- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Coaching Changes
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: WSJ: The High-School Juniors With $70,000-a-Year Job Offers
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:25 pm to Mingo Was His NameO
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:25 pm to Mingo Was His NameO
quote:
And he will make relatively that for the rest of his life with no benefits. Not bad, but certainly not what you should strive for either
And even if they do make more and do obtain benefits, these jobs are always pretty hard on the body.
This thread from the /r/welding subreddit is a bunch of welders guaranteeing some form of health issue even with the strictest use of protective gear.
It's good work and should be encouraged to those who need it. But there's a reason why wealthy families will always insist their children go to college over the trades.
0
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:27 pm to Samso
On a side note, I like Australia's apprenticeship program that runs through their government.
Employers provide apprenticeship opportunities for anyone age of 18 or older to develop skills and train, government provides financial benefits to cover the cost. This encourages employers to hire these folks, fill positions in industries that have need, etc. It's a pretty successful program overall.
I wouldn't have an issue with government subsidizing a program like that with appropriate safeguards in place.
Australian apprenticeships
Employers provide apprenticeship opportunities for anyone age of 18 or older to develop skills and train, government provides financial benefits to cover the cost. This encourages employers to hire these folks, fill positions in industries that have need, etc. It's a pretty successful program overall.
I wouldn't have an issue with government subsidizing a program like that with appropriate safeguards in place.
Australian apprenticeships
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:28 pm to Odysseus32
quote:
They know someone who makes $100k+. Thats all this is.
or more likely know someone who says their making $100k+
quote:
One of my best friends is a lineman for a utility company. He makes over $100k a year.
divide that by the time spent on the road away from home and I'll bet it's a lot closer to minimum wage, and I know, there are exceptions, and your buddy sounds like one, but most of he linemen I've run across are kind of of a bunch of misfits and drunks that like the camping out and working out in the woods part of it, work all day, get passed out drunk every night, rinse, repeat for a couple of weeks and go home for a few days off
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:29 pm to Mingo Was His NameO
quote:
Every single metric, every single one of them, shows college graduates still make more than non college graduates as a whole, plus time off, plus benefits, plus no demand on the body
I did well out of college too, with a STEM degree. I made it to the pinnacle of my field, knocking down mid-six figures before semi-retiring to investment banking, where I mostly sell businesses for retiring trades people.
I gotta tell you, while the guys who own their own successful businesses may be the exception rather than the rule, every time I sell one of those businesses to PE or a bigger company and my client rides off to retirement with $10M or more on top of the $2M he's been taking home for each of the last 5-10 years, I kinda wonder if we did it wrong.......
If you can stay clean from drugs, alcohol, and catastrophic divorce/illness. you can make a substantial fortune in the trades. You just need to be good at what you do, conscientious, and want to build something. Even if you spend your life as just a frontline tech, you will make vastly more $ than 99.9% of the people who are also not cut out for college settling for a McJob.
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:32 pm to Samso
You have to subtract out the medical costs for inhaling metal and multiple herniated discs.
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:34 pm to TigerHornII
quote:
I did well out of college too, with a STEM degree. I made it to the pinnacle of my field, knocking down mid-six figures before semi-retiring to investment banking, where I mostly sell businesses for retiring trades people.
I gotta tell you, while the guys who own their own successful businesses may be the exception rather than the rule, every time I sell one of those businesses to PE or a bigger company and my client rides off to retirement with $10M or more on top of the $2M he's been taking home for each of the last 5-10 years, I kinda wonder if we did it wrong.......
If you can stay clean from drugs, alcohol, and catastrophic divorce/illness. you can make a substantial fortune in the trades. You just need to be good at what you do, conscientious, and want to build something. Even if you spend your life as just a frontline tech, you will make vastly more $ than 99.9% of the people who are also not cut out for college settling for a McJob.
Did you consider any of this for your kids? Very few people that advocate for trades are sending their kids that direction. We all know its an unappealing job with a lot more risks than not.
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:35 pm to tigeraddict
quote:
i have seen a number of Davs-Bacon labor rates recently from around the nation for welders, plumbers, Electricians, ect. and its amazing what some can make after a 4-5 year apprentice on straight time.
4-5 years is the average time frame for someone to earn a college undergrad degree.
Take for example a plumber/pipefitter in BR. will start around 50% total package and after 5 years make around $30/hr on the check( $62,400/yr) plus another $15ish/hr for retirement and health insurance (fringes) worth another $31,200/yr
so total package making around $93,600 without factoring in OT and starting straight out of highschool making about half that.....
Davis-Bacon
So a plumber/pipefitter in Baton Rouge will only make Davis Bacon wages if they are working for a UA contractor OR they are working for an open shop on a federally funded project. If it is the latter there is a very good chance they will be called a "Laborer" and be paid DB wages for a laborer and if they say anything about they will find themselves in the unemployment office.
According to one UA Tramp Site Local 198 work picture is slow with local men on book 1 and very calls coming in. There is work in the area though for those who want to hit the road and let Jodie take care of Mama while he spends your paycheck....
FLE sites seem to be of the opinion that signing the book in Baton Rouge is a waste of time LOL....
Seriously, the trades are a way to earn a living. To listen to some folks, many who have no direct experience, you'd think it is a great way to earn a living....it ain't. Its one way, it may be the best way for some, but for many people it is simply a way....
