Calling all Trades People

[boatload]

34 years as a pipe fitter, 17 in local 601 Milwaukee. Just retired this last July. My youngest son is a 3rd year apprentice so I've got one following in my footsteps. He gets schooling and on the job training with no student loan debt! Great wage, great benefits, great pension, hard work. Like everyone else has said, hard to find good young talent that wants to put in the effort. I started out going to college and getting a degree in forestry management but quickly found out I could make the money in the trades and have the financial resources to go snowmobiling, hunting and fishing in my spare time.

 

[kyzer]

Millwright at Algoma Steel. My son has one more semester then he is done trade school and will be looking for an apprenticeship as a Millwright also. He has no debt has already done shutdowns with local contractors and has worked as a summer student in the Steel Mill. So he has a good chance..

 

[ClutchMaster]

+25 year union electrician, currently 1713 IAM member. We are in the same boat here, huge shortage of young blood. If you want to make good $$$$ the time is now. No you won’t be sitting around, but hey you won’t need a health club membership.
I’m also have my EE degree, I make more as a Master in the trades.
Nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty.

Merry Christmas,
CM

 

[03RX1-ER-LE]

In the mid 70s in high school I got a co-op job at Sears as a Technician. I had been tinkering with cars for a few years and was in the auto shop, when schools still had it, and my teacher recommend me for the job. After graduation I went to a local community college that had a good auto program. When finished I not only got an associates degree but took and passed my Master ASE credentials, certified 40 years now, and worked on cars at a Lincoln Mercury dealer until my body was giving out at the end of 2000. I then went on to work 5 years assisting technicians over the phone at Ford, for dealership technicians. Then in 2005 I went on to work for Bosch writing technician training on site Ford for their dealership technicians. I really like what I am doing and planning on retiring in six years. I wanted my Son to go into the trade and would have given him my Snap-on workstation with 100k in tools sitting in my garage but he had no interest in it. He went into the building trades doing house rehabs and now he is working on the highway rebuilds in Michigan and likes it, it is hard dangerous work and in the summer works 80 hrs a week. He is not afraid of hard work and hopefully can work his way into mgmt someday.

 

[STAIN]

worked on cars at a Lincoln Mercury dealer until my body was giving out at the end of 2000

I hear you on that. After 30 years on the floor my knees are screaming at me every day. I don't know what to do......

 

[03RX1-ER-LE]

I hear you on that. After 30 years on the floor my knees are screaming at me every day. I don't know what to do......

That is why I got off the concrete floors in 2000 and now sit at a desk. Of course initially the bad was I gained 40 extra pounds sitting on my arse, then like most seniors I came down with adult onset type 2 diabetes and lost those extra pounds (70# total) and much healthier now.

 

[Froggy]

35 years in the pulp and paper field and 31 years as a millwright who came through the inhouse apprenticeship program. Now working as a AA millwright with an A in millwrighting, A in hydraulics, B in pipefitting, C in welding and more hours in pneumatics that I can not count that are not recognised. I don't have a cell phone and I don't have time for one especially at work. Unifor local 233..

 

[cnybrian]

I agree. No offense to any doctors, but we weren't 'practicing steamfitting', or 'practicing toolmaking, machining, drafting, construction'...etc.
Doctors practice medicine...LOL!

I do not work in the trades but have a ton of respect for their skills. Without them we would not be where we are as a modernized society today. Plumbers, electricians, mechanics, etc are all worth their weight in gold. When I was in school, all that was pushed was a 4 year college degree. Trade schools were for the kids who weren't "smart enough" to get into college. Wow, did they ever get that wrong!

Doctors and lawyers are the only 2 professions where you "practice" your job instead of doing your job! Unfortunately, I am married to a lawyer and a divorce lawyer at that!

 

[03RX1-ER-LE]

No disrespect to Doctors but the human body has never changed, just the tools and procedures have. Where the vehicle has been evolving to a very complicated high tech machine.

