Anyone Have a Skilled Job Anymore?

I was reading goldfingers24’s thread about needing a job, it seems like there is more and more people out there like him who went to college and…didn’t get a job even close to what they majored in. I’m currently in a vocational school for learning machine trades, and when I graduate High School, I hope to get an apprenticeship or go to college for the trade.

In most skilled trade type jobs, I haven’t seen too many people having trouble finding a job. If that’s the case, then why isn’t there more people going into these skilled trades? I guess its the type of person, but I know I would rather have a more labor like job than I would waste my money on a college degree and find a job that I don’t even like.

also, is anyone on here a machinist? Its probably the greatest job to have IMO

It’s all about the potential pay off that keeps people going to college. I mean sure, you can become a mechanic or whatever and make a decent money or you can pursue a college education and hope one day to make the big bucks.

The guys I know who live the lifestyle that I would want all went to grad school and have doctorates, so it just seemed like an obvious decision to go to college, although I admit I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.

My dad has been an a/c technician for 20+ years, and has never had trouble finding work. He was a union sheet metal worker before that, and said he made some solid jack after he got done with his apprenticeship. He is always looking for skilled a/c techs for his business because they are so few and far between these days and they can make 40k+ starting off for him. The problem is that society basically tells kids today “go to college and become a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or accountant or your a failure.” I felt that way, and thats why I wanted to go to college so bad. Then I realized all those “great” jobs I was supposed to get with a degree just werent for me. Now I get paid to help people, and I dont throw a 20k medical bill at them for doing it =)

[quote]Htowner wrote:
My dad has been an a/c technician for 20+ years, and has never had trouble finding work. He was a union sheet metal worker before that, and said he made some solid jack after he got done with his apprenticeship. He is always looking for skilled a/c techs for his business because they are so few and far between these days and they can make 40k+ starting off for him. The problem is that society basically tells kids today “go to college and become a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or accountant or your a failure.” I felt that way, and thats why I wanted to go to college so bad. Then I realized all those “great” jobs I was supposed to get with a degree just werent for me. Now I get paid to help people, and I dont throw a 20k medical bill at them for doing it =)[/quote]

Neither do I.

But as has already been pointed out, if you have a solid skill set and the field you are in isn’t fully saturated, then you should be able to find a job.

The problem is, tons of kids went to college without even thinking about what the end goal was…so they bounce around to different majors for 3 or 4 years, finally settle on something generic like…“business” or “communications”…only to find out when they graduated that basic college degrees are like high school diplomas were 40 years ago.

That means unless you get an ADVANCED degree, the chances of making more than the average American are real slim.

I think work environment may also play a roll in people not wanting a skilled job. I have worked as a laborer for an electrical contractor during my summer and winter breaks and have experienced working in hot weather and cold, snowy weather. I can sort of see why people would rather be in an office with air conditioning during the summer and heat for the winter.

Another factor that may stop people from performing these jobs is not liking to work with tools. I could not make a career out of a skilled job because I am probably one of the least handy people I know. This leads to frustration whenever I have to work with tools.

The last factor is different places also have more work than other places. For instance, it is harder to get a job in Utah as an electrician than it was a couple of years ago because construction has slowed down.

I learn how to kill people while keeping other people from getting killed.

It’s a highly profitable profession.

learning a trade is a good idea, I graduated with two degrees, economics and geology and have been looking for work since april. its rough.

…yeah so lookin back at things now, I probably should have picked a trade…cause the path I have chose for myself has lead me to nowhere. It’s some BS I tell yah.

[quote]666Rich wrote:
learning a trade is a good idea, I graduated with two degrees, economics and geology and have been looking for work since april. its rough.[/quote]

Apply for a 2-year professional development/masters degree in geology then go work in the oilfield.

I graduated two years ago with a major in Math and a minor in Econ. I was able to find a good job in the insurance industry as an actuarial assistant.

Everyone I know who finished their math degree has a good job or is in a good graduate school. It is an unbelievable amount of work, but it pays off in terms of opportunity and respect from potential employers. You can’t B.S. your way through a math degree and employers know that if you have a good GPA, you must have a good head on your shoulders.

Disclaimer: I know that just because it worked for me, that doesn’t mean it will work well for others. I wish everyone luck finding a career path that makes them happy - or at least doesn’t make them miserable.

