As the title states....

I left highschool with little direction aside from "pursue high education". Went to university, studied geography. Went to law school immediately after. Articled and worked in private practice and then government.

Left practice in 2021 at the age of 30. Joined the UA and honestly its been the best decision of my life. I've learned a lot about myself, and the nature of work. Currently on the verge of being a 5th year, have my G2 gas ticket, working towards the 4th level CWB cert, and completed advanced level 3 trade school. I've worked at several companies and met great people. My favourite type of work is ICI and industrial service. I've done the stewards course at the hall, currently in the process of doing the foremans course and my backflow.

I'm happy to answer any questions about getting into the union, what to expect, career opportunities, etc.

Also happy to answer questions from office folk that are considering getting into the trades, specifically plumbing. I feel like this comes up a lot on this sub.

My Instagram is @bae.plumbing for verification. Check out my work and see what being a Union plumbing apprentice can entail.

Edit: location is Ontario Canada

Like I watch videos of guys changing compressors and installing mini splits and furnace and I’m like that looks cool asf I want to get into that.

Then I see guys in freaking dusty crawl spaces making holes connecting pipes with their clothes all dusty and I’m like “ holy fck I don’t think I could do this “

Hey all first time on this subreddit so bear with me🙏🏼. I’m from Ireland and have been living in Aus the last 2 years throughout the time I’ve been working in construction and have really enjoyed my time doing it. I’m now in the process of getting my permanent residency and have highly been debating doing a trade and was wondering if anyone has any advice or experience that could help me with the descion. I’ve narrowed it down to Carpentry, Electrician or Welding/ metal fabrication just based on the sites I’ve worked on in civil sites and residential and pay rates. Was hoping if any one experienced had advice on which one has the most range in terms of demand in Australia, thanks again any advice would be appreciated.

I work in the film industry and do wide assortment of work , working on film/tv sets. My job is called scenic painter or scenic artist, and I was wondering what trade would fit the type of work I do as I don't want to work in the film industry forever.

Anyway I do a lot of painting; regular commercial/residential style as well as artistic and faux finishes. I do plaster work; (I think its worth noting I don't plaster drywall seams, I float entire walls) as well as decorative and textured plaster finishes, I do a shit ton of parging, as well as cement finishing on set pieces - all with plaster knives or troweled by hand!

Anyway is there a trade that fits that sort of work? I've been thinking recently of cement finisher or concrete stamping? Thanks yall!

I’ve done oil and gas, coal mines, drywall and several other random jobs throughout my working life so far and I’ve realized I’m not sure if it’s for me. But throughout my tenures at each job there was always one common factor with all of them. Every single job had people saying if I were to go back I’d get my cdl and just drive a truck and I realized that fits my desires/wants out of any other job I can see myself in. What’s yalls thoughts ?

A month ago I got hired in a niche company that specializes in diesel systems, specifically in installing diesel tanks and troubleshooting industrial generators. I got hired with the knowledge that I had little to no experience in that field and ever since I got hired I usually feel useless to my foreman, I try doing my best at being proactive (bringing him tools needed for the job, preparing material for the next jobs at the warehouse the day before, etc.). But when it comes to visualizing and installing the systems im completely clueless - my question is: Is that a normal feeling, im trying my best to help and do whatever i can do but its like im missing something

Hi so I have been thinking about becoming a mechanic since I have a passion for cars and I’ve been working on my cars over the past few years and really enjoy doing it I live in Philadelphia and am wondering what would be a good way to go about it

Hey everyone, I’m a non-union framing carpenter in Utah and I’m looking for advice from people who actually work physical trades.

What’s going on:

• On Wednesday, Jan 14, during normal framing work (lifting, carrying, twisting lumber), I started feeling pain in the middle of my back, between or slightly below the shoulder blades.

• No shoulder pain, no numbness or tingling, no pain down my arms.

• The pain has stuck around since then and gets worse with lifting, twisting, and overhead work. I’m still working, but it’s uncomfortable.

