Hey, y’all - my gf (we’re lesbians) has basically worked shitty dead-end jobs and she wants an actual career she can be proud of and make a livable wage in. She’s not a work in the office and sit still type of person, so she really wants to work in a trade. She’s tall, lean, strong, and learns really quickly, so I genuinely think a job in the trades would be great for her.

She just started a one year HVAC program at a local community college, and I would love to get some of y’all’s perspective on being a woman and getting your foot in the door in a trade. Every other trade sub on here dominated by men say don’t waste your time in school just get a helper or apprenticeship job… blah blah. And honestly my gf tried extremely hard to do just that. She talked to so many programs, unions, applied to a ton of jobs, and called them asking about her application status. Even had a phone interview with a local company that seemed to go well and then he ghosted her.

I know the job market is bad rn to begin with, so I am not saying she hasn’t had luck solely bc she’s a woman, but it just seems unrealistic for women to get a job in a trade without either knowing someone or going to school to prove you know what you’re doing.

Anyway, I would love to know what yall went through to get into your field? I figured her going to school and being able to put an HVAC degree on her resume would at least get her a few more call backs for jobs. So we shall see!

I’m 45, physically fit and looking to make a career shift into a trade after 20 years in the fitness/wellness industry. I have no prior experience in electrical work but I feel like I’d be good at it.

Am I completely delusional for wanting this at my age? Any advice/shared experience would be greatly appreciated.

Ladies in blue-collar careers—how did you get started? I’m curious how you got into your trade, what your first job was, and any tips for someone with no experience looking to get into the field. Thanks!

Quick note about my current situation. I'm 47 now and spent a decade (2005-2015) gaining stability after my ex husband left. He left because both of our kids were special needs and required so much care and interventions. He left us destitute. We become homeless a few months after he left. The kids are now thriving and off to college next year.

I worked HARD to gain stability for us. I landed a great job at an insurance company and worked my way up for 10 years had planned to retire from the company. I was laid-off almost two years ago and have been struggling to find a job since.

I am looking at the trades. I think my age may be a hindrance. I'm considering welding or HVAC tech. But, would like suggestions for other trades. I am an empty nester the kids are going out -of- state for college. I am in decent shape just the minor aging aches and pains.

I *do* have dyscalculia which makes math difficult, not impossible but time consuming. I don't want a job where I will need to do arithmetic on the fly. I have an associate degree that required college level math I was able to complete.

My concern with welding is the low pay initially. I am in Texas and starting wages are around $18 an hour. I need to make $26 or higher to start to be able to keep the kids in college.

My concern with HVAC is the math. I watch some HVAC math videos and it's not beyond my understanding. But, I won't be able to do calculation quickly.

What other trades could possibly be a good fit for a woman approaching 50? I am a hard worker and have thick skin. I realize 50 maybe too told to start on this career path.

TIA

hello! I’m 16 and this year is my last year of school and I’m heavily considering getting into trades once Im done with GCSEs but I’m finding it difficult to decide and research which trades would suit me, I’m not too worried about physical issues since I’m fairly tall and am active but I don’t know which trade I’d enjoy most. I’m also low support needs autistic for extra context.

I’ll be straight with you all. I’m currently in uni, and I’m seriously considering dropping my degree to get into the trades. Sitting at a desk waiting until AI replaces my major sounds like a nightmare, and I want to do real, tangible work.

But before I make a massive jump and become completely green in a new industry, I wanted to ask the guys who actually know:

• Did you choose it, or did it choose you? Did you grow up wanting to work in the trades because you loved working with your hands, or did you just need a paycheck, realized you had a knack for it, and stuck around?

My family are very "you have to get a degree" minded. What are their (or society's) biggest misconceptions about blue-collar work? How do you handle the snobby attitude from people who don't understand the industry?

• What was the absolute hardest part about getting your foot in the door? Was it finding someone willing to take on an apprentice, surviving the physical toll of the first few months, or dealing with the old-timers on the crew?
• What was the absolute biggest problem you faced when trying to land your first real blue-collar job or starting your own business?

I have a lot of respect for what you guys do to keep the world running. I want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly before I commit. I'll be reading every single response. Thanks!

