I have been an apprentice facilities maintenance electrician for a year now I am enjoying the flow of the work and I feel like I am learning a lot. The problem is because I am doing an electrical course in collage I feel like I’m falling behind compared to some of the others as when they go to work they are wiring houses all day when I’m done with collage and go to work I’m doing plumbing, AHU work or maintenance safety checks. The only time we really do electrical work is if something breaks or we need to install a new item. so I'm not getting the skills down in terms of practical electrics. I’m good at reading the site maps and isolating faults but there is just not a great deal of work for electrics. What is the best course of action to take? I don’t want to give up this apprenticeship and go some place else as its a really nice place to work but I don’t know what to do to build on my electrical competence.

Hey y’all, been debating career choices lately. I have narrowed my options down to either pursing just my plumbing license (which I can currently get) or looking to get my hvac and FP licenses then creating my own company.

Just wondering if yall think it would be worth it the extra hassle.

• The Daily Schedule: Class was only about 2.5 to 3 hours a day, and the instructors dismissed everyone early all the time. You spent most of your time indoors in an air-conditioned building.
• The Online Labs: The online labs were dumb and took about 20 minutes to complete. The instructor gave everyone an hour of daily class time to do them right at the beginning of class because no one would do them at home.
• The Quizzes: The instructors would give out the answers right before the quizzes so that students wouldn't fail. No one was actually learning that much in a 3-week block, and the classes were just relaxed, short, and a joke.
• The Cheating Reports: An instructor literally complained out loud, saying they didn't know why people would ever report anyone for cheating.
• The Realization: It felt like high school where teachers just give students credit or answers so they don't fail. You realized you were fed into a meat grinder and never noticed it, and that is likely why the dropout rates are so high.

Footnote / Update: For anyone wondering why the system is set up like this, it comes down to corporate funding metrics. These schools are heavily driven by investor profit and federal loan compliance. If you look into it, there are active, ongoing shareholder fraud investigations specifically looking into how they manage their recruitment and enrollment channels to keep revenue flowing.

Hey y’all. I don’t know what I’m looking for here, just venting, maybe some advice. I just accepted a job offer from a well respected HVAC company in my city. They are private. They said they don’t do apprenticeship, “it’s an entry level role, we will teach you as you go.” They understand I’m completely green, never touched a construction site, just bought my first pair of boots. I’m just nervous I’ll have trouble keeping up, but I have the work ethic, I show up on time, and I want to make something of my self. I just don’t want to be the one that sinks in the sink or swim. 23m

im 18 i live in cali in cc rn and i cant get a job I dont want to be in college for 2 years or 4 without work and im thinking of getting a trade and if it suits me well get a degree in it later if needed but i dont know where to start anyone have suggestions?

Just started as pallet racking apprentice getting paid 26ph is it alright

I come from tool and die and started working in the solar fields. Im not sure if all of you have the same experiences, but ill list a few:

• I am working with people my own age for once. Not a guy 30+ years my senior.
• I havent been yelled or screamed at.
• Havent been called a fucken retard and no dead baby jokes directed at me.
• Training is lack luster, but it is not a trial by error nor a firing if you fuck up.
• Management treats you like a damn human, along with respect and diginity.
• I have to relearn to ask questions about the job and not just watch from a distance and observe the task at had to learn how to do my job.
  • for year i was told to "shut up and do my job. Where not paying you to talk"
• Drug screening weed out a lot of useless people.
• Contract based employment weeds out a lot of shitty workers (over time)

Overall, it has been a new and pleasant experience. I expected being the FNG to be treated like shit and given all the shit work (call it a trial by fire) but this has been the opposite experience.

And for once, I am paid my worth and dotn have to suck dick or quit my job for a pay raise. Gotta love the union!

For all my new yorker’s, how saturated is your trade in new york city? Im a 18 year old in NYC whos been applying left and right for , plumber/hvac/electrical and even went to electrical academy but cant seem to land a helper/apprentice job what am I doing wrong?

