Are you curious about the day-to-day tasks and skills needed for essential professions like plumbing, HVAC, or solar installer, but enrolling for in-person classes seems intimidating? Or it's just not possible to commit to training classes around your current schedule? Or maybe you'd like some orientation to decide whether these careers are even a match for your interests? Have I found a great resource for you!
Skill Mill is online training with a rich set of instructional videos that they call an 'on-demand apprenticeship'. The training can be preparation for entry-level jobs or for people wanting a basic orientation to the field. It's provided for free through the public library. The link in this post goes to SkillMill on the Boston Public Library website. Any Massachusetts resident can get a card for the Boston Public Library, and if you're not in Massachusetts your local library might also have it.
There are detailed immersive VR lessons covering these fields:
Plumbing
Electrical
Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC)
Solar Installation
Property/Facilities Maintenance
These essential skilled positions are expected to have more than 2 million unfilled job openings in the next few years.
Why trades are a great way to step into a career
Now, even if you hadn't been planning to head into one of these professions for your entire life, getting a foothold on higher wages using one of these professions can be a first step toward other opportunities. The building trades offer a way to learn about tools and accuracy, build your problem solving muscles, gain familiarity with project cost estimation and project management, etc. Here are a couple of ideas on possible paths where trades can be a starting place, just to get your imagination going.
Want to get into real estate investing? Start by working for a property management company that maintains multi-families or commercial sites for a few years. This provides thorough knowledge of building/site maintenance and repair tasks so later, when it's your turn to hire contractors, you'll be an informed client. You'll also be able to network with property owners and realtors, get informed about the pros and cons of different property locations and asset types, and even see the back-office roles needed for property ownership in case one of those roles is attractive to you.
Want to build project management cred? Coordinating the work to complete a large project relying on cross-functional teams is a very transferable skill that is needed across all industries. If your job in a construction firm with large projects allows you to develop that skill, it can be a great starting point for certification for various high-wage roles like Project Management Professional, or Certified Construction Manager.
Also, keep in mind that tradesmen are often self-employed and can set their own hours (yes of course super long hours are possible as the demand is high, but self-employed entrepreneurs, compared to employees, have a much better chance to flex their hours around other commitments).
What is the pay like for entry-level jobs?
Looking up 'average salaries for electrician' on a random search tool will probably show you the average including experienced workers. So use this salary research tool on indeed instead, which differentiates entry-level vs. experienced positions. It'll provide a rough idea of the possible wages in different areas.
Shout out to America's Public Libraries, one of our strongest assets to level the playing field and deliver information like this training resource. Write back and let us know if you use these videos and how you found the experience.
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