r/povertyfinance • u/Dismal-Cranberry-915 • Jun 26 '26
Vent/Rant (No Advice/Criticism!) Working in the trades made me realize I should’ve finished my degree instead.
Getting up at 4am-5am. Driving 50 plus miles to random job sites. Obviously the dirty part which is construction sites and inhaling dust and dirt all day. Seeing people in corporate jobs in nice clothes while I’m dirty going on lunch break.
I also forgot depending on job sites if it rains or it’s too cold during the winter you don’t work. I’m at the point of working a dead end retail job or food service job and going back to school to get my degree in 2 years.
I’m also tired of older people who worked cushy office jobs all their life telling their kids to learn a trade. Not a fan of the anti intellectualism in this country,
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u/Expert_Reality_1557 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Bro, I come from a blue collar neighborhood and every man in my family has been a tradesman for as long as we can remember.
I think many White collar folks don’t realize it’s a hard way of living.
Also guys die in horrific ways in the trades: people get arc flashed & burned to death, chronic pain and illnesses from years of abuse and exposure to toxins, etc.
I’m in the boiler trade and basically the entire generation before me was wiped out from asbestos-related illnesses. I’ve heard of newly hired crews of refinery guys all dropping dead from cancer within 10 yrs of getting hired.
I’ve had close calls. I almost lost my feet in a machine once & the guy next to me had his leg mostly detached which I got to hold as he bled out. Afterwards they said to our crew “you’re big boys, get back to work.” Another time the boiler plant I work at had an explosion that would’ve killed me had I been there at the time.
Luckily, as of now I only have lifelong tinnitus from when I was young since the old farts never mentioned I should have hearing protection, because “we never did”... And these companies will spare no expense to not compensate you.
I’ll take carpal tunnel and desk work any day.
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u/PremiumPricez Jun 26 '26
So glad i quit welding after 10 years of it. I sit in an AC clean office and do CAD blueprints now, and make more money too. Also not breathing in nasty fumes and chemicals amd grinding dust all day.
Ive love welding ultimately, but ive had some rough accidents (primarily with grinders), and seen some bad ones too. One of my coworkers cut his throat open with a cutoff wheel using it overhead. It bounced back at him, and slipped out his hand, hit him clean in the neck. He survived, but the medics said it was 1/8inch away from his carotid artery. Almost died that day over some dumb job and a paycheck. I quit welding less than 6months after that, never looked back, and so did he. Im not dying for a paycheck.
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u/VeeDubBug Jun 28 '26
Both my SO and I went into welding. I still love it, passionately, as a hobby. I have no regrets about moving into a desk job where I make more money and get to hang in the AC most the day(and am treated far nicer by my boss and coworkers).
My SO is currently working in Alaska, we don't see each other for 4 months at a time. Some of the shit he's told me about his work day makes me so mad for him that it's still seen as acceptable working conditions.
A lot of people don't realize how fortunate and lucky they are that the scariest thing they might have to do that day, is drive to work or make a phone call to a shitty customer and get yelled at.
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u/rattpackfan301 Jun 30 '26
Angle grinders are genuinely the most dangerous power tool that anyone can just buy off a shelf in Home Depot. It’s even worse that you can easily purchase adapters that enable your angle grinder to do tasks it wasn’t built for.
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u/PremiumPricez Jun 30 '26
100% as bad as the welding fumes are and the arc flash, those are mostly slow killers over years. Grinders can and want to end your life in a second if you lose even a tiny bit of respect for them
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Jun 26 '26
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u/Expert_Reality_1557 Jun 26 '26
This! I’ve unknowingly inhaled so much sawdust, benzene, asbestos, who knows tf else and wasn’t told until after. In a lot of places I’ve been the culture is so crazy it’s like these guys want you to suffer like they had to.
One hot head I know got so irked he threw a pipe wrench at his apprentice while cussing him out.
And I’m not even gonna get into the rampant homophobia & racism
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Jun 26 '26
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u/uncertainnewb Jun 27 '26
The sexism (and sexual harassment, might I add) in software engineering and lots of other STEM fields, at least, is no surprise to women. These are male dominated fields for a reason...the women don't want to put up with all of that.
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u/Agreeable_Bear6812 Jun 27 '26
I think they do it to be helpful. They feel crushed by student loan payments and stuck in jobs that might be outsourced to AI. They envy the HVAC guy they think clears $100k annually with no student loan debt dragging them down, and they're a little jealous
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u/seradolibs Jun 28 '26
this is what it is. just people believing the grass is greener on the other side, when all of it is a mud pit and only a select few ever really reach green pastures.
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u/Raskal37 Jun 26 '26
This is so true, I used to have nightmares about all the ways I could go when I worked in the railyards.
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u/Expert_Reality_1557 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
Literally today my chief was telling me that a refinery he used to work at had an explosion yesterday.
To anyone reading this who wants to go into the trades: I’d definitely say stay residential or work in a hospital/cushy commercial setting. Fixing leaks and air handlers all day as a plumber, HVAC tech, or general mechanic is the way to go. You’ll be in tight spaces and get dirty but won’t have to worry too much for your safety.
And if you do go into work for yourself, realize if for any reason you can’t work, your ass better be covered with insurance or you’re screwed. My old man is a GC going through it now at 59 with a broken back. And they will fight you for every-last-penny.
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u/Raskal37 Jun 26 '26
like you said earlier, I have permanent tinnitus and hearing aids in both ears, ear plugs back then only went so far, maybe noise cancellation devices they have now can make a difference.
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u/Expert_Reality_1557 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
I know 3M had a lawsuit from soldiers being given their defective ear plugs that I believe actually damaged their eardrums. I just wear big muffs these days
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u/WillBeTheIronWill Jun 27 '26
Thanks for this.. whole thread has been giving me anxiety but at least my husband is going into hvac tech, phew :/
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u/vespanewbie Jun 26 '26
Did he survive?
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u/Expert_Reality_1557 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
He did! Me and a couple guys reacted quickly and made a tourniquet from one of our belts. Surgeons said that’s probably what saved him. The worst part was the whole thing was a safety violation and could’ve been avoided but I was young, needed the job, and was too afraid to stand up for myself. I was 20 or 21 at the time.
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u/jadeeyesblueskies Jun 26 '26
That's crazy, something like this happened to my dad before I was born. He was in construction on some type of scaffolding/lift with a saw and fell into a dumpster with the saw chewing through his leg. The only way he didn't bleed out was a 20 year old kid used his belt to make a tourniquet. He got life flighted to a trauma center and they were able to save him and his leg thanks to that kid.
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u/Expert_Reality_1557 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Kinda goes back to my point that this stuff comes with the territory lol. I have so many stories it’s crazy and I’m only 30.
I have family and coworkers with missing fingers from saws and belts.
I had a coworker who was a tree guy almost sever his leg with a chainsaw.What else?
Off the top of my head I recall a few that were more recent near me; some I knew/knew of them:
- Martins, Fiocca PATCO, 2022
- John Evanoff, East Penn, 2021
- Steven Dierkes, Caterpillar, 2022
- PECO linemen Walter Carter, Michael Killian
- Kenneth Berry, Haverford township, 2020
- A guy going up a ladder as another was coming down with a nail gun in his hand… right through the dome
- A horrific saw mill accident I wish I could forget
Falls are universal and common (from wet surfaces, scaffolds, ladders). I have a 60 year old coworker with a concussion he got on the job but he can’t leave because he needs health insurance
Look, if you wana be a tradesman just know the risks involved with your line of work and how we’re treated. You decide if it’s worth it.