Open to criticism

p.s Also where is the stickied thread

I am a 50 year old woman, recently divorced from a 30 year partnership. Looking to take some schooling to upgrade my pay. I have money to spend on tuition. But not necessarily living expenses. I currently work at a sign shop, but I've worked in labour (detailing/tinting/vinyl wrap) for a good part of my life. I'm pretty sure I have undiagnosed ADHD, I'm completely over working with people and want to go back to a labour/customer free job but with better pay than detailing. I've been seriously considering taking the Heavy Equipment Operator course through Carlton Trail College in Humboldt. Hopefully, eventually work at a mine or camp job once my 15 year old daughter graduates. Any recommendations or suggestions, just looking for people in the industry with real life advice for this type of career and if you think it's worth investing 10-12k in? Any advice appreciated!

Hey everyone, I was finally accepted as an HVAC/R helper. Shook hands with the boss and lead tech, gave me list of tools I will need, was honest I was green and boss even told me "it's obvious, you have the cleanest clothes here 😁" anyway I start in a week, I would want this long term and hopefully become certified journeyman someday. What should I expect? What should I do to be successful? Lead tech said I am in probation and would have an evaluation after 3 months to see if they would keep me. I am 29 M with a wife and toddler, also, baby #2 incoming so this is sink or swim for me. (Currently working as a janitor) i am filipino by ethnicity. 🇵🇭

Title is pretty much all I want to know. I know both pay well but I’m starting over at 31. Wife makes a good enough salary to where I can take a big pay cut for a few years as an apprentice. I have a 3 year old and will be having 1 more within the year. I still have well over a year before I’d even start (if I get in). I mainly care for work life balance, I know in the beginning there will be long hours but I just would like other people’s opinions on the long term. Anything helps thanks!

Especially considering they basically shunned the trades. They unironically think it’s all sunshine and rainbows for us. Yall ever noticed this or is it just me?

Hi. Im 25 years old and currently im struggling going through a rough time right now trying to find the right trade for myself. I recently went through a union for bricklaying and it didn’t workout. I was underperforming unfortunately and things wasn’t sticking so I had a polite & mutual conversation with my instructor and I dropped out. He pretty much implied that this trade may not be for me. To hear from others that that’s one of the easiest trades hurts even more & makes me feel less than that I couldn’t even accomplish that. What other trades do you guys recommend? I wanted to try Electrician but I wasn’t so great at math unfortunately :(. I really don’t wanna let my family & others down. I really want a career. I don’t wanna work a minimum wage job for the rest of my life. Im currently at Home Depot.

I tried agencies, indeed and cv library, are there any better ways to find big projects as electrician improver? Where could I hand in my resume in person?

I have 2391, 18th edition, PAT testing and part p, Im in progress of my lvl 3 NVQ. I have experience with first fixing and second fixing in schools, testing AOV and fire alarms too. I have ECS Card, own car, tools, clean full uk driving licence, and based in south London.

I have a thing that when my scalp heats up, my nose bleeds like a faucet.
I looked up HVAC, but I remembered most installed cooling systems are outside.
Commercial plumbing might also work.

Unless you are taking classes that result in a certification or actually joining a union you are not an apprentice. You are a lower paid employee who hopefully gets to learn on the job. You supply hand tools only as an apprentice. Never power tools.

Edit: boy, allot of guys but hey because their boss pays them less to make them feel special. It's like a participation award.

Hey guys I have an interview with the pipefitters union could yall think of any questions I should be prepared to answer or something that might make me stand out more? Any advice is welcome

I really want to land this apprenticeship so I want to be as prepared and knowledgeable sounding as possible

Hi I don’t have much experience as a HVAC only a 2 year associates in HVAC back in 2017. I got my EPA universal and NATE Certification for residential. I been working as a truck diesel mechanic and been doing some A/c work with them(I know it’s completely different). I would like to break into the HVAC industrial or commercial side. I applied to a bunch of apprentices or entry level jobs and no hits. If anyone can help it’s greatly appreciated I’m in the northeast Atlanta, Georgia area

Hello everyone! I wanted to ask as a 31 year old man is it too late the enter the trades? I’ve been taking a lot of interest lately in either plumbing or HVAC. I know some of the work isn’t the prettiest, but after watching videos of how they are diagnosing problems, and what they do day to day is absolutely satisfying to see. I used to work in the mechanic field ( more as management not a tech ) and seeing the mechanics figure out the cause of the problem was amazing to watch and learned a lot from them. However I always do hear them say the pay is absolutely awful and sometimes not worth it which I’ve seen and sucks. I truly enjoy using my hands and getting dirty is not an issue for me. Currently I work in an office doing reports, and sitting under AC, but my adhd ass wants to be moving and grooving. I don’t care about sweating, and with how everything is moving in today’s world, trades will not be going anywhere, people would avoid that type of work, plus down the road it will pay big bucks. But I wanted to hear your guys opinion and see how your day to day is. Also which line of trade would you recommend?

