Skilled Trades- 4 Myths

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Yard Dart, Nov 13, 2014.


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  1. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    [​IMG]

    If you are a young man or woman, have the desire to be a better prepared individual for what may come in this life... want to make a good earning for yourself, learn a valuable set of skills that will allow you to build/fix/create things that serve a purpose now & once SHTF..... read this article below. Because the post below may be enlightening for those trying to find a way to do all of the above.

    There is currently an aging workforce in most trades which means more opportunity to get in a field, as well as great opportunity to make a high wage in today's market. On top of that, there are programs such as various apprenticeship programs that are fully paid for.... no college debt required.

    Reviving Blue Collar Work: 4 Myths About the Skilled Trades | The Art of Manliness
     
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  2. vonslob

    vonslob Monkey++

    Great article, great website, both me and my girlfriends son really enjoy AoM. I have seen fewer and fewer skilled young guys on jobs. I think many of them went either back to college or changed careers when things got slow starting in 2008. My boss raised two plumbers but their kids are all in college or getting ready to start and their parents are happy about that. I have done both and it has served me well. I think of it as the best of both worlds. I work behind a desk for four months and as a plumber the rest of the year. I have always thought that if i was to get hurt working i could always do the other. I take my girlfriends son on jobs with me, not saying he is going to become a plumber but he is learning important skills that will serve him well. For example, problem solving, the discipline of waking up early and working all day
     
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  3. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    I took my Army training and converted to the IBEW after ETS. After working for a few years in the field I was able to work my way into supervision and then into management. There is a Helmet's to Hard Hats program that has served many a vet, to gain a new career!!
    Helmets to Hardhats
    Helmets to Hardhats | Military.com
     
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  4. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    An excellent thread, YD. Having a skilled trade as a skill to trade can be a very useful asset, regardless of whether SHTF or not. Some skills may be more useful and trade-able than others, but it is surprising what people will be prepared to part shekels or skills for.
     
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  5. gunbunny

    gunbunny Never Trust A Bunny

    UM, not enough work out there... I was/am an IBEW journeyman... That's one of the reasons I'm in nursing school right now. Ahem. Job market is non-existant at the moment. Was this article written in 2006?

    Not being rude, I just don't see what this article is saying is there. Not discounting a trade, being an electrician was very good for me. It's just that I haven't had a full year's worth of work out of the hall in the last ten years, and the wait times between jobs are getting longer.
     
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  6. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    I suppose it depends what market you are in. Right now we have a hot market, and if you are skilled....or in the apprenticeship program, the work is plentiful. I agree the market has been tough after the housing bubble collapsed. But in the long run the trades are a great place to have a well paying career!! We are turning down work due to the lack of good personnel. A JW makes good coin coming to the NW!!
     
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  7. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    What do you mean I won't get a great job handed to me when I graduate with my degrees in Women's Studies* and Sociology?

    * Thought it would be a great way to meet some chicks, BOY was I wrong....
     
  8. KAS

    KAS Monkey+++

    i thought liberal arts is were the money is at??
     
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  9. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    With the skilled trades, you can work 53 weeks a year if you are willing to sign the travel books.
     
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  10. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    A degree in Philosophy allows you to think deep thoughts about being broke and unemployeed.
     
  11. Mindgrinder

    Mindgrinder Karma Pirate Ninja|RIP 12-25-2017

    Electrician Jobs in Fort McMurray, AB|Indeed.com

    Jobs 1 to 10 of 96

    Suncor Jobs - Electrical/Instrumentation Technician
    This one starts at $85k/year full medical/dental yadda yadda
    Review:
    Working at Suncor: Culture, Salaries, Benefits & Other Reviews | Indeed.com


    Come on up - bring your gear and never go a day without work again till the oil runs out.
     
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  12. VHestin

    VHestin Farm Chick

    Also, with manual labor jobs, you only work when there's something to do, it's not like those office jobs where you waste time. People don't call electricians, plumbers, and the like to just BS around the barbecue(unless they're supposed to?)...and you get to help people and see the results of your work right there.
     
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  13. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    When I did manual labor my job was done at the end of the day. Now I carry it with me 7 days a week, 24 hours a day and I have to be available on my electronic leash at any time for any reason. Before, all I had to do was take a shower when I got home and it was gone.
     
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  14. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    Now that is the truth and I feel your pain....!!! [banghead]
     
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  15. CaboWabo5150

    CaboWabo5150 Hell's coming with me

    Machinists are hard to come by these days as well.. Been trying to find some to hire - not much luck.
     
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  16. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    My brother is the Operations Manager at a local paper mill. It's all but impossible for him to fill any openings because he can't find skilled labor. He has been willing work with trainable labor as long as they have at least had experience working on a farm, though that's increasingly rare. The main problem is a lack of common sense that leads to injury in an industrial environment.
     
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  17. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    There are two types of "Machinists"... You can teach a Monkey to operate a Milling Machine, or Lathe, just making the same Part, over and over, in a Production Facility.... Now the Pattern Machinist, Tool and Die Guy, or Setup Machinist, is a "Horse of a different Color". Those folks are rare as "Hen's Teeth" especially in the CNC Machine world.... That takes Computer skills, a s well as a "Tooling" Mind, and that is a rare combination. If I were young, and looking for a good, sound, LongTerm, High Paying Career, I would get into that field, and never look back. 2 or 3 Years in a Technical School, will get you in the door, and 5 years on the Job, gets you any Job, available, with very good benefits, and wages, ANYWHERE....
     
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  18. CaboWabo5150

    CaboWabo5150 Hell's coming with me


    And this is me... I just need more like me to set up program and run my CNC's.. The old farts are all retiring, and the kids just aren't getting into it. Within a year after getting out of the Corps I was working in a job shop - largest quantity of part was maybe 25.. Still doing it today, only now I started my own shop a few years back. Just not having much luck finding others since all the shops are booming these days. I can find button pushers all day long, not looking for that though :)
     
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  19. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    I would suggest you go contact the local Tech School, and see who they have that is just getting ready to Graduate...
     
  20. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    Excellent thought @BTPost !! Some techs schools may have internship programs that you may be able to take advantage of.... they may also have counselors that are trying to place, soon to be graduating students, in a job!!
     
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