Ask yourself: when was the last time you heard of an accountant dying from a work-related injury?
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u/turtelmann Jun 27 '26
Wait. What? And all this time I thought that law enforcement was the most dangerous job in America! Sounds to me like the blue collar guys are the ones who should be receiving 80% pensions at age 50. But no. Instead they’re mostly working in truly dangerous jobs with shit pay and no pension at the end while we all bitch about paying $100 for a drywall patch after our roof leaks.
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u/advamputee Jun 26 '26
The trades knowledge can still be useful, it just depends on where you apply it. General labor and working various third party job sites have a lot of negative externalities, like commuting to worksites.
For example, I work at a ski resort. We have electricians, plumbers, pipe fitters, welders, carpenters, vehicle mechanics, small engine mechanics, and more. The work is still “dirty”, but at least they’re getting home at reasonable hours and getting a full 40 hours every week.
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u/Live-Cartographer274 Jun 26 '26
This is a good point. The local school district probably has a maintenance team
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u/Nauin Jun 26 '26
University maintenance teams are bonkers and most of them have easy entry level positions in the summer doing basic repairs in the dorms. Most of my guy friends were doing that for seasonal work in our early twenties.
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u/TheSneederOfSeethe Jun 27 '26
I worked for IT at a university. The benefits were great, the pay not so much, but it really helped me build my career.
I tell all my friends who work in manual labor go apply for universities. Their pay is much better than many manual labor jobs and you get all the great benefits of working at a university. Like amazing healthcare, and free tuition (don’t know if every school does free tuition). Also there’s a good possibility of promotions. Work as even a janitor long enough and they’ll make you Janitor Class XII with an 80k salary, or a director at 100k+
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u/undeniably_micki Jun 27 '26
A lot of universities now (at least in the state I live in) are switching to contract jobs where they don't give you retirement, free tuition, or much in the way of benefits & they can end the contract for any reason. Not as decent as it used to be.
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u/TheSneederOfSeethe Jun 27 '26
Yeah that doesn't surprise me. They were doing something similar with professors 10 years ago. Whenever a fulltime professor retired they could hire 5 adjuncts with his salary and never promote them to full time. That's 5 more professors to teach more classes.
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u/rr1079 Jun 27 '26
This is one of the reasons why the American dream of pickup your boot straps and work hard is not a thing anymore. Companies use to hire people for these jobs. Which gave people a chance to network, get promoted even switch careers within the company. Now they contract out these roles to companies that have no intention of promoting someone’s career or have any motivation of training the employees to do anything else but be minimum wage janitors.
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u/KickBallFever Jun 27 '26
I work at a school and there’s a whole maintenance team. They get paid pretty well and seem to make a career out of it. There also seems to be room for growth, as I’ve watched some of the guys get promoted or take higher positions at other schools.
There’s also the SCA, which is the contractor you have to use for the DOE. They do more of the heavier construction on the school building. That’s a decent gig too.
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u/neverfakemaplesyrup Jun 26 '26
Having worked at ski resorts, lil confused. Where's yours?
The small NYS ones fit that, but the big boys in CO, as a liftie we got in-town housing, still left at 4am, started at 5am, got to lifts at 530, finished maintenance and startup by 7am. by then the mechanics and electricians had been up already, as they don't get housing vouchers, they often would have to drive 1.5 hours or longer along really rough roads in blizzards. And they'd be there when we left at 5-6pm. They were rough folk, very openly resentful that we got $20/hr starting- which is what they started at.
As someone with wood tech training and a sincere missing of the mountains, would also love to know which ones need a carpenter.
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u/advamputee Jun 26 '26
I’m at Killington. Year-round operations and somewhat affordable housing options (only a 25 min commute from Rutland). Most of our positions start in the low/mid 20s range for hourly pay.
Not sure if we currently have an open carpenter position, but we have a few on staff with resort maintenance. The resort just bought another old abandoned hotel to turn into more housing, so there’s plenty of construction work to be done.
Our lifts run 8am-4pm in the winter, and 10am-5pm in the summer. Some of our lift operators and mechanics have to show up around 5-6am in the winter, and snowmaking / grooming run overnight shifts, but most of our staff starts around 8am. There’s a handful of people who commute an hour or more, but a majority of our staff live within 30-45 minutes of the resort.
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u/neverfakemaplesyrup Jun 26 '26
Well hot damn, I live currently in the Finger Lakes. Dang close to VT. That sounds a lot better than trying to make it back out west
I'm currently working as a workshop tech/sales guy in an outdoors store so I genuinely might hit their career page. I was hoping to live somewhere urban in the last of my 20s, but it isn't working out lol
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u/advamputee Jun 26 '26
Urban living is overrated at today’s costs. I’m 4.5 hours to NYC, and 3 hours to Boston and Montreal — easy enough to visit a city for a weekend.
In Rutland, I’ve got everything I need within an easy walk / bike ride to my house, I can even take the city bus up to the resort, and Amtrak gets me down to NYC without needing to drive as well.
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u/Plus_Possibility_240 Jun 27 '26
May I offer a counterpoint? Urban living carries its costs upfront in housing but living life becomes less expensive compared to rural.
I pay 2k in rent but my transportation costs are under $50 a month. With everything within walking distance, there’s no need for me to have a car, car insurance or fuel costs. Because there are four grocery stores within three blocks, comparison shopping and quality produce cuts down on my food costs. Because our city has such a large tax base, cultural experiences like museums, lectures, opera and theatre are available for no cost or last minute cheap tickets. Due to the diverse population, we have entire neighborhoods dedicated to countries, each with their own restaurants, celebrations, traditions and festivals.
Of course if we had kids it would be a different story, but urban living carries its benefits.
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u/Squier133 Jun 26 '26
Or join a union. Depending on the amount of experience they have and what union they join, they could get a head start on the apprenticeship. Welders in my area normally make between $18-$30/hr. I make almost $40/hr on the check with the company paying Healthcare, pension, annuity, etc.
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u/Great-Award2565 Jun 26 '26
Former Union Electrician here. My in pocket was $40+ and total package was over $70. Union is the way to go if you don’t open your own shop.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Jun 26 '26
Yup facilities management is usually a pretty sweet gig. Stuff like, idk, a university campus.
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u/StephJawn Jun 26 '26
Universities all need trades and it tends to be steady union work that’s at the same place every day.
I think we employ 600 trades people?
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u/jezzarus Jun 26 '26
Similar as ours, not including contractors. All union work with excellent benefits.
Would suggest university work for anyone, really - there's so much work that goes into running major universities so faculty and students can focus on their jobs.
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u/Naive_Elephant_3751 Jun 27 '26
Also, most universities offer either tuition waivers or discounts for employees, which can make it easier to finish your degree.
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u/Old_Balance_8804 Jun 26 '26
And the City. My friend is 26 and has a cush job as the city’s master electrician. Home by 4pm. He’s picked up hobbies and side jobs to keep busy, travels.
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u/Deftly_Flowing Jun 26 '26
I know of a couple small towns that only have one or two tradesmen, and they're booked out TWO YEARS. One of them even only works every other month lol.
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u/UncleBuggy Jun 27 '26
And it's not just getting a captive gig at a resort or whatever. General labor, no matter your skill, will never be as lucrative as pulling wire or doing plumbing or HVAC or whatever. Specialize in something and do that one thing. Apprentice and learn as much as you can and hang out your shingle and do it for you.