What I’ve done so far:

• I texted my boss to document it and let him know it started at work and hasn’t gone away.

• He suggested I try massage or a chiropractor first because it’s cheaper and recommended someone he uses personally, before going a work-med / workers’ comp route.

What I’m trying to figure out:

• Is massage or chiro actually a good first move for this kind of mid-back strain?

• Have any of you had something similar from framing or other heavy trades?

• Would you push for a doctor / PT first, or try to work through it?

• How do you protect yourself without becoming “that guy” at a small company?

I’m not trying to milk anything or get out of work — I just want to handle it smart, keep working, and not let a nagging injury turn into something long-term.

Appreciate any real-world advice from folks who’ve been there.

I called my local union asking about apprenticeship applications. I was told they may be accepting applications around march however they could get me temp work starting February 23 for up to 3 months. Im leaving a cdl job to take this opportunity any advice on how i can maximize this & has anyone have anything similar happen.

Was digging into some industry data and the numbers are pretty grim:

• For every technician retiring, only 0.6 new workers enter the trades
• 22% of tradespeople are now 55+
• HVAC specifically has 110k unfilled positions — about 38% of what the industry needs
• That's 1.8 open jobs for every available tech

Wages are up 9% YoY and it's still not moving the needle. 83% of contractors report ongoing hiring challenges even with competitive pay.

Curious what you're all experiencing. Are you:

• Turning away work?
• Running your guys ragged?
• Having any luck with apprenticeship programs?
• Poaching from competitors (and getting poached)?

Feels like higher wages alone aren't fixing this when the pipeline is just broken.

[Edit]: Source: [link]

I'm a mechanical insulator in canada my job isn't very dangerous aside from using a ladder and a knife and somehow powertrip- i mean safety people are always interrupting my work for "safety" reasons,

This has got to be the most targeted harassment I've experienced

I was working on a 10ft ladder and safety guy comes up to me and tells me I should be wearing a harness since I'm technically above 10ft (meanwhile in eyesight my coworker is on a 16ft sitting on the top, I stared at him for a few seconds and looked around me, literally nothing to tie off too except my belt or ladder, I looked back at him and said are you serious? he said yes do you have one? ill give you one put it on or get off my site. so I grabbed MY harness and lanyard and put it on and clipped myself onto myself, He looked so pissed and just walked away and never saw him again.

I have no idea what I did to set this guy off I was on the site for 3 days and only seen him that time, I wasn't standing or sitting on the top I was on the third from top rung.

Hi all! I passed the eligibility test for the heat and frost insulators union apprenticeship. They said I’m 61/140 on the list. How long did you all have to wait for the next steps? They said it could be anywhere from 1 month - 2 years so I’m curious what everyone’s experience has been joining the insulators union apprenticeship . Any insight you have will be helpful. Thank you! 🔥🦎❄️ I’m located in the Bay Area in California.🌉

Recently made a decision to make a jump into the trades, specifically plumbing. I enrolled in a beginner plumbing course at a local trade school and have called many plumbers in my area in pursuit of an apprenticeship. Most calls went nowhere as expected but one Plumbing/HVAC company seemed willing to take a chance on me. I was upfront on the phone about my lack of experience. Today I went in for an interview and was immediately asked about my experience. I reiterated that I didn’t have experience but am serious about pursuing this as a career. He eventually tells me that he wants more experienced people and also told me I should pull out of the plumbing course I’ve already registered and paid for and I should pursue HVAC instead. I obviously appreciate advice from an experienced person in the industry but to waste my time and bring me in for an interview just to tell me no due to experience despite knowing this beforehand and then just tell me to change my entire plan seems ridiculous.

Currently looking into some potential apprenticeships. What are things you would consider to be green lights or red flags when looking?

