I'm thinking of making the move from my office job to a career in the skilled trades. Has anyone ever done this before? What do you think of this kind of move? Is it a good idea? What were your reasons for doing it?
The trades mostly will never not be in demand. Depending on the trade, you can be absurdly successful. A guy I know a few years younger than me became a master electrician young (started right after high school), and is early 40’s, paid off his custom built house, big college funds for his kids, vacation cabin, and lots of toys (atv’s, guns etx...) it comes in waves, I believe based on when the older masters retire and pass the torch. They also have very loyal customers whom you can retain for a lifetime.I'm thinking of making the move from my office job to a career in the skilled trades. Has anyone ever done this before? What do you think of this kind of move? Is it a good idea? What were your reasons for doing it?
The trades mostly will never not be in demand. Depending on the trade, you can be absurdly successful. A guy I know a few years younger than me became a master electrician young (started right after high school), and is early 40’s, paid off his custom built house, big college funds for his kids, vacation cabin, and lots of toys (atv’s, guns etx...) it comes in waves, I believe based on when the older masters retire and pass the torch. They also have very loyal customers whom you can retain for a lifetime.
With all the youngsters wanting to be computer types, there is a real demand for skilled tradesmen as older guys are retiring... Nobody is filling their shoes and being in your late 30s is not old, consider getting into the trades if you want a raise...Yeah, that's what is really attracting me to it. My only real concern is that I'm pretty old. I'm in my late 30s.
@wallyj84 you can still do it. Like @mako shark said, ow is the time. If you have the one and funds, it could be a great time to move into trades.With all the youngsters wanting to be computer types, there is a real demand for skilled tradesmen as older guys are retiring... Nobody is filling their shoes and being in your late 30s is not old, consider getting into the trades if you want a raise...
I know a whole bunch of guys that retired well before 65 with pensions that would blow your mind.
@wallyj84 you can still do it. Like @mako shark said, ow is the time. If you have the one and funds, it could be a great time to move into trades.
I work my part time job with a young plumber. He absolutely loves it.I'm happy with my current career but would like to make more money and try something different. Especially something a bit more portable than freight forwarding.
The trade I'm looking into is plumbing. That just seems like the easiest to get into. I put in an application and I will see if anything comes out of it.
In my area, the older masters are retiring/moving. We need more under 40s entering things like HVAC, fine carpentry, plumbing.The trades mostly will never not be in demand. Depending on the trade, you can be absurdly successful. A guy I know a few years younger than me became a master electrician young (started right after high school), and is early 40’s, paid off his custom built house, big college funds for his kids, vacation cabin, and lots of toys (atv’s, guns etx...) it comes in waves, I believe based on when the older masters retire and pass the torch. They also have very loyal customers whom you can retain for a lifetime.
Which trades?I'm thinking of making the move from my office job to a career in the skilled trades. Has anyone ever done this before? What do you think of this kind of move? Is it a good idea? What were your reasons for doing it?
Doing something with your hands, something that a machine cannot (yet) do, is a good way to ensure employability.I'm thinking of making the move from my office job to a career in the skilled trades. Has anyone ever done this before? What do you think of this kind of move? Is it a good idea? What were your reasons for doing it?
Doing something with your hands, something that a machine cannot (yet) do, is a good way to ensure employability.
So many jobs are being phased out, mechanised that you need to specialise in something mentally creative or working with your hands - that could be from furniture making to baking to hair dressing to graphic design to plumbing.
But yeah. There's gonna be lots of people without pointless office jobs in the coming years.
...and a lot of what "professionals" do can be done easily online - I'm thinking particularly of lawyers and the legal profession - most of that can go.Yeah, definitely. I think the current work from home thing is going to drive a lot of that. If they can have you work from home, then they can have someone do your job in a foreign country for significantly less.
Update, they haven't gotten back to me about the plumbing position. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned my degree on the resume?
...and a lot of what "professionals" do can be done easily online - I'm thinking particularly of lawyers and the legal profession - most of that can go.
Yeah, definitely. I think the current work from home thing is going to drive a lot of that. If they can have you work from home, then they can have someone do your job in a foreign country for significantly less.
Update, they haven't gotten back to me about the plumbing position. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned my degree on the resume?
I started roofing at 36, not complaining about the money, if you wanna change work to try something new its ok, if you dont like it you can go back to your old professionI'm thinking of making the move from my office job to a career in the skilled trades. Has anyone ever done this before? What do you think of this kind of move? Is it a good idea? What were your reasons for doing it?
They're 99% fucking time-wasters and shysters in my experience. Good riddance.Yeah. I think AI can do a lot of legal work as well and probably already does. I think the time consuming work that is an attorney's real job is already being moved over to AI.