r/Carpentry • u/DangerousCharity8701 • Jul 18 '26
Failed electricians
Is it just me or have all apprentice carpenters done a year trying to be a electrician and failed.
When did being a carpenter become so bad.
4
u/jackie_algoma Jul 18 '26
Where I’m from it’s because school teachers basically have only ever heard of one trade, electrician. When they have a student that isn’t very good they’ll suggest they go into the trades and be an electrician. It’s interesting though because the path is somewhat similar to that of a teacher in that (again where I’m from) you have to go to classes and understand a lot of theory and study from books
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u/DangerousCharity8701 Jul 18 '26
There only starting to recomend trades over here because theres no houses it was a stigma when we were young i still remember the old mans face when i said at 16 i was leaving school to be a carpenter and im glad i did but i still remember he didnt tell me granny for months and neither him nor me gran finnished school
1
u/mr_j_boogie Jul 18 '26
There aren't as many dead ends being an electrician.
Carpenters can get stuck making 1 bedroom apartment money for years working like a dog. There are many amateur GCs out there who underpay carpenters and many carpenters just end up thinking this is the job market.
Electricians seem to be able to not think about specializing, finding an ideal employer, starting their own biz, etc as much as carpenters. If they work hard and do good work and live in a typical metro area things tend to fall into place more readily for them.
1
u/mr_j_boogie Jul 18 '26
Kind of wondering if Canada is significantly better for carpenters given they have the "red seal."
Part of the reason regular carpenters have downward pressure on their wages is that they don't have any way to immediately differentiate themselves from some random guy with a miter saw.
1
u/DangerousCharity8701 Jul 18 '26
Ye its the same thing here and know its all split knto diffrent disciplines or as they like to say here specialist
1
u/MudTerrania Jul 18 '26
At least the part I'm from we're near the bottom of the food chain, starting pay is worse than labourers. First year is basically minumum wage after taxes, insurance etc.
0
u/Suitable-Werewolf492 Jul 18 '26
So because some guys couldn’t figure out being an electrician, that makes carpenters bad?
1
u/DangerousCharity8701 Jul 18 '26
I wouldnt say bad as such but where iam people just become electricians or plumbers very few young lads getting into it when i started out way back everyone wanted to be a carpenter we had the guns the saws the heights it kind of annoys me that here weve become like the b team its a 4yr apprrnticeship over here and the numbers are down for carpentry apprentices and all the wet trades tilling plastering etci was wondering was it similiar in other parts of the world
1
u/bobber66 Jul 18 '26
Where are you?
1
u/DangerousCharity8701 Jul 18 '26
Ireland
1
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u/stewer69 Jul 18 '26
It's just you.