I've been considering a career change into the skilled trades, and I was wondering if anyone here has any experience in the trades? Making a career change in my 30's has forced me to seek apprenticeships opportunities where I work more brain than brawn. Any input?
Helmets to Hardhats. Great program for Vet's looking to get into the skilled trades. Good luck on your career change.
I was a welder (no flashdance joke please). Now I'm a welding engineer. Welding is a profession where the work conditions vary wildly depending on your skills. You can be lying inside the cold, wet hull of a ship with sparks threatening to catch your hair on fire or you can be sitting in a pristine lab environment aiming an electron beam. I've done both and I recommend that you choose the latter. Welding is a field where certifications mean everything. Finding ways to collect those certs can be challenging.
If you were here on the humid Gulf Coast you could become an air conditioning tech and do VERY well. :beerchug: I know a guy who gave up an engineering career to open an HVAC (heating-ventilation-air conditioning) business. Tech school, apprentice, and then a license is the normal path here.
I’ve been involved one way or another in the instrumentation and automation field most of my adult life. Good instrumentation and automation technicians, technologists and engineers are (almost) always in demand in the petro-chemical business.
I've been looking into a few: (In no particular order) Operating Engineers- Construction Inspector Sheet Metal Union- Refrigeration Mechanic Electricians Union- Data/Communications Anyone with experience in these trades please answer up. For the little I know, Construction Inspectors are in high demand and it requires more brain then brawn. Refrigeration Mechanic's (Commercial) make good money and seems like a solid gig that stays busy year round (service calls). But Data/ Communications I have no idea what that is like?
I was a massage therapist many (30 or so) years ago. I went to vocational school for 6 months (as I recall) and got the state license but didn't stay in the field. Some of my classmates got jobs on cruise ships, others in health clubs, some opened shop for themselves. Last I heard the field had a glut of massage therapists so it may be hard to find employment.
Re construction inspector: It really depends on which state you want to be an inspector in, and what type of construction inspection you want to do. There are at least 3 types of non-government construction inspectors that I have some experience with: residential, commercial and industrial. (There are also government construction inspectors, and I have some experience there but I’m not going there today.) It usually takes some training, work experience, and certifications to be an inspector – but check your state’s specific requirements for the type of inspector you are interested in becoming. If you can pass these certification exams you probably have what it takes to be an inspector :bigeyes2: International Code Council (ICC) certifications Certification and Testing
