Trades People

[Quad18star]

Any of you guys in any trades related fields of employment ?? If so what do you do ? How do you like it ?

I was reading about future jobs that will be in demand , and the trades section is going to doom within the next 10 years atleast up here in Canada .

It seems there's only a small percentage of people that have entered the trades field in the last few years , and that there is such a shortage of these workers , that a plumber or electrician can expect to make the wages of some doctors and lawyers .

I have a few friends that have become millwrights which is a 2 year college program . After they graduated , they moved out west ( Alberta) and are working in the oil fields and refineries as maintenance mechanics ( millwrights) and are making over $100 000 a year , not including overtime , bonus and complete benefits and retirement packages .

I have been tossing around the idea of taking a college course ( 30 weeks) in either the plumbing or electrical field , so it would be nice to hear from someone that is in one of these fields and see their view on it .

[Quad18star]

I figured atleast one person out of the 50 000 members would be involved in the trades . :confused:

[PismoLocal]

Electricians and Private contractors make bank around here.

[sly400ex]

I'm a second year apprentice/plumber. I didn't start until I was 28, and I also came from a white collar environment for over seven years beforehand. So with that said, don’t let me discourage you in any way.

Most guys I know in the trade, majority are happy doing the work. Myself on the other hand, I don’t really care for it that much at all. There are a lot of perks that I enjoyed and miss working in a corporate environment. Ex. Controlled climate. Working in the trades, forget it! You’re working outside on the hottest of days and the coldest of days… Possibility of having slow seasons comes with any trade. Yes, you can make good money, I know quite a few guys that make well over $100K a year, while you may have others that are lucky to make 40K. That really depends how much you put into it, and how well you can endure the work. There’s really a lot of give and take, that’s my experience.

I would rather work for a company, being content at what I do, making 40-50K, than dislike what I am doing making 75+ a year.

[Got nads?]

I have to agree with sly400EX the worst part is having to work in environments that are temperature controlled. There are rare days when it is not to hot or to cold or raining. I am a journeyman electrician here in Alberta. Journey man wages here are pretty damn good, most journey make between $60,000 to $120,000 depending on your experience and position in the company. Electrical here is a 4 year apprenticeship program, so you work for a year and go to school for 2-3 months 4 times, until you get certified. There are three different electrical divisions her residential, commercial, and industrial. Usually commercial, and industrial electricians make more the residental electricians. Best part of my job right now are the short days and the ability to take holidays when ever I want.:devil:

[Quad18star]

Thanks for all the input so far . It's great to hear the views of those in the field .

Keep them comming !!!!

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by Got nads?
I have to agree with sly400EX the worst part is having to work in environments that are temperature controlled. There are rare days when it is not to hot or to cold or raining. I am a journeyman electrician here in Alberta. Journey man wages here are pretty damn good, most journey make between $60,000 to $120,000 depending on your experience and position in the company. Electrical here is a 4 year apprenticeship program, so you work for a year and go to school for 2-3 months 4 times, until you get certified. There are three different electrical divisions her residential, commercial, and industrial. Usually commercial, and industrial electricians make more the residental electricians. Best part of my job right now are the short days and the ability to take holidays when ever I want.:devil:

Did you take an apprenticeship ??

It was something that I completly overlooked , but have been studying more indepth .

I just found out that a College in the area offers a Co-Op Apprenticeship Diploma program as an Industrial Electrician . I'm awaiting more information about it .

The best part about it , rather than going to class every day and paying tuition fees of up to $7000 , the Ontario Government pays 90% of the cost for Apprentices.

If you did your training through an apprenticeship , how well did you like it ??

[quads14589]

my dad is a mason hes one of the bosses at his work he is one of the top guys been in this trade for like 25 years and he gets paid good has his own company truck.