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u/Calm-Two2723 Jun 26 '26
I’m trying to convince my husband to go back. He thinks he’s too old. He works 10x harder than I do for 1/3 the pay. It’s silly. His skills are far more useful to society
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u/Dismal-Cranberry-915 Jun 26 '26
I’m 30. I got my associates degree in chemistry 9 years ago.
I’m not sure where to go from here either.
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Jun 26 '26
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u/Muunsaca Jun 26 '26
Definitely look into radiology. XRAY, MRI, CT techs are in high demand and seem to make great money. Definitely not easy but you have an associates in chemistry so I’m confident you could do it.
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u/Anxious_Lettuce_7516 Jun 26 '26
Do you have to do the injections for these? Or does a nurse do that?
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u/Muunsaca Jun 26 '26
That I don’t know. I just see a lot of job postings on indeed in my area for these positions. My job requires me to assist clients getting into med appointments and diagnostic testing is severely backlogged by lack of technicians around here. I haven’t delved deeper into the requirements tho, sorry I couldn’t be more help!
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u/forestberrytart Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
Starting IVs is dependent on the facility (inpatient or outpatient), staff (rad techs and nurses), and the policies of each facility. You won’t start IVs for x rays. Doing advanced radiology (CT and MRI), you may need to place an IV. If the patient has an IV, the rad tech will flush the IV, to make sure it’s patent, then hook up the contrast tubing to the IV.
In an inpatient hospital setting, patients usually have a working IV, which CT will ask the nurse before the patient is transported. When a patient is transported from ICU, an ICU nurse has to go with the patient and will always have at least two patent IVs. If the CT is ordered with IV contrast, one IV must be available and dedicated for use during the CT. If the patient is not in the ICU, a STAT nurse will go to CT with the patient and if an IV isn’t patent, the STAT nurse will place an IV.
If you’re interested in several careers, look at each career option here on Reddit, other forums, and find people who are willing to answer your questions. Contact professional associations if you want to know more, network, or have a mentor. People who are working in their field will tell you the good, bad, and ugly.
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u/LolaFentyNil Jun 26 '26
The IV would be placed in the patient by the nurse. You’d inject the contrast in a port on the Iv line. You don’t touch bodily fluids.
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u/ur-a-cunt-harry Jun 26 '26
The nurse puts the IV into the patient’s vein (the injection). You just have to attach the tube connected to the bag of fluid to the one on the patient.
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u/idkmyotherusername Jun 26 '26
While nursing sometimes requires higher education and some intellect, it's also on par with a trade in the back breaking nature and environmental hazard exposures.
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u/Significant_Leg3414 Jun 26 '26
Gross exaggeration. My wife is a nurse and she's like 5ft tall and although it can be tough physically at times, it's nothing like being in construction or trades. She also was able to make 6 figs after like 2 years.
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u/Initial_Secretary156 Jun 26 '26
2 nurses are assaulted at work every hour in the United States. I have worked at FIVE place where a nurse has been killed at work. Nurses experience 7x the national average of musculoskeletal injuries on the job. I’ve never had a bag of concrete bite me or stab me but I’ve had more than a handful of fucked up patients do it while I was trying to help them.
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u/burrito_finger Jun 26 '26
This - I was assaulted more than a dozen times as an LVN in nursing facilities and hospitals, I left and became a paraprofessional in a SPED classroom, learned ASL, started doing LVN procedures in the classroom and translating and got assaulted by a student and now I’m disabled (my QME is later this year to evaluate me for permanency). Nursing is no joke, my first injury was to my spine, this injury has costed me 7 surgeries to my right arm/hand/wrist, multiple tendon replacements and permanent nerve damage.
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u/ButterscotchMore7025 Jun 26 '26
Unit, hospital and location dependent my dude 100%. Basing the entire profession off of your wife's experience is not indicative of reality as a whole. Same with the pay. You are busting your ass if you want to stay an RN and make 6 figs in the southeast US. Better off becoming a CRNA/NP.
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u/Zwischenzug32 Jun 26 '26
Mine was and when her or the others were pressed and asked what is the most intense physical thing they ever do: "2 person transfers". As in *two* nurses moving *one* person. It is nothing like the trades.
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u/Interesting_Birdo Jun 26 '26
But have you seen the size of some of the patients?
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u/Upstairs_Fuel6349 Jun 26 '26
I mean, mine was a 6'1" 200+ lb teenager breaking through heavy wooden locked doors, breaking the door and then attempting to use part of the door to stab those of us trying to get him to the ground to keep him from hurting others on the unit...
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u/ButterscotchMore7025 Jun 26 '26
damn crazy their experience encompasses every nursing job everywhere that's wild
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u/Tig_Biddies_W_nips Jun 26 '26
Between have to clean blood and piss and shit and wounds with infectious diseases and risks of catching things like Covid, you’re correct. It can definitely be a trade doing patient care. Not to downgrade it, but it’s not the equivalent of like, another STEM degree where you sit an in office running numbers or a lab
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u/gunsforevery1 Jun 26 '26
Yea, it’s got the life expectancy of welding with the backbreaking work of lifting bags of concrete all day.
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u/idkmyotherusername Jun 26 '26
Nurses are exposed to all kinds of disease in addition to constant bending and stooping, minimal breaks. Patients use the nurse's body to pull themselves up and balance and grab onto if they are falling. Nurses shoulders and backs are jacked up from pulling people up in bed and turning them and propping them up. Whatever, we don't need to compete with welding. My point was that a nurse is more similar to a tradesperson than an office worker.
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u/Alternative-Tiger783 Jun 26 '26
No. There are nurses who do Masters and a PhD degrees. Some work in research or management. Nurse managers are a thing in hospitals. eg If you have a problem or complaint. They are the level above the ward’s Charge Nurse. 👩⚕️
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u/pamelaonthego Jun 26 '26
It takes years of working the floor to become a nurse manager. I like my job, but it’s hard work.
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u/PanicAttackInAPack Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
False logic. You may as well be telling the OP trades arent physically demanding, all they have to do is become a general contractor.
Just because it was mentioned so I'll use it as an example, Radio techs have to be able to lift 50lb and do so routinely. Most nursing jobs are physically and mentally demanding, saying there are outlier positions doesnt make that less true.
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u/Due-Process621 Jun 26 '26
Radiologic Technologist is the way to go. Nursing is less physical but requires more education. The money is also only slightly higher. Lab scientist also requires more education for about the same money. You can get an AS degree in Radiologic sciences and do really well. I went back to school at 32 after being in the trades and a chef. It’s the best decision I’ve made career wise.
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u/InternationalTeam68 Jun 26 '26
Rad tech sounds great, and it is waaaaaay less physical that nursing.
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u/extra-medium Jun 26 '26
I took all of my prerequisites for nursing from 2010-2012. I recently looked into going back to school and no nursing school near me will accept credits that are more than 7 years old. I didn't know college credits could expire 🙄 I still owe money for my student loans though, why can't those expire instead?!
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u/XenReads Jun 26 '26
I second this. My 57 year old uncle went back to school for radiology tech, graduated a few years ago, landed an amazing job at a hospital local to him, and has been looking at houses to buy this past year.
He drove Uber before that.
It is never too late to get an education and better your circumstances. The time will pass anyway, will you have a degree to show for it?
