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This issue has been around for some time now. It's a crisis observed in most trade dependent industries. Gen Z-eers don't seem interested in trades such as plumbers or electricians. It's no different in the field of power generation. We cannot find young persons interested in the trade to replace the next group of retirees. During the past 4 years I've twice been introduced to 20-something year-old men in need of a job with a good income and benefits. Unfortunately, their interest was lost when I explained the challenges of the job such as rotating days off, shift work, and potential day-to-day stress.
Some people ought not forget that many trade jobs (e.g., Nurses, Firefighters, Law Enforcement, Power Plant Operators, Electrical Grid Load Dispatchers, Linemen, Substation Operators, Wastewater Treatment Operators, etc.) do pay well specifically because they are challenging.
Well, the way we are treating cops.......who would want to be in that job?
I'm in my early 50s now, the friends I had in the trades in my 20s did not end up well. They made good money for a bit, but the ups and downs were rough, and the impacts on their bodies of 25 years of physical labor was not kind. Not worth the money, except for one buddy that carved out a specialty in servicing tornado warning sirens which he finds pretty cushy.
Yeah there are a lot of jobs similar to your friend that did the tornado alarm stuff. A little more technical/technology based, but still hands on and trade adjacent. Building automation, residential automation, industrial automation, elevator, fire protection, security and access control, HVAC, residential and commercial A/V systems, res and commercial networking. Can still get into these with an apprenticeship, certificates, and/or 2yr degree. Or I knew lots of folks that transitioned to stuff like this out of the military. Decent to very good paying jobs. Not so tough on the body as roofer or pipe fitter.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Originally Posted by simplechamp
Yeah there are a lot of jobs similar to your friend that did the tornado alarm stuff. A little more technical/technology based, but still hands on and trade adjacent. Building automation, residential automation, industrial automation, elevator, fire protection, security and access control, HVAC, residential and commercial A/V systems, res and commercial networking. Can still get into these with an apprenticeship, certificates, and/or 2yr degree. Or I knew lots of folks that transitioned to stuff like this out of the military. Decent to very good paying jobs. Not so tough on the body as roofer or pipe fitter.
Yeah, incidently the buddy I mentioned was military too. Maybe that's the key, finding a slightly more specialized niche.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Originally Posted by Haksel257
This is true, and many blue collar workers have lifestyle-related health problems, particularly smoking, alcohol, and poor diet.
That being said, roofing/roof repair was brutal and I will never do that again. I've done other hard labor, and it seems like a breeze in comparison IMO. Heat is hard to counter.
Eh, none of the ones I knew smoked (don't think I know anyone that does?), but several were SxE so drinking wasn't an issue at all. Just the physical wear and tear. Especially true with the plumbers.
This thread made me wonder whether tradespeople (plumbers, electricians, carpenters) encourage their children to go into their trade. My brother was a deputy sheriff and neither of his sons followed that career.
Great-grandfather was a mason and his only son did not follow that. My grandfather (different person) worked for city sanitation and his only son did not go into anything similar.
Most parents want their children to do as well or better in their careers. There must be a reason tradespeople aren't mutli-generational.
Money isn't the only factor. Other things to consider:
Do you want to be doing this 20 years from now?
Does this career path fulfill you intellectually and emotionally?
Doing a trade, to me, would just be trading time for money. Yes, you would get substantially more money than you would working at retail or food service, but the premise is still the same: doing a job that doesn't really stimulate me intellectually or creatively just to get money. But just with more money.
This thread made me wonder whether tradespeople (plumbers, electricians, carpenters) encourage their children to go into their trade. My brother was a deputy sheriff and neither of his sons followed that career.
Great-grandfather was a mason and his only son did not follow that. My grandfather (different person) worked for city sanitation and his only son did not go into anything similar.
Most parents want their children to do as well or better in their careers. There must be a reason tradespeople aren't mutli-generational.
The power plant where I work does summer internships for university students. A lot of the kids that come through are kids of plant tradespeople, equipment operators, etc. A lot of them get hired into the company once they graduate. Conversely I don't see a lot of their kids coming on as trades and operations. A few but maybe 1:10 compared to college interns.
I think you're right and as others have pointed out here: the trades can be lucrative, a solid honest living. But can also be very demanding on the body, long hours, noisy/dirty environments. Can be high exposure to downtime and layoffs, depending on industry/field.
Although I will say I think the concept of wanting your kids to "have it better" by getting an education has changed. Particularly with the cost of college and all the student loan controversy going on.
One thing that is probably get lost in the shuffle is how geographically available trades positions are vs. white collar jobs.
I work in IT. I've been 90%+ remote since 2020. With that said, there are really two local large employers for IT people here - a Fortune 500 chemical company and a regional hospital system. There are a smattering of jobs in the local banks/credit union, governments/universities, the VA hospital, and whatever else you can dredge up.
If you want "real money," you're basically having to move. Tradespeople generally make much more than most college graduates around here.
Trades are geographically diverse, needed everywhere. White collar jobs are disproportionately concentrated in major metro areas.
A larger percentage of Boomers was working labour work, and they worked very hard. They wanted to save money and encourage their children to go to college, university, to have degrees, so they (the children) could work in the office, to have nice professional jobs with high pay. The Boomers dreamed for their children to have a better life than they did, not to have to work so hard and have good pay, like those white colour workers in the old days. Now, millions and millions of young people graduated college/university. They think they have degrees, so they don't have to work labour work like their parents. But millions of them cannot get the jobs they like/want due to supplies and demands. Most of them are not interested in labour work.
A larger percentage of Boomers was working labour work, and they worked very hard. They wanted to save money and encourage their children to go to college, university, to have degrees, so they (the children) could work in the office, to have nice professional jobs with high pay. The Boomers dreamed for their children to have a better life than they did, not to have to work so hard and have good pay, like those white colour workers in the old days. Now, millions and millions of young people graduated college/university. They think they have degrees, so they don't have to work labour work like their parents. But millions of them cannot get the jobs they like/want due to supplies and demands. Most of them are not interested in labour work.
My girlfriend's son is nearly 400 lbs. and just got his CDL. His dad works for the power company, and helped him get on. He's making about $25/hr just driving a bucket truck. It's all up from there.
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