[gncc025]

I'm currently in my 2nd year of machine, tool & die and i love it so far. The wages around here are real good for this type of work and most places i know of have a very well controlled enviroment. Its not a messy job anymore either, with CNC machines being the primary tool in the industry. Just about all computer. I can make some pretty cool parts for my quad too.:D There is alot of potential in this trade if your good at it.

[Rip_Tear]

I went to college to be a CNC programer/operator, and it was pretty good. The only problems are finding a place you like, and and production jobs suck. Making the same part over and over again is horrible!

Personally I think the tool and die/mouldmaking/ CNC trade in Ontario is going down hill right now, a lot of my friends had jobs and don't now or have very few hours, myself include (laid off...). There are jobs out there but like I said, I don't want to do production, and I don't want to live in the City...

[Tommy 17]

right now i'm workin as an intern for the pennsylvania department of transportation (PENNdot)... anyways i'm on a job site doing a civil engineering internship and on site inspector so i'm around laborers all day long and you couldn't pay me to go that path! i'm around plumbers, contractors, electricians, masons, equipment operators, paving crews, you name it and i'm around it...

they make 21.17 an hour on my job because its a high class job... most of the time its way under that around 10 to 15... the foremans make 27ish... they work 60 to 70 hours a week usually in all conditions from rain to 100 degrees while i sit in my truck in the air condition... everyone on the job site is ahead of you so you have young punks like me 20 years old that can tell you what to do and make ur life hell if they really want 2...

their out there gettin dirty... gettin hurt all the time... they are never home to see their families... it seems like every one of them either *****es about their wife non stop... has got a divorce or is gettin one... or complains they never get to see their kids... i've honestly never been around such miserable people in my entire life...


dude use ur engineering degree that you have... go to a job site and talk to the actual workers they'd kill to have a job like that... everyday i'm on the job i hear the guys tell me how lucky i am that i went to college and don't have to do what they do... u'll make more money and ur job is 3x's as easy and u'll have a life!

My dad owns a framing company..He makes good money seeing as he works in one of the richest county's in the country. I work with him in the summer, I don't mind it. But the real money is being the Builder, the guy that the homeowners hire to hire the framers, plumbers, electricians, masons, everything. They get the big money, just from one house the builder gets 500,000 pocket change. But you cant just go out and expect to get a lot of money when you first start you gotta work your way up. I might frame with my dad for a little then become a builder.

Originally posted by Tommy 17
right now i'm workin as an intern for the pennsylvania department of transportation (PENNdot)... anyways i'm on a job site doing a civil engineering internship and on site inspector so i'm around laborers all day long and you couldn't pay me to go that path! i'm around plumbers, contractors, electricians, masons, equipment operators, paving crews, you name it and i'm around it...

they make 21.17 an hour on my job because its a high class job... most of the time its way under that around 10 to 15... the foremans make 27ish... they work 60 to 70 hours a week usually in all conditions from rain to 100 degrees while i sit in my truck in the air condition... everyone on the job site is ahead of you so you have young punks like me 20 years old that can tell you what to do and make ur life hell if they really want 2...

their out there gettin dirty... gettin hurt all the time... they are never home to see their families... it seems like every one of them either *****es about their wife non stop... has got a divorce or is gettin one... or complains they never get to see their kids... i've honestly never been around such miserable people in my entire life...


dude use ur engineering degree that you have... go to a job site and talk to the actual workers they'd kill to have a job like that... everyday i'm on the job i hear the guys tell me how lucky i am that i went to college and don't have to do what they do... u'll make more money and ur job is 3x's as easy and u'll have a life!


I don't know where you've gone, but most of the guys where I work actully like the job. It beats sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours doing the same thing everyday. My dads workers never complain about their wife's and not seeing their kids. Their wife's and kids go to the job a lot to see their husband/father. But then again they don't speak English so who knows what their saying :o
Nobody really cares about getting dirty either. And nobody works in all weather conditions. Like last week, it was 95 in the shade, 105 in the sun and probably like 115 when the sun blares off the plywood, it was hot, so we left early. If its too cold, you leave early.

