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

there's different levels of physical therapist trng.

i've never done that, but have paid some of the bills.

I've been in welding for 30 years and it has treated me well and I really like what I do now.

That said, my two brothers are electricians and if I was 18 and starting again, I'd look really hard at being an electrician, if going the trade route. The opportunities are almost endless in the electrical field depending on what you want to specialize in.

I'm about to retire from 34 years in the Electric & Gas utility business and I can tell you from experience that many Linemen in our company make over $200,000 per year with overtime factored in. Good benefits, 401k, paid vacation etc. I think the guys who work out of the union hall make about the same with a better pension.
I also know that plumbers are about as scarce as honest politicians around here.
I think any of the major trades would allow him to work anywhere he wants.

Lots of money in Physical therapy with all the ageing baby boomers.

HVAC/Plumbing/Electrician/residential construction/CNC programming all seem to be pretty good.

as the population shifts in terms of age, training, and increasing urbanization, we're going to see more and more gov't licence involvement, and permitting.

technology will be regulated, as it is now. to get grandfathered into a license is not quite the same as qualifying for a license of any kind through the testing process.

who can we trust to administer the testing, and licensing product other than gov't? no one that i know of.

You've got to start with what the young man is wired for. Don't send a kid that's wired as a rough carpenter to program a CNC machine. Don't send a social butterfly to be a PLC programmer.

Got a nephew that designs basic electronic control equipment, base level stuff. Guy is a super nerd, always employed.... but lord, to try to have a conversation with him..... ??!!!

Got a brother in law that's an experienced carpenter with a business oriented wife (always helps to marry well...). He now specializes in kitchen installs, and clears right at $800 a day. But, he works when he's at work, and he's dam good at what he does.

Is he a social butterfly? Pharmaceutical sales, and he'll bring in $200K a year if he's good at it. Sales, in general, is the best paid profession we have. Get a few basic skills, learn the sales trade, and business to business sales is a solid career.

Healthcare? Sure, if you can deal with the bureaucracy, and that will only get worse, and worse, and worse.....

My son went back to college to be an electrical engineer. They started recruiting him his freshman year.....

elelbean,

loads and loads of good suggestions so far.

I'll go with gunzo and a couple of others. Figure out what kind of situation he wants to live in and figure out what kind of career would work in that kind of area. Then do what's necessary to achieve that dream.

Reading las's post about the person making big bucks in a major city in the South after growing up in Arctic Native villages gave me the shivers. Works great for those that like cities, and I guess some are willing to put up with the stress in order to make that kind of dough. It's not for certain folks though, and could thoroughly ruin a person's life if caught up in it and "stuck" there.

I made good money for years as a Union commercial baker, think Wonder Bread. Lived in a major metro area, had bucks to chase girls, go drinking, buy some nice fishing eqpt, a new car at age 23, and all the stuff that came with the lifestyle. Never got anywhere in life.

Changed course, decided I wanted to live in a more rural setting and earn a "decent" salary while not chasing the riches. In my case I went the University route, got a degree in a field that provided numerous opportunities to live .in some fairly remote places, working with fish which I love to do, and retire with a "decent" .gov/SS/IRA combination type income. Might like to change the final outcome a bit, as my wife ended up with a really nice paying job in a nice rural area and we ended up with a really nice piece of property and house.........but it's in California. Politically, it's not to my liking, even being in one of the, if not THE reddest county in Cali. Other than that, I'd not trade being poor for four years in college, traveling back and forth across and north/south in our great land and all the hassle of those multiple moves, living away from my wife and dogs seasonally for years, and not feeling settled until now, for all the money and retirement I would have earned staying a baker in the big cities.

For me, locality I'd want to end up at would be my highest priority if I was starting out again. Then it would be career choice, based on that. Where I live now, there's not much demand for robotics techs, but a good dental tech would find work, same as about anyone in the medical field. A licensed physical therapist, even at the assistant level could likely make a decent year round living. We're in a bit of a "dying" area industry wise, so even welding and fabrication skills are not that much in demand. Construction is a seasonal gig, as there's not much building going on here during the winter.

Another thing mentioned, is the boy a stay at home type, sees settling down and raising kids as the most important thing in life? That's going to drive some decision making then. Wanting to advance in some "trades" might involve moving long distances if employed by large companies, the Feds, or even a State agency in a big state.

I wish him the best.

Geno

One of the hot degree's here is an MS in Biostatistics. Very few finish the program because after the first year a stupid amount of money is presented to them.

HVAC and Refrigeration. Work at the commercial level.

Crane Operator, Can't believe no one has suggested it. With the new OSHA standards a greenhorn kid with a decent brain and playstation skills will pass the certification exam easier than an old school seasoned vet. Sad but true. The OSHA certification retired a bunch of the old guys and not many of the younger generation has taken up the skill. Operators are in high demand and make high dollars.

Very good trade, but imo it’s like telling someone to be a chopper pilot, another great gig, but both you need ability to walk and chew gum while whistling the Gettysburgh address 🤔🤦🏼‍♂️


Your average bear might have a tough time w those.


Course no one has mentioned security personnel at a brothel, apt to die a broke sumbitch, but oh the stories, the memories

The Water Treatment, and Wastewater Treatment field is an aging demographic. New Operators are needed badly and depending upon where you work, pay can be excellent!

The average age of an operator is rising every year. Can't blame the young people for not becoming one , the average pay is not good.

Good mention. Got a buddy in the line work end of things, makes 250k average per year, works about 8 or 9 months to do it. I am getting into it as we speak. Been a multitrade contractor for years, having trouble finding decent help and the materials are getting worse as well. Sick of it, so hitting the lines. Make good money, have good bennies, and make some friends. Looking into the transmission end, so will probably see some good country as well. What’s not to like? Lots of young men could do it and retire at 50 with a great pension, lots of assets, and good health insurance. Makes healthcare look like a sweatshop by comparison when you look at schooling required vs. pay received. And a whole raft of guys fixing to retire in the field makes it a great choice as well. No matter what, everybody has an interest in keeping the lights on, and guys who will work and can think will be pretty much writing their own check in the years ahead. Let the soy boys work the nursing homes and burger joints, a kid with some brains and brawn, as well as a work ethic, belongs in the trades. They all need him.

The medical field offers a vast array of career opportunities. It is a challenging, constantly evolving profession that offers upward mobility and lets you choose where and how you want live. It is probably best to avoid it if not highly motivated and comfortable w/ being elbow deep in other folks' icky stuff.


mike r

Nursing Informaticist is one such medical field specialty, and no,"elbow deep in other people's icky stuff", involved either.

So many post discussing union wages. Will the unions last? I've worked for 2 companies that had moved to get away from the union. I've worked for others that plainly said if the place went union they would close the doors or move. This includes one privately owned company that said no one, not any body would tell him how much to pay his workers. The doors would be closed & the company would cease to exist. This was not a back alley welding shop. It was a globally recognized manufacturer with a 150 employees.
Another company not accepting the union is maybe one of the largest manufacturers in the..... world. They told the employees; don't do it.

Not trying to start a pro/con union discussion. Just my thoughts on the future of them.

HVAC, electrical, plumbing.

very true the proof being some pastors really know how to herd them in and strike it very rich.

another would be lucrative arms /ammunition sales to supply gov. requirements when arming rebels
for proxy wars and the like...through such circles you could end with ones fingers in other pies as well.

one could end up in some strange unexpected places meeting all kinds of weird and wonderful folk
and really open ones eyes to the world.