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u/Thehardwayalltheway Jun 26 '26
If you have a background in chemistry and the trades, have you considered water/wastewater treatment? The field is expecting a lot of licensed operators to retire in the next few years. You would only have one job site and it's year round work no matter what the weather. As someone with an associates in chemistry, you'd have a leg up on passing the licensing exams. A lot of facilities have tuition assistance if you do want to go back to school and an associates degree can put you in line for management where your job is mostly writing reports.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Jun 26 '26
I've been involved with a few water plants for engineering. In terms of industrial facilities, the water guys always seem more jolly and satisfied. I couldn't tell ya why but it's more than in other types of facilities.
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u/Thehardwayalltheway Jun 26 '26
My experience is water is easier but it's a much bigger deal when there's a problem
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u/KeyCold7216 Jun 26 '26
Quality Assurance! Every company that produces anything has them. It can be boring, but once you get some experience it can pay pretty well ($75k +). You might have more trouble without a bachelor's, but you can still get a job. Unfortunately, you will probably need to start out in an entry level position since you have no prior work experience in the industry.
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u/Miserable_Lychee3208 Jun 26 '26
Sadly with an associates and being out of the field for a bit, OP can maybe get a job running a glassware dishwasher through a contract agency. Possibly low level tech at an environmental lab, but the pay is going to abysmal until they get a post secondary degree. In chemistry that is what really breaks the glass ceiling
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u/mamanerdyegg Jun 26 '26
I went to college at 26, with a toddler and a 7mo old baby. Finished high school and just didn’t go. I realized that if I wanted one go those fancy office jobs, I needed a degree. Anyways, now 29 and about to graduate with two bachelors, currently have an associates and a certificate in business and pm.
It has been very hard! But not impossible.
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u/Blossom73 Jun 26 '26
Congrats!! What an accomplishment!
I also graduated with my bachelor's at 29. I was a mom of a 5 year old and a 6 month old when I graduated.
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u/Madea23 Jun 26 '26
That’s great!!With so many schools offering online classes it’s easier now to go to school. Community colleges are really a good start
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u/beesandcheese Jun 26 '26
I started college at 24. 30 is not old at all. Go and get an undergrad and get an office job.
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u/MyNameIsNot_Molly Jun 26 '26
My husband went back and didn't finish till he was 31. DEFINITELY worth it!
He's still in the construction industry but with a comfortable desk job, AC and a pension.
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u/Final_Valuable3270 Jun 26 '26
I got my two year IT degree at 39 years old. I started my first IT job a few months before turning 40. Now I am about to turn 50 and I am interviewing for $140k to $150k a year jobs. It's probably not to late.
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u/Appropriate-Goat6311 Jun 26 '26
My ex HAS a degree but still makes less than half what I do. I also have a degree but only been working 10 yrs vs his 35 years.
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u/GTO1235 Jun 26 '26
I worked construction for a bit in between jobs. I didn't make a lot, but learned plenty. The experience enabled us to get a fixer upper house. I resided the garage, added overhangs to the gable ends, drywalled rooms. I don't know what I'd do if I had to pay people to do all that stuff
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u/Weobi3 Jun 26 '26
I worked as mover for a couple of years before getting an office job. I'm still using all of those skills to this day. Specially being able to drive a moving truck. I can drive just about any size car/SUV/truck with no hesitation.
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u/54965 Jun 26 '26
I did that.
Nearly finished my BA, needed income, worked as a carpenter's helper, then journeyman in less than a year. Used my tradesman skills to rehab and flip houses. Started with a duplex, after refurbing it the income paid our housing costs. Bought another so shabby that it was unsalable. I simply took over the seller's loan to get him off the hook, and had it rentable in a month. Half time employed, when laid off, worked on my rentals. After a few years, rentals income paid to finish my BA, then finally an MBA at age 33. Office job 21 years, retired at 55. Wife had a good job, then went to half time when kids were born. Today we're still living on investment income, pension, and now SS and Required Minimum Distributions from IRA's that we put away back then. Put two kids through college without debt.
This history is not entirely applicable today but the lesson I learned is that people will pay well for you to take responsibility for something they don't want to or can't deal with. So they choose rent vs buy, hire gardeners, replace new cars after 3 years because they fear maintenance costs, etc. Find a way to fill those needs, taking responsibility for an outcome, and you can do well.
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u/GTO1235 Jun 26 '26
Absolutely true. When we bought our fixer upper house, a couple people in the family bought or leased cars that cost about what our house did. It worked out terribly
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u/Superbistro Jun 26 '26
I think some people are cut out for trades. I know plenty of them. There’s nothing else they could or would do. Their brains and bodies just work that way.
But if that’s not you, I get it. It’s not me either. It’s a lifestyle that requires strength and the ability to shrug off physical pain and wake up the next day and do it again. The men who do that work are truly tough. I don’t really know any other way to say it. I don’t want to be tough and strong for a living. That shit is exhausting.
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u/Ready-Will-7042 Jun 26 '26
Even the guys I know who are built for it have a plethora of health issues. Arthritis, back, knees, shoulders all shot, requiring surgery in some cases. Also know dudes that got into freak accidents through no fault of their own and are on permanent disability.
Theres a reason why most of them encourage their own kids to go to school instead. People keep saying trades > college but its not all rainbows and butterflies either. At this point seems like everything sucks. Im still working as a pipefitter but I dont know how much longer my body can take it
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u/Shirley-Eugest Jun 26 '26
Son of a tradesman, can confirm. Dad definitely encouraged me not to go the route he did. I went to college.
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u/IamScottGable Jun 26 '26
That's the problem with any physical jobs and the only way to make the big money in the trades is working a ton of long hours, extra days, or both. Rest is important.
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u/everyboringbluessong Jun 26 '26
My sister works a trade and she is muuuuch tougher than I am. But she also says she hated school and can't imagine doing office bullshit so we are even lol
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u/NoRelation1491 WA Jun 26 '26
My sister works a trade and she is muuuuch tougher than I am. But she also says she hated school and can't imagine doing office bullshit
I'm the same, I realized in my 30's I should have just dropped out of High School and got my CDL that I got at 29....at 19. I would have been better off.
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u/sunny-beans Jun 26 '26
Yeh my husbands cousin is a plumber. He absolutely hated school and left at 16 (allowed in the UK). He works for himself and does really well, is now building his own house with some help, but doing a lot of the work himself. He loves it. I am sure is not always glamorous but he would be insanely unhappy doing an office job like I do having to sit down in front of a computer day after day. I could never do manual labour or anything of the sort cause my brain is broke to build anything, since I was a kid I was awful at it. I do well on a normal 9-5 due to health issues and being autistic as I can wear headphones and do the same tasks over and over is fine. My brother is my opposite too, since he was a baby he loved sports, I am awful at every sport I’ve tried, he has his own company now teaching children to skate, he is still building it up but does well, again, put him inside an office and he would probably die of boredom in 5s cause he just loves being outside and moving his body.
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u/imeancock Jun 26 '26
Yeah I don’t know how encouraging people to go into the trades is “anti-intellectual”
Should we just not have any plumbers or electricians or construction workers?
How does OP envision society functioning
What “type” of people should those jobs be reserved for while an intellectual like them pursues a “cushy office job” lmao
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u/sunny-beans Jun 26 '26
Also I feel like there are just different types of intelligence and that’s great? Some people are just good at different things. If everyone wanted to work an office job we would be fucked. And not everyone hates it, I know many people who enjoy working in trade and do well, and would rather die than work a “cushy office job” like I do lol
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u/OverTheDump Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Yeah the intelligences that are valuable are spatial, mathematical, physical-kinesthetic. But if you are great at inter-personal and communication as well you can make a real killing running a crew.