And with the pay, it all depends on where your working. If your working in the middle of the woods, dont expect a lot. If your working like where I work, Bergen county NJ, pretty much right next to NYC, your gonna get alot. Location Location Location.

:chinese:

[Bullitt]

Apprenticeship is a decnt way to go. Also a 4th year apprentice in Alberta I have nothing to complain about. The money is good and the ability to still collect a paycheck while going to school is great.Alberta doesn't cover apprentice ship fees, but many companies and /or their unions they may belong to will. I know mine is reimbursed. Also, it's a guaranteed job right now. I should mention I am talking about electrical. Pluses are: Good Money, Holidays whenever for as long as I want(For me this is great), and if your a decent worker a job for a long time.
Negatives: Pretty hard work at times(especially commercial and industrial) long hours and weekends tend to suck as well. And the fact that highering standards in constuction are usually pretty low.

[Tommy 17]

Originally posted by nofearrider1
And nobody works in all weather conditions. Like last week, it was 95 in the shade, 105 in the sun and probably like 115 when the sun blares off the plywood, it was hot, so we left early. If its too cold, you leave early.


put me on that crew bc i've already stood on 300 degree asphalt in 95 degree weather for 8 hours!

Originally posted by Tommy 17
put me on that crew bc i've already stood on 300 degree asphalt in 95 degree weather for 8 hours!


damn, that I would never do :o

[Tommy 17]

Originally posted by nofearrider1
damn, that I would never do :o

trust me it sucks! theres times when i have to actually dump water on my boots to stop them from melting!


i have a picture of the thermo gun i hold that reads like 168 degrees on my pant legs:o

[Got nads?]

Originally posted by Tommy 17
right now i'm workin as an intern for the pennsylvania department of transportation (PENNdot)... anyways i'm on a job site doing a civil engineering internship and on site inspector so i'm around laborers all day long and you couldn't pay me to go that path! i'm around plumbers, contractors, electricians, masons, equipment operators, paving crews, you name it and i'm around it...

they make 21.17 an hour on my job because its a high class job... most of the time its way under that around 10 to 15... the foremans make 27ish... they work 60 to 70 hours a week usually in all conditions from rain to 100 degrees while i sit in my truck in the air condition... everyone on the job site is ahead of you so you have young punks like me 20 years old that can tell you what to do and make ur life hell if they really want 2...

their out there gettin dirty... gettin hurt all the time... they are never home to see their families... it seems like every one of them either *****es about their wife non stop... has got a divorce or is gettin one... or complains they never get to see their kids... i've honestly never been around such miserable people in my entire life...


dude use ur engineering degree that you have... go to a job site and talk to the actual workers they'd kill to have a job like that... everyday i'm on the job i hear the guys tell me how lucky i am that i went to college and don't have to do what they do... u'll make more money and ur job is 3x's as easy and u'll have a life!

I can't really agree with everything you said. I went to college for my bachelor of commerce(business degree), but still chose to get a trade. I know more people who are extremely well off financially from starting in trade, and I do know people who are working at McDonalds with 4 years of University under their belt. You may start off in a trade working for a company, but if you are motivated and a hard worker you can succeed and get a office job(estimating large jobs) or you can easily start your own company and make a killing. The only downside is that you can't be lazy.

[Got nads?]

Originally posted by Quad18star
Did you take an apprenticeship ??

It was something that I completly overlooked , but have been studying more indepth .

I just found out that a College in the area offers a Co-Op Apprenticeship Diploma program as an Industrial Electrician . I'm awaiting more information about it .

The best part about it , rather than going to class every day and paying tuition fees of up to $7000 , the Ontario Government pays 90% of the cost for Apprentices.

If you did your training through an apprenticeship , how well did you like it ??

