Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What Blue Collar Trade Would You Consider?

Rancher, Jack of all trades Rio7

From the OP's original list, I've done shorts stints working in a couple of those fields, sometimes as a helper type. And I done some of them around the places i've worked and lived as needed or for "recreational" purposes. I'm hoping the Adult Ed people offer the welding class again this coming fall as I didn't learn enough in a partial school year this past winter and spring. I'd like to know more just for personal purposes.

The knowledge I've gained has led me to determine I'd not really like to do any of them on a full time employment basis.

Keeping fish alive and/or growing them is much more to my liking. Research fish work is fun too.Even in near freezing water, with snow falling around you, or walking 4-5 miles up creeks and rivers in hip boots when it's 100F beats the heck out of crawling around in oily dirt changing cylinders on a backhoe, or going under a house to fix a leaky sewer drain pipe.

And electrician? Nope, about the only thing I"m sure about when it comes to electricity is that if you do something wrong it shocks the scheidt out of you.

I guess I don't really consider skilled trades "blue collar". There's as much to learn for those skill sets as there is for mgmt types that go to college for a degree. I think that term came to be after WWII when folks either wore suit and tie to work or a "uniform" of sorts - not about what it took to learn how to do the job.

My one grandfather had a heavy equipment business. He said the world will always need ditch diggers - his was just on a way bigger scale. My other grandfather had a heating business and brother, business was good. He spent the better part of 3 decades switching folks from coal and heating oil to forced air. AC hadn't quite started when he retired. I should've done either of those businesses. It was there for taking (buying), but I have no regrets.

I was a Mech. contractor in Maine for 34 yrs.

Our main work was supermarket refrigeration, HVAC - commercial only
Never, ever had any slow periods. Maintenance, time and material,
new construction. Pay scale for this part of the HVAC trade is thru
the roof.

Quit this part of the trade, started teaching at a Maine Comm. College
for 11 yrs. Taught commercial ref., HVAC [heat pumps, gas fired
equipment] and the Electrical side of the trade.

Any one of my students that was motivated, wanted to work in this trade
had contractors, sub-contractors hiring them in the 2nd half of the year,
offers of hr. wages, benefits, company truck, GAS CARD, starting the week
school ended.

Every semester, a percentage of my students were college graduates with
degrees they could not make a decent living with. Generally around 30 yrs. old

Occasionally, there was a female student, straight A's, hard worker in the shop.

Damn good money in sweating for a living... IF you have good business savvy.

Welder by trade. I have owned my business for 17 years.

Would like to be a cabinet builder, a good one.

Welder. Make tons of money, die early at 50 in a brand spanking new Vett, going 200mph with a hooker in your lap and a nose full of blow.

In all seriousness, welders run the gambit. The real money in welding is in highly skilled repair work. Things that require you to spend 4x as much time thinking and doing complex math than actual welding.

Today I started a machining course at Lincoln Tech. I'm already retired and have a good pension. I'm getting awfully picky in my old age. I won't be working like a slave in a sweaty machine shop after school each night.

Worked in the concrete and construction trades for 40 years.

I've worked in most of the trades listed. I've always thought HVAC and/or electrician would be an excellent trade for a young go-getter.

Horses cattle farming around as a second job for the last few decades. Did auto body work as a second the first 10 years until the chemicals got to me. Paid off the first house with that gig. My full time job with benefits is multi craft Industrial Maintenance/Electronic Tech that gig has paid a lot of bills. Do gunsmith work when its too hot or cold outside. Always something to be done....Its been a good life so far. Lord willing I'll just be a cowboy when I grow up ...grin

I did my own kitchen, built the counter top, tiled , but I bought the cabinets. Installed the sink as well.

About a year later the case iron cracked into the main. Plumber time. The guys asked who plumbed the sink. (I added a clean out plug.)
He said , "Want a job". These guys worked for a local plumber, never out of work. The union guys are out up to 6 weeks.

Turned out hubless is easier than plastic.

BUT I'd probably pick welder

Pipefitter/Steamfitter
Welder
Those are what I did for over 49 years

I would pick electrical, plumbing, welding with the intention to continue education and certification to rapidly upgrade to being an inspector and/or building department code guy.


On the other hand, I’ve been trying to interest an 18 year old grandson in a GIS career.

He is a computer geek and has no interest in hands-on real world occupations like plumbing, electrical, machinist, etc.

The GIS world is massive with many specialties.

There are good paying job openings everywhere.

As I told him, go look at GPSWorld.com to see the vast depth and breadth of GIS.

Google “GIS”, Trimble, Geolocation, surveying, mapping, navigation, etc.

Look up the “online geospatial education program office”.

Go to glassdoor.com and look for “GIS jobs”.

Alas, I think he plans to just keep living in his parents basement for free and earn pin money with DoorDash jobs.

I think it's funny that questions like this are even asked and I believe it stems from three generations of "You can be whatever you want to be."

No, you can't. You pursue whatever it is you're driven to pursue with the ultimate goal being the money in your pocket. The specific trade is irrelevant.

You think electricians have it any worse than HVAC guys? Plumbers vs concrete? Welder vs pulling freight for JB Hunt? Get the fugk outta here. It all fugking sucks and it's all back breaking work when you're low man. But when your goal is money in your pocket to do and choose what you wish, you don't give a fugk. Because that's what blue collar is all about.

I would never help a young person figure out what it is they want to do in life and that includes my own kids. America is capitalism. Capitalism is the pursuit of money.

firefighter/ Paramedic/PA. Good $ working anywhere in the world you wish while having fun.


mike r

Inspectors and building code guys make less than site foremen, on average. I don't know how to say that without sounding like an officious prick, but thats what it is.

I'd say equipment operator. Only because I enjoy the hell out of it doing it on weekends. If I didn't have so much crap to do on weekends, I could make decent money with quite a few friends that need work done.

Something that requires a license or something to protect your pay from the brutality of a truly free market.

I had a Hard Hat on for 35 years, did everything in the Steel Business. I have been a Rancher on family land for 12 years, work hard and stay strong, I’m proud I’ve worked with my hands and head and have all my fingers!