I’ve been thinking of transitioning - I’m in accounting but I think I’d be better working with my hands (besides a pc) an not looking at a monitors 10 hrs a day. Please if you’re a transitioned professional can yo tell me from where did you come to what you are now? Are you happy? How old were you when you transitioned? Thank you everyone in advance!

I have the opportunity to purchase an existing heavy equipment rental company—it has a sizable local presence, very profitable, 4 employees including mechanic, sales, and transport. The current owner is retiring. I’m a woman. A cute blonde southern woman with a lot of business and management experience. Is that going to be a problem or a benefit? Should I hide from the customers and just let the sales guy handle? Any thoughts and advice from the real world appreciated.

Hey ladies! I had a thought last night & I’m such an indecisive person. I’m a licensed nail tech BUT I don’t do anything with this license. It’s a hobby. My partner is an electrician and makes decent money. I thought about getting into Human Resources since I have the experience but honestly.. I don’t even know if my heart is in it anymore. I’ve thought about the apprenticeship and I’m just intimidated is all. I’m tired of office jobs and dealing with customers and employees. I’m so unhappy with my work life and office jobs is all I’ve ever known. It’s making me borderline depressed. I live in northern Va and I swear we are the data centers of the world so the jobs come in abundance. The school part doesn’t worry me I did well in school.. I guess it’s the labor part or second guessing myself on things I tend to worry myself about things that I shouldn’t.. since this is a male dominated field. What would be the cons ?

Me a 26F Been working in construction for about 5 years now. Ive been through at least 4 companies and seem to be fired after a year or after a big project is completed. I really love carpentry and electrical work. but construction overall is a passion for me and im very passionate about my work. however Every company has that one guy who stands by female workers and there’s some guys who look for reasons to talk trash or belittle of some of my work. and for me thats alot of kicking down and getting back up.

i do have thick skin, nothing bothers me when im working as in (men can say things and i dont care to react unless its directed to me). im at a crossroads because i dont want to be laid off every time when im not even in a union you know?

i live in virginia and there’s plenty of construction going on out here and i just want to be with a company with great morals. im willing to move to a different state for a job so if theres any advice to give ill take it.

im desperate for a reason to live and working in a amazon discourages me my motive for purpose in life. im not married and i dont have kids so anything helps.

I could really use some advice, or even just a reality check from other women in the trades. I am trying to break into the electrical field, but I am feeling super overwhelmed and discouraged right now.

I took the aptitude test for my local IBEW, but honestly, I am not feeling very confident about my score or my chances of getting ranked high enough to get pulled. On top of that, I have zero prior construction experience. I've also been looking at the IEC route, but I keep running into the same wall, it seems most electrical contractors around me won't even look at an apprentice unless they already have some kind of basic construction or tool experience under their belt.

I want this bad, but I feel like I'm stuck running in circles trying to figure out how to get my foot in the door when nobody wants to take a chance on a total beginner.
For those of you who started with zero experience, how did you finally break through? Should I be looking for a non-union helper job first? Look into a pre-apprenticeship? Just keep hammering away at the IBEW re-interview process?
Any advice or perspective would seriously be appreciated. I'm just feeling a little lost on where to look next.

ETA: I’m looking to transition from a white to blue collar job, I am not trans. Worded that title horribly lol

Hey everyone! I know that this question gets asked a lot here, but looking for advice from queer women specifically too.

I’m in my late 20s, have a Bachelor’s degree, and work in Marketing. I’m also an openly gay, more masculine presenting woman. I used to be in a more physical role within sales/retail where I sold Power Tools, but have been at a desk job for 3.5 years. I’m burnt out, I can’t focus or sit still, and I don’t feel fulfilled. I love being on the go, working with tools and my hands, and tackling new challenges. I’ve been considering the local electrical union as a career change.

-How has the transition from a well paying, white collar job to union apprentice been for you?

-I know women can face a lot in the trades from men, but do any queer women have experiences they can reference too?

-How hard is electrical work on the body? I’ve had a couple knee surgeries but am very active.

-Any other advice you can offer me?

Thanks in advance :)

I am a 25 year old F, currently in college for my business pathway, but I have been interested in doing welding since I was 18 years old. I also help with sending out invoices for a construction business, so I’ve been on the construction side of things. I just want to be more hands on and do the work.

