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We take out the metal framing behind it. We take out the ceiling tile. So we just kind of destroy things before they become beautiful again.
SPEAKER 2: I was a supervisor at the United States Postal Service. And I was just getting worn out with the hours. And I just told my wife, I said it’s just burning me out. I think we can do something and we can make more money.
SPEAKER 1: It’s just kind of funny because I’m a straight-A student. And so everyone expected me to go to college. And it’s not that anything is wrong with college, but it’s just not for everyone.
SPEAKER 2: And I say something to a parent, a kid that’s not interested in going to college, I would say to that parent, it’s a lot of money to be made out here in the skilled profession. The average lawyer makes about $80,000 a year. I got friends that’s plumbers, pipefitters, electricians making $80,000 and $100,000 a year with no college.
SPEAKER 1: Working in the trades, you’re always busy thinking. You’re putting your brains together to figure out the best method of problem solving.
SPEAKER 2: Working for myself afforded me the opportunity to have more time to do things that I like to do, like maybe going to the gym, or going to the games, or just buying a new car.
SPEAKER 1: Before I think I had a preconception of certain jobs that were more respectable than others. My mindset has changed on so much. And I just have a respect for anyone that’s out here working hard, and that is in construction, or building things, or tearing things down because a lot of hard work. And it’s something that transcends way after you complete that project.
I got started on the ground up. He sort of– one day he wanted me to lay brick. The next day he wanted me to follow a plumber around. And I just dabbled in things until I really found that the creative side of construction really appealed to me.
What I like about being in construction, or building, is that things are constantly moving. They’re constantly changing. And we have to work with a team here. So there’s an entire group of people on every project that we have to coordinate with and work with. And it’s like all the pieces of the puzzle have to get together in order to make the project go.
So sometimes we’re in the office. And other times we are in the field. Every day it’s something new, whether it’s a new problem or just seeing something change from the ground up. I mean, being able to go into a kitchen, rip the whole thing out and start over, and then see the finished product, is really gratifying.
We’re living in a world of HGTV where everybody wants their house to be redone. And it’s very hard to find people to get the job done. There’s just not a lot of people in this field. And it’s a shame because it’s a very lucrative field to be in. The supply and demand for really good, skilled workers is super high.
I feel like, for people coming up in the world today that like this– they want to be creative. They want to work with their hands. There’s so many great outlets for it. Find someone that you can apprentice with. Go to a trade school. Because you can earn while you learn.
When you get out of that school or when you get out of that apprenticeship, the world is going to be wide open for you with so many people that are going to want your services.
I actually raced bicycles for eight years professionally, and then I have two children now. I realized I needed to find my next career path and figure out what I was going to do.
So I went from racing a bicycle professionally to learning how to properly roof a house and roof a building. Every house in America has a roof on it, and at some point, every roof is going to leak. So there’s lots of opportunities if you know how to do your job well and have a great career.
There’s tons of opportunities for young people to enter the roofing industry– everything from the suppliers, working at the supply house, working with the roofing contractor, working with the roofing manufacturer. You start out as a general laborer. You’re making probably two times above minimum wage when you’re doing that. As you work up to the higher skills, either installing or being a foreman, you’re going to double your pay almost each time.
I like the– actually learning the application of how do you install the roof, how do you fix the roof, because you’re able to use that skill, really, for the rest of your life. I like being in a skilled trade because I like to be outside. I like to be my own boss as well. I like to kind of create my own schedule. But also I like to have a solution for people’s problems.
So you can have a great career, make really good money, be able to look at something and say, OK, here’s our problem. Let’s identify it. What’s our solution for it? And then being able to actually fix it right then and there gives you a lot of personal satisfaction.
SPEAKER 3: My dad was a plumber. And at 12 years old, I started helping him.
SPEAKER 1: My sister, me, my dad, my mom, and now my oldest son, we all are part of the business. I just couldn’t see myself sitting in a classroom beyond what I absolutely had to do to get my diploma and go.
SPEAKER 4: I was never a good test taker. I wasn’t really into all the paperwork and all the schoolwork. So I decided I didn’t want to go to college and jump right into the family business.
SPEAKER 1: I guess, his graduation was Friday night, and he was here Monday morning. The trades have a high demand.
SPEAKER 4: Every single one of my friends are in college right now, but majority are taking on student loans.
SPEAKER 1: Friends that have gone on to college, they come out of there drowning in debt. They’re not working in any field that college would have prepared them for. The trades give you the potential to live the American dream. There is a stigma out there that says if you want to make the most money, go to the best places, eat the best foods, you have to have a corporate job. I’m here to tell you that’s just blatantly untrue.
SPEAKER 3: Where if you’re licensed, go anywhere right now, get $2,000 sign-on bonus, tools, a truck.
SPEAKER 1: $50,000 a year plus benefit packages to choke a horse because we’re trying to get people into the industry, so the bennies are wonderful.
SPEAKER 3: The work is never ending. It’s always there. As much work as you want to do, you can do. As much as your body will let you.
SPEAKER 1: Paid sick days, personal days, holidays, good medical insurance, 401(k)s, HSAs.
