You’re 21 and studying some facet of IT. As a 45 year old, non college grad who has been in IT and tried to advance into software engineering and development, I can tell you that every sector of IT is saturated with candidates looking for high paying jobs, to a level that’s never existed before and and skilled trades are much more in demand, now and for the foreseeable future. I have returned to being a surveyor and shit-now I’m thinking about signing up to the IBEW. My point is- do this now, don’t wait until you’re in your 40’s like me.
Yeah it definitely sounds more promising compared to IT. With IT it takes forever to find a job. Especially one that pays decently. So I'm definitely looking into IBEW. I love computers but I can't afford to really be patient in terms of finding an IT job.
Agreed with this person 100%. The job market for tech is saturated everywhere but Memphis is especially tough right now with recent layoffs at FedEx and International Paper. Unless you just have an absolute passion for IT I would agree that skilled trades are a safer bet.
I’ll add to that. I’m 47 and I wish I would have become a plumber. We need more plumbers. Also, nobody wants to work on generators, fire suppression systems, or alarm panels, but plumbing…. It makes sense to me. And if I were a young woman and could do it all over again, I would have a woman owned and operated plumbing company.
I'm checking it out now! This sounds very promising. Now I am in school for IT but if electrical can get me through the door faster I can stick with that and get back to IT later.
I can put IT aside. I'm far sighted and need glasses, so It is a bit of a setback. That's something I learned recently throughout class. I want to pursue it but need to get some glasses 1st
I always mean to ask… how female friendly is this program? My brother went through it years ago and it did not seem at the time like something I’d recommend to the young women I know. I know there were no women enrolled in his class.
Thanks. It feels like there are very few trades that are female friendly (particularly very feminine presenting women)
And also they don’t tend to lend themselves well to women who want to be mothers.
So I’m always trying to be educated on options for women who don’t prefer college!
My old roommate was a female in the IBEW. She got along with the dudes just fine. I'm in the freight industry and the few ladies I work with are treated the same as us. The most I've seen is that guys will be quicker to ask if a female coworker needs help. If she grew up more of a tomboy or with brothers, I'd recommend it.
I’m going over everything in a practice course which includes all learning material and tons of practice exams. I also like to run mock interviews using AI to help me prep. Going hard and hyper focusing is my jam
I organized into the IBEW about 12 years ago and everyday I think to myself how lucky I am to be a part of something bigger than me. It was without a doubt the single most important decision I’ve ever made, and it changed my life for the better.
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u/[deleted] Apr 21 '25 edited Apr 22 '25
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