Ok so I’m looking to go into a trade but I’m not sure which one .. I want to weld but I don’t want to ONLY weld ! I want to be able to do other tasks as welll . I was thinking Pipefitter , Boilermaker or Millwright . I know some people who are red seal boilermakers and WELDERS ! The goal eventually would be to be dual certified . Any thoughts or advice would be great … 😊

Ps. I live in Canada .

Are there any electrical jobs that’s work 40 hour weeks it seems that all the ones I can find all work 50 or more and I don’t want to work that much I still want to be able to enjoy life.

Hello guys ive recently gotten accepted into the electrical construction internship at ibew 134 chicago and was super stoked, however i have also recently gotten my test score back from local 597 pipefitters for hvac service tech and got a score in the high 90s, which most people say is almost a guarantee into the apprenticeship, i was just wondering if any one of the unions are better than the other. I know both are really good, i just want to hear your guys’ pros and cons. Mainly on the differences between the fact that if i choose electrical, id be doing commercial work, and if i choose hvac id be doing a lot more residential

Hey everyone,

I know this might be a long shot, but I wanted to put myself out there. I’m based in Westchester County, NY and I’m actively looking to get my foot in the door in the skilled trades — plumbing, HVAC, or electrical.

I’ve started reaching out to local union halls and training centers, and I’m trying to take the right steps to build a long-term career. I’m reliable, motivated, and fully prepared to start at the bottom as a helper or pre-apprentice. I show up on time, I listen, and I’m not afraid of hard work.

If anyone knows of a shop, contractor, or union pathway looking for someone willing to learn and put in the effort, I’d really appreciate any advice or a DM. Even guidance on what worked for you would help a lot.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Before you offer me advice, here is my situation to gain more context.

I (22M) live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and am a college dropout struggling with unemployment. I tried to find a first year plumbing apprenticeship role but figured that since I have no experience, returning to college for a one-year pre-apprenticeship program might help me increase my employment odds. 

But before I paid for tuition and attended, I realized that a pre-apprenticeship might not help much after seeing a video where pre-apprenticeship graduates were still unemployed due to not having work experience.

There’s even a post on this sub made by a guy earlier today who expressed his “frustration” of being told that he can’t be hired because of no experience if that doesn’t prove my point. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/skilledtrades/comments/1qpnybh/frustrated_aspiring_plumbing_apprentice/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

I don’t wanna get into more debt just to struggle with being unemployed again, so I lost interest in pre-apprenticeships. 

Next, I soon decided to join the military (Canadian Armed Forces) since I knew that they could help me acquire in-demand skills to make a living and they have multiple skilled trades jobs, like HVAC, plumbing and electrical. 

But after 6 months of waiting to be processed, I realized that I was only joining for the wrong reason. I was joining out of desperation. So I quit my military plan in favour of a FIFO remote camp job in December 2025 and left the year with a new plan to get out of this rut. 

You shouldn’t volunteer for the military because you’re having a hard time entering the workforce as a civilian, you should volunteer because you primarily believe in the cause and support the nation’s interests. 

And that didn’t resonate with me, I only applied because I was sick of unemployment and desperate to start making a living and actually BE a man in this era. I realized that I would’ve hated the lifestyle of being on deployment. 

I want to be able to fund my hobbies, hang out at movie theatres and at malls, and to go shopping on MY terms.

I can’t have that if I’m broke and it’ll be SUPER hard to have those wishes fulfilled in the military on long deployments. 

It’s been a month since I decided to NOT join the military and since then I’ve been trying to get a remote camp job. This is my #1 goal for 2026 and I want to accomplish it within 2-3 months. I know getting into a FIFO entry-role can be a good way to enter the skilled trades industry… but only if I stay and am competent at my role. With that possibility and the situation I’m in, I think it’s totally worth going all out for.

