I don’t have the energy to reblog every post uncritically praising the trades to debunk it with the thorough fact checking @hypodronic provides but here’s your reminder that you’re in for a nasty surprise if you think it’s a good money-making move to go into trades, among the reasons:
-your money-making capacity plateaus unless you can make your own company happen, whether you can make your own company is, surprise, usually tied to coming from an established trade family or being part of an old boys club
-it physically destroys your body and many trades people go on to either be permanently on EI/workers comp/disability or are forced to change careers before even a decade into it, many more are less lucky and develop addiction to opiates to cope with the pain of their injuries
- trade schools are a nightmare of discrimination across all areas, and if you survive the schooling, good luck trying for an apprenticeship if you’re not a cishet white man. And, of course, apprenticeships are usually how you land the jobs. 🤔🤔🤔🤔
- sneering about how we need “fewer psychology majors and more carpenters” is a pile of classist bullshit peddled to shame poor people for wanting an education
Etc etc
I also feel like it’s easy to forget that trade jobs are also often very much tied to the sorts of infrastructural growth that requires you to either move away from home for months at a time, going to constantly shifting job sites, and/or work brutal shifts that essentially keep you from seeing your family or having regular social rhythms. traveling in order to work and working night/swing shifts for years is taxing on every aspect of your body, mind and life. It’s extremely alienating and disruptive and really sets ppl up to develop/exacerbate mental illnesses and increase substance use as a coping tool.
Also the concept that you can break into trades debt free is shit like you still gotta pay for cost of living, intro courses, certifications, trade tickets, union dues, TOOLS & APPROPRIATE GEAR, and though technically your employer should provide you with these things but a lot of ppl end up buying their own PPE bc the boss won’t pay for the good stuff that actually helps keep you safe :/ start up costs are not cheap and the high demand jobs that sometimes help subsidize these costs? Well...they are high demand for a reason an it ain’t bc they are fun and safe.
This was just anecdotal but those are the two things that have really stood as barriers to accessing trade jobs or holding these jobs down for my family who are all in trade jobs/had to medically retire from trade jobs bc they were killing them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thank you for sharing! That’s also an important consideration I didn’t mention, and yes, it does require those long hauls, which can be isolating and lonely. The other (now moved onto other careers) trades people I know also mentioned the toxic culture of competition and hazing among coworkers for bigger jobs, so no real support/solidarity, or isolation on smaller long term gigs.