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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 11,567 Likes: 2
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 11,567 Likes: 2 |
The days of residential plumbers, HVAC installers and electricians making a good living at their trade are past, IMHO.
bruin, I have to respectfully disagree, I know many people in the trades, who have a very good life, and are making good money, Residentrial work will never be what it was for those 2-3 decades, but there's still good money to be made. Work and the economy can be regional, I'm not sure I would want to try making a living as a residential Plumber in Rhinelander Wisconsin for example, simply isnt enough work, and no work means no demand for decent wages. Wait a few years till your kids start thinking about college, which is where I'm at now, 25K a year for a public state school, undergraduate at that..100k in education to work where? Likely making about what the trades are making, or less. There's fewer options nowadays, no doubt, But I would never dissuade anyone from getting a License in the Trades, I believe there will always be a demand for a skilled set of hands. One thing about the trades, your skills are yours and you can take those skills anywhere you want to go.
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 56,225 Likes: 26
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 56,225 Likes: 26 |
In order of occurrence:
Spear fisherman
Roofer
Professional Air Cavalry bait/instructor pilot/bait/accident investigator/bait/instructor pilot/bait/slick driver
Treasure diver
ATC
Corporate pilot/commercial fisherman
ATC
Unemployed You sir, are one member that I aspire to meet. You find yourself headed this way let me know. Dunno when I'm headed your way. I forgot to mention my several decades of part time work as a nipple inspector.
I am..........disturbed.
Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass. -Twain
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,151 Likes: 5
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,151 Likes: 5 |
How would I find you house in Yankeetown?
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43 |
The days of residential plumbers, HVAC installers and electricians making a good living at their trade are past, IMHO.
bruin, I have to respectfully disagree, I know many people in the trades, who have a very good life, and are making good money, Residentrial work will never be what it was for those 2-3 decades, but there's still good money to be made. Work and the economy can be regional, I'm not sure I would want to try making a living as a residential Plumber in Rhinelander Wisconsin for example, simply isnt enough work, and no work means no demand for decent wages. Wait a few years till your kids start thinking about college, which is where I'm at now, 25K a year for a public state school, undergraduate at that..100k in education to work where? Likely making about what the trades are making, or less. There's fewer options nowadays, no doubt, But I would never dissuade anyone from getting a License in the Trades, I believe there will always be a demand for a skilled set of hands. One thing about the trades, your skills are yours and you can take those skills anywhere you want to go. While I was in the Navy - I could have gotten an AA degree in Serbian and Croatian Studies for free - I didn't. Once I got out - I put my post 9/11 GI bill to work. I got my Bachelors in 2 years. Busted my arse with 24 credits a semester. The school would cut my tuition to the max the GI Bill would pay per year so I sorta double dipped there. Had I been a trad undergrad that did 4 years - it was 110,000 in tuition. I now have enough left over to get an AA or MBA yet. I'm looking at AA in software development (not even sure I will use it - more for me - I like to learn and it's a benefit that would just waste away). That's 11,900 at the local trade school. I could also then use the WI GI Bill which pays for 48 months of school tuition at any state school. Conceivably that's an MBA at UW-Oshkosh at a mimimum, perhaps 2 if you hustled but not likely. So basically for a 4 year hitch I got 149,000 in tuition alone from my service. A person just might end up with an AA, a bachelors and an MBA completely debt free.
Me
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 12,227 Likes: 11
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 12,227 Likes: 11 |
Son-in-law is a certified, union, pipeline welder. By the time you add up his base pay, OT, plus "rent" on his weld rig, he is making as much money as I have ever made in IT. I would have no qualms about pursuing that career path if I were just starting out again. Just gotta be willing to work and put in your time as a laborer/helper until you can get into a welder slot. Nothing wrong with working a trade...
