alexanderhay, to generationx
@alexanderhay@mastodon.social avatar

No, it just means they're swapping one gold rush for another. Watch as the value of vocational plummets due to oversupply, like the value of undergraduate degrees did.

This, of course, is why framing education as a financial investment is a silly idea.

" students are choosing a trade over . That shows they’re smart

"Young people are increasingly opting to train as plumbers, electricians, welders and carpenters and similar vocations..."

https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/may/19/gen-z-trade-school

SallyStrange, to random
@SallyStrange@eldritch.cafe avatar

Finally, the moment you've been waiting for: Sally's Guide to Getting And Keeping a Job in Construction! Focused on USA rules/regulations/culture and aimed particularly at people seen as female or feminine, especially queer kids. Construction was a lifeline for me during a dark time and it could be for you. If you're desperately trying to get out of your parents' house, but don't want to get into college, this could be helpful! Could be in 4 or 5 parts, sincere there is plenty to cover.

ADVANCE PREPARATION:

  1. Figuring out if it’s really for you. OK, one big skill you should have is an awareness of 3D space, but how can you know if you have that? Well, did you like playing with legos? Are you into fiber arts such as knitting, crochet, or sewing? Those give you some good skills to build on, e.g.: counting to 10, measuring, cutting, comparing sizes, etc. Are you good at stacking dishes? Good at packing a suitcase? Into Tetris? These are all good signs. Also, cleaning is huge on a construction site. The ability to quickly survey a space and prioritize tasks for getting or keeping it organized is super helpful.

On the people skills side: just have good communication and the ability to ask clarifying questions. Working in a male-dominated field can be frustrating because they downplay the value of communication skills, then spend so much time arguing about pointless shit. Cultivate patience and a sense of humor for this.

Another helpful communication tip: learn conversational Spanish. Doesn’t matter where you are, you’re bound to have some coworkers whose first language is Spanish.

Another SUPER helpful thing to learn is the technical lingo! Just being able to identify a lintel or tell the difference between a rafter and a joist, for example, will give you far more credibility than such trivia really deserves. Watching youtube videos of people doing the type of work you're interested in is a good idea, especially if the videos are made somewhat locally to you.

SallyStrange,
@SallyStrange@eldritch.cafe avatar

I lied, I'm not done! I remembered this cool trick I should really tell you about. An excellent way to gain respect and credibility in the trades is to be able to estimate measurements accurately at a glance. While there is a degree of innate aptitude that informs this ability, you can get better with practice, and you can use some shortcuts. My main shortcut (and I'm sure other people have plenty more) is this: I measured my body parts. The distance from thumb to pinky with fingers splayed, for me, is 7 inches. From elbow to fingertips is about 18 inches. My wingspan is about 5 feet (which makes sense because I'm about 5 feet tall--most people's wingspan is about the same as their height). My pace is 2 1/2 feet at a relaxed stride. Etc.

So measure your body parts and practice estimating. The width of the sidewalk. The height of your door. Check it with your tape measure. You'll quickly get the hang of it. It's worth it because it will help you show yourself as someone competent, which, if you're not a cishet man, is disproportionately important for you as a new worker on a construction job site.

#construction #Trades #jobs #GetFediHired #JobsOfMastodon

SarraceniaWilds, to Help

Im trying to find a cotton/wool flannel work jacket that doesnt have polyester or any other plastic in it to use for #blacksmithing and #welding in winter, and eeeeverything is lined with plastic! Has anyone got suggestions? #help #trades #tradeswomen

onthefencedev, to random
@onthefencedev@twit.social avatar

Top tip (even though I keep ignoring this advice) - never, ever pay a tradesperson until they've finished absolutely all, and I mean ALL, the work!

#unreliable #trades

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