Is California a good state to become a Carpenter ??? (San Jose: house, purchase)

[hodster]

Is California a good state to become a Carpenter ???

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by hodster

Is California a good state to become a Carpenter ???

There are a lot of illegals here. I would think that they would cut into your prospects.

[beb0p]

Most illegals don't have carpentry skill. Heavy lifting, yes; ask them to install crown moldings and they wouldn't know where to start.

The answer is: Yes, if you're good at it.
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[NorCal Dude]

If you are mexican, yes. Otherwise, forget it.

A few well connected americans do carpenter work for rich folks. But most work is done by illegals here, and the poor quality shows.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

There is plenty work for carpenters in the Bay Area.

And what's with the illegal immigrant posts???

My experience, having lived in Mexico, is that most Mexican men are very multi-talented handymen. Most learn to do all different types of work, from beautiful gardens to roofing to tile work. As with any workers, some are better or more experienced than others. But to say Mexicans only know how to do heavy lifting is simply ignorant. To put it nicely.

[NorCal Dude]

Its reality. If you see a white guy on a work sight, he is the contractor or knows the contractor.

[beb0p]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

There is plenty work for carpenters in the Bay Area.

And what's with the illegal immigrant posts???

My experience, having lived in Mexico, is that most Mexican men are very multi-talented handymen. Most learn to do all different types of work, from beautiful gardens to roofing to tile work. As with any workers, some are better or more experienced than others. But to say Mexicans only know how to do heavy lifting is simply ignorant. To put it nicely.

There is a BIG difference between handymen and carpenters. Carpentry skill is not something that a person acquires easily, at least not at a professional level. Speaking from experience, most people, regardless of ethnicity, does not have professional carpentry skill. Carpentry goes way beyond just gardening or roofing. My contractor/carpenter friends all have literally over ten hours of practice/work experience, and they all started as apprentices.

When I say heavy lifting, I'm referring to a job site. Does an average illegal immigrant knows how to frame a wall? No. Does he knows how to built a foundation? No. Does he knows how to install crown moldings? No. Does he knows how to safety remove existing structure and replace flooring? No. A group of carpenters can frame a wall to building standard in roughly 90 mins. A less skilled group can easily take half a day and the wall not to standard. That's why the contractors that I know, they hire skilled carpenters, they have no use for handymen other than to lift things.

Yes, there are illegals working in the carpentry business, but they are illegals who has carpentry skills. People with those skill, legal or not, are definitely not a dime a dozen; they are carpenters, not handymen. Bottom line is that carpentry isn't a job that anyone can do.

[otterprods]

Hard to say. There's a lot of work for skilled tradesmen, but the cost of living may not be worth it depending on what your circumstances are. For example, there's a thread going on in the San Jose forum right now where people say that things could be tight for a family of 4 on $200K a year and that you need $130-150k just to get by "livably". I don't really agree with that assessment, because I think people can get by with a lot less if they keep their lives simple and don't feel the need to purchase some absurdly overprice house right away. But it is really expensive all over the Bay Area and I definitely don't recommend moving a family there on anything less than a projected $100k base income. If course if you're single that changes things a lot especially if you're willing to have a roommate. Also if you're a dual income couple that's a different story too. Beyond the Bay Area, if you target a place like Fresno or perhaps Bakersfield, you might still find some good work and the housing will be a lot less. It's not really the most popular ideal of great CA-living, but coolness aside, the quality of life can be good in some of those places and they have great access to some of the prettiest parts of the state.