Getting Started in the Trades
Despite the growing competitiveness in today’s job markets, the trades have always had a need for qualified applicants to fill vital roles, something that has also grows year over year. They provide careers offering stability, potential for upward movement and high degrees of job satisfaction, irrespective of how technology has reshaped the workforce.
Whether you’re a new graduate or someone seeking a career change, the skilled trades are open to all and brimming with opportunity.
What Are Skilled Trades?
In the broadest sense, a skilled trade refers to a specialized occupation requiring specific technical knowledge, hands-on training and, in many cases, training in the form of apprenticeships.
Almost every industry encompasses or requires the services of skilled trades. Those that do not directly incorporate them, such as manufacturing, carpentry or plumbing, rely on their services for continued operation.
Yes, skilled trades do involve grueling hours and be quite physically demanding, but they can also be incredibly lucrative. There is a lower barrier to entry than many other equivalently salaried careers and in many cases, there is no need for a college degree.
Job markets for the trades continue to grow year over year, offering long term job stability for those looking to enter into them and demand has never been higher.
Careers in skilled trades also provide substantial room for advancement and specialization. Tradespeople can choose to pursue continued training, certification or even entrepreneurship as pathways for growth.
Overall, while there are things to keep in mind about the trades, such as their physical demands, they are undoubtedly a source of many great benefits, despite their current reputation.
Assess Your Interests and Skills
In deciding which trade is best suited to your own individual needs and lifestyle, it’s important to take a moment to identify your specific interests and skill sets. For example, someone already versed with hand and power tools and who loves working outdoors, might consider carpentry as a good fit for them.
As with any career choice, the longer you can persevere within a trade, the bigger the payoff and more opportunities present themselves. To be able to stick with it long enough, the interest has to be there. So before leaping into a trade, take the time needed to research and examine if that trade matches your own interests.
Self-assessment is key. Identify your strengths and the trades within which you can use them. Are you a problem-solver? Have a high degree of practical skill already? Do you have a keen attention to detail? All good starting points for your initial assessment.
Moreover, find something you are either already passionate about, or can see yourself easily growing to become passionate about. Having this from the outset is a guaranteed means to set yourself up for long term success.
Exploring Training and Education Options
It can be daunting figuring out what the best starting point is when entering into the trades. There can be many methods of actually getting started, however there are a few key methods that most tradespeople tend to follow.
Vocational Schools
This method has the dual benefit of providing both the specific training you will need and integrating you into the right networks for the trade of your choice. Getting this established early on can heavily expedite the process of getting your eventual job placement.
Community Colleges
Many community colleges offer trade skill courses or programs that can be easily enrolled into. As with vocational schools and programs, these not only get you the training you need, but help you build your network early.
Apprenticeship Programs
One of the most common ways into a trade is through an apprenticeship program. Many employers offer opportunities to learn on the job. Apprenticeships offer established tradespeople who will guide your progress, giving you hands-on experience while possibly being paid as well.
Whichever path you decide to follow, it is important to keep in mind, that especially for skilled trades, certifications, licensing requirements and staying updated on industry standards and regulations are necessary as you progress.
Overcoming Challenges and Stereotypes
For years, skilled trades have been stigmatized as “dirty work”; Lowly jobs with unlivable wages and complete absence of career advancement. This stigma is entirely untrue and has contributed in no small way to the decline in the number of individuals willing to pursue the trades as a career.
What is true though, is that skilled trades can be very labor intensive. However, for those who wish to pursue such trades, the wages are more than livable. Many of these tradespeople in particular have been able to set themselves up with very comfortable lifestyles.
Trades empower individuals with permanent and ever advancing skills, opening up many avenues for upward growth or even entrepreneurial endeavors.
For the individual who chooses a trade that aligns with their own personal interest and lifestyle, there is no limit to the type of life they can build.
Leveraging Resources and Networking
The skilled trades, like any field, has its many professional networks and associations. As a tradesperson, it is important to leverage these. Join your local trade association and don’t shy away from using online resources to find and join communities of like minded people.
These channels can broaden your outlook on the trade of your choice and can potentially connect you to the right people who will help propel you toward your goal.
Embrace Lifelong Learning and Growth
All skills require constant and consistent practice to both master and remain relevant. It is part of your job, as a tradesperson to stay aware of emerging trends, technologies and best industry practices to in order to stay on top of craft and career.
Certifications must be renewed regularly and are absolutely necessary for many trades. Leadership training can be incredibly helpful as you progress, as many tradespeople often find themselves in charge of a team as they advance in their careers. Continue to leverage your networks and growing industry knowledge to keep yourself, to the best of your ability, on top of your chosen trade.
Conclusion
Entering a skilled trade is not just about finding a job, but instead, it is a highly rewarding and fulfilling journey, brimming with opportunity for growth, creativity and personal satisfaction.
So take the time to figure out your interests, choose your starting point, embrace lifelong learning and embark on your own unique journey. However you choose to go about it, being selective and thorough when choosing a skilled trade career can almost guarantee a path of long term success and personal satisfaction.