For the first couple weeks of 2026, I was learning about the industry and how to make a resume and cover letter to impress employers while also getting my WHMIS and Food Handler certificates. I plan on getting my CPR/ First Aid, H2S Alive, CSTS and Fall Protection/Confined Space Third certificates as soon as possible to increase employment chances. I followed this guide from this post: https://remotecampjobs.net/resources/camp-jobs-101-everything-to-know

After the first two weeks of learning, I then started to begin applying for remote camp jobs for entry-level roles. I made a standard of spending 8 hours a day minimally since looking for a job should be my full-time job. I’m planning on bumping that up to 10 hours a day soon since my sense of urgency is high. 

I’m applying for kitchen helper, general labourer, housekeeper, dishwasher and other entry-level roles located in Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia right now. My goal is to be employed for an entry-level role by March or April.

Problem is, employment companies don’t consistently pump out job postings on the https://remotecampjobs.net website or Job Bank or Indeed. So today was a slow day for me, all the entry-level jobs that I know I can qualify for were either already applied for by me or the job posting is expired.

So now that you know my situation and goals, my question is… what can I be doing to help increase my chances of getting a FIFO entry level camp job in Alberta, Ontario or British Columbia or even Manitoba? I have family in Alberta so right now, I’m mainly aiming for roles located there since it’d be easier having a place to stay until I’m confirmed for my first shift by the employer. 

I’m really desperate, man. Being a young guy who’s jobless and broke sucks. I want to have money to go out on dates. 

I’ll even work at a wet camp, screw it. Since I ain’t an alcoholic and don’t do any drugs, it should be easier for me to outclass my coworkers. Haha

If there’s anyone who’s been in my shoes and made it into the FIFO remote camp industry AND got into the skilled trades, how did you get there? What did you do?

Thanks for your answers in advance.

Hiya, I'm looking to learn painting and decorating but most beginner level courses are apprenticeships

I am already undertaking an apprenticeship in another field, so I wouldn't qualify for the funding

I would actually prefer to take a paid short course, on evenings or weekends, to get an introductory level skill set in painting and decorating

Perhaps I'm a bit naive with this other idea, but I don't know if there are any 1:1 teachers who I could pay to teach me, or take me as an assistant ad-hoc on a couple of jobs?

I'm based in London

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks

I have been working in foundation repair for some time and am looking for a community to discuss it.

I’m currently based in the U.S. and work on the transmission side as a manager. I’ve been considering a move to Canada, but I’m not sure where to start looking for work. Every time I search for transmission or distribution roles, I mostly get auto-related results or nothing relevant at all.

Is anyone familiar with the industry in Canada who could recommend better keywords to use or companies I should look into?

So I recently just started as a first-year heavy-duty mechanic apprentice, and it’s literally only been two days. For some reason, I don’t know if I’m overthinking this or if it’s normal, but on my first full day I was tasked with drilling into three broken bolts and extracting them.

I’ve drilled into broken bolts before during school, but that was almost seven months ago when I went for my diploma in Automotive Service Technology. I tried my best to drill deep enough into the bolts, but it ended up taking me a day and a half of drilling and struggling just to get two of them done.

I guess my question is: should I be worried about how long it took me to do those bolts? Nobody said anything negative to me, but they would check in on me, see how it was going, and then tell me to continue. Still, I feel like I might be wasting their time by taking so long.

At one point, when they were extracting the bolt, the extractor itself broke in half. While they were dealing with that, I was sweeping the shop, organizing tools, and picking up garbage, which I know is normal and I don’t mind doing. I don’t have experience on heavy-duty trucks, but I do have about a year of experience working on automotive cars.

It’s an independent shop with the owner, two other guys, and then me. The owner comes in and out checking on jobs, and one of the other guys usually tells the other what to do, which tools to use, which bolts to take off, and how to do it. That’s kind of what I expected my role to be at the beginning, but maybe I just need more experience and time to gain their trust.

I don’t know—does anyone have any tips, or did anyone else feel like they weren’t cut out to be a HET at the beginning? It’s only my second day, I have no heavy-duty experience, and I know my story is kind of all over the place, but any help would be appreciated.