Anyone Work in Trades? Tell Me About Your Journey!

[MaksTO]

I'm sure many of you here are involved in the skilled trades, so I'm just posting to see if some of you may be willing to share some of your experiences / thoughts about the industry, how to get into it (is now even a good time to get into it?), and what I should expect and consider while making a possible transition.

After about a decade in retail, I think it's time to move on to something that can actually be considered a career. Toronto is getting expensive, and I would like to pivot to something that is marketable in many places, as I hope to not live here forever.

IT and Desk jobs don't really seem like the thing for me, and I've always loved being hands on. I honestly am quite intimidated by the sheer amount of trades that exist, though it seems HVAC is one of the more in demand ones, and I find it quite interesting. Honestly, I've done quite a bit of research online, but I have found it to be more confusing than anything else, so I am hoping to get some first hand information from people who've been in the industry for a while.

1) Are there certain trades that are more resilient to economic changes than others? I've read commercial trades often hold out a bit better during unstable times.
2) Is going to college worth it / necessary? I already have an unrelated degree that I have to pay for, and I'm not sure I can afford to not work for two weeks, let alone two years at this point + adding tens of thousands of debt to my already insane student debt.
3) Are apprenticeships still a thing people commonly do? I remember reading that Ontarios rules make it quite difficult for companies to take apprentices, and that it's quite an uphill battle.
4) How's your personal life? I'm obviously totally OK busting ass, though I would still like to have time to, you know, have a life... Experiences as far as work/life balance goes seem to vary, though from what I understand, apprenticeships are intense, and things can sort of loosen up afterwards depending on your type of work?

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of questions that I will come up with later. But I'd really appreciate any advice, warnings, or experiences that could help me make a more informed decision. I've been thinking about making a switch for about a year now, I just don't want to / can't afford to go in blind so I'm being quite cautious.

 

[油井緋色]

Not my story, but I have a friend who I hold in very high esteem in trades.

He, like every other person too cool for school, flunked out of high school because school was unengaging and too easy. His father gave him a choice at 18: go back to school, or start working on elevators. He went with elevators.

He spent his free time playing Diablo 2 and WoW (which eventually led to him finding a super hot Asian chick on Diablo 2, who is now his wife), and synergizing the problem solving/optimization skills above with whatever he was learning in trade school. He got his first house at 22 while most of us were fumbling our way through a useless degree or getting raped by graduate studies.

I met him in my late 20s. He was also late 20s. He's always held software development in high esteem so we became friends very fast; I also realized talking to him that trades and software development have a **** ton in common. When we talked about salaries, I was absolutely stunned: he was making $60k early 20s. Now he's regularly pulling $200k if he does overtime (on call, he can say no but his desire to do a good job when no one else is around exceeds his laziness often.) His wife, that girl he met on Diablo 2, makes $130k~ (unconfirmed, but very likely because I like snooping ppl's salaries lol.) He is the only friend I know who has a fully paid off house.

Throughout the years he's had enough free time that we've hit end game on extremely technical (aka. not for casuals who have no time) games like Monster Hunter World, Dark Souls, and generally hard af indie games where we've spent thousands of hours on. He is now a father....so he's disappeared lol

You can get a sense of the amount of $$$, hours, and free time he has from the above.

 

[MaksTO]

Not my story, but I have a friend who I hold in very high esteem in trades.

He, like every other person too cool for school, flunked out of high school because school was unengaging and too easy. His father gave him a choice at 18: go back to school, or start working on elevators. He went with elevators.

He spent his free time playing Diablo 2 and WoW (which eventually led to him finding a super hot Asian chick on Diablo 2, who is now his wife), and synergizing the problem solving/optimization skills above with whatever he was learning in trade school. He got his first house at 22 while most of us were fumbling our way through a useless degree or getting raped by graduate studies.