You see this is where I think the English educational system is a complete let down, your asked to pick your a-level or “college course” courses as 15/16 years old. To quite a large degree these choices are then “what your stuck with” and regardless of whether its true (its usually not) you feel you have to stick with “something similar” through to University. With Universities in England generally setting you on a “course” right away, with (from the sounds) MUCH less room for manouver then in American Colleges, that basically leaves you in a situation where you are almost forced down a certain route based on a few (possibly misguided and immature choices) you made when you were still a kid.

This is basically what’s happened to me MOSTLY in the sense that i feel i would have loved to study other subjects such as maybe biology, sports sciences, maybe a language… with an actual adult or near adult mindset before i make any sort of huge decisions about what i want to do with my life.

It’s dawning on me now that I will be left with a degree that’s, whatever they say, not all that applicable when it comes to finding work. But as I’m specialising in Cinema and Photography (YES, the dreaded Communications), i do think this is an area where you very much have to put the time in and make yourself stand out, you can either become something pretty special or be another rarely paid freelance bum. Personally i hope to make an above average financial situation out of it, but ill settle for having a job i absolutely love (im thinking, travel + photography)

Well, I remember my grandpa and uncles telling me to go into a trade school (strange thing my high school never even had men’s trade classes unless you consider a cook a trade school, but then again I tried getting in four years and they never let me in saying it was for the girls) and learn how to do something and you’ll be set for life. One uncle told me to get a college degree and a masters and start a business. Well I skipped the college degree thing and just started a business, now I am going to college. I think college should be more like graduate school, you should be made to intern in your selected field, then get into college and get the fuck out as fast as possible if you need a cert or degree in order to perform in that industry.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
The problem is, tons of kids went to college without even thinking about what the end goal was…so they bounce around to different majors for 3 or 4 years, finally settle on something generic like…“business” or “communications”…only to find out when they graduated that basic college degrees are like high school diplomas were 40 years ago.

That means unless you get an ADVANCED degree, the chances of making more than the average American are real slim.[/quote]

It’s like you just described my story so far.
I had no fucking clue what I wanted to do up till about a year ago (hmmm strange, that’s when a lot of things changed…) and now I’m realizing that I can do jack shit with a degree that I’m about to get next year.
If you asked me, it’s all about connections and who you know and how many friends you have. But that’s just me.

I’m an electrician, work for myself and there is plenty to keep me going. The earnings are good and I can take time off whenever I feel like it, which is quite often lol

I’ve come to somewhat of a theory that the same people who succeed in life would have succeeded no matter what path they took.

If Bill Gates had become an electrician he would have a worldwide electrical franchise and be a billionaire, if tiger woods had played football, he’d be the greatest of all time etc etc.

If you dedicate yourself to being the best at something it wont matter what college you went to, what trade you did or whether you got an A in maths

[quote]kickingking wrote:
I’m an electrician, work for myself and there is plenty to keep me going. The earnings are good and I can take time off whenever I feel like it, which is quite often lol
[/quote]

My cousin graduated with 1st class honours in Criminal Phychology, guess how many jobs there were! Not very long after, she decided to qualify as an electrition and i hear she is now doing very well for herself. Turns out the world isnt really like CSI: Miami, I guess.

I got a degree in accounting.

I bummed around looking for jobs and living at my parents for about four months. Then I asked a buddy of mine if I could work for free for half the day at the accounting firm he works at, just to get out of the house and get some more experience.

Then they handed me an assignment with a deadline.

Now I have a job. Pay’s not great, but I’m happy with it.

Yeah see Im not afraid to go into the laborers union for a few years, or get into any union for that matter. If a potential employer or a union rep comes up to me and offers me a job, I sure as hell am not gonna pass it up. As my father who is a journeymen/Foreman utility linesman says " you get that journeymen slip, you can go ANYWHERE IN THAT FIELD

Uncle Sam decided I was going to be a plumber. At first I was pissed, this is not at all what I want to do. But now I realize that I’ll ALWAYS be able to feed my family. It’s comforting.

And HM is right, you pick up a lot of other valuable skill sets along the way in this man’s military.

Dammit Holy Mac, quit making me agree with you!!

Getting my B.S. here. I’m not too worried about finding a job in psychology since I’m pretty good with mechanics/electrical stuff. I “concentrated” in woodshop in high school and decided that skilled labor is way funner than pencil pushing. Most millionaires are small business owners anyways, usually some kind of skilled manual labor. If shit happens though, I will still always have that piece of paper to fall back on.