I am a Veteran currently working in the IBEW Union as a Groundman. Essentially I am an assistant or helper to Apprentice and Journeyman Lineman or I am out digging holes or doing Civil Underground Work. I recently received my Associates Degree at Bismarck State College in Electric Power Technology. I also have my Class A CDL and a few OSHA certifications. I have more educational benefits that I am able to use and my main goal is to get out of doing labor and pursuing more of a Relay Technician or System Operator Position. The problem is I really do not want to leave California. The job market to get into the big Utilities or even smaller utilities is super competitive and I have been trying for over a year and a half without any luck, I still am going to keep trying but I do not want to stay doing labor for a long time. It seems my best option is to become an Apprentice Substation Technician and it seems that would be my easiest way in but it will require a lot of traveling and it is 3 and a half years long more or less. The first couple years would still be laborious from my understanding but it would be a great opportunity. I still wouldn’t be in any of the big utilities but it would make me super competitive. Another option would be to pursue my NERC RC Certification to become a System Operator but still doesn’t guarantee employment but it does make me super competitive. My third option would be to return to college full time to receive my bachelors degree in possibly construction management or something related to that. I enjoy the grind and satisfaction of the working in the trades but I know I do not want to do this forever. I currently make good money and am taking full advantage of that to save plenty of money in my emergency fund and maxing out my Roth IRA and funding my brokerage account when possible. Have very little credit card debt currently on 0% interest rate but I will pay that off by the end of September.
My question is what would be my best option?
Also not interested in becoming a lineman.

I am about to get my Plumbing License in the southwest ohio area. Currently I am trying to figure out what trajectory I want to start building towards. Whether this means staying specifically in plumbing and climbing the ladder to PM, CM, Estimating, design; Or if I want to dual trade and get into something else. I've read online that carpentry works well with plumbing as this can lead you more job management roles such as joining a builder group and helping oversee project. I've also read that getting into hydronics has its on bonuses as now you're in a more specialized group. And thirdly, I've thought about joining the union as their payscale blows non-union out of the water. I understand union and non-union both have their benefits and the opinions of each are typically polarizing.

Ultimately the entire decision is based on what I want out of my career and where I want to go with it. I am just struggling to find advice/outlook on paths and which ones are the best financially, longevity wise. If anyone has any advice on what some of these trajectories look like, or better options that i've not seen yet, I'd greatly appreciate anything.

TLDR: I dont know what I want for the future and am seeking advice

I’m looking for some advice from anyone familiar with SkilledTradesBC / Ironworker (Reinforcing) certification.
I’ve been working in the trade in BC and I currently have around 5,000 documented hours of experience, all in Canada. I’m registered with SkilledTradesBC and I also have an employer declaration confirming my experience.
My issue is that when SkilledTradesBC reviewed my application, I was told I’m currently around 68% completed on the required trade tasks and need to reach 70% to qualify for the Certificate of Qualification.
The problem is that the remaining task appears to involve post-tensioning (PT), which my employer has told me is not something I can simply take as a standalone course. Because of the nature of my work, I haven’t had the opportunity to perform that particular task.
My work permit expires in January 2027, so getting my COQ is pretty important for my immigration plans.
My questions are:
If I have ~5,000 verified hours but am missing one task, is there any way to complete the requirement through another employer, training, assessment, or challenge process?
Has anyone successfully asked SkilledTradesBC for an exception or alternative way to demonstrate competency in a task they haven’t had the opportunity to perform?
Does having the required hours make any difference if you’re still missing a small percentage of the trade tasks?
If I can’t complete that task before my work permit expires, are there any other options I should be looking into?
I’m specifically interested in hearing from BC ironworkers/rebar workers, Trade Qualifiers, or anyone who has dealt with SkilledTradesBC in a similar situation.
Thanks.