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 26,337
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 26,337 |
The days of residential plumbers, HVAC installers and electricians making a good living at their trade are past, IMHO.
bruin, I have to respectfully disagree, I know many people in the trades, who have a very good life, and are making good money, Residentrial work will never be what it was for those 2-3 decades, but there's still good money to be made. Work and the economy can be regional, I'm not sure I would want to try making a living as a residential Plumber in Rhinelander Wisconsin for example, simply isnt enough work, and no work means no demand for decent wages. Wait a few years till your kids start thinking about college, which is where I'm at now, 25K a year for a public state school, undergraduate at that..100k in education to work where? Likely making about what the trades are making, or less. There's fewer options nowadays, no doubt, But I would never dissuade anyone from getting a License in the Trades, I believe there will always be a demand for a skilled set of hands. One thing about the trades, your skills are yours and you can take those skills anywhere you want to go. While I was in the Navy - I could have gotten an AA degree in Serbian and Croatian Studies for free - I didn't. Once I got out - I put my post 9/11 GI bill to work. I got my Bachelors in 2 years. Busted my arse with 24 credits a semester. The school would cut my tuition to the max the GI Bill would pay per year so I sorta double dipped there. Had I been a trad undergrad that did 4 years - it was 110,000 in tuition. I now have enough left over to get an AA or MBA yet. I'm looking at AA in software development (not even sure I will use it - more for me - I like to learn and it's a benefit that would just waste away). That's 11,900 at the local trade school. I could also then use the WI GI Bill which pays for 48 months of school tuition at any state school. Conceivably that's an MBA at UW-Oshkosh at a mimimum, perhaps 2 if you hustled but not likely. So basically for a 4 year hitch I got 149,000 in tuition alone from my service. A person just might end up with an AA, a bachelors and an MBA completely debt free. yeah, it's pretty much a military certainty that it can be done. but don't wait, get that MBA while it beckons. don't go backwards. time doesn't work that way. the GI Bill is worth it's weight in gold.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43 |
Gus - you'd be surprised at how many guys at Meps were turning it down. All because you had to put 100 a month into the program the first year. Nothing after.
1200 2002 dollars is gonna net me 150k in 2016 dollars worth of education.
Me
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43 |
My son wants to be a welder. It's all he talks about and does in his HS shop class. His teacher used to work the shipyard and has said his quality and understanding is of someone who could teach the course in stick weld, his MIG needs work.
Long story short - he's most likely going to end up with a welding cert and likely a military hitch.
I couldn't be prouder of him for that.
Me
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 26,337
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 26,337 |
Gus - you'd be surprised at how many guys at Meps were turning it down. All because you had to put 100 a month into the program the first year. Nothing after.
1200 2002 dollars is gonna net me 150k in 2016 dollars worth of education. gi bill education benefits are probably worth more than the advertising mentions or alludes to. it takes some personal effort, but that best personal effort helps describe a successful MBA graduate. that's part of their identity. ya know?
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 56,225 Likes: 26
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 56,225 Likes: 26 |
How would I find you house in Yankeetown?
Well, I'd head SE from Iowa for a start. When you get here, rent a boat and ask for directions to Bennett Creek. There's a 14' lizard lives there can give directions to the house. Don't argue with her.
I am..........disturbed.
Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass. -Twain
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 9,920 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 9,920 Likes: 1 |
when I worked for a living I was a Journeyman Toolmaker, went on to be a manager over a R&D dept. for manufacturing processes developing equipment and now until retirement is here a project manager that oversees the Skilled Trades Apprenticeship program, Journeyman program and skills development education, handles surplus assets, and adds production capability to our USA and China locations. All for a small Fortune 500 company. Oh by the way for myself I raise a little livestock and build a few rifles. Russ
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 11,567 Likes: 2
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 11,567 Likes: 2 |
The days of residential plumbers, HVAC installers and electricians making a good living at their trade are past, IMHO.