I met him in my late 20s. He was also late 20s. He's always held software development in high esteem so we became friends very fast; I also realized talking to him that trades and software development have a **** ton in common. When we talked about salaries, I was absolutely stunned: he was making $60k early 20s. Now he's regularly pulling $200k if he does overtime (on call, he can say no but his desire to do a good job when no one else is around exceeds his laziness often.) His wife, that girl he met on Diablo 2, makes $130k~ (unconfirmed, but very likely because I like snooping ppl's salaries lol.) He is the only friend I know who has a fully paid off house.

Throughout the years he's had enough free time that we've hit end game on extremely technical (aka. not for casuals who have no time) games like Monster Hunter World, Dark Souls, and generally hard af indie games where we've spent thousands of hours on. He is now a father....so he's disappeared lol

You can get a sense of the amount of $$$, hours, and free time he has from the above.

Sounds awesome!

If I recall correctly, elevating technician is one of the highest paid trades, for obvious reasons…

 

[Mad Mike]

I'm not a tradesman but I have over the years employed lots of trades, two of my kids are tradesmen, one practicing, the other moved on to run a business that supplies HVAC and Plumbing trades.

There are lots of trades. Like most professions, the uglier and tougher work and trades with higher barriers to entry tend to pay more. For example, a machinist makes about $25/hr, a heavy equipment operator in a fly-in camp might make $80.

The tradesmen I know that make the most are in home service trades, typically self employed and not red seal tradesmen. When my kid was in university he was a Pool Technician, he pulled in $28/hr in his last year. My oldest kid does carpet cleaning/restoration - it's hard work lugging heavy machines around - but he makes an insane amount of money.

For any career change, it's always best to pick something you would really like to do OR something you are really good at. Think carefully about doing a compulsory trade (the red seal ones) as you can't practice alone until you reach journeyman.

 

[backmarkerducati]

Not in the trades myself but I know quote a few people (friends and family) who are. My impressions:

• Trades that require papers (Journeyman) to work in tend to be better off (electrician, plumber, etc.) vs say drywaller as they have a barrier to entry which drives up the pay.
• These trades require an apprenticeship and some schooling throughout to get your "papers", typically takes about four years.
• Doing a realted College diploma might help you get the green apprenticeship job (which is important) but it does very little to help you get your papers. In many cases I know it got them exactly zero towards certification other than the already having knowledge....
• Getting hired as an totally green apprentice as an outsider can be tough at times, lots of cousin, friend or friend, etc.
• Lots of guys in trades have very poor business sense, specially early on. Having some smarts here can really get you ahead.
• As for hours, well it depends if you end up doing construction work (fixed hours) or break repair (all hours).
• When thinking about it also think about how you will age out in said trade, some can be very tough on the body as you get older.

 

[J_F]

I started in a trade, stayed in it and worked my way up to middle management
luckily it was a transportable skill that allowed me to travel
went mining in the second half of my career and have worked on 3 continents

certainly an apprenticeship is the best way to go
their are other paths in Ontario to get your C of Q
but without the documented hours working under a journeyperson
and the time spent to attend the schooling, the certification means less
in western Canada, Ontario trades people face tighter scrutiny in hiring
the Grandfathering concept doesn't exist out there

many trades are recession proof if you're willing to move around for work
for those that must stay in the town they grew up in
likely to be under paid your entire working life

 

[Mad Mike]

Not my story, but I have a friend who I hold in very high esteem in trades.

He, like every other person too cool for school, flunked out of high school because school was unengaging and too easy. His father gave him a choice at 18: go back to school, or start working on elevators. He went with elevators.

He spent his free time playing Diablo 2 and WoW (which eventually led to him finding a super hot Asian chick on Diablo 2, who is now his wife), and synergizing the problem solving/optimization skills above with whatever he was learning in trade school. He got his first house at 22 while most of us were fumbling our way through a useless degree or getting raped by graduate studies.

I met him in my late 20s. He was also late 20s. He's always held software development in high esteem so we became friends very fast; I also realized talking to him that trades and software development have a **** ton in common. When we talked about salaries, I was absolutely stunned: he was making $60k early 20s. Now he's regularly pulling $200k if he does overtime (on call, he can say no but his desire to do a good job when no one else is around exceeds his laziness often.) His wife, that girl he met on Diablo 2, makes $130k~ (unconfirmed, but very likely because I like snooping ppl's salaries lol.) He is the only friend I know who has a fully paid off house.

