Don't Switch Careers Into The Trades!
122K views · Feb 5, 2026 · People & Blogs
Comments · 2.4K
@ALifeAfterLayoff · 7 months ago · pinned
Considering switching careers but not sure where to start? I can help: <a href="https://www.alifeafterlayoff.com/career-resume-training-courses/">https://www.alifeafterlayoff.com/career-resume-training-courses/</a>
23
@blakjak8719 · 7 months ago
Some of the loudest "go to the trades" voices are voices that have never worked in the trades. Like Mike Rowe.
1.1K
@mattm.775 · 7 months ago
It seems to me that when people say " Go into the trades", its a deflection from having conversations about making college more affordable and the fact that no ones hiring. Trades are nice, but we still need college educated teachers, engineers, social workers, architects, programmers, etc. Unfortunately also AI programmers, engineers, coders etc. Not everyone can do trade work, especially people who are older and people with disabilities.
83
@shawnchristianson324 · 7 months ago (edited)
I’ve worked in the trades and wanted to give them an honest shot. But all three times I ended up working with toxic people who hated their lives, and seemed to make it their mission to make everyone’s life miserable. I was enjoying what I was learning but the people pushed me out. Not to mention it felt like most were alcoholics.
361
@BroBdoubleE · 7 months ago
I'm a master mechanical HVAC/R technician. <br><br>I stopped telling people to go into the trades and I started telling them to build the skills with the idea of starting a business. <br><br>Example: aquarium technician, pond landscaping, pool technician, bookkeeping, accounting... if your in the trades you need to specialize right away to market and advertise your services. To be competitive.
32
@PeepSkate · 7 months ago
People are running out of options
164
@skateata1 · 7 months ago
Trade careers are also physically taxing on your body.
955
@TNTinFL · 7 months ago
This is starting to remind me of the 'learn to code' advice from a few years back. Which was patently absurd in most cases because it is not straightforward to just transition to another completely different profession that you have never worked in before.<br>Similar problem here. The trades can be a great choice for many. But once again, trying to simply segue into an entirely new profession on a whim is not easy.
1.4K
@MVK_GS · 7 months ago
Remember the ol' "Just learn to code" that was told to blue colar workers a few years ago by smug and overpaid tech workers? Peppridge Farms remembers.
543
@ralphdrott2972 · 7 months ago
My buddy is electrician for data centers in Germany. He earns more than people with master degrees, however its very taxing on his health. Also the more he earns, the less companies want to hire him. Sure he still has offers, but overall no matter what your profession is, companies never want to pay your worth after you got years of experience.
183
@AllTheHappySquirrels · 7 months ago
I know so many people in trades who are struggling to find employment. Maybe we should look at our system of employment and the lack of systemic worker protections, instead of telling people to do a particular kind of work.
72
@nicholasrosen6342 · 7 months ago
Let's not forget that ALL work has dignity. Someone needs to clean public restrooms, stock shelves, cook meals, etc.
206
Up next
I Ranked Every Blue Collar Job
You Betcha · 588K views
Your Career Was ALWAY Set Up To Fail
A Life After Layoff · 24K views
They Don’t Want a Regular Job... So What’s the Plan?
Sincere 😎 · 255 views
10 Best Jobs For People Starting Over In 2026
Shane Hummus · 692K views
Applying To Jobs In Today's Market Is A Humiliation Ritual
A Life After Layoff · 75K views
America's Blue-Collar Gamble Isn't Working
Urgently Firing · 303K views
I Left White Collar for the Trades… Then Learned the Truth
Cubicle to Conduit · 125K views
The Richest Broke People You’ll Ever See | The Best of the Ramsey Show
The Ramsey Show Highlights and The Ramsey Show · 216K views
Rejected 30 Seconds Into The Interview (For this "Dumb" Reason)
A Life After Layoff · 202K views
Don't Switch Careers Into The Trades. IT BROKE ME!
Hard Hat Economics · 77K views
Interview Horror Stories (3 Unhinged Hiring Managers)
A Life After Layoff · 142K views
🚨 The Trade School Bubble Is About to Burst — And Nobody Is Talking About It 🚨
Roger Wakefield Plumbing Education · 90K views
Why have we stopped having children? | Camilla Cavendish | The Exchange
The Exchange and The New Statesman · 17K views
Job Seekers Are Fed Up And Fighting Back
A Life After Layoff · 236K views
He Was Denied a Raise for 6 Years… Until He Quit (The LATE Counteroffer)
A Life After Layoff · 54K views
The Other Side of Being BROKE
JJ Buckner · 41K views
Ex-Google Recruiter Explains Why "Lying" Gets You Hired
Farah Sharghi · 1.8M views
Trade School Is the New College Scam
DonTheConMan · 52K views
I quit my job & found FULFILLMENT // 4 Careers at 30 - Interior Design, Software Developer, Youtube
Caroline Winkler · 436K views
If Blue Collar Jobs Suck... Why Do People Do Them?
You Betcha Guy · 760K views
It's Over: Bonds COLLAPSE to WORST Levels Since 2002 - Netherlands BANS Microsoft
House of El · 236K views
Lazy People Never Get Fired. Here’s Why…
Jennifer Brick · 342K views
Young People Are SICK Of Corporate America And QUITTING
A Life After Layoff · 87K views
The World’s Most Ridiculous Job Postings!
A Life After Layoff · 36K views
I Investigated The World’s Unhealthiest Job
Will Tennyson · 9.1M views
Why is everyone leaving their tech job?
Catherine Li · 140K views