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

Pilot
Doesn't take a degree and the future is bright. There is a huge shortage expected for the immediate future and there will be plenty of opportunity for advancement.

Electrician like many have said, or even aircraft related electrical...other than that a cosmetic surgeon
cause the world is full of vanity. ..

Gun Fighter.

Don't figure this is for everyone, but, this career path (although, never planned) has worked well. Learned what hard work was down on the farm and in the mines, couldn't see it as a lifetime career and I guess Uncle Sugar agreed as I was offered the opportunity to learn a new trade and experiences. Employer and myself realized that I had an aptitude and enthusiasm for the job, thus, I eagerly pursued all available training and assignments. Once I returned to my former life, with the assistance of a kindly judge, I came to realization, that civilian life wasn't for me. Went back into the military and truly tested my capabilities and limitations, deployed more than I was home. Retired after 20 and became a Federal Air Marshal, tuff assignment on the family, away from home averaging 270 nights a year. Left the FAM and joined the Alaska State Troopers , retired and then went back to work OGA contractor. Yes, I missed most of the time when my kids were growing up, when I was there, I was usually hurt or injured, but, still got the same good women who has stuck by me all these years. Been shot 4 times, umpteen surgeries, still driving on, current pay = 2K a day, pay my own way, security detail. Yes, it is ridiculous money for a simple pilgrim. Took me a long time to reach this level and ain't much job security, it has been a hell of a ride. Always regret the time away from the family, says the man who made his living with a gun.

Handyman or industrial sales.

Handyman is actually the best, IMO. People have a lot of disposable income and zero capability IME. Simple jobs are impossible to get done. Replace a door, replace 1 piece of siding, fix a leaky door, rekey locks, finish a homeowners patio project, change out damaged vents, basic appliance repair, etc. Simple things that nobody knows how to do. Get on next door for your area. It is literally $100 here, $100 there....people need help.


Industrial Sales - I mean selling for a part maker or toolmaker. In most sales jobs, the pressure to sell more is unbearable. When you are selling to OEM’s, you still have to sell, but the pressure is less because there is less opportunity to actually sell. You still often have access to corporate box seats, nice cars(some car allowance), entertainment budget, and the opportunity to make a lot of money because companies see your ability to close the deal more linked to their profit than the actual product you are selling!

Industrial Maintenance or Fabrication = This one is my favorite....with a few years of tech school....electrical, PLC programming and robot programming, get 5-10 years experience with an oem, then write your own paycheck working for a big name contractor on installs and repair jobs. Be aware, the stress while gaining experience can be high as you are often the person making stopped equipment run again....be ok answering...”why so long?” Without taking it personally!.

+1 Handyman, our neighborhood handyman is very busy often working 12hr. days 6 days a week. He has begun to specialize in kitchen and bathroom remodeling from simple countertop/fixture jobs to complete tearout/makeovers. He still does plenty of small electrical, plumbing and painting jobs to stay busy and have fill in jobs for rainy days.

I'd consider robotics.

Get an electricians license. You can't out source electrical work to China. You could work full time for a company, and you could freelance on weekends. Spend 5 hours wiring up a hot tub on Saturday and put $300 cash in your pocket.

I went to trade school, I got a paramedic license. I was a paramedic for 14 years.
I remember, working a call where a little 8 year old boy was crossing the street for the school bus stop, the pickup truck ran the school bus markers, and ran the kid over. I remember, his mother on her knees in the blood, in the street, crying, while we loaded the dead little boy up into our ambulance.
How many calls like that would you like to run?

I went to another trade school, I got a CDL. I drove over the road for 8 years. I stayed out 14 days and was home for 2 days. After 6 days on the road, I would have to do a 34 hour break. Sat in a parking lot in Laredo in 103 degree heat, for a day, couldn't drive had to reset the clock.

How many times do you want to stay out for 14 days, and do a 34 hr. reset in a hot parking lot? I mean, I was making $65 K but should have been making $95K. Really brutal job.

While I was a paramedic, 33 years ago, I went to log building school I became a master log builder, and I built the beautiful log cabin I live in.
I thought I could make a career building log cabins, but, nobody ever hired me. I am still trying to figure that one out.

I wish, when I was in my twenties I had gone to electrician school, the road is paved with gold for a young man with an electrician's license.

Although nobody ever hired me to build a log cabin, I did spend years working as a carpenter. And I am an expert carpenter. The most I ever got paid is $15 an hour. The problem is, there is no license for a carpenter. You go down to Lowes, buy a circular saw, a drop cord, and a 4 foot level and, like magic, you are a carpenter. There are so many goof offs who are willing to work cheap as a carpenter, that it has knocked the bottom out of the market. Fifteen an hour is pathetic.

Believe me, as a licensed electrician you will never see $15 an hour, more like $65. Get good at bidding a job like I said above you will be making a hundred bucks an hour.