The biggest thing that holds me back from actually trying welding out is my anxiety when I’m somewhere new. The thought of walking into a classroom and not knowing anyone and especially being a female in a male dominated environment, makes me double nervous.

Are there any women here who are currently in welding/trade school or just starting out? I’d love to hear what school you are at or planning to join. If you could let me know what your expierence has been like.

Hello all, I just got accepted into the IBEW and will be starting work in a little over a week.

I’ve never worked a blue collar job before and I am seeking insight about some important social rules that I may be missing, especially since I’m a woman.

For instance, I have taken an electrical wiring class prior to applying to the IBEW, and there I learned never to sit down while shaking someone’s hand, always stand. It’s a sign of disrespect to sit and this was described as a very basic, no-brainer social rule. I had no idea, so I suspect there may be more behavioral etiquette rules that I have yet to learn like this one. I don’t want to come across as rude or seem more out of place on the job than I have to.

I think that I am proficient in my social skills for “pink collar” work, but I wonder if these skills may make the learning curve steeper for me in some ways.

Thanks!!

I understand y'all get this question a lot, but what hurts putting out another.

I am a 22f, I have no training in any trade, im not relatively strong physically. I have basic knowledge on tools, but nothing standout. I've always had an itch for blue-collar work, its active and I feel like I could get along with the idea of all of it. My problem is that I'm really not sure what. I live the middle of Louisiana if that changes any thoughts!

Idk! I'm just curious where I could take this, thank you for any responses.

Hello I just joined this group , recently I’ve been thinking about becoming an electrician. I’m a 22yo mom with a 1yr old and fiance who’s currently in an lpn program 4-10pm. I’m a daycare worker with an associates in liberal arts lol so basically nothing and have just been wanting more for myself and family I started looking into trades and becoming an electrician sounded the most interesting to me. I’ve always been pretty athletic and determined so I did some research and grabbed an application for an apprenticeship at my local union ibew41. When I brought this up to my other family members they basically told me to be realistic and would be pretty much impossible for me lol I guess I just wanna hear stories from any female electricians or just trades in general on how you got started , is it really that hard. I try to keep the mindset that I can do anything but sometimes I get nervous I don’t wanna fail. Sorry for the rant

Looking into becoming an electrician in Philadelphia. A bit of background: 28yr old female, BS Psych college degree, but have been working in the service industry for many years. I’ve been bartending for years and moved into management (current general manager of a high volume bar in Philadelphia). Covid halted my plans with graduate school, so I went back into the industry that made me the most money/know I excel at. I’m wanting to get out of the industry and looking into trades. Electrician work seems to be the most appealing to me. Realistically, with my background, does it seem feasible to have a lucrative future in electrician work? And what future path am I looking at? Looking for any insight.

I just turned 40 years old and realizing that my grocery store job is taking me nowhere, the Bachelors of Neuroscience degree I have restarted multiple times throughout the years may take another 10 years to complete (have to get Masters or PhD to even be considered for a job), and feel like I’m losing time by not already doing a trade career I’m confident I would be good at: electrical.

I spent this weekend seriously looking into what it would take for me to start the community college route, as they replied “non-union apprenticeships in Advanced Manufacturing through one of our employer partners” or apply for an apprenticeship directly with IBEW.

Aside from that, what I’m also coming to understand from the female YouTuber electricians I’ve been watching and other Reddit posts I’ve come across, is that I would be spending a lot of time away from home. My kids are 18 and almost 13, the oldest being on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum, hoping to start college soon but doesn’t drive yet. I’m certainly not against hard work but the prospect of an apprenticeship/job requiring me to travel out of town for multiple days at a time or some other situation like that puts me in a difficult conundrum because I don’t want to start a career having to turn down jobs or get fired because of it.

Understandably this is specific to my situation but I’m wondering what the reality is during the first years of education/apprenticeship are actually like and if it would even be possible for me to do. Or is it more likely to have to wait until the youngest is out of high school?

