Are 'the trades' a meme in 2026, or are they still viable? Give it to me straight and without any mercy, /pol/. The question is this - will learning a skilled blue-collar trade allow a relatively normal guy in the west to attain a reasonable quality of life and income? Yes, or no? Or is it a 'Maybe, but...' situation with a bunch of qualifiers?If so... what are the qualifiers?
You come to me with a very gay image and ask me to be straight with you?
>>533967244It's just a stock image of a guy at work. If you're seeing gay stuff in that image, that's your own problem.
Electrical, plumbing, and welding pay well. Everything else will break your body while you barely have enough to get by unless you own your own business or are in a union.
>>533967342>of a guy at workWhat is his job, sucking dick?
>>533967210IF you can get an apprenticeship. That's a big if. Also the trades don't pay nearly as much as they used to, you ain't buying a house with it, unless you're willing to commute 1hr or more. That being said. It's still a good option if the other option is unskilled labor.
>>533967210>will learning a skilled blue-collar trade allow a relatively normal guy in the west to attain a reasonable quality of life and income?Yes, but it takes a few years of commitment to work up to the level of qualification to do so. You also won't be wealthy-comfy, but comfy enough. Pros, working with your hands and with the bros in the sun (clearly you're into that), decent money, you can speak freely and there's no HR bullshit. Cons, constant dirt, cuts, aches, dust in your lungs, playground politics and having to talk to idiots all day (many of them based, but still). It beats the hell out of an office job but it's not without its drawbacks. If you are a man who craves independence, it's ideal.
>>533967408There's a few others like HVAC and gas that are likewise not too bad and comparatively well paid. If you get into BMS, you're laughing.
>>533967210If you go into something specialised like engineering / industrial electrician it might be okay. Otherwise, you'll be competing against browns.
I'm an electrician if your good enough you can charge proper money and price your own work. I currently employ an apprentice and labourer which is sometimes hard to find enough work for all 3 of us week on week but I make more than enough to cover them and go without myself if needed plus it frees me up to keep finding work and staying on top of paper work. I'm currently looking at buying a 3rd house and doing a renovation when quiet to sell at profit.Again it all comes down to the person, if your smart good at the job not stupid with money you can have a small business yourself. Or take the easy route and just work for somone else getting that steady paycheck.
>>533967901I'm level 3 but haven't finished nvq yet. Done a bit of everything from housebashing to industrial install and commercial maintenance. May I ask how you made the switch from full time to running your own gig? Did it take a while to get all the experience and startup capital or did you just go straight in with a van and a screwdriver working out the business side as you go?
As my otherwise useless, bible bashing father said -- the only good advice he every gave after working factory jobs for most of his life -- get a skill, and you'll always have work.>pro tip: work for yourself>it starts slow; but, you're always the boss
yeah trades are good if you find one you dont hateyou can find work anywhere if youre good i bought a sweet property in a low cost of living area thats known for high unemployment, but ill never go without work
There good if you have nothing already. But fuck paying like 2/3 grand on access courses and even doing an apprenticeship can be a waste of time and money, if you've got a relatively comfy job/life already.I work a boring office job. I do half the work everyone else does. But I get by playing dumb and looking busy. If I could be 18 again. Id deffo get a trade. But living in Bongland its fucked to actually start again when your already working>inb4 boomers suggest to you night classes, there is none
>>533968058I was doing "foreigners" for a while had my own van and already did work for a kitchen fitter and couple of other trades, it just sort of happened. It was about a month after quitting my job and doing my own thing looking at my work calendar saw that I was booked up for the next 2 months so took a labourer on. It was part time only at first now its all proper through the books. Business side I just stick to domestic the odd little bit of commercial maintenance there is not much to it really just stay on top of invoicing and quoting properly giving the accountant an easy time to save you money.
>>533968127come to the USA and you'll find out what skills really mean
>>533967210Isn't Colton Ford dead ?
all fields are dead or dying desu, were in a global recession
>>533967244FPBP. Sneed goes in all fields
The reason people historically opted for college over the trades was not because they don’t pay well. It’s because the jobs are hard, dirty, have prick dickhead coworkers, offer few social status points, and on their worst day, can kill you. The trades are a great option if you don’t have better ones.
>>533970319>have prick dickhead coworkersThis is the big one. I've worked blue collar stuff and half the people are deranged borderline retarded performative dickheads.
>>533967210Trades are real, but the problem lies on older boomers and gen x that gatekeep their positions & extort young apprentices like slavery (unpaid inteenships)If you want free apprenticeships, enlist in military. You can learn a lot of general and specialized trades for free, free lodging and meals, travel around the world, even get paid for undergraduate college
>>533967210I barely graduated highschool. I started doing non destructive testing in 2013, got certified in a couple different testing methods, Im now making six figures. The trades are 100% worth it if you put in the time to get good at them.
>>533967210>will learning a skilled blue-collar trade allow a relatively normal guy in the west to attain a reasonable quality of life and income? Yes, or nonobecause you have to compete against all the migrantssir, can i get a raise?do you see that queue of browns outside? youre free to go and look for a better paid job, sucker.