Throughout the years he's had enough free time that we've hit end game on extremely technical (aka. not for casuals who have no time) games like Monster Hunter World, Dark Souls, and generally hard af indie games where we've spent thousands of hours on. He is now a father....so he's disappeared lol

You can get a sense of the amount of $$$, hours, and free time he has from the above.

That sounds like my kid's story - the paycheck, debt free, even the Asian GF. He doesn't play video games, but he is able to play decent golf courses 3 times a week.

 

[MaksTO]

Thanks everyone for the responses so far!

Seems like finding someone close-ish to me to get a foot in is the way to go. Though I am still unsure if avoiding college is possible - I imagine many people don't want want to work with someone totally green with no experience in the field, and that college would at lease provide some background knowledge.

As far as ageing out, my retail experience has given me a pretty decent understanding of general business practices (though services and retail are obviously different beasts..), so I would love to eventually pivot to that down the line in some imaginary future. Given that I am in my mid 20s I am hoping I still have some time before my body starts failing me lol.

As far as picking something that I am good at - it's hard to know as I haven't specifically done trades jobs. I've worked with my hands my whole life, so as far as fine motor skills etc go I have no issues.

Did most people you guy know in trades get in by knowing someone first? Or did anyone pursue it via a more formal direction? Seems the former is more common?

 

[ToSlow]

If you’re willing to work hard and do a two on two off or a 7 and 7, get into the heavy equipment mechanic apprenticeship.

I was 3k underground last wk, enjoy what i do and also enjoy the money for working 6months a year,

 

[shanekingsley]

I went to uni and then worked corporate for a few years in training/development & HR, but at 29 I quit and went back to school for landscape horticulture. It’s not like some of the more higher paying trades, but it is a red seal trade. I did this because I wanted to play with plants all day and sweat and get dirty and stay in shape, all the while feeling like I had accomplished something tangible each day. I walked away from a high paying job to go back to the bottom and earning just over minimum wage. I also did a lot of side work to compensate for the loss of income.

When I went back to school for landscape horticulture, I did the apprenticeship program, but I did the first year of school and then worked for 5 years and then went back to complete the second year of schooling. Right after the second bit of school, I wrote the C of Q and passed it easily because of all my relevant work experience and the fresh theory in my head from school.
Right after getting my red seal status, I got a job with the City of Toronto and have been there ever since.

While working at the city as a seasonal gardener I got a job teaching in the same apprenticeship program I was a student at college in and did this for 6 years. That was an amazing experience which allowed me to stay really fresh with the latest theory and practical knowledge in my field.

Then I decided that I needed to get a more cerebral position, since decades of very physical work was going to catch up to me in a bad way if I didn’t have a good exit strategy. I applied and moved into a great management role at the city which makes amazing use of all my education and experience, while making exactly the money I want with a perfect work/life balance.

It’s great you are planning this out and I personally feel that if I could do it at 29 then anyone can, unless kids or other major time/financial commitments are in the picture.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[cruiserider]

If you’re willing to work hard and do a two on two off or a 7 and 7, get into the heavy equipment mechanic apprenticeship.

I was 3k underground last wk, enjoy what i do and also enjoy the money for working 6months a year,

It sounds great if you enjoy what you do - buy it is hard work. Talked to my hvac friend installing furnaces /ac units - one install/ day, mostly inside work, self employed. Some units cost him under $2K from supplier, he installs them for $4K average. Clean money.


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com mobile app

 

[Freddy F]

My personal recommendation for anyone who wants to get into the trades is to be an electrician. Although I'm not a tradesperson I have worked in that kind of environment and worked closely with trades. IMO an electrician by and large has a slightly better work environment than many, easier on the body, has reason to use his brain as much as his body, you can usually be in a union if that suits you, and there's lots of room for advancement into related careers such as automation or running your own business

 

[ToSlow]

The work i do is heavy and tiring, I beat my body every shift. The rewards by far outweighed the abuse.