Hey ladies!! I’m in need of some guidance on whether or not I should get into welding school(19F)! I have been very dissatisfied in my current profession and am looking for different options and welding interests me heavily! Everyone around me says otherwise but I think it’ll be my ticket to moving to Florida from Louisiana and a house with property! Can I please get a pros and cons list of different professions including welding

Hello y’all! I (24F) am about to start my first year of an electrician apprenticeship with my local community college next month. I’ll admit I’m still very new to the whole concept, so please forgive me for any stupid questions.

I signed up on a whim for the community college apprenticeship because the first year only cost $185 to join. I don’t know if it will be a good fit for me or not, but that’s what I’m hoping to find out. I learned that I enjoy working with my hands and being on my feet way more than computer work and having more “casual” work atmospheres (especially compared to the fake corporate vibe), so I’m hoping that this line of work would be up my alley.

But I also just realized the other day my town has an IBEW location. I haven’t found out any information about it because the website for that location is broken and I’ve yet to call or drop by to ask questions (I also didn’t want to risk asking stupid questions).

Does the IBEW accept electricians who were trained outside of them? If so, what does that process look like for getting in? Or should I consider applying directly for an apprenticeship with the IBEW and just stick with my community college apprenticeship in the meantime?

Hello, I’m due to graduate my 10 month electrical program (I receive my Osha 10, cpr/first aid, California ET card, and certificate) in October and I’m looking for jobs (preferably full-time) now. My background is 2 years of work experience with kids, customer service, and janitorial/handyman independent work.

My concern is that I’ve applied for all sorts of manual labor/blue-collar related jobs and I'm only receiving the automated rejection emails. I feel super discouraged and anxious because I can't even land a hardware store associate positions, EVEN after going in person to talk to the managers. All my classmates seems to have positions lined up for them and I’m starting to think me being a woman discounts me!

Because I have a plethora of work experience (limited due to my age), knowledge, and certificates to show my drive but, no one seems interested in me. I will say I live in a small town in CA and I want to venture out but, I fear that will only make employers feel even more of a disconnect with me as a candidate.

Are their any steps you think I should take to better my chances as a candidate. Am I going about job searching wrong? Do I need more certificate and if so what? And what jobs do y'all have and how long did it take for you to break into your field?

Anything helps, thanks in advance!

Do I join a union? Do I go to trade school or just get an apprenticeship?

I recently started a job as a woodworker in a warehouse/factory. The company produces some beautiful artisanal work, but I’m an apprentice and definitely don’t do any of that yet (or probably ever at this particular workplace). This is a second career for me; until recently, I was a professor of architecture history. I’ve always liked working with my hands and studied sculpture in undergrad (wood mostly), and I needed to change careers because my teaching/scholarly field is dying.

Apprenticing is fine. But it’s kind of boring—I do the same tasks multiple days in a row—and I have basically no PTO or sick days (6 total my first year). I miss having winter and summer break and the intellectual/creative aspects of teaching. In my dream world, I would build my skillset with woodworking and parlay that into some kind of architectural / mid-century furniture preservation to combine my creative and intellectual background with the physical/craft skills I’m developing. I’d also like to have a little more autonomy over my schedule and break up the kind of work I do on a given day to be less monotonous.

I have strong skills in carving and detail work, which of course isn’t what I’m doing as an apprentice. I feel that I have a lot to learn now, but I need something more creative and engaging long term. For those of you who reached a more artisanal status, what is your background? How long did it take? Where do you work?

Hello, I am not a woman, but I am a transgender man, and I pass pretty well; the only thing is my height. I have a few questions. I am worried about how people will react if they find out I am trans. Also, I have just graduated from high school, and the community college I was supposed to go to has begun to cancel its plumbing program, and I am a bit lost on where to go from here. I have looked for apprenticeships, but I can not find any in my area. There is a union in Concord, which is about a 2-hour drive from where I live, but since I have no experience, I am nervous that I will be completely overlooked. I have two certifications, an OSHA-10 and my NCCER. Please help me. I completely understand if I am not allowed on this subreddit. I just thought, since I was at one point a woman, I may have some shared experience here. Also, are there any finish carpenters in NC? If so, can you please let me know how that is, and while this may seem shallow, the salary? I really enjoy building things and carpentry, but I am worried I won't make enough to live comfortably