Everybody over looks apprenticeship, because they think it is dirty work. I have met some of the nicest people, and worked in some of the most interesting places, from scientific labs and police stations to hospitals and racetracks. In alberta to get a trade and become a certified journeyman you have to apprentice and write Provincial standardized tests after every apprenticeship year and pass with a minimum of 70%. I didn't mind the apprenticeship program as I am a pretty hard worker and a fast learner. Electrical schooling is diffrent from every other trade here in Alberta because in school you just learn electrical theory and code, you don't learn any real hands on stuff like plumbers do. (ie. they learn how to soulder, and weld). Electrician apprenticeship have to learn all the practical stuff on site from they journeyman and there is quite a bit to know. Hope this helped!:D I also hope I made senese:p

[sly400ex]

Like I said earlier, if manual labor is for you and you don't mind the weather or getting a little dirty, a trade is a good way to go. Look at it this way.

People that go oto school for four years most likely finish up with tens of thousands of dollars of school loans.

With the trades around here, training in free, and after five years of appprenticeship, you are making just about $40/hr. with paid health insurance for you and your family and an excellent pension. Time and a half for anything over eight hours, double on weekends. You can potentially make a boat load of money for fairly easy work.

[Quad18star]

Anyone in the trades as a Plumber ???

How do you like it ?? What don't you like about the job ?

I've pretty much narrowed it down to this trade and would love input from someone in this field .

[sly400ex]

check this page out...very nice money/ benefits.


http://www.ivcontractors.org/Pl422.htm



Plumbing covers so many different areas....service work, residential and commercial constrution, industrial maintenace.....it keeps going.


You can get stuck doing some extremely nasty, harsh jobs but you can also get jobs where you feel like you didn't even work that day. I don't mind about 75%, but I loath about 25%.

[MXridin841]

I wasnt a plumber but I worked for an HVAC company for this past summer installing all the sheet metal pipes that pass the cold air to each room and hanging duct work...I spent alot of time around plumbers and watching what they do. From what I understand it doesnt seem to be to hard of work as long as you do your work and they pay seems to be pretty good. As for the sheet metal work that I did....my hands got totally messed up this summer from getting cut so if thats what you end up getting into get some gloves. Nick

[Quad18star]

Thanks for the link and for the info .

I've been researching it and it can be some physical work , but there's a lot of benefits to the job .

I know money isn't everything , but it sure is damn nice . Plumbers in our province make an average of $32 an hour , plus benefits , pension plan , 10% vacation pay , flexible hours and more .

Also I've been looking into the job prospects for the next while , and it's going to be a trade that's in big demand . :)

It's great to hear the views of those in the field .

[sly400ex]

One more side note, most trades take a toll on your body. You are working on your knees A LOT with plumbing! I know a guy in my shop who has had his knee blow out twice within the first five years of his career. Most guys do end up needing some sort of knee surgery throughout their career. I know you've had some serious knee/leg injuries, so just some food for thought.

Again, sorry if it seems like I'm discouraging, but I'm just trying to shed light on the other side of the pay and benefits.

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by sly400ex
One more side note, most trades take a toll on your body. You are working on your knees A LOT with plumbing! I know a guy in my shop who has had his knee blow out twice within the first five years of his career. Most guys do end up needing some sort of knee surgery throughout their career. I know you've had some serious knee/leg injuries, so just some food for thought.

Again, sorry if it seems like I'm discouraging, but I'm just trying to shed light on the other side of the pay and benefits.

I understand what you mean .... it's another thing I considered when looking into the career . The pain is something I'm learning to live through though , so I'm sure I'd find a way to deal with it.

I take it you're in the plumbing trade .... what are the things you like about the trade and what are the things you hate the most about it . I know you said you enjoy 75% of it and hate the other 25% ... I'm just curious as to what it is .

[coolex]

next year ill be a apprentice in a 2 year high school program, and ill get paid, ill go take the coarse during school (september to june) then over the summer and for the next 4 years or so ill be come a journy man and slowly move up in the chain. i cant even imagine sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours, i rather be hot or really cold