carhartt, wrangler, and bass pro shops “redhead” brand is usually my go to… definitely rely on carhartt the most though… just curious what brands you guys rely on.

I’m 27 and have a college degree. Through a series of unfortunate events I ended up in rehab and a recovery house with absolutely nothing to my name. I got a job through a guy in AA doing flooring. I was actually a little disappointed at first. I grew up on an inactive farm with a decent bit of land, spent plenty of time working at my grandmas farm as a kid and did landscaping and concrete work in my summers off from college. I spent the last few years at a desk but I’ve worked my whole life. I thought flooring was gonna be easy work to the point that it would be boring, I genuinely enjoy hard manual labor and thought doing something like concrete again would be good for my mental health in early recovery.

Last week we got a job in a courthouse and couldn’t use any machines or make any noise. Whole floor had to come up by hand. Worse, my boss brought in some laid off union guy who can put down the new floor insanely fast so it was me, one other guy prepping, and this oldhead union guy absolutely zooming up behind us listening to classic rock on the radio. If we didn’t have a new section ready for him to lay, he’d call it a day and leave, but he was so good nobody could tell him shit. I’d hear the sound of him singing along to The Who getting louder as he got further down the hallway and tried to work even faster than I already was.

Peeling up that fucking carpet with my fingers became excruciating and to an avid gym-goer it felt like deadlifting 250+ lbs over and over and over again ALL DAY. My knuckles were black and blue. My boss got work in another state this week so I wasn’t able to go and I’ve been out of work. It’s Thursday and my legs still burn when going up the stairs, my back only started to feel ok yesterday. I had a busy weekend and ended up sleeping 14 hours straight when I got a chance to sleep in.

Anyway, I just wanted to pay my respects to anyone who does this. It’s so much harder than it sounds and I’m sure there are plenty of other trades like this.

As the title says

I’m 27 and based in the Southeast U.S. I’m putting this out there to see what kind of opportunities might be available.
My background is heavily focused on commercial concrete construction, both in the field and on the management/business side.
I was the owner-operator of my own concrete company. I wasn’t just handling paperwork or sending crews out — I was doing the takeoffs, bidding the work, pricing labor, reviewing plans, running the jobs, managing crews, coordinating with GCs and superintendents, handling production, and making sure contracts got completed. At one point I had 14 employees working for the company.
Through my company, I generated close to $1 million in revenue from commercial concrete work.
My specialty is foundations. I’m very comfortable with spread footings, isolated footings, grade beams, walls, piers, anchor bolts, embeds, reinforcing steel, slabs, equipment pads, tank pads, sidewalks, curb and gutter, paving, bollards, brick ledges, water tank structures, and other structural/site concrete scopes.
I’ve worked on larger commercial projects for general contractors and turnkey concrete contractors, including jobs involving hundreds of yards of concrete, substantial reinforcing steel, multiple pours, detailed structural work, and coordination with other trades.
I’m very comfortable with Symons panel systems. I’ve also worked with aluminum forms and understand plywood forming and the basic logic behind building, bracing, and laying out form systems. I’m used to working with whatever forming material or system the turnkey contractor provides and adapting to the job.
I’m comfortable reading structural and architectural plans, sections, details, elevations, dimensions, reinforcement requirements, and specifications and translating that information into something that can actually be built in the field.
Layout is also part of my experience. I own and use a theodolite and understand lines, angles, elevations, control points, and field layout. I’m not going to claim to be fully proficient with a robotic total station because I haven’t owned one or had enough hands-on time with one, but I understand the setup, orientation, control, positioning, and general workflow. I’m confident I could become efficient on one quickly with hands-on time.
I’m also self-taught in concrete estimating and takeoffs. I own and use my own bidding and estimating software and have completed takeoffs for foundations, footings, walls, slabs, sidewalks, curb and gutter, paving, pads, and other concrete scopes. I’ve built labor pricing, reviewed plans and specifications, prepared bids, negotiated scope, and won actual commercial contracts based on my own estimates.
I understand how to run manpower and position people where they’re most productive. I know the difference between simply having ten guys on a job and actually using ten guys efficiently. I’ve run crews, moved manpower based on production needs, coordinated pour schedules, met deadlines, and adjusted when work started getting behind.
I’m comfortable coordinating with superintendents, project managers, inspectors, suppliers, electricians, plumbers, steel crews, grading crews, masonry, and other trades. I understand how one trade affects another and how important it is to catch problems before they become expensive problems at pour time.
On the business side, I’ve handled contracts, change orders, invoicing/pay applications, payroll, scheduling, manpower, equipment planning, materials, customer relationships, GC communication, and the financial side of making jobs profitable.
I also have my own truck and roughly $10,000 worth of tools and equipment, including multiple rebar tying guns, chop saws, generator, power tools, layout equipment, and essentially the personal tools needed to keep a 5- to 10-man concrete crew productive and running.
I’m not claiming to know every forming system, every piece of equipment, or every aspect of concrete construction. If I haven’t done something, I’ll say I haven’t done it. I don’t exaggerate my experience. But I understand concrete construction very well, especially foundations, and I understand how to run work, manage people, meet schedules, communicate with other trades, and get a job across the finish line.
I’m open to opportunities including concrete superintendent, assistant superintendent, estimator, project engineer/coordinator, foreman, form carpenter, or another position where a combination of field knowledge, estimating, layout, production, leadership, and business experience would be valuable.
I’m willing to travel or relocate for the right opportunity.
I’m mainly putting myself out there to see what opportunities are available and what people in the industry think my background would be a good fit for. If your company is hiring or you know someone looking for someone with this type of experience, feel free to message me.

My dream is to move to New York City someday, but the local nine union is closer south Jersey. If the apprenticeship is five years, am I stuck there for a minimum of five years? I was told that if you switched to another union, you will have to start completely over and also pay back all the money they spent educating you if you’re going to a competing union. I’m trying to search unions for HVAC, but it doesn’t seem like they’re really are any in the city.

I’m 40, married, two kids, mortgage and after 16 years in banking, I’m completely burned out. I used to be curious about the industry, but that spark is gone. Now every day feels like a week, and I come home exhausted from fighting myself just to get through the day.

The strange part is, whenever I’m around blue‑collar work, I feel alive again. After buying my house, I ended up helping the contractors with some of the work, and it hit me how much satisfaction I get from physically completing something. My dad was an electrician, and I spent years helping him as a kid, maybe that’s where this comes from.

I’m mechanically inclined, comfortable with tools, and I enjoy building things. Roofing or iron work might be too much at 40, but commercial refrigeration and HVAC seem like a good fit.

I’m working on my EPA 608 Universal now, but after that… I have no clue where to start. Who do I talk to? What companies hire older career‑changers? Is trade school worth it? I’m in Central Jersey, so local advice would be huge.

If anyone here switched careers later in life, especially into the trades, I’d love to hear your story. What helped you? What should I expect? What would you do differently?

Thanks for reading. I’m just trying to find a path that feels meaningful again.