Thinking about going to school for a trade

[03CVLX]

I am considering going to school for a trade, and I know some of you guys work in these fields. Looking to gain some knowledge on where to start, what pay is while in training/school, etc.

Considering

Electrician maybe Plumbing, also open to other suggestions. Any help anyone can give would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Tom

[Korndogg]

Now is not the best time to get into the trades. You might be waiting on a list for a while to get in anywhere. It seems like companies are starting to build a decent amount again though and it looks like it may be picking up finally again. I am actually going back to work on Monday. I've been laid off since Oct and I worked 4 months last year with 3 different companies. Hopefully I can stick with this one for a while.

I'm a steamfitter by the way. If you have any specific questions you can PM me if you want. I love my job when I'm actually working because I get to see some really cool things.

[03CVLX]

Thanks, Korn. I will PM you for more info if you go that route. I stumbled across info for Airline mechanic and some of the school programs offered. It looks really interesting. Anyone ever looked into that before?

If I go this route, I may relocate to Clearwater, FL and go to school for 14 months and then take the FAA certification courses. It's mostly all hands on and I am getting sick of wasting my life behind a desk.





Now is not the best time to get into the trades. You might be waiting on a list for a while to get in anywhere. It seems like companies are starting to build a decent amount again though and it looks like it may be picking up finally again. I am actually going back to work on Monday. I've been laid off since Oct and I worked 4 months last year with 3 different companies. Hopefully I can stick with this one for a while.

I'm a steamfitter by the way. If you have any specific questions you can PM me if you want. I love my job when I'm actually working because I get to see some really cool things.

[Prince Valiant]

I have a friend who is in the aviation mechanic program at MATC, and he really seems to like it. Never sure of the market for such a skill, though the mechanics at timmerman always seemed to have steady work.

There also seemed to be a healthy number of certified aviation mechanics that did side work...the mechanic my brother used was a Northwest mechanic who on the side drove around to smaller airports to do maintenance/repair work on private planes since ONLY the owner can work on the plane (IE, I couldn't change the oil on my brother's plane legally) -OR- a licensed mechanic had to do it and sign off on it in the logs; and there was plenty of work that *only* a licensed mechanic could do. But my brother's guy was probably pulling in 500/wk just in side work too, on top of what he was making from northwest.

It certainly didn't seem to be as big a headache as many working on many modern cars is. To work on the engine you take the nose piece off and everything is sitting out in front of you, in the open. Engines are built to be ridiculously simple and straight forward, as is most all the control systems.

But Mark is right...it's a great time to be in a trade and learn a particular skill that can't necessarily be easily duplicated nor "outsourced" as some like say. The sad thing is is that most high schools do a poor job of readying people for trade jobs and sadly push most students to traditional colleges whether they're cut out for it or not....but that works to your advantage.

[nismodave]

Going into the trades right now is stupid....Go into anything with computers.

[animal]

Seems like I always see jobs for welders. Might be something to look in to but could also mean the work sucks ass. Also cnc machinist jobs seem to be all over the place too.

[Korndogg]

The reason you see a lot of jobs for welders is that places are expanding and also a lot of the welders are old guys retiring.

[Lash]

Plus bench welding the same parts all day sucks.

At least some position welds would mix it up a little.....a little.

[-stew-]

If you want to move and you want to work on planes, join the military. 14 months of school in Florida sounds expensive and it may not do dick shit to get you a job. "14 months Hands on training in school" is just 14 months of school to an employer; it doesn't stack up well against "I did 4 years in the Army working on Blackhawks."

[jbiscuit]

I can tell you I work for a large commercial construction manager and yea business is finally starting to pick back up. But we have guys lined up ready to get back to work. So I'd be careful which trade you chose. Guys like carpenters and masons have been sitting on the sidelines for awhile. Or they come back to work for a few weeks and then sit again for
3 months.

[spooln30]

What ever you pick don't choice to become a auto mechanic. You will destroy your body and almost every mechanic I know including myself have something fucked up. Pick something that is easy on your body.

[TheRX7Project]

My step brother is an aviation mechanic for Delta, he makes buku bucks. He did have to move to Atlanta however.