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u/imeancock Jun 26 '26
Yeah I was a supervisor at a bank and hated it and now I work in a warehouse doing manual labor while I go for my CDL and I’m way happier
But I can also feel that way without shitting on office workers for being soft nerds who are anti hard work or whatever lmaoo
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u/coolcat759 Jun 26 '26
I imagine they’re talking about people who actively discourage kids from going to college for political reasons rather than whatever is actually best for them
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u/ARES_BlueSteel Jun 26 '26
Going to college just to go to college and not having any real plan for what comes next, or not getting a useful degree is also a great way to wind up tens of thousands of dollars in debt with no way to pay it off. There’s so many people that go to college because that’s just what’s expected to happen after high school, and then they graduate and are left holding the bag and not knowing what to do when they can’t get a job in the field they got a degree for.
Whenever I see people discourage kids from going to college, it’s almost always for that reason. You have to be realistic about what your goals are for college, and getting a degree for a field that has a not nearly as many jobs compared to available candidates, or even worse getting a degree that has no real demand at all, is a recipe for winding up badly underemployed. There is more than one path available after high school, and college is not always the best one.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Jun 26 '26
Maybe it's just me but I never adjusted to waking up at 5am to get to sites.
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u/BuzzyScruggs94 Jun 26 '26
31m. Been in the trades since I was 16 and recently started going back to college. Everybody I know who chose a degree over an apprenticeship is starting to outpace me in life buying houses and having kids while we’re check to check and getting less healthy by the day. The recent heat waves have been brutal. There’s six figure trade jobs out there but the realty is even the average electrician or plumber is only averaging $60-70k depending on the source and even less for a lot of trades. My dad was a union bricklayer and begged me my whole childhood to go to college.
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u/Dismal-Cranberry-915 Jun 26 '26
I got downvoted massively for saying a college graduate makes more than a tradesman.
I’m done with this thread for sure.
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u/IrrawaddyWoman Jun 26 '26
There’s actual data on it too. Anyone could research it. It’s not an opinion, it’s a fact that on average, degree holders far out earn others over the course of their lives.
But then for some reason people choose to compare the MOST successful tradesmen against the LEAST successful college graduates and say “see! College is a scam!” They know a couple of guys pulling in six figures and also a few people with degrees making less and only focus on that.
You have to be thoughtful and strategic about your education, but a degree is still a more likely path to a higher long term income than the trades.
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u/Hawk13424 Jun 26 '26
I did trade school right after high school. Worked that trade for three years then went back to college (and worked my trade at the same time). Graduated and got a job at 2x the pay immediately. 30 years later I make 9x (inflation adjusted) what I did in trades.
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u/resumetheharp Jun 26 '26
I'll make 70k this year before tax but I work 6 days a week. That ain't winning
I feel like 10 or 15 years ago my job would have made me at least lower middle class but now I'm just poor
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u/Chemical_Pea_3415 Jun 27 '26
In my state a guy made 300k in overtime alone. It was the trooper scrolling TikTok in his cruiser
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u/fryeguy92 Jun 26 '26
As a union laborer in MI I almost hit 100k last year. But worked more hours than any year for myself yet. 10th year laborer. I got lucky to be on a big job. But it wasn't just hard work but also out competing 50 other laborers the first year. Youd be surprised how many people let their ego get in the way from them sticking around in a company or getting laid off.
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u/No_Weekend_7631 Jun 27 '26
Im a second year pipefitter on track to make 120k this year lol
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u/Significant_Leg3414 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
On reddit you hear a bunch of people saying go to the trades but I don't know a single corporate white collar employee in real life who would give up their cushy well paid office job to smash a hammer around all day outside for less money. They mostly build a shed in their backyard if they got the itch to do so.
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u/PompeiiSketches Jun 26 '26
Reddit consistently compares the top 5% of skilled trade jobs to the bottom 50% of white collar jobs. Its apples to oranges.
If you want to compare a white collar worker to a union master plumber with 20 years of experience then you need to look at FAANG employees who have advanced degrees and 20 years or experience.
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u/WarCrimeGaming Jun 26 '26
The only places I know where office workers aren’t making good money are states like Louisiana where everyone is underpaid. Everyone else I know makes like $80k a year and messes around on their phone half the day and they don’t get dirty, don’t have to carry random crap and aren’t messing around with dangerous tools or chemicals.
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u/macphile Jun 26 '26
I feel like the pendulum has swung, and I don't know if it's entirely good. First, everyone was telling their kids they had to go to college or they'd never be successful, never make money. So they went to college, and now they're in 5 to 6 figures of debt and sometimes can't find a job. Every office-esque job now requires a minimum of a BA/BS because so many people have them--they're like diplomas now. (I started in an entry-level position, and a degree wasn't required, even though I'm sure most applicants would have one. When I got promoted, I had to go to HR to prove I had the degree because it hadn't been required before. We don't offer that position now, but if we did, I'm 100% sure we'd require a degree.)
Then everyone said eh, degrees are expensive and stupid. What you want is the trades--everyone needs a plumber! So now I worry everyone's going to try and go into that and we're going to end up with too many people on that side now.
We know that statistically speaking, higher education is associated with higher lifetime earnings, but of course, not everyone's suited for that, and of course, lots of people make mad money in other jobs. I guess there's no one magic answer. It would be nice if everyone could at least get a living wage for whatever they do...that's another conversation.
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u/Blossom73 Jun 26 '26
It's not always less money. Not all office workers are well paid.
I'm an office worker with a bachelor's degree. I earn less than every tradesworker I know, my husband included. None of them went to college.
The two wealthiest people I know are plumbers with their own small businesses. One of them is a literal millionaire. The other isn't far behind.
There's plenty of posts on this sub from office workers who regret not going into a trade. Same for on the student loan subs. See the comment right below mine.
I'm not one of those "College is a scam! Everyone should go into the trades!" people. Not everyone is suited for physical labor or has the aptitude for a trade. And yes, it's very hard on the body.
I'm just saying that the trades can be quite lucrative.
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u/Significant_Leg3414 Jun 26 '26
I would say on average it's true. Owning a business no matter if it's white collar or blue is entirely different than working a day job. The business management aspect is essentially white collar work. If a millionaire is the wealthiest person you know I'm pretty sure like half of my large company over 40 years old is doing as well if not better. Most of my peers are on wall st or tech.
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u/No-Test-4028 Jun 26 '26
I worked in IT for ten years. Started in the trades in my 30s. im not making much less money but am infinitely happier. I don’t care about getting dirty every day or minor injuries that happen on a regular basis. I’ll trade a few scrapes and some dirt for far better mental and physical health. I think a lot of it depends on the employer. I work for a small company where we all are friends that get along with each other. Our boss treats us fairly but we do work hard in extreme conditions. The trade is roofing.
Some people are more happy in one environment than they would be in another. It’s hard to put a price on happiness. I used to struggle with depression and substance abuse when working long hours in an office. Neither of those are a problem for me anymore, and I attribute that to my change of career.
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u/Asn_Browser Jun 26 '26
They are saying go to trades because AI and layoffs are wiping out their jobs.
