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medical technology/other healthcare, it's somewhat of a "trade" to me, kind of like nursing :S the actual schooling part is 1-2 years, but requires a bachelors often times
you won't kill your body, just possibly someone else's...
You've listed but a small portion of skilled trades. Unfortunately, these are the choices everyone else is considering as well. Time to start being original with the job searching...
My dad is a mechanic (car) and there is always work but his body is completely shot now.
A lot of people who consider labor trades often do not think of the wear and tear one is subjected to over the years. If going into the trades I'd advise getting a business going as soon as possible so you can hire others to do the work while possibly retiring early. One of the building contractors I work with, a guy in his mid 50s is always popping Vicodin to get thru his work day.
I would seriously consider getting a computer science degree and working in IT. IT is one field where you can make 60-100k in 5-10 years without the physical strain of labor jobs.
I worked in customer service jobs for close to 20 years. I made not much more than minimum wage, had rotten working hours and conditions, had little or nothing to save for retirement after bills were paid. I developed early arthritis due to the constant heavy lifting and standing on concrete floors for 8-10 hours a day. My co-workers were miserable drunks that made it even worse to work there. The only employees that made close to a living wage were the managers who often worked 60-70 hours a week for only 40k a year.
Had I made better decisions in my youth my current situation would have been drastically different.
A lot of people who consider labor trades often do not think of the wear and tear one is subjected to over the years. If going into the trades I'd advise getting a business going as soon as possible so you can hire others to do the work while possibly retiring early. One of the building contractors I work with, a guy in his mid 50s is always popping Vicodin to get thru his work day.
I would seriously consider getting a computer science degree and working in IT. IT is one field where you can make 60-100k in 5-10 years without the physical strain of labor jobs.
I worked in customer service jobs for close to 20 years. I made not much more than minimum wage, had rotten working hours and conditions, had little or nothing to save for retirement after bills were paid. I developed early arthritis due to the constant heavy lifting and standing on concrete floors for 8-10 hours a day. My co-workers were miserable drunks that made it even worse to work there. The only employees that made close to a living wage were the managers who often worked 60-70 hours a week for only 40k a year.
Had I made better decisions in my youth my current situation would have been drastically different.
What lead you to work there?
What would you have done instead?
I want a career that will keep you physically fit. That won'thave you sit on a chair and stare at a computer all day that will make you gain weight
I would seriously consider getting a computer science degree and working in IT. IT is one field where you can make 60-100k in 5-10 years without the physical strain of labor jobs.
Don't go into IT. All the young hot-shots consider that to be the "ultimate". They all want to get paid to play with computers...which is all they've ever done. $60 to 100K is decent money, but not great. Too much competition in that field, plus it requires college.
I'm glad you are considering the trades. Avoid college and student loan debt if possible. I checked off electrician and welder. These two fields are begging for good workers, and can pay well over $100K if you play your cards right. I would take the excellent advice already given here, to form your own business as soon as you can, which shouldn't take too long. That's where the real money is made - not at a "job".
I ran a trucking business for almost 40 years, and $100K is chicken feed for a good business owner.
I want a career that will keep you physically fit. That won'thave you sit on a chair and stare at a computer all day that will make you gain weight
It was mostly a combination of fear, apathy, and just a inability to envision my own future. I was pretty immature in my 20s and up to my early 30s. While everyone else was in college and moving to big cities I was working minimum wage in a lousy small town spending nearly all my free time smoking pot and playing video games.
I would have done better in school, developed a better study ethic and actually take the real world more seriously. I thought I could scoot by in life living in my own self-constructed fantasy world when reality suddenly hit me straight in the face.
Unless you're training for the olympics you're not going to get physically fit working a job alone. That's something you do on your own after work.
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