carpentry certificate

[IrishJohn]

One more thing, check out Mike Rowe's list of resources from his website: mikeroweWORKS

[IrishJohn]

Thank you all so very much for this information, it is very helpful.
Tallestmountain I have told all my children that one of them needs to be either a mechanic or some other type of repair. It may be hard work but there is always work.
I am just tying to help my kids in choosing what path they want to take.
With the way the job market is, I think its best that they work (if they can find a job) and study at the same time.
Again thank you all and keep the advice coming I am all ears..

Wise advice. One can always attend college for a future career if they like while working in construction. In fact, many college students work in construction while earning their degree. I know I did, but it's even easier nowadays with the Big 3 than the traditional route. It all depends upon what they want to do, but learning a trade is a very good idea especially nowadays. One more piece of advice though: stay away from insulation. Ok, the trade includes air barriers and fire-stopping which are fine to do but electrical work, plumbing and HVAC are far more lucrative and have better job prospects.

[sanantone]

I'm sure this isn't a problem in New Jersey where the OP lives, but what if someone lives in a state that barely has any unions in the private sector and the ones that exist lack any real power?

[cookderosa]

Irish, that site is flipping AWESOME! Thanks!

[IrishJohn]

Irish, that site is flipping AWESOME! Thanks!

You're most welcome. I'm a huge fan of Mike Rowe!

[IrishJohn]

I'm sure this isn't a problem in New Jersey where the OP lives, but what if someone lives in a state that barely has any unions in the private sector and the ones that exist lack any real power?

Then go with a trade program that has some agreement with local companies for the OJT. I cannot stress enough how much field experience means for skilled trades, education alone just isn't enough to make it.

Take a look at this page from Rowe's website for more: School Guide « mikeroweWORKS

[UptonSinclair]

I'm sure this isn't a problem in New Jersey where the OP lives, but what if someone lives in a state that barely has any unions in the private sector and the ones that exist lack any real power?

If there are few union opportunities in the electrical field, there are typically independent electrical contractor associations that provide classes for the theory side of the craft. They provide many of the same training benefits, just not the advocate services. Electrical supply houses are a good source of information since they will deal with most electrical contractors in a given area. They typically know which contractors have the large jobs which is a good sign they might be hiring helpers and apprentices.

It is very hard to beat the training one can gain from a union apprenticeship though. The union has a strong source of funding because Journeymen pay into the training fund. There is also a pride issue that goes into making sure apprentices know their craft when awarded Journeyman status. I came into the union late in the game after recieving my training through the Air Force. A union man who has come up through the union apprenticeship would make me look like an amature after my 20 years in the craft. Thankfully, I am on the maintenance side of the house which requires a different skill set. If I had it to do over, I would try to get into the union as young as possible. I also make twice as much money in the union as I did non-union which is a nice benefit.

[IrishJohn]

I just remembered another possible resource to check into: organizations comprised of contractors. The best one I know of is Associated Builders and Contractors, which has training and apprenticeships in different trades: Craft Training & Apprenticeship

[cookderosa]

I'm out of my element when it comes to building trades, but the culinary trade is still very strongly rooted in apprenticeship. I'm going to tell you, you can't watch enough food network to teach a person how to hold a knife and adjust the seasoning on a beurre blanc...what's that supposed to taste like anyway? Our culinary apprenticeships are 6000 hours, that's 3 years at 40 hours per week / 50 weeks per year. AND that's just slicing-dicing-grilling-and chillin. I can't imagine you could learn how to wire, weld or plumb online; not really.

[sanantone]

For hands on jobs, it is important to have someone there to correct you. But it also depends on what type of learner you are, although, there is one psychologist who argues that there is no such thing as learning types. For awhile, I thought I was a kinesthetic learner because I definitely was not a visual or auditory learner. In reality, figuring out things by trial and error was a coping mechanism for not picking up on spoken and visual instructions. When I took an introductory course at Colorado Technical University, they made us take an online quiz to figure out our learning styles. I found out that I'm a visual-verbal learner and it all made sense to me. I never knew that type of style existed. I learn best when reading directions. I hate being told or shown how to do something. I'd rather read written instructions, which worked fine when I took on the massive project of putting together my home gym.

Orientation: Learning Styles/Input Modality/Visual-Verbal Learners