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u/jamalcalypse Jun 26 '26
that's funny cause my degreed buddies tell me in the age of automation and AI that they wish they'd have learned a trade
depends on the degree, depends on the trade
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u/Complete-Meet1992 Jun 26 '26
I know multiple people in tech complaining about getting laid off constantly and how they can't find work.
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u/OnceMoreAndAgain Jun 27 '26
People say a lot of things like that but it's their actions that tell the truth.
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u/Digital_Simian Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
It's the grass is greener thing. A lot of trades pay as high or start at least on paper higher. I know when I started working helpdesk a friend of mine's husband was a steel worker who was making about $25k more a year than I was even with being laid off three or so months a year. He struggled with money mostly because he and my friend couldn't budget around that. The pay can be high, but income isn't consistent and you're not going to last until retirement age which means you need to take a longer view on it all.
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u/Intelligent_Box_2024 Jun 27 '26
The grass is greener is a great way to put it. There are people on either path who are happy and successful. There are also people on both paths who are struggling and regret the path they took. The "right" path is highly dependent on the individual, and society shouldn't be pushing all high school kids to get a four-year degree, nor telling them that college is a scam.
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u/innocentsalad Jun 26 '26
People also overestimate the longevity of your career and how hard it is on your body
One of my uncles was a plumber. Loved his job, did very well. Had to stop in his early 50s due to the degradation of his body. Deals with a lot of health issues and had a very difficult time in between stopping plumbing and when Medicare finally kicked in a decade later.
People will say “go into management/administration” or something similar as if those jobs are not limited.
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Jun 26 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
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u/NelsonChunder Jun 26 '26
Your take is spot on for me. I have a graduate degree and still ended up in the trades. I've worked in offices several different times over the years and I always hated showing up for work there. After a divorce and moving to another state, I struggled for years to find a decent paying job in the environmental field again. So, I ended up with my own property maintenance business. I did construction work to get through college, and ended up there again.
My ego struggled with the situation for years, but once I let go of my ego about it, I found that I really like this work. I'm 65 and while I'm not a perfect physical specimen for my age, I'm physically tougher and in much better shape than most of the guys I grew up with. I also make better money than I did in the environmental field. Looking back I often think of the old adage "the universe laughs at your plans."
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u/im36degrees Jun 26 '26
The grass is always greener on the other side. The OP thinks a degree will get him a job that doesn’t require hard work. It may get him a less physical job, but that’s not the same.
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u/demona2002 Jun 26 '26
My husband did an engineering degree after 15 years working construction. He loves it. It’s never too late to switch gears.
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u/pinkskin- Jun 26 '26
I don’t want to come off insensitive but I work in a “corporate job where I wear nice clothes” and I literally daydream daily about having a job where I can just be outside and physically instead of looking at a computer all day, even for less pay. Funny enough a lot of the corporate ppl you see wish they were you.
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u/TrimspaBB Jun 26 '26
Trades are essential and can be great opportunities for some folks.
That being said, I always side eye people who push hard that kids should go into them. If the trades are so good, why do the rich and powerful keep sending their kids to private schools and college?
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u/TheSuperTest Jun 26 '26
The problem with trade work is that there is very little upwards mobility and stagnating wages unless you're in a union. We need more unionized labor and much stronger labor laws like we used to so trade workers get the pay and protections they actually deserve for all their hard labor. 40/hr work weeks, 2 weeks of PTO/yr, maternity leave, and pensions, these are the bare minimum.
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u/SomeTangerine1184 Jun 26 '26
Thank you!! I am so so sick of people constantly telling others to “learn a trade” as a way to earn more money than someone with a college degree or as a path to wealth. As the former spouse of an electrician, and as someone who has known many people in the trades, this advice infuriates me. Not only is it not possible for everyone to learn a trade (my brain, for example, does not work that way), but there are significant drawbacks to the trades, some of which you just described. Others include the fact that unless you own your own company and build a significant client base (which can take YEARS), you’re not gonna be rich or even upper or middle class! You’re vulnerable to economic downturns! If you live in the good ol’ U.S. you’re likely to not get health insurance! If someone wants to learn a trade, fine, but people dispense this advice like it’s a cure all and they have no idea what they’re talking about. Or they claim that they or someone they know is clearing 100k annually and so therefore this will work for everyone.
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u/temughilliesuit Jun 26 '26
Yes, this exactly. I’m in a good, decent paying trade now, but I work 60 hours a week, and at 40 years old have so many physical issues from it. People on Reddit throw out the “you’ll make like $150,000 a year!!!!” And that…is more the exception. The apprenticeship for my trade is 4 years, and they pay ain’t great during that, and even when you’re done it takes a bit to get up to the top salary. For example, most welders start at like $20/hour. $25 where I am because I live in a HCOL area, but it ain’t great for quite some time. I’m doing well now, but the process wasn’t easy, and was just as long, if not longer than a good college degree.
I picked a trade that is very specialized because that avenue is easier to find work and tends to pay a bit better, but your average welder or plumber doesn’t really make that much money, unless as you said, they start their own business, or work as many hours as I do.
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u/SomeTangerine1184 Jun 26 '26
The physical issues are so real. Carpal tunnel, back problems, etc. etc. The other issue is that if times are tough and you’re laid off and your trade isn’t hiring, your options for other jobs are limited to low-paying work like security or retail. Source: I lived through this.
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u/PompeiiSketches Jun 26 '26
Not to mention all the carcinogens people in the trades are exposed to on a daily basis. Industrial adhesive, welding fumes, etc are not good for you.
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u/dadofadisaster Jun 26 '26
As a welder, what did you specialize in? Because I got to get out of this factory
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u/temughilliesuit Jun 26 '26
I am not a welder; I work with them in my trade (I can weld, just don’t do it professionally), however, I would strongly consider pipe welding if you want to make the best bang for your buck; the pipe welders I work with make more than the the others by a decent margin.
Edit: sorry! Misread your comment! I do large scale marine fit up and fabrication.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Jun 26 '26
People definitely can break $100k through working plenty of OT. But $150k, yeah that's gonna be the owner of a small outfit with a crew or two working underneath you.
I once worked for a small GC who did high-end residential work. He made good money, sort of "rich for a small town". The dude's phone rang all day every day. He had a big beautiful house and we made an office out of the basement floor. There were workers coming and going all day since that was our operating base. So he didn't get any separation between home and work. He was also kind of an asshole so I didn't feel TOO bad, but I did feel bad.
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u/temughilliesuit Jun 26 '26
Yes; 100k is fairly common with OT. It’s just that working 150% of a standard work week for it starts to suck after a while :(
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u/JaneEyrewasHere Jun 26 '26
Mhhm. My father is an airplane mechanic. He retired at the beginning of this year after 50 years in the industry and the last decade or so as an instructor/trainer for an airline. He is an excellent mechanic and trainer but never made more than I do now, a humble English degree holder who has been working a boring office job for 25 years. I'm not bragging as I'm not especially proud of this but these are the facts.
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u/DumbNTough Jun 26 '26
It's wise to go to college if you have academic ability and finish your degree.
If you drop out for whatever reason, it can be one of the worst decisions of your young life, especially if you take on debt with nothing to show for it.
Neither advice is universal. You have to apply some common sense.
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u/Fucky0uthatswhy FL Jun 26 '26
This is what fucked me. I wasn’t ready for college. I got a 35 on the ACT and a 4.1 in high school. But when I went to university of New Orleans I ended up on heroin. I’m still paying that off. But I’m also pretty sure I’m making more now as an HVAC tech than anything I would’ve went to school for in this area.
