I jumped from computer programming to the trade before I retired.
If you have half a brain, it’s great work, and pays well.
If you are extremely smart, go into AI.
You’ll make a lot of money and quickly.
good advice.
i believe that God will continue to provide for his own, irregardless of what the world thinks, and part of that is the ability to earn their ‘daily bread’ through honest work with their hands.
AI can’t replace the trades....
This article is wrong on a dozen fronts.
Next thing you know, there will be an AI union and the AIs will be picketing and going on strike.
Plumbing. Learn plumbing. Plumbers can make up to $200 and hour, depending on experience.
Be a machinist and you’ll never be without a job anywhere on the planet. Keep reaching within that realm of expertise and get into CNC programming, Solid Modeling, Tooling design, etc and test your innovative mechanical skills to the limit. You’ll always work inside, never out in the elements. **Inside Tip: Stick with CNC milling machines and stay away from CNC Lathes and stick with aerospace manufacturing. You’ll make quite a bit more money. Learn to be a good programmer and you’re looking at $120K+ and if you’re contract multi-axis programmer you’re looking at $200K+ pretty easy.
It doesn’t have to be a trade, like plumbing and electrical. Accounting is also a trade, so there are paperwoek oriented trades.
CAD Design at GM is now called “CAD Execution”...Siemens NX CAD is their primary CAD tool in product development and manufacturing automation systems. How much AI gets involved I have no idea.
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Wow, most of these people pushing the trades instead of college have never hammered a nail, even once. I worked construction for years to pay for college. There was never AC or heat at the job sites. Eating at the roach coach. Boring, tedious and often dangerous work. Underpaid. Shower after work. Too tired to “party”. No social status. To me it sucks. I graduated college and never looked back.
The blue collar life is not EASY. In fact it sucks doorknobs.
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My Grandfather told me to get a trade right out of High school.
I became a machinist with a medical manufacturer . I worked for the same family owed business for 45 years setting up and managing the Turning department for 30 years. A trade is sound advice. I don’t regret one thing.
that’s only valid until fedgov imports the hundreds of millions of manual labor from overseas to lower the prices here.
exactly what happened to STEM
Y’all might not get dirty with that college degree, but where will you be at 30?
It’s no shame to go to a real tech school. You go there, learn a real job, you are at a school, you are putting in your hours and finish with an apprenticeship, with hours accrued toward your journeyman level.
Definitely better than just school, a piece of paper, and no experience, right?
(I did the other way, the draft was in operation. Joined USAF, made warehouse super, crossed to aircraft radar, and had good lot of jobs from that.)
Go here for a possible scholarship in the traditional trades as well as hiring opportunities and training.
https://jobs.mikeroweworks.org/