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Topic	Do you think it's true today that you need a college degree to make it to the...
Zanzenburger 05/17/17 5:40:33 PM #25:	Skilled trades are thrown around very often as the alternative to a college degree. What most people don't understand is how difficult it is to actually get a job as a plumber/electrician/carpenter. In addition to the rigorous amount of education you need (can be 2-4 years depending on what you specialize in, and remember, that costs money), you need to have an apprenticeship of varying lengths. That apprenticeship could be paid or nonpaid. And even if paid, it's not going to be the amounts you see full servicemen paid. After your apprenticeship, you then have to be a journeyman (sometimes the same in some fields). Basically, all your work has to be supervised and signed off on by a full serviceman. And you have to apply for those. A plumber isn't just going to take like 10 journeymen. It's like a residency. You apply for it and they select the ones that will help them with their job. And you have to log hours, which can sometimes take years. Keep in mind that while you do all of this, you still need to eat, pay bills, and live your life. That is a very costly lifestyle for a person who started off poor to begin with. Once you finally qualify to be a full service man, you can either work for a company or start your own business. Working for a company is more stable and secure, but it's just as competitive applying for those jobs than applying for jobs with college degrees. And starting your own business is just that: your own business. You have to market yourself, know how to do your taxes, accounts payable, etc. Not everyone can do that. I have known many plumbers and electricians that have gone broke trying to kick something off the ground. The various costs for licensure, fees for permits to work in certain areas, and wait times after finally being certified are just additional barriers after all the education you obtain. And that's without even getting into talent. If you don't have a knack for that trade, you're gonna get steamrolled by the competition. --- Congratulations! Your post was deemed response-worthy. <cite>Zanzenburger posted [p:879292542] in Do you thi... [t:75356811]...</cite> <quote>Skilled trades are thrown around very often as the alternative to a college degree. What most people don't understand is how difficult it is to actually get a job as a plumber/electrician/carpenter. In addition to the rigorous amount of education you need (can be 2-4 years depending on what you specialize in, and remember, that costs money), you need to have an apprenticeship of varying lengths. That apprenticeship could be paid or nonpaid. And even if paid, it's not going to be the amounts you see full servicemen paid. After your apprenticeship, you then have to be a journeyman (sometimes the same in some fields). Basically, all your work has to be supervised and signed off on by a full serviceman. And you have to apply for those. A plumber isn't just going to take like 10 journeymen. It's like a residency. You apply for it and they select the ones that will help them with their job. And you have to log hours, which can sometimes take years. Keep in mind that while you do all of this, you still need to eat, pay bills, and live your life. That is a very costly lifestyle for a person who started off poor to begin with. Once you finally qualify to be a full service man, you can either work for a company or start your own business. Working for a company is more stable and secure, but it's just as competitive applying for those jobs than applying for jobs with college degrees. And starting your own business is just that: your own business. You have to market yourself, know how to do your taxes, accounts payable, etc. Not everyone can do that. I have known many plumbers and electricians that have gone broke trying to kick something off the ground. The various costs for licensure, fees for permits to work in certain areas, and wait times after finally being certified are just additional barriers after all the education you obtain. And that's without even getting into talent. If you don't have a knack for that trade, you're gonna get steamrolled by the competition. --- Congratulations! Your post was deemed response-worthy.</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
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