Anonymous wrote:Unless you personally know someone who does these "great" jobs and would switch places with them, just stop suggesting the sad career paths.

I would happily switch places with an electrician or a carpenter or some type of tradesperson who has skills and solves problems using their hands. Sounds very satisfying to me. I was a straight-A student who did exceptionally well on standardized tests, so the college track was never questioned. Now at 45, I feel
like my career path has been incredibly sad and dull.

There is a ton of money in hvac or welding

Anonymous wrote:Electricians, AC/Heating repairs, plumbing. These are needed throughout the year. Like everything else, if the person enjoy fixing things that break, these are good fields to go into.

And specialize in the newer, green technologies. There’s huge funding for high efficiency, electric technologies in the infrastructure bill and the inflation recovery act. Nowhere near the trained workforce for it. Solar, heat pumps, home battery storage, home ev chargers, etc.

Look into what your local community college (and others nearby) offer in the way of trade classes. He can work on a 2 year degree along the way. Most of the trade unions recruit out of the community colleges. And, it is a decent way to get a taste of what is required.

For low income - Job Corp is a good option (and you are required to finish a high school degree if you do not have one). It is free and requires you live at the centers. (No drugs or alcohol or tobacco allowed on campus.). Unions, food service and military hire out of them.

Electricians, AC/Heating repairs, plumbing. These are needed throughout the year. Like everything else, if the person enjoy fixing things that break, these are good fields to go into.

Our plumber makes 300/hour and makes his own hours. I would t be talking him out of that.

I heard an npr show that featured young adults choosing trades over getting a college degree. I thought the show mentioned a government publication that was a forecast of which trades would be in greatest need in the future. I tried to find the corresponding article but couldn’t find the exact one, but these articles are similar.

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/04/25/605092520/high-paying-trade-jobs-sit-empty-while-high-school-grads-line-up-for-university

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/21/989609489/finding-your-way-to-a-high-paying-trade-job-without-college

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/07/1043737586/college-degree-high-school-diploma-high-paying-trade-jobs

Finding a niche can be very lucrative - a friend of mine has an uncle who has a septic tank business in a part of Long Island that doesn’t have a sewer system, so everyone has to have a tank. And then people forget to maintain them so he charges a lot for emergency service. Her other uncle runs a tick mitigation service there and has expanded his business twice.

Piggybacking on this thread, anyone send their kid to flight school to become a pilot? My son will complete his degree but has absolutely zero interest in that field and is very interested in becoming a pilot (not through the military). With the pilot shortage I heard some airlines are actually paying for people to earn their license! Anyone have any current info on this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not culinary school. That is a scam. If he wants that career, he should get whatever job he can at the best restaurant he can and move up. But it’s a brutal career.

Electrician seems much more sustainable to me than plumbing. Still physically difficult but not as much time reaching and straining.

I think becoming a licensed electrician would be smart, lucrative and could transition into other things like general contracting if he wanted to. Electricians are always in demand and well paid.

Why is culinary school a scam? Chef career is brutal?

NP here-I think the very expensive ones can be. My dd, who is now a chef, was accepted at one and it was like 35k/yr which was way out of our means. She went to a local trade school program, which also got her servesafe cert, and she has worked up to a good position-without any debt.

Anonymous wrote:Unless you personally know someone who does these "great" jobs and would switch places with them, just stop suggesting the sad career paths.

Lady, I wouldn't call the king my cousin.

But it's also important to remember that different people have different desires and capabilities. Great job for X may be a terrible job for Y. You might like to be a Hollywood screenwriter, but dropping $300,00 for Columbia's scam degree in the subject is going to be a lot less remunerative than buying a shovel and learning how to dig ditches, even if the first path comes with an Ivy League diploma and the second's main benefit is a nice set of biceps.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/financially-hobbled-for-life-the-elite-masters-degrees-that-dont-pay-off-11625752773

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not culinary school. That is a scam. If he wants that career, he should get whatever job he can at the best restaurant he can and move up. But it’s a brutal career.

Electrician seems much more sustainable to me than plumbing. Still physically difficult but not as much time reaching and straining.

I think becoming a licensed electrician would be smart, lucrative and could transition into other things like general contracting if he wanted to. Electricians are always in demand and well paid.

Why is culinary school a scam? Chef career is brutal?

My cousin has done long haul and it is a really hard job. Being away from family, hard on the body etc.

He was a high school graduate and was working in a warehouse when he and his girlfriend found out they were expecting. He went this path in order to pay the bills - but it has been hard and although there is demand now - may not be a career that your child wants.

Anonymous wrote:Unless you personally know someone who does these "great" jobs and would switch places with them, just stop suggesting the sad career paths.

Sad? I happen to appreciate truck drivers (I buy stuff, don't you?), electricians (I need lights, don't you?), plumbers (toilets and baths), and other tradespeople. Our world goes around because of them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My BIL was a paramedic in his twenties, then went back to school to become a nurse. I believe he took a 10-month course.

Nursing is a four year degree.

Do you mean nurses’ aid?

Or did you mean the paramedic course was only 10 months? I thought they were longer than that?

No. LPN programs can be 12 months and you’re a working nurse. In the before times (2019 and before), there were some places (highly desirable places to live in highly competitive markets) that wouldn’t take LPNs, except for nursing homes. Now with the rampant nursing shortage, that is no longer the case.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My BIL was a paramedic in his twenties, then went back to school to become a nurse. I believe he took a 10-month course.

Nursing is a four year degree.

Do you mean nurses’ aid?

Or did you mean the paramedic course was only 10 months? I thought they were longer than that?

There are bridge paramedic to RN programs that can go quite fast (also the other way around.)