bruin, I have to respectfully disagree, I know many people in the trades, who have a very good life, and are making good money, Residentrial work will never be what it was for those 2-3 decades, but there's still good money to be made. Work and the economy can be regional, I'm not sure I would want to try making a living as a residential Plumber in Rhinelander Wisconsin for example, simply isnt enough work, and no work means no demand for decent wages. Wait a few years till your kids start thinking about college, which is where I'm at now, 25K a year for a public state school, undergraduate at that..100k in education to work where? Likely making about what the trades are making, or less. There's fewer options nowadays, no doubt, But I would never dissuade anyone from getting a License in the Trades, I believe there will always be a demand for a skilled set of hands. One thing about the trades, your skills are yours and you can take those skills anywhere you want to go. While I was in the Navy - I could have gotten an AA degree in Serbian and Croatian Studies for free - I didn't. Once I got out - I put my post 9/11 GI bill to work. I got my Bachelors in 2 years. Busted my arse with 24 credits a semester. The school would cut my tuition to the max the GI Bill would pay per year so I sorta double dipped there. Had I been a trad undergrad that did 4 years - it was 110,000 in tuition. I now have enough left over to get an AA or MBA yet. I'm looking at AA in software development (not even sure I will use it - more for me - I like to learn and it's a benefit that would just waste away). That's 11,900 at the local trade school. I could also then use the WI GI Bill which pays for 48 months of school tuition at any state school. Conceivably that's an MBA at UW-Oshkosh at a mimimum, perhaps 2 if you hustled but not likely. So basically for a 4 year hitch I got 149,000 in tuition alone from my service. A person just might end up with an AA, a bachelors and an MBA completely debt free. Teal, you seem to have one problem, and I'm not sure it will ever go away, you just simply don't know what you want to do when you grow up. Honestly, that's not a cool situation for most. Figure it out soon bud, Don't let to many doors close behind you.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43 |
I'm learning for the sake of learning, not flopping from career to career.
The benefit is there - I earned it, would be foolish not to take advantage. It hurts nothing to have it, don't even have to put it on a resume if I don't want to.
I had programming classes in high school, did a little for fun after. My mother was a programmer (retired last Feb) - I'm getting the AA for giggles - not for work.
Someday when I get my homebrewery up and done - I'd like to do some work with automating it via touch screen and incorporate some software I already have for brewing.
Me
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,041
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,041 |
Gus - you'd be surprised at how many guys at Meps were turning it down. All because you had to put 100 a month into the program the first year. Nothing after.
1200 2002 dollars is gonna net me 150k in 2016 dollars worth of education. Well along came the Post-9/11 GI Bill and all those guys that turned downt the Montgomery GI Bill now qualify for better benefits and samed some coin as well (pos-9/11 is free).
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43 |
Put it this way - if I won 200 million in the lottery tomorrow - I'd never work another day in my life but I'd be a professional student. Learning for the sake of learning.
Prob die with 20 degrees...
Me
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 9,920 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 9,920 Likes: 1 |
Put it this way - if I won 200 million in the lottery tomorrow - I'd never work another day in my life but I'd be a professional student. Learning for the sake of learning.
Prob die with 20 degrees... would rather die with a 20 gauge in hand
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,151 Likes: 5
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,151 Likes: 5 |
How would I find you house in Yankeetown?
Well, I'd head SE from Iowa for a start. When you get here, rent a boat and ask for directions to Bennett Creek. There's a 14' lizard lives there can give directions to the house. Don't argue with her. Well, as you might suspect, I had the general heading right but didn't figure on negotiating with any really big lizards.
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 828
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 828 |
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,352 Likes: 43 |
Have a friend going through school right now to be a radiologist of some sort. He loves it.
Me
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 19,509
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 19,509 |
Put it this way - if I won 200 million in the lottery tomorrow - I'd never work another day in my life but I'd be a professional student. Learning for the sake of learning.
Prob die with 20 degrees... I'd behave similarly, except I'd probably have no degrees, but would treat myself to bits and pieces of classical education as well as certain skills such as learning how to weld other than stick method and such.
4 out of 5 Great Lakes prefer Michigan. 
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