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:37 pm to TigerHornII
quote:
If you can stay clean from drugs, alcohol, and catastrophic divorce/illness. you can make a substantial fortune in the trades. You just need to be good at what you do, conscientious, and want to build something. Even if you spend your life as just a frontline tech, you will make vastly more $ than 99.9% of the people who are also not cut out for college settling for a McJob.
I think it cuts both ways here. Many people who could stay clean as a tradesman and have their head on straight will have a hard time making connections in that world like someone who is a true tradesman. I mean no disrespect, but I’m a fricking nerd to a lot of tradespeople. I worked around plumbing for 3 years and it was clear that I wasn’t cut out for that world because I didn’t have anything in common with those people. They liked different things than me and I couldn’t connect with them. I connect with people much easier in corporate america.
It’s a rare person who is mechanically inclined, charismatic, and understands both people and business. I’m not one of them. Most people on an internet message board in the middle of the day aren’t one of them frankly.
I’m not directing this at you, this is more of a general thought. I think a lot of white collar folks who see the grass being greener over there need to understand that world a little bit better. You show up with an attitude of let’s treat everything like business all the time, you’d flop. That’s my opinion.
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:38 pm to Mingo Was His NameO
quote:
Like I said, not bad and good for someone with no secondary education, but nothing to strive for
why not? A lot of people would rather work with their hands all day, clock out and be done with it. That kind of work comes with its satisfactions. You have good job security with the job being in high demand
sure there are better paying career paths that don't break your back but those aren't for everyone
there should be no shame in blue collar work
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:40 pm to Mingo Was His NameO
quote:
And he will make relatively that for the rest of his life with no benefits. Not bad, but certainly not what you should strive for either
quote:
Mingo Was His NameO
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:41 pm to Dire Wolf
quote:
why not? A lot of people would rather work with their hands all day, clock out and be done with it.
This is not at all a clock out / clock in job. You are traveling and gone from home...a lot.
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:42 pm to TigerHornII
quote:
If you can stay clean from drugs, alcohol, and catastrophic divorce/illness. you can make a substantial fortune in the trades. You just need to be good at what you do, conscientious, and want to build something
Nothing about that is unique to trades
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:42 pm to Samso
My sons highschool has two signing days. The first is for athletes going to college. The second is for students who have signed employment agreements with local companies. Both ceremonies make the newspaper and the local news.
It a great program to celebrate the students and feature the local trades that hire them.
His school also has great programs in things like culinary, auto tech, manufacturing, and tech skills. It seems like the pendulum has started to swing back to make it ok for some students to immediately go into the trades and we need it.
I was listening to Mike Rowes (dirty jobs) podcast. Him and his guest were saying that if Trump is successful in bringing back 5 million or more manufacturing jobs we don't currently have the labor force willing to fill those jobs. Also we currently have the highest level in our history or young people who don't look for work or are unwilling to work.
To make the Trump plan work we are going to need to convince a lot of people to go work in the trades or manufacturing. If we can't convince our young people to do it, then we will have to import the labor needed for all the manufacturing jobs.
It a great program to celebrate the students and feature the local trades that hire them.
His school also has great programs in things like culinary, auto tech, manufacturing, and tech skills. It seems like the pendulum has started to swing back to make it ok for some students to immediately go into the trades and we need it.
I was listening to Mike Rowes (dirty jobs) podcast. Him and his guest were saying that if Trump is successful in bringing back 5 million or more manufacturing jobs we don't currently have the labor force willing to fill those jobs. Also we currently have the highest level in our history or young people who don't look for work or are unwilling to work.
To make the Trump plan work we are going to need to convince a lot of people to go work in the trades or manufacturing. If we can't convince our young people to do it, then we will have to import the labor needed for all the manufacturing jobs.
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:43 pm to Odysseus32
quote:
I’m not directing this at you, this is more of a general thought. I think a lot of white collar folks who see the grass being greener over there need to understand that world a little bit better. You show up with an attitude of let’s treat everything like business all the time, you’d flop. That’s my opinion.
You have to consider the poster you responded to just waited at the finish line and took a big check after the back breaking was over.
This post was edited on 5/7/25 at 12:44 pm
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:44 pm to Dire Wolf
quote:
there should be no shame in blue collar work
I don’t think anyone is saying that.
I think he’s saying that it’s not the most ambitious goal to be a journeyman electrician.
Nothing wrong with it, but you hit a ceiling eventually unless you start your own shop. If you have the aptitude to start your own shop, that’s great. But if you have the aptitude to start your own business, you probably also had the aptitude for a STEM degree where you could have made, overall, more money with a less stressful work environment.
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:45 pm to Tiger Prawn
And PE because kids are fat.
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:45 pm to Mingo Was His NameO
quote:
And he will make relatively that for the rest of his life with no benefits. Not bad, but certainly not what you should strive for either
Can always get promoted.
Also not everyone is cut out for college or working an office job.
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:45 pm to Loup
quote:
grades were good enough to cum loud
Posted on 5/7/25 at 12:46 pm to PoppaD
quote:
I was listening to Mike Rowes (dirty jobs) podcast.
The 40 year show business veteran telling everybody else to go dig in shite
Page 3 of 14
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News