When the Covid pandemic was raging during 2020-21, an unexpected phenomenon came with it that some labeled the “Great Resignation.” The number of people quitting their jobs in the U.S. reached an all-time high. Partly it was due to government funding that paid many people not to work, and that gave them a chance to do some soul searching and explore other career opportunities.

We’ve since discarded our masks and many stay-at-home workers no longer are permitted to do so. But soul searching still takes place with many of you. If you’re reading this blog, it means you have an interest in exploring the plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical trades, and some of you may already work in another field. Here are some of the reasons you might consider switching jobs for a skilled trade:

• More pay. This is obvious, and maybe the major reason why someone would change careers.
• Less stress. Many white-collar jobs demand bringing work home with you, checking email even when off-duty and never having truly restful vacations and days off. With a skilled trade, you will work hard for as many hours as it takes, but when quitting time comes, your time belongs to you. True, you may be required to work overtime periodically, but most of the time you’ll be rewarded with extra pay.
• Better opportunities. Dead-end jobs are a dime a dozen. However, you won’t find many in the trades. Skilled trade workers consistently get promoted to positions like foreman, supervisor, service manager and so on up the ladder. The biggest opportunity of all is the possibility of starting your own trade business once you learn the ropes.
• You’re bored. Every day seems the same with your present job. You’re tired of the paperwork, the meetings, or anything else about your daily routine. You won’t find too many days exactly alike when you work in the trades.
• You need to relocate. You need to move due to a family situation or something else, but that means quitting your job with no certainty you can land something similar in a different town. Trade workers, however, are in short supply almost everywhere.
• You do not feel a sense of accomplishment in your present job. This is common, especially when working in a large, bureaucratic organization. You feel like you simply push papers around but find it hard to connect what you do with tangible results. Trade workers who build and fix things never get that feeling.
• You simply don’t like your present career for whatever reason. An old saying goes that if you earn your living doing what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.

Whatever the reasons you have for exploring the trades, you will be fulfilling a need that will not disappear anytime soon. Want to learn more? Visit explorethetrades.org today!

 

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