As stated now is not the time to get into the trades. It's been 7 years since I got out (well, technically I was forced out due to the housing crash) and I don't know many tradesmen who are working steadily. Also the trades are by no means easy on your body. You might make good money but unless you are in top physical condition you will destroy your knees or back. However if you want a skill for *side jobs*, knowing a trade is great.

It seems to me there is ALWAYS work for CNC machinists. If I was going to go to school right now it would be for CNC machining.

[pOrk]

CNC machining is hardly worth going to school for, get a job at a factory and get trained for free. Pay is ok but takes awhile to get there. Tool designers are in demand and go for another year for yor engineering degree become a tooling designer / engineer and 70k a year is easy to fetch and in very high demand since manufacturing is slowly comin back to the states due to falling quality standards in china

[BOSS LX]

I would never discourage anyone from getting into the trades. Put your time in, and I guarantee it will be worth it in the future!

[Rifleman WI]

The Army is downsizing alot now also. Alot of guys were getting turned away and kicked out for petty stuff when I got out last October.


If you want to move and you want to work on planes, join the military. 14 months of school in Florida sounds expensive and it may not do dick shit to get you a job. "14 months Hands on training in school" is just 14 months of school to an employer; it doesn't stack up well against "I did 4 years in the Army working on Blackhawks."

[brotherbenn83]

What ever you pick don't choice to become a auto mechanic. You will destroy your body and almost every mechanic I know including myself have something fucked up. Pick something that is easy on your body.

+1 other than the destroying your body, spooln must just be fragile.

[wrath]

+1 other than the destroying your body, spooln must just be fragile.

You're not old enough to have wore out body parts, usually it's hands and neck that show up first. Look at all the 50+ year olds at your shop.

[stenchmiester]

Flame me all you want but I disagree with everyone for saying not to get into the trades im 3months away from my degree in electricty have 4 possible employers lined up and in some fields when one job disapeats there is always one semester of school for the next part of that trade

[hrsp]

great thing to learn...pay for many of the trades is damn good..especially cuz you dont need a 4yr degree to work there and make good money..downfalls are the likelihood of being laid off at some point...but u just gotta be ready...GL

[TheRX7Project]

CNC machining is hardly worth going to school for, get a job at a factory and get trained for free. Pay is ok but takes awhile to get there. Tool designers are in demand and go for another year for yor engineering degree become a tooling designer / engineer and 70k a year is easy to fetch and in very high demand since manufacturing is slowly comin back to the states due to falling quality standards in china

Tell me more...

[03CVLX]

Thanks Guys,

I sent for info from one Airline mechanic schoool in FL. 10 mins later I got a call for a recruiter and he is calling again today. Way faster paced than I was planning and I am still not sure if this is the route I want to go. It interests me but I want more than a weekend of research time to make a decision on the rest of my life.

[brotherbenn83]

It isn't necessarily for the rest of your life, you could always go back to school if it doesn't work out...or Wrath said you could do gay porn with him.

[03CVLX]

It isn't necessarily for the rest of your life, you could always go back to school if it doesn't work out...or Wrath said you could do gay porn with him.



Well, yes true. I guess if Im gonna take 30K + in student loans. I'd sure like to try and make it for something I will retire doing. But, going back to school is always an option. As for the second part. I wouldn't wanna steal Waver's chance!! :rolf

[Prince Valiant]

Well, yes true. I guess if Im gonna take 30K + in student loans.
I'd shop around and consider more local...30K is not bad for an education, but I can't imagine enrolling in either or both's MATC's programs would even come close to that cost.

[-stew-]

You're also gonna need about $100,000 in tools.

[BoosTT]

Is a bs degree out of the question? I had fun getting mine and get paid to goof off. Look into engineering. It's not as difficult as you think.

[brotherbenn83]

Well, yes true. I guess if Im gonna take 30K + in student loans. I'd sure like to try and make it for something I will retire doing. But, going back to school is always an option. As for the second part. I wouldn't wanna steal Waver's chance!! :rolf

2 Year GM ASEP program at WCTC cost me about $6,000 (12 years ago.) And as for the tools, yeah you'd need some but I doubt I have more than $15,000 in tools and I do fine, but that is an accumulated cost thru those 12 years.