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Considering starting a career that requires you to learn a skilled trade? Here’s what you should know before getting started.
Learning a skilled trade can be one of the fastest, most reliable, and cheapest ways to get a great career. In many cases, occupations in the skilled trades will end up paying you more than the average college graduate makes.
First off, what exactly is a skilled trade?
A skilled trade profession can generally be defined as any occupation that requires a particular skill set, knowledge, or ability. They are often hands-on, but can vary depending on which industry you choose.. In some capacity, every industry in the world is dependent on a skilled trades worker at some point!
How much time does it take to learn a skilled trade?
It all depends on which skilled trade you choose to learn. The longest trades take a similar amount of time to a college degree to learn (4-5 years), but then there are also trades that you can learn and be certified for in a matter of months. For this reason, there is generally a skilled trade program that works for everyone, it just depends on what your goals and time restrictions are.
How much will it cost me to learn a skilled trade?
Again, the answer here depends on which trade you are interested in learning. However, a fantastic benefit of learning a skilled trade is that you can very often find a program to start learning a skilled trade that will cost you nothing up front. Even better, if you opt to start an apprenticeship (which is very common in the construction skilled trades), you will actually start earning money from your very first day as an apprentice, and earn a little more every year until you are fully certified.
What are examples of skilled trade jobs?
Careers in skilled trades span every industry in the world. They can generally be categorized into the following buckets:
- Service Focused Trades (Estheticians, Hairstylists & Barbers, Manicurists, and Chefs)
- Construction Trades (Occupations like electricians, welders, carpenters, plumbers, and heavy machine operators)
- Medical & Veterinary Trades (Phlebotomists, MedTechs, Vet Techs, and a variety of Medical Assistants)