SPEAKER 3: You don’t have to wear high heels, and stockings, and makeup every day. You get to be comfortable. [LAUGHS] SPEAKER 4: It’s great to know that I’m not going to have any debt in the future, knowing that I can invest that money and something else that can benefit me more in the future than having to worry about paying off student loans for a long time. I do see myself, hopefully, within the next couple of years having my own house. The car that I would like to put in the garage is one I currently have is a 2001 SVT Cobra.
SPEAKER 2: Job opportunities right now are so good. There are no plumbers. There are no tradespeople.
SPEAKER 1: The ratio of people that are retiring to coming in is 5-to-1.
SPEAKER 3: Right now, everything is booming. So I mean it’s like super busy. There’s more work out there right now, then everybody can get to.
SPEAKER 2: The plumber protects the health of the nation. It just goes without saying.
SPEAKER 1: It’s sanitary plumbing systems that keep you from getting sick in the first place. And everybody looks up to Einstein. He said if I had to do it all over again, I’d be a plumber.
People called it something else. But originally, it was my thing. Through the years, it became something I did to celebrate finishing the job. I met a lot of people working various jobs. People always needed an electrician– reading plans, pulling wire, installing switches and lighting. So I grew a nice little business for myself.
Bought a home. Started 401(k) for my retirement. Took nice vacations. You could say [INAUDIBLE] caught on in more ways than one. After my nephew, Quinn, finished high school, I brought him on to be my apprentice. He was a quick learner.
SPEAKER 2: I was good at math and science, but a four year college just wasn’t my thing. But I like using my hands and building stuff. You can say I got my degree on the job with Uncle Clyde.
SPEAKER 1: Q always had steady hand-eye coordination. Picked up a lot of things from me– even some of my dance moves.
SPEAKER 2: Electricians get ongoing training because technology codes and safety practices are always changing, just like dancing.[MUSIC PLAYING] To the left, to the left. No, no. To the right, to the right. I was about to kick the sofa, but then this new dance move pops into my head. And after we got the flat screen home, I teach them the move. I call it the Q Shuffle. Everybody knows I came up with it.
SPEAKER 1: Q was new school. He learned about all this smart technology. Now, Q and I install home theaters, smart Wi-Fi lighting, smart thermostats–
SPEAKER 2: Alternative power sources, power walls, and retrofit to LED lighting.
SPEAKER 1: Everybody wants to put a ring on it.
SPEAKER 2: The student became the teacher.
SPEAKER 1: Quintin is a good example for young kids. He’s been making great money since he finished high school, and has no student debt.
SPEAKER 2: Entry level electricians make two to three times minimum wage. Within five years, you can make about 50k a year– way more if you own your own business.
SPEAKER 1: Many of the electricians I know make six figures now and have a great lifestyle. Now I’m set to retire next year while I’m still young.
SPEAKER 2: Young-ish.
SPEAKER 1: All right now.[LAUGHS] You see, most electricians are closer to my age than his. Young electricians will always find work.
SPEAKER 2: And the industry is expected to grow at 10% a year for the foreseeable future. Now, that’s job security.
SPEAKER 1: Mm-hmm.
BOTH: Becoming an electrician is a power move.
SPEAKER 2: Parents think their kid must go to a four-year college to get a good job. It’s like they put so much pressure on me.
SPEAKER 1: Mm-hmm. And you feel that you’re somehow being, I don’t know, misperceived?
SPEAKER 3: Most parents won’t even consider sending their kids to a technical college. It’s like there’s some sort of stigma about me.
SPEAKER 1: Huh, stigma. And would you say this is the source of your existential crisis?
SPEAKER 2: Yeah, Doc. Why do you think that I spend so much time playing video games and throwing frat parties, toilet papering the quad?
SPEAKER 1: But shouldn’t everyone aspire to college college?
BOTH: Technical college is college.
SPEAKER 1: Of course. That’s not what I meant.
SPEAKER 3: I am a learning institution that is preparing students for jobs in high demand.
SPEAKER 2: Some people just learn better in that environment.
SPEAKER 1: Well, then don’t slight yourself. There are a lot of four-year students who get degrees and great jobs.
SPEAKER 2: Yeah, but only 58% of them graduate within six years. And some don’t graduate at all. Four-year college is not four-year college for everybody.
SPEAKER 3: My students are getting jobs in the fields they study and directly using their skills.
SPEAKER 2: The job market is hiring people with a very specific set of skill sets. Capice?
SPEAKER 1: [CHUCKLES]
I capice quite well. My son was an English lit major.
SPEAKER 2: I’m driving all these people into debt. It’s crippling me. It’s crippling them.
SPEAKER 3: Can you imagine starting out life with $40,000 in debt?
SPEAKER 1: So then just get a part-time job. I delivered pizzas in
SPEAKER 3: [SIGHS HEAVILY] SPEAKER 2: My friend, technical college costs three to six times less than me.
SPEAKER 3: And they can make more than minimum wage while they’re learning.
SPEAKER 2: They can do dual enrollment while in high school.