 

[Nikolai]

I went through a non union 4 year plumbing apprenticeship starting at age 19. After getting my journeymen cards at 23 I continued to work for various non union companies until was 29. I then got on with the local(only) gas utility as a Service Technician and it is a union position. We’re part of the local 367 Plumbers & Pipe Fitters. The pay and benefits are fantastic and it’s easier on my body than plumbing was, I can honestly say I enjoy my job.

I’m now 33 years old. I’m hoping to put in 32 more years and retire at 65.

Even in Alaska there is a big shortage of skilled labor and young kids wanting to enter the trades. IMO it mainly stems from 3 things.

1. Liberals have made kids incredibly lazy by telling them they don’t need to work for anything in life.
2. Schools push college as the ONLY option after high school which is insanity. I made good money for my 4 years of on the job training and make more money now with better benefits than every single one of my college grad friends. There were years plumbing I cleared $120k. How many mid 20 year olds with college degrees that can say that?
3. They legalized weed here and a lot of people would rather have a dead end job that doesn’t drug test, even if it means living on food stamps. It’s pathetic.

There’s such a shortage of plumbers(skilled plumbers) that’s its driven wages up in the private sector as much as $10/hr.

 

[Mooseman]

Speaking on behalf of my sons, both are entering trades. My oldest son is just one elective course away from completing his aircraft maintenance tech course. He is currently working at an HVAC and plumbing company as well as a rampy at the local airport. He has also worked at construction/renovations and as a roofer. My youngest has just completed his heavy diesel equipment tech course and is looking for an apprenticeship. It's not as easy as it looks. There is a local equipment dealer that he could do back to where he did his summer co-op but their pay sucks, no benefits and no union. He did enjoy the work environment though.

As an aside, my youngest's girlfriend is also in the same trade as they met in college during the course so girls are entering the trades as well.

I think the tide may turn towards trades again as tech and office jobs dry up with technology taking over.

And me, well, I'm a retired cop. Not a trade I guess but my sons got their "mechanical" aptitudes from me as I have been tinkering in everything since I was a teenager and they have been exposed to it since birth.

 

[Nikolai]

I feel like I should add that I’m not dogging college at all. My wife has a masters degree in social work and although I make considerably more, she loves what she does which is just as important. If not entering a trade, then I think a good degreee is absolutely necessary to make a comfortable living.

However, for those of us who knew by age 16 that we weren’t college bound, there are same great options in the trades. I really wish high schools would make these options known to kids. Had I known myself, I would have gone through the union at 18. It was a local job center that helped me find the apprenticeship I went into.

 

[steiner]

A local high school near me offers trades courses starting in grade 10. Everything from culinary, hair and nails tech to automotive and construction. Many students graduate with Level 1 and a regular high school diploma.

 

[Stormbringer]

WOW! Very interesting reading all the responses! It seams every Snowmobiler on this forum works or have work in the trades. I myself after trade school went to work as a mechanic. Much to my mothers dismay I might add! Had a few college scholarships for sports but none of them had classes on making horsepower! LOL When I first started I could not believe people were paying me to repair their cars, I would do it for free! (Now they can't pay me enough!) As time went on I want more than what I was doing so I went to college to further my goals. Today I run a terminal for a very large trucking company. Never once regretted a single day of work. You guys are right, the work is hard, but satisfying. It is a great way to provide a living for your family. The mechanics that work in my terminal make over a hundred grand a year with overtime and no weekends! And I still have to offer a sign on bonus! For young kids it is a great time to go into the trades!!!
One bit of advice, Wear quality work boots or shoes! My feet are trashed!!! LOL

 

[blueironranger]

15 years as a USW Local 1938 here, Equipment Operator for a USSteel mine. Before that I was a Operating Engineers Local 49 for 4 years as a Diesel Mechanic. The last few years the quality of new workers has really gone down hill because we basically higher anyone that applies now due to worker shortage. I've been trying to get my nephews interested as trades jobs can be quite rewarding if you don't mind a little dirty work and some overtime! It provides well enough for my needs and allowed my wife to stay at home and raise our daughter. I'm happy to see our school district combining with another school district and they are going to be building a Trades building to bring back all the old classes I enjoyed in high school. I can believe they had cut out woodshop, autoshop, and welding in the first place!