I’ve always thought that when they put me in the dirt there will be nothing leftover.

She is a short ride on this side so I’m planning on kicking the **** out of it.

 

[J_F]

My personal recommendation for anyone who wants to get into the trades is to be an electrician. Although I'm not a tradesperson I have worked in that kind of environment and worked closely with trades. IMO an electrician by and large has a slightly better work environment than many, easier on the body, has reason to use his brain as much as his body, you can usually be in a union if that suits you, and there's lots of room for advancement into related careers such as automation or running your own business

an electrician will retire with an intact body and no stress
they are taught this in first year of the apprenticeship : work avoidance 101

if you want to find a way to not complete a project, ask one them
they will provide 100's of ideas why it can't be done today

they also save a lot of money over the course of their career
the tools for the job cost $30 and they only ever need to buy one pair of boots
sitting in a chair is easy on footwear...useless MF'ers

mining is great for pitting the trades against each other
and like ToSlow, I'm an old wrench
welders I have respect for, they know how to go

 

[shanekingsley]

1) Are there certain trades that are more resilient to economic changes than others? I've read commercial trades often hold out a bit better during unstable times.

One of my guiding principles to choosing which trade/career to pursue was that it could not be tied to technology and it had be something I can do almost anywhere in the world. As people who like to travel, we had visions of packing up and living in different countries when we no longer needed to take care of our parents. My wife and I wanted to be able to quit our jobs, sell everything and travel the world
Many trades are really portable and I would think trades like electrical, plumbing and hvac should be fairly resilient.

2) Is going to college worth it / necessary? I already have an unrelated degree that I have to pay for, and I'm not sure I can afford to not work for two weeks, let alone two years at this point + adding tens of thousands of debt to my already insane student debt.

When looking into apprenticeship programs check and see how much of the tuition and ancillary costs are funded by the government - this may vary from one trade to another. For me I only had to pay $600 per semester of school (8 courses), while the students in the similar diploma programs were paying around $3k per semester. We were also given tool allowances and had access to the same bursaries and grants that the diploma students had access too. Once I started teaching, I had a few apprenticeship students apply for grants that effectively paid for all their tuition and some living expenses! Not to mention that to be an apprentice we also had employers waiting for us to finish school and rejoin them in work, as opposed to non-apprenticeship grads leaving school and then having to source a job.

3) Are apprenticeships still a thing people commonly do? I remember reading that Ontarios rules make it quite difficult for companies to take apprentices, and that it's quite an uphill battle.

I can’t speak for all trades, but in my industry the government requires that employers have someone on their roster who is already certified to mentor and train the apprentice. They pay the employer a set amount per hour, per apprentice to help offset the costs of training a junior person. My understanding is that it’s not that difficult to be an employer sponsor in my industry. If I didn’t leave the private sector, I would definitely be a business owner and sponsoring apprenticeship students.

4) How's your personal life? I'm obviously totally OK busting ass, though I would still like to have time to, you know, have a life... Experiences as far as work/life balance goes seem to vary, though from what I understand, apprenticeships are intense, and things can sort of loosen up afterwards depending on your type of work?

At the beginning, I basically worked around 12hr days, 5 days a week. I refused to work weekends if I was already working 60hrs during the week, because I had family commitments. As time went on in the private industry, my hours stayed the same but my wages went up with experience. Unfortunately I had very little time to spend my money, but that came in handy when I was making less in the winters. Given the seasonal nature of my industry, I volunteered at food banks in the winters for the first couple winters and then started going back to school and taking many distance courses through Guelph University and others.
After 5 years of 60 hour work weeks, I joined the city and went down to 40 hour work weeks, which gave me the opportunity to do more private work during evenings/weekends and really make some good coin, plus take on some very interesting jobs. After 10 years I stopped all the extra work and the work/life balance is amazing. The best part about trades is that if you want to move into management you can later on and your employees will respect you, because they know you did your time in the field. And management peers will respond to you well and respect you because they also know you worked your way up and have a depth of knowledge that many in management may not have.