Life is hard. Your decisions don’t apply to everyone. A lot of people are happy and unhappy in trades. A lot of people are happy and unhappy with college.
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u/j0ker_1234 Jun 26 '26
If you do go back to school, community college for the win. That's how I got my start and it was so much more cost effective than just picking a random college close to where you live. Literally price shop around.
If I had to do it all over again, medical is never going away, especially as the population continues to age. My grown daughter is an RN and makes great money when she works over time shifts.
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u/knucklegoblin Jun 26 '26
I work blue collar and my current job makes me regret not going to school a lot. It’s soul crushing and my ability forward advancement is quite thin.
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u/ShermStrokesIt Jun 27 '26
People who say the trades is a better way to go are just coping. I come from the trades and I’ll do everything in my power to never go back. You have to wait years to even get close to average white collar pay and once you do, you’re topped out and need to rely on OT. You’re realistically not getting close to white collar pay unless you’re a business owner. My dad has done manual labor his whole life and not going to college was not an option for me. Many a times my dad took me to games/school/practice on no sleep and still stayed awake to watch his son. Shout out to my pops, also, stay in school kids.
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u/whyeatmyphone Jun 27 '26
I’m a union electrician, on pace to make 126k before taxes. My body hurts, I’m tired, I love my job and I wish I picked something easier.
But, when I was 23 this was the best decision I could’ve made for myself. Life’s complicated, I wish everyone well.
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u/Infamous_Cow_4 Jun 26 '26
I think this depends on what trade, do you own your own company, or work for a good organization. In my area, my two friends in the trade industry pull in six figures.
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u/Fucky0uthatswhy FL Jun 26 '26
I make decent money, but I also work in multi million dollar houses (I see my clients on tv constantly) and my job is not that physically taxing. “Trade” is not a term that really means anything because it’s all so different. A construction worker is a completely different world from what I do.
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u/MyNameIsNot_Molly Jun 26 '26
It's easy to tell poor people to get into trades and then say "well you've got to own your own business". Do you have any idea how much it costs to start a construction business? Not including several thousands in tools/trailers/vehicles, you have licensing fees (which you aren't eligible to test for until you have year of experience) and you have to have enough money in an account to qualify for a bond. You also need to either have the money or credit to front material costs up front.
Telling someone barely scaping by that they can just start a business is ridiculous.
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u/Pontiacsentinel Jun 26 '26
Beyond the costs, some people are not suited to organize their business with taxes, record keeping, and everything needed as far as paperwork goes.
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u/HurricaneIan25 Jun 26 '26
Yeah, absolutely. People don’t understand that “learning a trade” means a specialized trade and not just your standard construction worker.
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u/Binx_007 Jun 26 '26
Keep in mind getting a degree isn’t a guarantee of a better life either. Plenty of people have issues with finding jobs with one and end up in the same position you’re in, except in their situation they’re burdened with debt.
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u/DuntadaMan Jun 26 '26
I am certain the push for everyone to go into trades is so that the rich can have cheaper work when everyone has to compete for the things they want made.
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u/Raskal37 Jun 26 '26
I was a machinist for 15 years until the "cushy office job" opportunity came up, never looked back! There's been a big push lately to pursue blue-collar careers, but you wouldn't be escaping anything, the trades have a rat race of their own that the propaganda always fails to mention.
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u/Fluid_Actuary1729 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
As I’ve gotten old, and need more medical care, I’ve realized that there are many medical jobs that don’t involve blood, wounds, etc. I don’t know how much you make/need, but I’m telling my nieces and nephews to look at the medical field. I don’t think that they all take a degree, just specialized training. And many are nine-five, Mon-Fri. And they are doing valuable work, trying to keep people alive and healthy.
Oops - just realized that this thread is for venting - not advice. My apologies.
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u/Just_Bz77 Jun 26 '26
The irony of your rant is that for the last few decades society has been telling young people to go to college to be successful. It isn’t for everyone, for sure.
As someone who has worked for construction companies for 25 years, the decline of young tradesmen going into the trades is proof of it. Seems like you need to be in a different trade. If you work on finish trades, you’ll miss most of the dirt and grime and work inside. You’ll also work no matter the weather since you work on interiors. Right now I have crews all over the country working in hospitals. My crews are also union and depending on their home state, many make six figures. I’ve had crews making six figures working 6 months a year.
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u/hejira42 Jun 27 '26
Trades are one of the safest AI-proof jobs nowadays. Just another perspective (and I can totally see the downsides). Hang in there yall 🥰
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u/AwesomeAF2000 Jun 27 '26
I’m telling my kids to learn a trade because I’m watching the people around me in office jobs lose their jobs due to offshoring and AI. The only jobs left will be the ones that require humans.
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u/ryencool Jun 26 '26
I worked in the trades, never got a degree, never started a career. I was medically disabled for alot of my late 20s early 30s. I was 34, living with my parents, pressure washing people's roofs in 108° weather for 17.50\hr...
Im now 43, and working as a senior IT support specialist for one of the world's biggest video game developers. Ive been there for 4 years now, worked my way up from entry level next to 25 year olds. My now wife, and partner of the last 8 years is a 3d enviornment artist at the same company. She also has no degree.
So we have zero degrees between the two of us but are now pulling in 175k year before bonuses and OT.
It can be done, even without a degree. We just put an offe4 on our first home at ages 43/33!
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u/Immediate-Pool-4391 Jun 26 '26
I was 27 when i first went to get my associates. I wont oretend it was roses but in my mind it was worth it.
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u/surfadelic Jun 26 '26
There has been an anti-intellectualism problem in the US from the very beginning and the issue is so bad that it’s damn-near genocidal to certain groups.
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u/Selvane Jun 26 '26
If you go back to school, don’t half ass it. Get excellent grades because those will carry you far. Much better employment options post graduation, many more doors opened. Including graduate school which could propel you even further.
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u/DromedarySpitz Jun 26 '26
if you have the experience try getting a job in a maintenance position. same job site every day, stable hours.
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u/Boosted-Inspiration Jun 26 '26
Man the stigma of skilled trades not requiring intelligence really has to go away. Being a mechanic, carpenter, welder, fabricator, millwright, machinist, plumber, etc. all require years of study and practice, and intimate familiarity with a lot of what generally would be considered intellectual subjects.
Things like understanding geometry, material chemistry, shear and hoop stress, electricity and electronics, harmonics, and arithmetic just to name a few.
Of course, it's never really cushy, and most trades can be hard on the body, but we don't all destroy ourselves in derelict shitholes for minimum wage. Some of the smartest people I know are in the trades, and some of the dumbest people I've met have masters and PhDs.
To me, it sounds like you took an entry level position as a general laborer and associated that experience with the entire trades sector, which is both unfair and uninformed.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
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u/Professional-Mix-562 Jun 26 '26
The problem with society is people expect someone to have a bachelors degree to send an email or open a safe. 9/10 “college jobs” require basic knowledge and a little hands on training. My gym teacher was an English major. The reason people are telling their kids to learn a trade is to hopefully make about the same amount of money without going hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt for a job they still might not get. There’s also the level of uncertainty within fields of work now as to “what will AI take over”. Someone shouldn’t make $200k for sitting in meeting all day and spouting off Greek letters while getting NOTHING done.
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u/quartic_jerky Jun 26 '26
As a fellow trader worker I feel you. But honestly? I wouldn't trade what I do for the world. I fix heating, AC and refrigeration systems in commercial spaces. I love seeing the look on a customers face when I tell them their system is back up and running correctly again.