I've been a Union Electrician for over thirty years, Local IBEW 369 and now IBEW 2100. I know a lot of people get their panties in a twist about unions here, but the pay scale and benefits are heads and shoulders above the non-union trade work in my area. Average salary is $90,000 not counting benefits like retirement annuities and medical insurance. If you like a lot of overtime, it is usually there for the people who wants it and $125,000 isn't uncommon yearly earnings. A young man that goes though the five year apprenticeship program will be paid to go to school once a week as long as he keeps his grades up and receive an Associates degree and a Master Electrician Licence when he completes his apprenticeship. It has proven to be a stable work situation, except during the Recession around 2002, but that didn't last forever and I can't remember anything like that in recent memory except for that time period. I make $42.03/hr right now and will get a $1.02 raise November 3. Pay scales and raises along with medical co-pay are negotiated for four year contracts. You know what your future holds. It has worked for me, YMMV.

Ah, if we could go back to being a senior in high school knowing what we know now....

When your nephew finds a trade that suits him and is making good money at a young age, talk to him about living below his means and saving & investing.

Most of the trades can wear a body out before the standard retirement age so it is good to have an exit strategy.

Nailed it.


I’ve long extolled the virtues of becoming an electrician to my sons. Once a journeyman for 2-3 years, start putting yourself through school to become an EE


IMO engineers with practical experience in the field can do very well, up to an including running their own firm if they have entrepreneurial desires.

Nada wrong w plumbing either, just see more healthy electricians 55+ than I do plumbers, if all a guy wants to do is just stay a tradesman

Damn good suggestion ! Guys I know in aviation concur

Tsavo,

Thank you for your service, particularly to our AST, as it’d be hard pressed for me to be more proud of that org.

In my albeit limited experience with them directly, I find it to be staffed by intelligent, compassionate folk that stand ready to do the toughest job there can be at times.

You’ve looked at it from the inside out, and for every day while with them.

Tis my fervent hope you’re as proud them as I am.

Never seen a oversupply of hvac...never...AC AHU...40+ a hour all day long..

Or skip the union bs... and finish drywall for a living... that chits a art and ALOT of folks have no clue...

We sometimes hire a plumbing contractor at work for bigger jobs we don’t have the time or equipment for. Our normal guy is more or less a one man band. I usually have to go be his gofer and I don’t mind as he’s a good guy and I can usually learn something from him.

Talking with him a while back and I asked why he didn’t have a helper or another guy running another van since he’s always swamped. He said he can’t get anyone to come work for him, nobody wants to be a plumber he says. He’s had a standing offer out for a couple years for a hand, pay is $25 an hour to start, he’ll provide the tools and training. Hasn’t had anyone stay more than a couple months. Now he’s about 60 and charges a minimum of $100 to show up plus $50-75 an hour. He’s about the only game around so what happens when he dies or retires?

To me that means that market will be ripe for the taking for a young ambitious fellow. But like the man says, seems nobody wants to be a plumber anymore. Almost seems like guys would be embarrassed to tell people they were plumbers.

Thing to remember is what another buddy of mine, who was also a plumber, told me. He said, “When someone has schit floating in their basement, they don’t care what it’s going to cost”.

Seems Electrical is mentioned A LOT here. Does anyone know anything about those 2 year college degrees where you become an "Engineering Technologist?" Can you make a decent career from not being a full engineer, but an engineering technologist instead?

Neuter Specialist

Buddy down at the local zoo is.....castrating elephants.

He says his salary isn't too good....but the TIPS ARE GREAT!!

I know about the program that was offered at my community college. It was basically a 4 year degree with all of the crap eliminated. *Very* mathematics oriented. Nobody got out of it in 2 years because the math classes were so intensive that you could only take a few classes per semester. Nobody finished in less than 3 years and most took 3.5 or 4 to get through it.

Basically, it was all of the tough classes condensed into a "2" year degree. Also, they knocked the number of credit hours down on many of the classes to keep the degree down to the generally required 55 or so credit hours,..even though it contained many more classes than most of the 2 year programs.

I don't know how it is elsewhere, but it didn't make any sense to take the 2 year mechanical engineering degree where I attended. It was just as tough as a BS degree without the benefit of having a BS degree.

Does the young man have a preference for where he wants to live? Big factor IMO.

As Bristoe mentioned, an Industrial Electrician is a good trade.... in his or my area. Kick it up a notch & be trained in Industrial Maintenance with a side of Electricity & I know of 10 places around here that would hire this week. Some of those places being big dogs of industry.
Would those same skills be a good career on the High Line? Unfortunately, never been there, so just asking.

Someone here mentioned the other side of the coin the other day; decide where you want to live & find a way to earn a living.....There. Interesting thought. I remember a sister in law & he husband moving from Fl. to N. Ohio. I ask what they were thinking. She went on to tell me that they wanted to maintain their current lifestyle(both big money makers). Smartassed me told her that that they might maintain their current salaries, but their lifestyle was about to change dramatically. One month into their second winter up there, they headed back to the sunshine at a rapid pace.

Step grandson & I had this same conversation just yesterday. It wasn't easy for me to give a solid answer. I worked in industry for so many years, & saw so many changes in technology, plus the changes in global marketing, it's hard for me to predict a solid future. Robotics are hot right now & getting bigger. But hell, 20 years from now folks could be moving/handling products telepathically. Seems far fetched, but not as much as it used to be. ??

Yes you can. The 2 year EET degree provides you with a basic understanding of electricity/electrical/electronics. From there a lot of company's will hire you and train you to their specific desired function, there are many routes you can take with that degree.