SPEAKER 3: Plumbers, electricians, carpenters–
SPEAKER 2: –masons, welders, HVAC technicians.
BOTH: They make great money.
SPEAKER 2: They get employer-sponsored health care and 401(k)s.
SPEAKER 3: And no crippling debt.
SPEAKER 2: And they have a ton of jobs just waiting for them.
SPEAKER 3: Some kids would be better suited for me or just entering the skilled trades.
SPEAKER 2: But no, parents are just dead set on sending them to me.
SPEAKER 1: You seem to hold a lot of resentment for parents. I’d like for you to bring them to your next session.
BOTH: Yeah. Cool. Whatever.[MUSIC PLAYING] SPEAKER 4: Well, we got him a tutor, and we’re working really hard to get his test scores up. No, he’ll make much better grades at a four-year college. I mean– well, the chairs at the high school are so uncomfortable. And well, the lectures at a four-year college are definitely more interesting. So– oh.
SPEAKER 1: Four-year, tell her how you feel.
SPEAKER 2: [SIGHS] I’ve changed. The job market has changed. The world has changed. I can’t be everything for everyone.
SPEAKER 4: Well, what exactly is he supposed to do after high school?
BOTH: You see what I mean?
SPEAKER 1: Well, how about an apprenticeship and technical college? The news is constantly reporting about the skills gap crisis.
SPEAKER 3: Jobs in the skilled trades are in high demand.
SPEAKER 4: I’m sorry, but my kid’s going to a four-year college.
SPEAKER 2: But your kid loves working with his hands and building stuff and fixing things.
SPEAKER 4: What kind of future will he have with your degree?
SPEAKER 3: There are jobs using drones–
SPEAKER 2: –mobile applications and video technology–
SPEAKER 3: –smart tools, like 3D printing–
SPEAKER 2: –virtual design and smart home technology.
SPEAKER 3: It’s not only snaking toilets and swinging hammers these days.
SPEAKER 2: Yeah. And your son is incredibly entrepreneurial. I mean, just after a few years, he could own his own business.
SPEAKER 4: Well, now you’ve changed the optics for me. I mean, I definitely don’t want him living in my basement for the next 20 years.
SPEAKER 1: You see here, Colleges? This doesn’t have to be an existential crisis. Now, about my bill– I do have some substantial student loans myself. [CLICKS TONGUE] You think undergrad’s expensive? [EXHALES] [CHUCKLES]
SPEAKER 2: [CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY] [MUSIC PLAYING]
I got into welding through obviously custom cars, went to college, when I got out of school there really wasn’t a lot of jobs that were available. So I went to a tech school and fell into an industry and a passion and a craft that I love. I got to mentor with some of the best guys in the business, and then I moved here to start my own shop.
I had basically a toolbox. I had a Lincoln Electric welder. 15 years later, we’re super successful.
There are so many industries that welding touches whether it’s food grade stainless steel it’s got to be welded, or nuclear facilities that have stainless steel that needs to be welded. You look at NASCAR, Formula One, aerospace, it’s a really cool industry.
We’re literally sculpting handmade cars and motorcycles. We hand-form bodies, we weld them together. Hammer, grind, same with the chassis. It’s a great field with lots of opportunity lots of jobs that are out there, and a career that’s not going anywhere.
We train in house, which is nice. I’ve been able to take 18-year-old guys give him a torch, show him how it works, and within a year, these guys are kicking butt. There’s always people looking for skilled welders out there.
Last time I checked a few years ago it was somewhere around 50,000 jobs were short just in the US. You really have to decide for yourself what you want your life to be. I want to flexibility. I like to be outside. I like to work with my hands. None of that applied in my old job.
Hands down, I would get into the trades in a second before I went into a white collar job. There’s more opportunity. There’s more of an easy laid back atmosphere. There’s no dress code hardly other than some boots. There’s a shortage of a big pile of welders and that is not going to change.
If you want a job go learn to weld.
KEVIN CONNOR: Well, after giving it much thought, I’ve decided that next year, I’ll be going pro and building my skills as a Georgia plumber!
SPEAKER 1: And another prospect opts to enter the workforce. What impacted your decision? It was an opportunity to earn money and learn on the job.
Ms. Barnes, as his school counselor, you pushed Kevin to consider a career in the trades.
MS. BARNES: In high school, his numbers were great, especially in math and science. But Kevin never really considered college.
KEVIN CONNOR: For me, it was opportunity to work with my hands, which I love doing, building things, and being a part of a team.
SPEAKER 1: Dad, what are your thoughts on Kevin’s decision?
KEVIN’S DAD: I mean, I ain’t going to lie. At first, we’re a little bit nervous about what [? Kev ?] was going to do when he’s not in school. But there’s a high demand for plumbers, and he can make a great living doing it.
SPEAKER 2: Yes, he will. And he can even own his own business one day.
KEVIN’S DAD: Go plumbers![CHEERING] SPEAKER 1: Congrats on what will no doubt be a long career ahead of you. Another highly-touted prospect enters the trades. Learn more about the amazing opportunities in plumbing and all the construction trades at TradeTalksUSA.org.