Do Trades Really Carry a Stigma? (I need life advice from the great NBR)

Do it. You can always work your way up the chain and sit your ass behind a desk if you get tired of being dirty.

Our weekly planning meeting ended with "… an effort in futility"

Which is a bit better than the "fucking pathetic" that we got last week, mostly because it wasn't directed at me this week.

I had a rad meeting today. Some statuses were updated, some challenges were raised, some options were discussed, some actions were taken, some synergies were found, A plan was proposed, no decisions were made.

Me too! What end of the table were you sitting at?

I had a rad meeting today. Some statuses were updated, some challenges were raised, some options were discussed, some actions were taken, some synergies were found, A plan was proposed, no decisions were made.

Perfect.

Play buzzword bingo and end the meeting when the first person fills in a line. Meetings go by quickly. Make sure you have "segue" in the center square.

^^ peeps can go Military at 42???

Yep. You can serve to 60 now if you want, I know guys who've joined around 48 or 49. Usually want a change from their old lives, if you're fit there's no reason why you can't do it.

Yep. You can serve to 60 now if you want, I know guys who've joined around 48 or 49. Usually want a change from their old lives, if you're fit there's no reason why you can't do it.

While the woman I mention is training to be a Bin Rat. The story from I think it was 2010 was a woman passing the Infantry course at 41.

A top end supervisor whether plumbing, electrical, etc. in construction is 6 figures non union.
I know as we have a couple that are worth it.
The trades are so much more now because even if you stay at an installer level, as in non supervisory, you earn a very good wage, benefits - depending on the company they can be pretty significant - and you get to do so many different types of work, rarely the same thing twice and you don't stay more than say a couple of years on one site depending on the project.
There are a large number of P3 projects out there ready to hit the street and there will be more demand for more [HTML_REMOVED] better people.

There's no time like now to get your apprenticeship years behind you so you can really learn and earn.

Let me repeat, I have nothing against the trades, but I'd like to know if the trades really do carry any real stigmas.
Allix

I'm not a tradesperson, but I thought I'd speak to this from my perspective.

I work in Construction (specifically Quality) Management on large civil projects. In my years working so far, I have learned at least as much from the Foremen, Carpenters and other tradespeople on site than I have from the engineers and managers I work with/for.

Whether it's with office workers or tradespeople, it's always the same - there will be hard workers, lazy asses and dumb jerks who will waste your time. It's up to you to know the difference and act accordingly.

Good luck with your decision making.

Trades range from vehicle mechanics to medics (aka medical assistants), carpenters, aircraft technicians etc. The pay is pretty good as well, and the benefits aren't to be discounted (6 weeks paid vacation a year after 5 years in, plus medical/dental).

Forgot to add to this. For some trades in the CF you don't have to go the Reg Force route you can join the reserves. For example if you are interested in the medic trade. At least for BC the course was run out of NAIT in Edmonton and was done by civvy instructors. Really the course is a paramedic course.

That is another option if you don't want to leave everything completely behind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck4s5askhLA
Controversial, also interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzKzu86Agg0
Long but good

Great story, and excellent talk!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRVdiHu1VCc

This is happening in the USA right now, Mike Rowe is trying to change peoples perceptions of trades people and manufacturing. Which is probably a little bit what the OP mentioned in his thread title. I am a electrician at a Lower Mainland hospital and I like my job. For what that's worth. :eek:

http://www.ibew424.net/jobline.html

This is the jobline for the IBEW local in Alberta. 100+ unfilled calls starting at 46/hr before OT. Oilsands production projected to double in next 10 yrs+ $8B in LNG in Kitamat starting 2015.

If I had a nephew or anyone else wondering which direction to go, I would 100% recommend the trades. It's 4 years and you're done, and then you can go to Uni if you want and pay for the whole year by working for the summer.

Lil late to the conversation but I thought I would weigh in.

I'm in the trades, I'm a mechanical foreman and a red seal millwright and welder. I work mostly in bulk material handling, but also involved with mining, forestry and hydro. I've found that the "stigmata" that exists with the trades is mostly due to ignorance to what we do. Some people picture tradesman as dumb, under educated neer-do-wells, that is just not the case. The inevitable "what do you do" question that comes up when meeting new people is often met with the response "Oh cool, whats that??". There is a reason I have a sticker on my truck that says "What the hell is a millwright". Ignorance to what in fact it is.

There is also a common thought that the trades are low paying. I have consistently made 6 figures in the last 5 years of working. Granted that was as a result of overtime. However, last year I was promoted to the mechanical foreman position and now make that same 6 figure income working the standard 40hrs a week. Most trades now are paying $60K+ per year and if you are willing to travel and work consistent 6 figures is more than possible. If you work hard, and show initiative you can go very far in the trades. Superintendents can make huge money on the right projects, $200-$300K a year, most of them started out turning wrenches.

I have a number of friends and who are proud of the fact they went to school for 4-6 years and have a degree, and I am not here to knock that. Any education is great and kudos to everyone who has perused it. Red seal trades, 4 years of in school and on the job training. Really no different in my opinion, and a bit arrogant to think because you sat in a class for 4 years your degree is worth more.

I think anyone who is in the trades should be proud. Trades are the people who built this country and provide all the services to keep infrastructure, mining, oil, transport, ports, agriculture going. I love being a millwright, I was on track to get into engineering but don't regret for a second changing my mind to so what I love. Plus you can fix anything

A thought I would add, that most people see tradesman as the person wearing ratty clothes, smoking, hunched over a shovel on a construction site. Most of those guys are laborers. Sure there are people who are always going to look like a bottle collector, no matter what they do or make. I personally take pride in my appearance at work. Coveralls get dirty, put on clean ones. Its a matter of self respect for me and bringing a bit of pride to what I do and how you look on the job to others. And as for the lazy aspect, I would love for someone who says that to come to work with my company during a shutdown and work a 12hr shift and see how lazy we are. Just as it has been said before, there are lazy people in every industry.

unless youre a city tradesmen, then you are for sure lazy:)

unless youre a city tradesmen, then you are for sure lazy:)

Care to elaborate?