Anyone know anything about trade / apprenticeship programs?

Not_Invented_Here_

Not_Invented_Here_

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I'm 32 and a teacher. For several reasons, I'm seeing less and less of a future in this career. I'm thinking about changing paths completely. I've been thinking off and on about career in a trade instead. I want a job that will always be in demand, where I can make a halfway decent salary. I'm not trying to be rich, I just don't want to worry about money every time a semester ends and I want to have decent health insurance coverage. Developing more marketable skills would be great.

Was looking around at HVAC and electrical apprenticeships. I love learning. I'm a hard worker and I don't have an ego about doing grunt work while I work my way up. I'll dive in head first if I think there's a future and value in it.

How realistic is this idea? Am I too old? Am I going to go further into debt paying for additional schooling/certificate programs? Any thoughts are welcome.
 
I can tell you that my brother is a plumber apprentice and my brother-in-law is a union plumber. He has amazing benefits and makes well over 100k a year and is never, ever, ever short on work and always in demand.

I would highly suggest looking into either being a plumber or electrician. Either that or if you are somewhere like Arizona, you could make a killing being in the HVAC industry, because down here A/C is a must.

32 isn't too old at all either. Being involved in a trade is IMHO more valuable than a college degree these days. Trades are always in demand, whereas a college degree is not.

Not to mention you get paid while you're going to school to learn your trade. My brother is getting paid $22 an hour while going to school to be a plumber and working alongside one.
 
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Chris said:
I can tell you that my brother is a plumber apprentice and my brother-in-law is a union plumber. He has amazing benefits and makes well over 100k a year and is never, ever, ever short on work and always in demand.

I would highly suggest looking into either being a plumber or electrician. Either that or if you are somewhere like Arizona, you could make a killing being in the HVAC industry, because down here A/C is a must.

32 isn't too old at all either. Being involved in a trade is IMHO more valuable than a college degree these days. Trades are always in demand, whereas a college degree is not.

Not to mention you get paid while you're going to school to learn your trade. My brother is getting paid $22 an hour while going to school to be a plumber and working alongside one.
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Yeah, if I knew what I know now, I would have done something in STEM during undergrad and/or immediately tried to pursue this after graduation.

I'm just really starting to look into it now. I think my biggest concern is that I already have a good chunk of debt from grad school so I don't want to jump into something and spend money unless I'm absolutely sure/committed. Don't know anything about the amount of schooling required or projected costs yet either. I appreciate the input.
 
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Agree with @Chris, my late father was an IBEW electrician and did VERY well for himself. Electrical work is mo' bettah than plumbing IMHO, you don't have to deal with toilets! The only downside to a construction trade is that its cyclic in nature. My father was always cognizant of the "number of men on the bench" waiting for work. In fact, before I was born, construction had gotten so bad where my parents lived, that they bought a house trailer and hit the road for several years. I was born while they were still traveling. There is an organization for traveling electricians known as FLE (the "Fleas"), - my father was high up in it years back as a "Grand Gobbler" (!!), but I don't know if they're still active or not.
 
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Not_Invented_Here_ said:
Yeah, if I knew what I know now, I would have done something in STEM during undergrad and/or immediately tried to pursue this after graduation.

I'm just really starting to look into it now. I think my biggest concern is that I already have a good chunk of debt from grad school so I don't want to jump into something and spend money unless I'm absolutely sure/committed. Don't know anything about the amount of schooling required or projected costs yet either. I appreciate the input.
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I totally get that. I believe it took my brother in law 6 years to become a full on plumber. I think it's something like 2 years of school (maybe 4) and then 2 years of training under an actual plumber. The thing is, you're getting paid the entire time, so it's not like you're just going to college and not getting paid a dime while you're in school. Trade school is free also, so you're not going to rack up any more debt other than what you already have.
 
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For most of the union programs your probably to old for entry into a program as they usually cut off around 25 unless you served in the military and that pretty much covers the mechanical trades. If you were just starting out hooking up with a non-union contractor would be your best bet but your beyond that. Starting salaries and benefits at the non-union level tend to be barely subsistence level.

I did 5 years of school/apprenticeship in the Steamfitters local and it provided a good living for many years.
 
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I had forgotten about the age limit thing - I want to say the IBEW was 28, but not sure. BUT - that was then, this is now. By all means investigate, they may have raised the age level...
 
steelhd said:
I was a UA training program trustee for many years and AFAIK there are no official age limits for either UA or IBEW programs.
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No one can discriminate for age, I have sponsored mature glaziers and iron workers into each respective trade. The only drawback to starting late in life is how much pension you will build before retirement. Electrician is where the money is at in the Bay Area, I think journeyman wage is in the upper $80’s
 
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DrDmoney said:
No one can discriminate for age, I have sponsored mature glaziers and iron workers into each respective trade. The only drawback to starting late in life is how much pension you will build before retirement. Electrician is where the money is at in the Bay Area, I think journeyman wage is in the upper $80’s
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Which is why my late father worked with IBEW Local 332 for most of his career - highest scale in the nation, or was at the time.
 
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I made the jump into being an electrician last year at 40 years old after my previous career became something I did not want to be involved with any more. It was a pay cut, I have to go back to school again (one night a week) for 4 years. But I expect to get back to where I was in a few years and surpass what I would have made in not too long.

There are multiple reasons why making the jump and taking the momentary hit is one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.
 
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I called our local IBEW and our city's joint apprenticeship and training committee. Talked to two ladies who couldn't be nicer and more patient. For someone like me, they suggested I fill out an app, pay the $25 fee, submit the required info, and hopefully then get called for an interview in front of the board. From there, it sounds like my app goes into a pile where it can be selected for an apprenticeship. Then it's around 5 years of FT apprenticeship work while doing night school.

She said they definitely have people all the way through their 30's, 40's, and 50's. It really sounded like I'm not the only person who has had this conversation with themselves and thought about a change. No tuition but you cover cost of books and provide your own tools.
 
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jjvw said:
I made the jump into being an electrician last year at 40 years old after my previous career became something I did not want to be involved with any more. It was a pay cut, I have to go back to school again (one night a week) for 4 years. But I expect to get back to where I was in a few years and surpass what I would have made in not too long.

There are multiple reasons why making the jump and taking the momentary hit is one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.
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Can I ask what you did previously? Or at least whether your previous career gave you ANY experience heading into the new one? I'd be going from very soft skills and no experience outside of being a homeowner ha
 
Unfortunately it is not a licensed trade like the plumbers or electricians but I went through the United Brotherhood of Carpenter's apprenticeship program and have been working as a union carpenter for 20 years. Definitely worth the effort. The UBC has provided a great life for my family. Ten more years and I'll be able to retire with a health annuity and pension.
 
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Not_Invented_Here_ said:
Can I ask what you did previously? Or at least whether your previous career gave you ANY experience heading into the new one? I'd be going from very soft skills and no experience outside of being a homeowner ha
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Art handler. Packing and handling of artwork and museum artifacts. For me it was a jack of all trades problem solving job. Hanging paintings, assembling dinosaur skeletons, rigging of large sculpture. Weird job and I loved it, but I grew to dislike the businesses around it.
 
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Mature apprenticeship applicants had many advantages for many reasons in my eyes when selecting applicants for the program. Especially when they had already demonstrated academic ability and the fortitude to "stick with it" through a four year program. I'd assume IBEW trustees would look at that even more favorably.
 
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