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of questions that I will come up with later. But I'd really appreciate any advice, warnings, or experiences that could help me make a more informed decision. I've been thinking about making a switch for about a year now, I just don't want to / can't afford to go in blind so I'm being quite cautious.

Good questions and hope that you find the path that gives you what you are looking for!

 

[mimico_polak]

Trades are the way to go in a lot of the options out there. I’m fairly ****** at my old manager that he didn’t hire me as a trade foreman instead of an engineer. 2x the cash.

want easy money? Get into Liuna 183 and get into one of the 4 big underground jobs in the GTA. MINIMUM 150k/year to throw a shovel. Minimum 10-15 years of work.

outside of that….HVAC, electrician, plumber will always be in demand. Each one depends on what you want out of it.you don’t make money being in the trade…you make money running the trade.

Also, the only trades I would consider is something that requires training, everybody and their brother are painters when the **** hits the fan…and you don’t want to compete against the $100/room guys…get into something you actually need to graduate in. The higher the barrier to entry the higher the money.

 

[Hardwrkr13]

More information on how to get the hot Asian GF bringing in $130k a year please.

 

[Mad Mike]

Trades are the way to go in a lot of the options out there. I’m fairly ****** at my old manager that he didn’t hire me as a trade foreman instead of an engineer. 2x the cash.

want easy money? Get into Liuna 183 and get into one of the 4 big underground jobs in the GTA. MINIMUM 150k/year to throw a shovel. Minimum 10-15 years of work.

outside of that….HVAC, electrician, plumber will always be in demand. Each one depends on what you want out of it.you don’t make money being in the trade…you make money running the trade.

Also, the only trades I would consider is something that requires training, everybody and their brother are painters when the **** hits the fan…and you don’t want to compete against the $100/room guys…get into something you actually need to graduate in. The higher the barrier to entry the higher the money.

I’m not sure red seal trades are the only option. We had 3 electricians refitting our new factory, the are union guys and make good money, but they are not busy - they are getting 20-30 hours a week right now at $42/hr.

Voluntary trades are really in demand, no certificates required , you get work and paid according to your capability. My kid cleans carpets, Covid locked him out of a lot of jobs, he managed $3k a week during tough times, his biggest complaint today is there is no time for golf - jobs booked out 6 weeks at $1000/day. His guys are earning $400/day for a 40 hr m-f 8-4 work week.

That said, most carpet cleaning techs make $17-20/hr - they need 1 day to learn steam cleaning. The ones who learn how to use commercial equipment AND develop customer service skills can make $40/hr. If they are bright enough to get a van and $10 in gear, that can be $100/hr.

Another young fellow I know does construction cleaning, either after a building Reno or when companies move out of a leased premise, he pulls $100/hr too and is booked solid.

Both these guys way out earn any electrician, mechanic or plumber. The work is physical, they need customer service skills and have to do quality work… they don’t need a ticket. They are pulling in $3-4k a week after expenses and living comfortably.

 

[J_F]

commercial work I guess? MM?
no-one has carpet in the house anymore, gross

commercial property maintenance will be booming for awhile
dirt, filth and weeds have overgrown businesses while shuttered
things will have to get tidied up as we open up...$$$$$ to be made

 

[crankcall]

I started out in autobody . Friend of the family had a shop and i started at 11 vacuuming cars, powering a broom and picking up empties. Everyone I met in that trade were transient and usually had a drinking problem . By 16 I was painting, welding , changing panels and running the tow truck service on weekends.
It was a long time ago and this wasn't that unusual in a place like Milton Heights.
Most of my friends are/were blue collar guys and hands down , electricians that can do electronic (CNC) repair work the least and make the most, if they do not want to be self employed.
My self employed welder buddies, that are talented and very skilled and can fabricate anything make stupid money , they both specialize in architectural one offs.
I left the trades decades ago , switching to sales after a brief (very) in fabrication, welding and running a trolley crane. I really miss doing things where I can stand back and see the literal fruits of my labor. But the trades eventually were not for me. Biggest thing I pick up is a cup of coffee, and a pen. Total investment in tools ? .99cent pen.