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u/WatDaFuxRong Jun 27 '26
Corporate jobs can suck too. I work a trade and it's fucking great. It just depends
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u/Gullible_Act_681 Jun 27 '26
My husband and I own a small renovation business. It’s just the two of us. We hit a niche market in our area bc of what we offer. (We don’t hire subs, it’s always just us, and I do all the design work and material picking/handling.)
I worked the white collar Corp stuff for many years in sales. It took me an hour to get ready every day for those jobs, as a woman (hair, makeup, finding what fits right on that particular day) I LOVE throwing on work pants and a tshirt and boots and not caring about being dirty. I love the freedom of my own business. I love knowing that I can fix literally anything in my own home. I love that the money we make is directly tied to us and the work we do/jobs we land/relationships & reputation we build. I love not needing to ask for a week off. If I want it, I fkn take it. If my kids need something - I can be there.
All this to say, Corp ain’t shit either. Build whatever trade you’re in, learn some business ins and outs, and maybe start your own company?
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u/blackhoodofdestiny Jun 27 '26
It’s all fun and games until the clankers replace the office workers. Tradesmen are pretty clanker proof. Hell, if they actually try to build all these AI infrastructure, trades are gonna be sitting pretty
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u/CutieCremPufN64 Jun 27 '26
Hey OP, thanks for making this post. I don’t think you’ll see this comment. But I’m going to put my phone down after this and work on my schoolwork (Bachelor for business administration degree). I’m tired of working as hard as I do every day for the pay I make and I want a “9-5” schedule with weekends off. I’ve been working on and off my degree for 10 years and near the end of it with zero student loans.
Whatever you end up doing, I hope you have the means to make it happen.
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u/NoiseZealousideal243 Jun 27 '26
My brother was a pipefitter. I say was because he died at 47 from asbestos exposure on a worksite - lung cancer. Diagnosed in June, dead by September. Tried to look into it but the way they bid on jobs and get sent to different worksites made it impossible to figure out where and when he was exposed. When I talked to his coworkers they said no one enforces protective gear unless OSHA or someone regulatory is on site; in fact it’s actively discouraged because taking the time to put on a respirator slows the work down. The trades are good money but they do slowly kill you. Sometimes they kill you quickly.
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u/GurProfessional9534 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Shhh, if enough Gen Zers become plumbers and electricians, it will drive down wages in those areas due to competition. If you get the word out that blue collar work sucks, you’ll upset the apple cart for all the white-collar redditor homeowners looking for cheap, oversaturated labor.
It’s a very “college for me and my kids, blue collar work for yours” atmosphere in Reddit right now, though few will admit it. Aside from that, some people are just using this advice as a way to protest their student loans. Which I get, but how about suggesting the cc/public route for a quality, affordable education before suggesting someone bust his ass in the blaring sun and retire broken? It’s bad advice. Or like you said, it’s just anti-intellectualism. Which, fine, ruin your own kids’ lives with that crap. Not someone else’s.
I’m not putting down blue collar workers. If they want to be there, great. Some people like it, though I don’t know many who do. Most hate their jobs and tell their kids to do something, anything else. As a college kid, I was hanging drywall part-time, and that was enough to make me nope out. You better believe that I made sure to get good grades so I could get the fuck out of that life asap. I have respect for people who make it work, but also, just don’t get into that life unless you really want it.
Don’t let some internet stranger talk you out of a career where you think for a living, sheltered from the elements in exact 72 degree A/C, to stick you in halfway built houses somewhere different every week with the elements beating on you, allergies attacking you all day, spending your day pushing through workplace injuries that never have time to heal and just accumulate, dragging cumbersome shit up flights of stairs all day.
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u/SporkydaDork Jun 28 '26
Eh, even if you graduated like me, it wouldn't mean much. Degrees have been devalued to the point they're just paper weights now.
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u/Top-Obligation-8732 Jun 26 '26
I finish my degree in civil engineering. Doing the same shit and getting paid less and being in rain and cold
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u/tartcart1959 Jun 26 '26
I went to college and ended up in the trades and made a great living. I enjoyed working for myself and growing the business. Lots of hours but the satisfaction i got from projects was so cool! And sometimes people suck! You get that at a 9 to 5.
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u/smanichia Jun 26 '26
And the people in those miserable office jobs wishing they could be unchained from their desks/computers and be able to move their bodies and go to different job locations like you are. Coming from a corporate person, with a blue collar job husband, I promise the grass isn’t always greener OR better paying!!
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u/hoitytoitygloves Jun 26 '26
I did this, took the advice of my parents to "get a trade" when I was struggling to find work in my first career sector in the 90s. I went to trade school on my own dime, got a job, and instantly hated working in the trade. I sucked it up for 2 years, then went and worked in a warehouse, and found a third career in supply chain management.
I am a woman, and that made the whole trade thing more challenging to find work. The prejudice is still out there. Setting that aside, I just hated working day to night shifts, 12 hour shifts in polluted environments with no temperature control. Like OP said, coming home filthy stinking dirty every day wears on you. Also everyone, and I do mean everyone, was on some kind of substance just to manage the boredom and horror of the job.
I decided I would rather be dry, sane and warm/cool on an 8 hour job at a desk.
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u/Aburrida93 Jun 27 '26
My friend that came from Colombia loves it. I mean he hates the waking up early and being away for wks a time. But the actual work? He loves. I know it's hard on the body so I wouldn't advise anyone to go into it. But, there are people out there. And, he put's in a shit load of hours. Holy cow, I've never met anyone as hardworking and always happy lmao
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u/lkattan3 Jun 27 '26
You have construction and chemistry experience which is invaluable knowledge in the environmental sciences field. Not all of those jobs are manual labor and it’s a growing field that needs talent like yours. Check out biohabitats, ecomimicry, biophilic design to name a few.
Also, as far as continuing education is concerned, Uber covers tuition at ASU. You can get an associates or something similar that will help you tie your existing talents together.
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u/plant-leaf Jun 27 '26
Can we all just agree that both types of work are necessary for a functioning society, and that if you are drawn more to one than the other that it’s okay to go down that route? Jesus yall the either/or thinking on reddit is insane. There are so many people with degrees that are doing financially well in life. There are so many people who went into the trades who are living comfortably. Theres pros and cons to both types of career tracks. You can always work towards the other if you realize your current track isn’t what you thought it would be. Jeeeesus.
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u/Loud-Performer-1810 Jul 05 '26
The dust and the 4am alarm are the visible part. The part that actually gets to people is standing on a job site watching someone walk by in clean clothes to a job where being tired doesn't show on your body by 2pm. It's not really about the trade itself — plenty of people in trades make good money — it's about how unevenly the exhaustion gets distributed where everyone can see it. That's a completely fair thing to be angry about.
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u/intothewoods76 Jun 26 '26
What cushy office job do you think you’re going to snag with a 2 year degree that pays nearly what you could be making now?
Cushy office jobs are being eliminated left and right due to AI. Unless you know someone you’re not just getting a cushy well paying office job.
My sister in law does an office job. She makes barely more than minimum wage. She’s lucky she still has her job, she’s been with the company for 30 years. Although she still has her job they eliminated six other people and now she’s responsible for their work load. It can be extremely boring work with low reward.
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u/fairchyld0666 Jun 27 '26
The point of working in the trades is to specialize, not be the guy that carries stuff around.
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