Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What trade would you recommend a young man get into?

I’ve worked at the plumbing trade since I started my apprenticeship in 71. I worked for a very large mechanical contractor. I learned to weld, operate backhoes and big excavators. I learned to install plumbing and commercial air conditioning systems. I worked for that company for 18 years. When I left I was one of the two field superintendents. If I had to do that over I would be an electrician. It’s cleaner, they don’t work quite as hard. There is lots of opportunities for side work. I went to work doing maintenance for a school district. It would be difficult to beat teachers retirement. It cost me money to take a maintenance job, but I’ve gotten it back in spades.

I would learn commercial electrical, AC, or plumbing, in that order,get ten years experience, get a school or college maintenance job. I wish I would have gotten on here a few years earlier. Construction is for young people.


Some hospitals, like MD Anderson or UT belong to teachers retirement. A maintenance job there is good too. Some of those high paid doctors will have a hell of a retirement.

I have 22 years in the Air Force. I wish I had become a pilot

Go to college and get an engineering degree. The trades are more sensitive to the general economy. Location dependent of course. Engineers are needed everywhere nearly all the time.

Learn HVAC and then start a business. Folks demand comfort and food demands refrigeration. I decided to build stuff instead of making it comfortable. When I'm done, I'm done. The HVAC guys get customers for life.

Son-In-Law does very well as a union pipeline welder working for local utility sub-contractors.

One of the keys to working in the trades (any career field actually) is work to be the best you that can at what you do. Show up at work, ready to work, when it's time to work. Become known as "that guy" who will get the job done, right, come hell or high water.

And it's not all fleet. The Seabees have all of the construction trades represented.

Great advice!

Got hired one time and at the interview, the boss told me I had the job and they started at 7 am. Then he said he was going to give me my first job assignment...... be on time and ready to go to work at 7 am.

Now days, if he can pass the pisstest he's in.

Electrical Engineering if interested in a degree. Electrician/instrumentation. Always in demand.

Something thats not easy for anyone to get into. Something that you can make enough money to be happy but that doesn't monopolize your life.
Something that you can change locations if you want to but not have to start over. Something you enjoy doing. If I was 21 I would use this as a criteria.

Hvac.

Work 5-10 years then start his own business. Retire at 50.

Yep! Always in demand....people are dying to see you! memtb

It sure helps if you like what you do!

Aviation mechanic would be excellent if the young man is especially talented.

Who smart is he?

Does he want a traditional trade or a modern trade?

If he's normal smart, there's a lot of good advice in this thread. Industrial HVAC, Electrical and Plumbing pay very well around here.

If he's on the bright side and wants a modern trade that is best achieved with after a 4 year degree, I'd suggest Data Base administration, or some kind of engineering, Petroleum, civil, electrical. If he likes math, there's a hugh demand right now for good Data Scientist as well.

Son in law works as VP of a large hospital group. Makes good money, but his big bucks come from his construction business. He is licensed as a General contractor, and also as a Plumbing contractor. He does very well.

Dumbest thing he could do is go into a trade because of money!!! Smartest thing he could do is the trade that he most likes doing, then the money will come. My advice would be for him to work with a few different contractors and see what appeals to him. Although they all require working with your hands, they are not all the same. If it appeals to him, HVAC would be the best because their pricing is protected. Carpentry would be the worst for money because any homeowner can buy a hammer and nails and after 20 minutes on YouTube they have it mastered, so nobody wants to pay carpenters. On the other hand most homeowners don't even know what an A coil is or where it goes. Electricians and plumbers are also good choices.
In todays environment, if he shows up on time, works hard and listens well, he will rise to the top in no time at all because there is almost NO competition. Young guys these days are lazy, show up late, have no ambition and want to be on their phone all day texting. If he has some work ethic and can stay off his phone, somebody will appreciate him greatly.

I have had my own business doing residential remodeling and building for 15 years and trust me, good workers are hard to find!

Industrial electrician would be a GREAT career path. Always in high demand and pays extremely well. Electrical apprentices learn on the job and get paid to do so---no student loans to repay.
A very close second would be an instrumentation tech. Again, great wages and demand.
A two year course in instrumentation technology from Perry Technical Institute in Yakima Washington (cost--about $40K) is among the very best programs available and, if the student is performing well he/she will most likely have a good job before graduation. Wages will probably start at $50-60K+ per year and could easily be over $100K within 5 years. Recruiters fly into Yakima from all over the world on a regular basis recruiting candidates.

Diesel mechanic.

Sales.