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/diy/ - Do It Yourself

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369499 No.369499 [Reply] [Original]

Is being an Electrician or Plumber a good line of work to get into? I like having practical skills, working on my feet and would rather not work in an office job. I'm at the point in my life now when I have to choose a career and these do interest me, just wondering if they're a good line of work to get into with reasonable pay.

Any Plumbers/Electricians in here? Thought I'd ask /diy/ since, well, it's /diy/

Cheers

>> No.369507

>>369499

i'm in NC, usa, and i am involved in construction. a licensed electrician can make a good living (buy house, buy car, buy work truck) even as a solitary worker. hire one or two helpers and you can roll in the money when the economy is decent.

similar for plumbers, but i have a feeling that electricians make a bit more.

both jobs involve some unpleasant work, in crawl spaces, in hot as hell attics.

one horrible aspect of plumbing is working under a sink that has cabinetry that digs into your body while you are trying to reach connections you can barely see. i suppose you get used to it and learn how to compensate.

if i were starting over, i'd choose electrician, but both are excellent professions that will not be ruined by immigrants and they cannot be shipped overseas or automated.

>> No.369576

Plumbing involves more poop.

>> No.369839

Electrican's helper here. In NJ you have to have 3 or 5 years experience to go for your test. They want w9 or tax proof that you have actually worked all those years helping with a licensed electrician. Work pays pretty well and it feels good to take pride in my work. I don't want to sound like a snob bc I'm dirt but it feels good to be an electrician and not anther aspect of construction work. To some level I feel most people have more respect for my work. It take a little common sense but not much more, once you learn the basics you're set. For work that is, you need to study and learn so you can stop flowing directions and start thinking for yourself. How many lights of a specific kind can I put in one circuit with a 20 amp breaker? You have to figure that out once you dot have a licensed electrician with you. I'm not going to be working on this field for much longer since PSE&G an electricity distributor pays $20 hr starting and it's a union job. In fact I have other plans not involving this at all when I done but I do enjoy working as an electrician. It can get very dirty in crawl spaces and very hot. There will be days that you will come home dirty and tired as fuck, but compared to many other fields of work I like this one the best. Also you can always use worth of mouth to find little side jobs for extra money, even once you learn the basics if you don't become an electrician. I hope you fucking read this I typed for too long, ask me anything else if you have questions.

>> No.369848

>>369839
you say "union job" like it's a good thing...

>> No.369864

>>369848
>>369848
Here it is, it's almost impossible to get fired, you are heavily protected in case of accidents and you have transfer and other opportunities withing the union.