Careers in the trades

Careers and Colleges, Jan-Feb, 2005

Not all successful careers begin with college. With tuitions rising fast, many high school graduates are taking advantage of opportunities with the military and trades. The manufacturing and construction industries, which are currently experiencing shortages of skilled labor, are both actively recruiting. This has meant offers of high salaries and guaranteed employment for high school grads. After completing a five-year apprenticeship, a 23-year-old electrical contractor can be earning as much as $60,000 to $70,000 a year, according to the National Electrical Contractors Association.

"Also, when you learn a trade, instead of paying money out toward college, you can be bringing money in," says A.J. Pearson, executive director of the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. "People have a misconception that this is just common, dirty work, but there's a very technical aspect and a pride in the craftsmanship that is part of this work."

Training offered by the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) shows how sophisticated construction technology can be. Recently, the organization has been educating members in the construction of "green" buildings, which are energy efficient and often made from recycled materials. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) also wants to dispel the notion that skilled labor is menial labor. "Manufacturing means everything from making potato chips to making computer chips, and opportunities range from tool and die work to advanced robotics," says Wade Sayer, director of business education programs for NAM. "Plus many manufacturers give tuition reimbursement to learn on the job."

For more information on careers that don't require college, check out these Web sites: www.electrifyingcareers.com, www.gettech.org, www.armedforcescareers.com, and www.mcaproof.com

ELECTRICIAN

TAYIKA S. SHAW

AGE: 27

LOCATION: Lubbock, TX

JOB: Journeyman electrician, J&T Shaw Electric.

EDUCATION: Shaw completed a five-year earn-and-learn apprenticeship program through the National Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (NJATC). Shaw worked 40 hours a week learning the trade while going to classes two nights a week.

SALARY: Median annual salary ranges from $35,094 to $47,886, according to Salary.com, but some contractors earn $60,000 or more.

STARTING OUT: As a child, Shaw was fascinated watching her uncle tinker with electronic gadgets. In her senior year at Palo Verde High School in Tucson, Arizona, she decided to take a basic electrical wiring class. Her instructor turned her on to the career and told her about the apprenticeship program.

ON THE JOB: Shaw and her husband (whom she met during her on-the-job training) run their own electrician business, servicing local residences and companies. Shaw does repairs, installs electrical service, and even re-wires appliances. As one of the few female electricians in the industry, and the first African-American woman to have completed the training program in Lubbock, Shaw often gets surprised reactions when she's on the job. "But then people will come up and say they're inspired," she says. "Sometimes women even ask me how they can get into the field."

A big part of the job is troubleshooting. She remembers fixing a restaurant fryer, an appliance she wasn't familiar with. "There are so many little wires. You just have to relax, think about your training, and start doing a process of elimination to see where the trouble is." On a typical day she uses screwdrivers, pliers, nut drivers, levels, measuring tape, a cordless drill, and a ladder. The job can also be physically demanding (climbing ladders) and sometimes dirty (doing underground electrical work in ditches).

REWARDS: "The awesome thing is that once you complete the [apprenticeship] program, you get your 'journeyman's ticket,' which allows you to work for different unions across the country at a great salary."

CHALLENGES: "I have a big phobia of bugs. Sometimes we go in a crawl space, and there are bugs or rodents. That's when the girl in me comes out."

MORE INFO: National Electrical Contractors Association/International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, www.electrifyingcareers.com

--Traci Mosser

SHEET METAL WORKER

MICHAEL SMITH

AGE: 28

LOCATION: Cudahy, WI

JOB: Architectural sheet metal apprentice.

EDUCATION: These professionals must complete an apprenticeship, typically lasting four or five years. Smith has training in drafting, welding, and shop fabrication (processing materials to the specifications of a particular project in the shop).

SALARY: Median hourly salary is $15.31 per hour.

STARTING OUT: Smith first thought he might pursue a career as an architect, but he wanted to earn cash more quickly and decided that by working as a sheet metal apprentice he could earn a living while learning a trade.

ON THE JOB: As an apprentice providing general roofing services to many commercial buildings, Smith knows people in high places and has worked on high-profile jobs like the Milwaukee Art Museum and a local football stadium. Basically, he measures, cuts, and installs metal roofing panels using hand tools, power tools, machines, and heavy equipment. The apprentice reads and interprets blueprints or sketches to determine the method for fabricating, assembling and installing sheet metal products, such as copper, steel, iron, aluminum, or even nonmetals such as plastic or fiberglass. "The job involves a lot of math," says Smith, "measuring surface areas, lengths, and angles."