Ask Lemmy
A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions
Rules: (interactive)
1) Be nice and; have fun
Doxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them
2) All posts must end with a '?'
This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?
3) No spam
Please do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.
4) NSFW is okay, within reason
Just remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com.
NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].
5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions.
If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.
6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online
Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.
Partnered Communities:
Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu
view the rest of the comments
I tried my hand at HVAC but I absolutely cannot stand not having a schedule, nothing worse than getting home and getting a call that I have to go back out for... that and I live in an overpopulated area so driving in traffic every day was just adding to the stress. I was never more miserable than when working that job. :/
HVAC isn't the only trade. HVAC is a TON of reactive work due to heating/cooling loss, which has immediate tenant impact that needs to be taken care of ASAP.
Any utility work is likely in the same boat.
Depending on your area you could look into framing, masonry, concrete. If you're detail oriented you can get into cabinetry, tiling. Windows/doors/flooring is good for consistent work. Roofing will likely be consistent but it's hard af and fucking dangerous, I wouldn't recommend.
You want to look for businesses that do new construction/commercial if you're looking for steady work. If you're getting into the industry you'll likely start as a laborer, but if you're a good worker that shows up on time you'll quickly outgrow that because a TON of laborers are super unreliable, drugged out, shady etc. It's hard work, and often fairly thankless at first, but if you have a good attitude and show that you want to learn you'll get a taste of different stuff and can maybe narrow down where you want to focus. It could mean you take a pay cut at first depending on what you're making now, but if you can get picked up as an apprentice in a union you might get over that hump (depends on your area and the union... I've seen IBEW brothers who work in restaurants when there isn't enough work to get them out on jobs. Totally depends on your area/season/trade).
Another possibility is mechanic, diesel is not going anywhere as well as bodywork/paint, but I'm not really sure how that industry is to break in to. If you're not a car guy you might struggle to get your first hire unless you're willing to do cleaning or other stuff at a shop/dealer and work your way up, but I don't really know.
The best time to start a career was when you were 18, perhaps. The second best time is tomorrow. It's up to you what you want to do with your life but most of us don't get stuff handed to us so if you want something better for yourself you'll have to look for the opportunities and push for them.
I appreciate the detailed response! Definitely food for thought.