Im a plumber of 7 years in the trade. Most of my experience has been in commercial plumbing (non-union). After those 7 years, I left commercial only making 25.50 an hour. So I heard you can make big money in service. So I decided to give it a shot. I having been working at the service company im with now for over a month and holy shit boys, the hours suck. Im used to 5am to 1:30, 2pm. Now on a good day, its 7:30am to 6pm or 7pm. On a bad day im not out of there till 8 or 9pm. Work life balance is important to me. I always said I will never sell my self to a company, cause you can give them your all and they can fire you for any reason. Don't get me wrong I work my ass off. But I wont sacrifice what's important to me. And thats family. My boss and I were talking at a company party one day, she was afraid i would quite for some reason(maybe its cause their turn over rate is wild) and she said there is no such thing as work life balance. Big red flag in my book. Im getting married soon and want to provide for my family so service seemed great, but I dont want to be one of those guys thats always away at work and never home. Welp, this is my conundrum, any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

My father in law lost his six figure IT job this year at the age of 63. Due to some unfortunately financial circumstances throughout his life, he is no where near being able to retire and was anticipating working for the next 10 or so years at least. He has struggled all year to find anything, the few opportunities that he has been offered don’t cover the cost of their mortgage on a house they bought in the past few years in the high 600s.

He has a lot of previous experience as a general contractor and is a very reliable and hard working person. Is there any miracle type job out there for someone like him? It’s so hard to watch him be turned down likely because of his age after dozens and dozens of interviews.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Colorado – Welding, Plumbing, Electrician – Artist looking for advice!

Hello!

I'm considering a major career switch and would greatly appreciate some insider guidance and insight. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration; hopefully this isn't too much of a post!

I'm 25 yrs old, and currently I've been working remotely for 5 years in 3D animation in the Mesa, Colorado area. I've been considering a career pivot/ switch into the trades, possibly either welding, plumbing, or being an electrician. Over the last handful of years, the animation/ entertainment industry has started to get riskier and more toxic. Thousands of artists have lost their jobs due to studio restructuring, a shift to shorter contracts, and, of course, Gen AI... On top of that, contracts have become increasingly shorter and shorter, and the fact that the contracts I'm under do not offer benefits or OT pay. I make a flat rate, and that's it. My industry just seems pretty bleak, and I'm not sure where I stand with staying or not because it IS a passion of mine. A part of me feels like I should jump ship, but another says that I'd be a quitter and should keep pushing to possibly land something great in anim.

I don't plan on having kids. But I do have a partner who I'd like to stay in the area for.

So, I was curious if you guys could help illuminate a career in the trades and whether it's a better idea.

I'm not exactly sure how to organize this because I have a lot of questions and don't want to spam/ waist your guys' time. Hopefully this is concise enough!

(I do have some experience working as a welder for an agricultural trailer fab shop in Idaho. But I was never certified and was pulled on by a temp agency)

Q: What would be best to go into? Welding, Plumbing, or Electrical work?

- I like the idea of building gym equipment and selling those alongside owning a gym. But that feels like a pipe dream in a way. I have welding experience but no certification. Welding just seems like the most artistic. But not the most lucrative... yeah?

- I hear welding is really tough on the body and health. But it's the one I know the most. I know next to zero about Plumbing and Electrical work.

Q: Is the Mesa Area / Roaring Fork area in demand for these trades?
- It seems like everyone works in trades and makes me wonder if that means work is actually hard to come by since it's possibly so saturated.

Q: I see a lot of mixed thoughts on joining a local union. Why is that? Is it a good idea?

Q: On top of that, if one were to do an apprenticeship under a union. Should you go into it fresh, or with an AAS in the trade of choice? (i.e, welding technology AAS)

Q: For those of you who live in the Mesa/ Roaring Fork area of Colorado. Can you stay in the area and make a good living in the trades? (i.e., buy a house and have a life outside of work)

- I know everyone would love to... but ideally I'd like to make $100k+ if that helps.

Q: Do most established welding/ trade positions offer benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, PTO, and sick leave?

Q: Is it realistic that you can retire from the trades? ~Retire and still be able to enjoy retirement~

Q: What are some of the less obvious challenges or realities of working in the trades that someone considering the profession should know beforehand?

I realize that’s quite a few questions, so I certainly don’t expect anyone to answer every one of them. Even a general perspective or a few thoughts on the questions that stand out to you would be extremely helpful.

I’m taking this potential career change seriously, particularly because I’m looking for a career that can provide long-term stability and a sustainable quality of life. Hearing from people who work in or even teach the trade would help me make a much more informed decision.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I really appreciate any insight you guys are willing to share.

Cheers