The better skilled trades jobs are more selective than often thought

[ucbalumnus]

Sometimes, on these forums, there are people suggesting the skilled trades as an alternative to going to college to study for a bachelor’s degree. But the better skilled trades jobs are more selective than often thought.

So You Think You Could Be An Electrician?

@Jesse Smith in Asterisk

White-collar people often seem attuned to the differences in social status and compensation of white-collar jobs while remaining somewhat oblivious to the same internal dynamics across blue-collar jobs. Most realize that a partner at McKinsey is very different from a bank teller and that the great majority of college graduates have essentially no path toward McKinsey partnership.

But they’re often incapable of generalizing this to understanding the trades, or contrasting this against the backdrop of blue-collar employment. The median blue-collar worker isn’t in the trades at all: They’re probably a delivery driver for Amazon making roughly $40,000 per year. If lucrative trades employment is as simple as shaking the union electrician tree until a $125,000-per-year job falls out, why don’t delivery drivers simply pivot toward becoming one? The answer is that within the blue-collar status hierarchy, the union electrician is much closer to the McKinsey partner than the bank teller.

Trades jobs are generally among the best blue-collar jobs, and within the trades, specialized union jobs are especially coveted. These jobs are less accessible to people on the lower end of the blue-collar hierarchy. They often require training, social connections, certifications and licensing, and technical competence. I asked several acquaintances in union trades about the selection process for their jobs. Each described an initial process with 100 to 200 candidates, followed by testing and interviews that winnowed the field to one to two dozen. The final selection of between four and eight job entrants was less clear but appeared to include a mix of connections, previous credentials such as military service, and measured ability.

[AustenNut]

Thank you for sharing this, @ucbalumnus.

Additionally, some of the salaries reported are often for people closer to the right tail than not. The 2025 median pay for some of the most commonly mentioned trades are:

• Carpenters: $60,580/year or $29.12 per hour
• Electricians: $63,190/year or $30.38 per hour
• Plumbers: $63,800/year or $30.67 per hour

Info was sourced from the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the feds’ Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Carpenters

Electricians

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

[2plustrio]

In our area, it is not easy at all to get an apprenticeship. Our high school has been increasing the dual enrollment with a local tech school the last few years to try to help. But it also has felt like if you didnt choose that path in high school (the trade route with dual enrollment), that after hs graduation its about impossible to find a way in. People also need to understand that getting into the skilled trades may require a few years of low salary (often without benefits) and long hours. Sure my son’s buddies are now 4-5 years post hs grad making more money but they are also expected to work 60 plus hours a week. Most of them were making only $16-18/hr for training for a few years. Many of the trades are requiring passing math tests or other academic requirements so kids who were challenged in certain areas may still struggle to get hired.

I’m a huge supporter of the trades but it isn’t easy, it isn’t simple, it’s still a 4 plus year often process with long hours and even perhaps school/classes that isn’t for everyone.

[kelsmom]

My S’s bandmate is an electrician, and he is earning a ridiculous amount of money right now. But that’s because he is working on data center construction, working SO MANY hours, SO MANY days in a row. It’s not sustainable, either physically (he’s still in his mid-30’s) or from the standpoint of the jobs continuing in the future (once the place is built, the need for electricians drops). Another friend is in HVAC, and it didn’t take him long to realize that crawling around in ductwork was incredibly hard on his body. He now works servicing ice machines for businesses - less lucrative than the stats for HVAC workers would indicate, but more sustainable for him long term.

Just like the assembly line jobs that our grandparents and parents took because they paid well - especially with the overtime that was once standard - the jobs aren’t all sunshine and roses. They can provide a good living, but they don’t necessarily pay what people think & they can be more difficult as the body ages.

[anotheroboemom]

A close friend of mine owns a company and specializes in underwater salvage and construction. He has been doing this type of work for 40 years, his son works with him.

He cannot find enough qualified workers to fill the positions he needs to take on new contracts. These highly skilled workers make close to $200K per year. They are certified and highly trained in diving, underwater welding, boat and crane operation, etc.

He tells me he has always loved his work but it is hard on the body and family life. So many stories of working in storms, welding underwater at night, working in horrible conditions with crocodiles or contaminated water.

I have such respect for what he has done in his life. He seems to thrive with this type of work and with the responsibility of keeping the job and his workers safe.

Absolutely could not fathom doing this kind of job for any amount of money!

[Mwfan1921]

I don’t think people appreciate how hard some of these jobs are physically…many of them ultimately take a toll on many workers’ bodies. Knees, hips, etc etc. Many people once they are 50+ (some even earlier) can’t physically do the job anymore.

[fiftyfifty1]

It’s definitely location dependent too. Right now, where I am located, there is a severe shortage of pipefitters, and so yes I know a number of them that make $200K/yr. But they also work really hard, and the conditions vary a lot. Some of the pipefitter jobs are more computer oriented, others involve driving 2 hours to spend the next 8 hours welding in a crawl space in 90 deg weather. And the apprenticeship is long, and you get stuck with the worst jobs. Access to pipefitting where I live has also been very white. It is changing but older members will admit that non-white applicants were kept out.