My carpenter makes $116/hour

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From that, your carpenter has to pay for health insurance, retirement/401k, insurance for his company, overhead costs, various taxes, etc.

He works alone, has no employees. Out of my $124/hr I also have to pay retirement, insurance (health, disability), plus umbrella not included, commuting, taxes, etc. None of which are deductible against income.

Just because he didn’t go to medical school doesn’t mean his trade doesn’t require specific skills and knowledge and have its own licensing requirements. You want your carpenter to know how to ensure your walls and house aren’t going to fall down. It’s gross that people look down on the trades when they are every bit as needed as other fields.

I think it’s less that OP is looking down on the trades, but more that they are bummed that being a doctor isn’t as venerated or better-paying than we’d been raised to believe (“Medicine Law or Finance!” etc). But I agree that if they’d framed this post comparing themselves against people making millions of dollars moving fake money around in the ether, they’d gain more sympathy.

[Anonymous]

Interesting how OP prefers to $hit on a blue collar worker who has the temerity to charge a decent rate for their services, as opposed to all the tech/finance bros who get money for doing very little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is no one factoring OP’s debt into the equation.

Why didn't OP factor that in before going for a profession that would cost half a million before you ever earned a dollar?

Right, hence their point about people opting out of this profession

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gonna be a lot fewer carpenters in the near future what with this fascist regime kicking people out of the country.

I would not call most day laborers carpenters.
Day laborers are just muscle and some narrowly defined skills.
Ask any if them to design a solution to anything more complicated than framing 2x4s and you will be met with embarrassment.
A good carpenter crafts solutions, understands a multiplicity of hardware, wood performance, reactions and how to make something look good.
Oh, and they can understand sequencing issues on your job and advise you.

Oof I desperately need to find a carpenter!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s a lot of talk here from people who don’t have a lot of friends and family in the trades. I can tell you they’re doing very well. They live essentially debt free other than the young ones early in their careers with mortgages.

You sound like you don’t know anyone either.

I have yet to see my residential contractors suggest their own kids go into the trades and I have used mine for 20 years and have gotten to know them.

According to a new WalletHub study ranking the best and worst entry-level U.S. jobs in 2025, trade roles dominate the bottom of the list. Welders, automotive mechanics, boilermakers, and drafters all rank among the least promising career starters.

Worse still, jobs like building inspectors, electricians, and plumbers are tied to the highest unemployment rate in the entire study at 7.2%—more than three times that of entry-level office jobs like budget analysts or financial analysts, which sit closer to 2.0%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For anyone who thinks a good carpenter doesn't deserve the salary he/she makes, I invite you to read Tracy Kidder's excellent book, House.

https://www.amazon.com/House-Tracy-Kidder-ebook/dp/B005G09LRM/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=ruArf&content-id=amzn1.sym.0fb2cce1-1ca4-439a-844b-8ad0b1fb77f7&pf_rd_p=0fb2cce1-1ca4-439a-844b-8ad0b1fb77f7&pf_rd_r=135-2029633-1944467&pd_rd_wg=SLvaQ&pd_rd_r=aeb3828d-4160-4d48-a64b-0f029fcd062b&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk

Interesting - but why didn’t you recommend Rough Sleepers, Mountains Beyond Mountains, and Strength in What Remains? All about doctors and the amazing things they do. (I’m not in a medical profession)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Worse still, jobs like building inspectors, electricians, and plumbers are tied to the highest unemployment rate in the entire study at 7.2%—more than three times that of entry-level office jobs like budget analysts or financial analysts, which sit closer to 2.0%.

You need to read this article about unemployment rates for new grads by major.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/16/college-majors-with-the-best-and-worst-employment-prospects.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who are these med students who do not get residencies? Are these the students who did poorly on their board scores?

Its extremely rare for a US med school grad not to land a residency. Either he/she cheated, lost all brain cells at time of taking exams, changes their mind, etc, etc. and if so, its a good thing as you dont want these types to provide your care. Its the suspect foreign med school grads who get turned away and that a good thing IMO for a number of reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From that, your carpenter has to pay for health insurance, retirement/401k, insurance for his company, overhead costs, various taxes, etc.

He works alone, has no employees. Out of my $124/hr I also have to pay retirement, insurance (health, disability), plus umbrella not included, commuting, taxes, etc. None of which are deductible against income.

So does the contractor, and as a self employed person, they also have to pay the employer's portion of FICA. They also have to pay for private health insurance rather than as a group, which have cheaper premiums. They also don't have the employer paying a % into their 401k. They also have to pay for liability insurance, commuting, etc.

Being self employed has it's pros, but it's not all that lucrative if you factor in all the benefits that they have to pay for themselves. That's why self employed people charge more per hour.. because they have to pay for their own benefits and self employment tax.

I've been both self employed and an employee.

Many self employed trades (carpenters, electricians, eytc) DO NOT pay taxes. On more than one occassion, Ive been requested to pay cash so the net hourly rate is even higher. With w-2 you obviously cannot avoid the payroll deductions as the physician OP

[Anonymous]

Not the OP but get what she/he is saying. Given the training, costs, opportunity costs it does not seem right the OP is getting paid less than a trades worker. I'm formally educated but moved into construction after losing my job. "Finish" carpenters are expensive as it takes many years to master the art so to speak but the "cost" and years of training does not exceed that of a physician, not even close. OP not belittling the carpenter or trades workers - just wondering why the case IMO.

[Anonymous]

My mechanic makes $200 an hour. So what’s your point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mechanic makes $200 an hour. So what’s your point?

Hope you are driving a lambo or Ferrari for that rate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It always annoys me that we fund and support all kinds of medical research. I mean who doesn't want a cure for cancer, but then Drug companies and Doctors turn around and build motes around the cures.

Sure, Physicians are like the Big Contractor that drives the shiny truck. But seriously, I don't think Doctors really understand how great they aren't. When it comes to how much staff they have to have how well trained their staff has to be how many drugs and prescriptions. Insurance companies. Large hospitals. Expensive equipment. Lab space etc. Carpenter needs a few saws and hammers or what not you can fit them in a truck.

LoL. Fits in the back of a truck. ROTFL. My carpenter sibling needs 4 commercial buildings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It always annoys me that we fund and support all kinds of medical research. I mean who doesn't want a cure for cancer, but then Drug companies and Doctors turn around and build motes around the cures.

Sure, Physicians are like the Big Contractor that drives the shiny truck. But seriously, I don't think Doctors really understand how great they aren't. When it comes to how much staff they have to have how well trained their staff has to be how many drugs and prescriptions. Insurance companies. Large hospitals. Expensive equipment. Lab space etc. Carpenter needs a few saws and hammers or what not you can fit them in a truck.

The next time you are in the hospital, ask for a carpenter to treat you instead of a doctor 🤣

Next time you need working plumbing or a fix to you damaged home, ask for a doctor. 😝

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who are these med students who do not get residencies? Are these the students who did poorly on their board scores?

Exactly.

OP likely works for health insurance. They want us to get worse healthcare so they can pay even less.

OP. I don’t. Insurers are the scum of the earth and I would never work for one. Somehow all the ire gets directed at doctors instead of at insurers who are the real scam artists making medicine worse. But people love to take it out on the doctor bc that’s who’s in front of them.

o

Ummm … most of us understand the role insurers play in medical costs. You’re the one who started a class war with this thread.