Considering a Trade in Middle Age

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Got 2 AAs and some time at a 4 year, that probably haven't done me much good. I'm thinking about becoming an electrician, but between the time and money I'll be pretty long in the tooth by the time training is finished. I doubt I'm cut out for plumbing.

I remember an episode of the Golden Girls in which one of the 'girls' was in a serious condition in hospital. The other girls, including the mother character, were gathered around the hospital bed, worried. The old lady character announced that she'd go back to study and get her law degree. One of the girls pointed out that she'd be 90 by the time she got her degree. The old lady pointed that she'd be 90 anyway, with or without her degree.

You're middle aged and heading towards old age.. You'll get there anyway, with or without your electrician's certificate. Might as well have it. Not getting it won't save you from doing the time.

When you retire and spend your old age looking back, what do you want to see?

I say, roll with the positive energy!

A person can learn a lot from YouTube. And if combined with a good instructional book, yeah, I think that one-two punch can be a powerful combo.

At the same time, maybe think about a good way to approach someone who’s either a new electrician or who potentially hires electricians about how many jobs are in the field, and what’s required for a new person to get one? Ideally, you’d want to have three such conversations.

"When you retire and spend your old age looking back, what do you want to see?[/quote]

A life that didn't lead to homelessness or povertyin old age.

Your profile says you’re 34.

You started working at what, maybe 15? So 19 years work.

People work until they’re 65-70+, some plenty longer if they’re fit and still can and want to.

You still have at least 31 years to work so aren’t even half way through your working life.

Apprentice the trade and make better money, IMO.

Fwiw, I began my apprenticeship at 35. Never finished it officially due to Covid, but I’m good at it and can make myself good $ working for myself. I’m also shifting gears into a different trade and may still have another major career shift or two in my life.

Gotta work and pay bills, may as well do something more lucrative & get yourself paid vs brainwashing yourself into believing 34 is too old to learn skills, do work, and get paid wtf.

Depends on the following:

What are your AA's in?

What is your current job?

How much time, energy and cash does it take to become an electrician?

How is your health?

How much sleep do you need?

These days most Unions want you to take a 6 week Level 1 pre-apprenticeship course before starting work. The biggest expenses involved are not earning an income for 6 weeks and buying some basic tools and PPE for your trade. After that, you get paid to learn.

Once a year for 4 years you go to school for 6 weeks but can typically collect unemployment insurance to supplement savings.

So, overall, as far as an education goes, it’s really inexpensive. And in the end you have a trade to earn around $75k/year minimum, a lot more of you start your own company and get full time work. More than that if you employ others. But even for just a job a tradesman will earn at least $70k + benefits, so it’s well worth the ver minimal cost to get started in any trade.

I almost went with the HVAC apprenticeship before deciding on teaching. At that time even as an apprentice, the money was pretty good. And journeymen were starting at like $50 an hour.

Depending on what specifically you're doing, some of it is more spectrum friendly than others. I worked security in an office building and we'd have somebody coming in regularly to monitor and adjust the entire system from a laptop. It's definitely something that one could do well into old age.

General Studies and Humanities, currently out of a job but have most worked in manufacturing/lab environments, becoming an electrician would take as long as an AA I think, I'm short, thin and nerdy looking, I only need sleep when I'm working and going to class.

Most people in my age bracket have spent less time employed than one might think, courtesy of The Recession and our parents drinking the college Kool-Aid. I have made a point to work in the industries that don't require a 4 year degree and need lots of people; it was the CBD industry a few years ago and as I saw that industry dying I went to work in the battery manufacturing/fuel cell industry. I've also been a press operator and have looked into Heavy Industry stuff like a Tool and Die Maker.

Pick whichever one you like and stick with it and you'll make yourself solid money. Tool & Die makers make bank - if you really like that option, do it and cash the cheques.

I heard from a guy at the beach that his father is a tool & die maker back East.. know what he makes along with others in his area? Bullet moulds. No joke. Dude makes fat coin making bullet moulds because every time the USA liberates another country someone has to make a whole lot of ammo and some tool & die guys gotta do their thing for it to happen.

I also talked to a tool & die maker from Vancouver once who'd just returned from California where he worked insane amounts of overtime making dies for Tesla. Apparently Tesla swallowed up tons of the tool & die makers from all over the continent - because they'd overestimated how many presses they would get out of a die.. and they'd start to wear and not produce the proper curved body panels, so they need to make the dies non-stop so they can keep changing them out to maintain the shape of their cars.

Heck, even making rotary dies for the flexographic print industry (cardboard packaging) is a big thing that keeps people busy.

Or become an electrician if you'd rather. Just pick one and stick with it and you'll make at Least $70-80k/year working a job for someone else, or more in some trades, or more working for yourself eventually.

Thank you all. I'll see how my lack of mechanical aptitude and experience and time/money affect which path I take.