm trying to figure out what my next career will be. Anyone here from New Brunswick that can tell me what trades are in demand in the province? I'm leaning towards HET or HVAC but I don't know how hard they are to get into here Any advice would be appreciated.

How do you deal with having little to no energy to get anything done after work? Is coffee the solution?

Seems like the classes at my union hall are tought in a outdated way. Being very text book heavy and lecture based methods.

I feel like it should be more engaging

I am currently in a powerline tech program, but now I recently am interested in the wind turbine industry. Should I switch programs and do something like a 2 year diploma in renewable energy, or some sort of engineering. Really just wanting to know what would look good when applying for wind turbine technician jobs? Specifically in Ontario

Both Residential work that is.

Be honest—how hard is it in the current situation to find a skilled taper in Ontario who’s willing to teach a female helper who wants to learn the trade? Is it really that hard to get in? I have minimal experience, but I’m determined to dedicate myself and build a career in this field.

Hello,

I recently decided that I want to become a union carpenter’s apprentice. I am a military veteran in the US and I utilize VA facilities and resources for all of my healthcare. I have a one hour therapy appointment every other Monday. I am concerned that the frequency and the nature of the appointments ( considering the mental health stigma amongst men) will cause me issues with obtaining an apprenticeship. I also don’t want to immediately be known as the “soft” new apprentice who has a therapist. I imagine that therapy is not popular amongst working class “blue collar” men in the US compared to Monsters, Busch Light, and Marlboro Reds. I want to have a career, but I also want to improve my quality of mental health. I’m 29, so I’m already old for a would-be apprentice, so I rather not wait too much longer to get my apprenticeship started.

Am I going to have to choose between the appointments and work?

I’m 26 years old trying to change careers. I’ve been looking to get into either carpentry or electrician through a union apprenticeship. I know there are a few programs around the city that are supposed to get you ready for working in construction that claim to have an in with local unions (NEW, Building Wotks, etc).

Does anyone have any experience with these in NYC or anywhere else?

I know a lot of folks are interested in getting into maintenance tech and controls tech roles. (IMO, these are some of the most underrated trade jobs).

For those curious about these roles, I help a public benefit co. put on virtual events each month where we bring industry players from different companies (General Mills, Atlas Copco, Amazon, Medline, etc.) to talk about these technician jobs. 

The idea is to help you get a good sense if these industries, roles, employers, etc. are a good fit for you or not. So each month there’s something a little different you can compare.

The employers will talk about things like: pay, hours, manual labor, growth opportunities, etc. (you can also ask questions and make connections).

It’s free and open to all in the trades but the event is also built to help those with electrical and mechanical backgrounds to make the transition into these roles. We tend to attract lots of electricians, HVACs, and mechanics.

Largely US focused but we're bringing in some CA employers soon.

Shout out to the mods for allowing the post. If you have any questions you’d like to ask an employer, I can pass those along or you can drop them in r/skillstojobs

Here’s the link to register – the next one is on Nov 15th:

https://unmudl.com/techs-of-tomorrow-events/virtual-tot-nov-2024

I'm in Canada Alberta and I'm currently finishing my first year as a sprinkler fitting apprentice. I noticed there seems to be a lot of current demand for Industrial pipefitters in Alberta. I am considering moving into that trade but I was wondering if anyone would have some insights into this move? How about pay and job security? Pipefitting seems a little more involved then sprinkler fitting at first glance.

Looking for any engineers either in the process that took the test or already employed ?

I know there’s a bunch of hoopla about how Florida sucks for trades but are there any area in Florida that are nice for trades. Also, if you have an recommendations of any training schools in dire need of students or workers. Please comment below. Thanks for your time.