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PoliticalDichotomy on scored.co
4 months ago11 points(+0/-0/+11Score on mirror)1 child
I think it's really area specific and also what kind of lifestyle and/or work you like doing. Generally speaking, the higher they pay the harder to get into, the more stressful and the more hazardous the job. There's no free lunch.
4 months ago10 points(+0/-0/+10Score on mirror)3 children
I can confirm that the pay is wildly different based on area. Many years ago when I worked construction, guys that focused only on drywalling were paid, in my area (a fly over state), about $15/hr (that was quite a bit back then), but drywallers in Vegas and California (at that time) were making $25-30/hr. Government contracts also paid noticeably more.
In general, though, to address OP's question, I would avoid general contracting, construction, and carpentry in most locations. It's almost entirely been taken over by Jose and Juan, who have pushed pay down considerably. Skilled White carpenters are still worth their weight in gold, but getting to that point, in the industry right now, is a masochistic endeavor, unless you have family in the trade which can help you.
Electricians, plumbers, metal workers, and welders are usually much more White, and pay well, last I checked.
As a caveat, those jobs can attract occasional druggies, who will put your life in danger. So, as a general rule of thumb, don't listen to what other people tell you about what is "safe", trust yourself, and rely on yourself for determining what is and isn't safe. I've seen too many fuck-ups in the industry to blindly trust anyone. The druggies and morons are less likely in the more qualified trades, but you'll absolutely see them anytime you work with a general contractor, which are usually at most job sites you'll be at.
I agree but will say it's a shame because if you work for the right general contractor (IE a White man that doesn't hire truckloads of beaners) it can be a great way to get somewhat proficient at a lot of different trades and figure out what you prefer, or can at least tolerate doing every day for decades.
I started working summers as a teen for a general contractor back in the early aughts, and returned to the same company a few years later when I figured out the office world was not my cup of tea. I had the opportunity to learn a lot because I prefer to know what the fuck I'm doing in anything I engage in, and want to do it well.
You are right about the majority of GCs these days though. There are a lot of mother fuckers running around calling themselves that who shouldn't even be referring to themselves as a handyman. To say nothing of the extremely common practice of hiring hordes of home depot parking lot dwellers for 8 hours of work (supposedly) before they disappear into the mist, or being stuck with the backhoe guy who is on day five of his meth bender and just got the call that his wife left him and took his stash. But I digress.
I love woodworking and there is a visceral appeal to turning piles of lumber into a home. But unless I move up to Pennsylvania & become a part of an Amish community, which I genuinely would be game for if not for the fact I would always be considered an outsider (and rightfully so) it is doubtful it will ever again be my primary way of earning a living. For exactly the reasons you stated.
>As a caveat, those jobs can attract occasional druggies, who will put your life in danger.
Was working on a roof when the supervisor called everyone over to one of the anchors. When we were gathered, he grabbed the attached rope with one hand and yanked the whole thing out of the roof. Some moron didn't bother to find a truss and just screwed into the plywood deck.
Company was fucked and didn't even fire him, until later, for posting pictures of himself smoking week on the roof to Facebook with his company swag on.
Always check your own shit and don't listen to *anyone* telling you to hurry up.
Agreed. Honestly, the more brains the job takes, the better it'll be for a White person. The non-White foreign labor simply can't do the brainiac jobs. Some of the most successful tradesmen I know (I'm white collar but in my field of work I encounter a lot of blue collar guys) are the tradesmen with a brain and they're almost always White. Get some skills, make some connections, start your own business an/or buy one and/or take over for your mentor when he's looking to get out of his.
In general, though, to address OP's question, I would avoid general contracting, construction, and carpentry in most locations. It's almost entirely been taken over by Jose and Juan, who have pushed pay down considerably. Skilled White carpenters are still worth their weight in gold, but getting to that point, in the industry right now, is a masochistic endeavor, unless you have family in the trade which can help you.
Electricians, plumbers, metal workers, and welders are usually much more White, and pay well, last I checked.
As a caveat, those jobs can attract occasional druggies, who will put your life in danger. So, as a general rule of thumb, don't listen to what other people tell you about what is "safe", trust yourself, and rely on yourself for determining what is and isn't safe. I've seen too many fuck-ups in the industry to blindly trust anyone. The druggies and morons are less likely in the more qualified trades, but you'll absolutely see them anytime you work with a general contractor, which are usually at most job sites you'll be at.
I started working summers as a teen for a general contractor back in the early aughts, and returned to the same company a few years later when I figured out the office world was not my cup of tea. I had the opportunity to learn a lot because I prefer to know what the fuck I'm doing in anything I engage in, and want to do it well.
You are right about the majority of GCs these days though. There are a lot of mother fuckers running around calling themselves that who shouldn't even be referring to themselves as a handyman. To say nothing of the extremely common practice of hiring hordes of home depot parking lot dwellers for 8 hours of work (supposedly) before they disappear into the mist, or being stuck with the backhoe guy who is on day five of his meth bender and just got the call that his wife left him and took his stash. But I digress.
I love woodworking and there is a visceral appeal to turning piles of lumber into a home. But unless I move up to Pennsylvania & become a part of an Amish community, which I genuinely would be game for if not for the fact I would always be considered an outsider (and rightfully so) it is doubtful it will ever again be my primary way of earning a living. For exactly the reasons you stated.
Was working on a roof when the supervisor called everyone over to one of the anchors. When we were gathered, he grabbed the attached rope with one hand and yanked the whole thing out of the roof. Some moron didn't bother to find a truss and just screwed into the plywood deck.
Company was fucked and didn't even fire him, until later, for posting pictures of himself smoking week on the roof to Facebook with his company swag on.
Always check your own shit and don't listen to *anyone* telling you to hurry up.