The Trades: Your Ticket to a Future-Proof Career
The Trades: Your Ticket to a Future-Proof Career In a rapidly changing job market, many career paths face uncertainty due to advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. This is a stressful time for both current workers and high school graduates preparing to enter the job market. No matter how much the employment landscape changes, […]
What a Career in the Trades is Like: From an Experienced Electrician
What a Career in the Trades is Like: From an Experienced Electrician EXPLORE THE TRADES | February 10, 2025 | Blog The trades offer a unique career path filled with opportunity, growth, and hands-on experiences that “traditional” office jobs often can’t provide. Whether you’re considering trade school, wondering if a career in the trades is […]
Student Debt by the Number
For years, this blogger has been telling of the massive burden college students bring upon themselves – or their parents – by borrowing money to attend college. The ballooning expense of college nowadays means borrowing at least $100,000 to finance four years for most students. The average debt will vary quite a bit based on […]
Be Open to New Ideas
As an old-timer myself, I have a lot of respect for experienced trade workers. The old saying, “practice makes perfect,” applies to many walks of life. I’m sure you’d rather be operated on by a surgeon who has performed a procedure hundreds of times rather than one doing it for the first time. Likewise, most […]
Skipping College
My background as a writer compels me to spend a lot of time on the flip side as a reader. Mornings almost always start out with a two-hour reading session, mostly of news publications. (I’m retired, so I have the time.) More and more, my morning readings come across information detailing the rewards of trade […]
Three Ways You Can Support the Next Generation of Skilled Workers
The struggle to attract young people to the skilled trades has been well-documented. We need to work together to ensure we have the people needed to offer these crucial services. Few industries offer the career stability and progression that the trades can provide. Additionally, skilled workers can choose to work for a company or lean […]
Women in the Trades: Growing Careers, Breaking Barriers
Around 4% of people working skilled trades jobs in the United States are women. While this number may not sound like a lot, this is substantial progress from what was once a flat 0%. We are likely to see – and excited to see – the number of trades opportunities for women continue to rise […]
The Skilled Trades Are Surging
A front-page article in the April 2, 2024 edition of the Wall Street Journal addresses a point I’ve made repeatedly in this blog. It describes the growing attraction of trade careers to members of what’s become known as Generation Z, generally defined as those born between 1995 and 2012 – which I suspect includes many […]
Starting From Square 1: Building a Career in the Trades
While starting fresh with a trades career may sound challenging, the payoff can be immense. Jessica Bannister, an HVAC professional, spent over 10 years behind a desk before beginning her apprenticeship in 2018. Jessica grew up thinking the trades weren’t an option for women like her, and is much more happy and fulfilled after making […]
How To Sell Yourself
You may not think of yourself this way, but no matter what you do for a living, at various times you will have to be a salesperson. You may or may not ever be charged with selling products or services, but at the very least you will have to sell yourself and your talents. You […]