Boys: Trades?

[accord03]

Which is a better trade? Light vehicle automotive or electrician? I'm leaning more towards the vehicle cause I have interest in cars but electrician seems like alot better career; money wise and job employments.

What do you say?

[confused]

well it's a decision that you and only you can make
but personally , i'd go for the thing i like to be good at , not the thing that have better future but i might not like it and hence suck at it
although some say that if you do the thing you like as a job you won't like it anymore so..

anyway , speaking from a personal experience with college , i went for electronic engineering because i thought it had good career , but then i didn't like it , was forcing myself to be interested at it and in the end it didn't go so well

[kyle_lawrence]

I would think it would depend on how much of your own boss you would want to be, and how much traveling you would want to do.  Are you talking about being an auto repair technician, and running your own shop?

Starting up an auto shop will be a lot of work and long hours to get started, Unless of course you work for someone else.  To be an electrician however, you could potentially be working  on a different job site, with different people everyday.

Go with the trade that makes you more excited, and where you want to keep learning.  Success and money doesn't mean much if your not happy.

[DavisJ86]

I know not an option,  but computer technican.

[Julie Marie]

I've never been an automotive worker but I have been a union electrician since 1974.  From my experience, in the construction trades, the electricians have it best and most other trades agree with that.

If you have a strong mechanical aptitude, you'll likely succeed in almost any trade but it's your interest that will keep you there.  If you are okay with the physical requirements (lifting and installing conduit, pulling heavy wire, hanging fixtures, etc) then electrician is probably the better choice.

Union electricians are typically paid more than union automotive workers, they have better benefit packages too.  If you are talking about non-union labor, you'll have to check the going wage packages in your area. 

If you are looking at union work, check the Internet for the local union in your area (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers).  Some have wage packages on their websites (mine does) and that could help.  But, to me, you have to love what you do.  You'll never be happy working just for a wage.

[insanitylives]

personally i find electritian more interesting, but what do you like more?

[accord03]

Yeah, I know what youse are saying but I know for a fact that never make a hobby your career (auto work shop). I'll probably get bored of it and electrician seems like a better trade for me cause I like to be going everywhere instead of staying at the one place the whole day. I think electrician

[Julie Marie]

Yes, if you are working in the construction trades, you rarely stay in one place very long.  There are some electricians I know who have worked for one contractor throughout their entire career and even some that have worked at the same place but most of us are there until the job no longer needs us then it's on to the next job.

There's some good and some bad with that.  If you hate the work, the location, the foreman or the contractor, you know it's only temporary.  But when you get that really sweet job, you hate when it ends.  I've had a few of those.  And when times are good, if you don't like the job you're on, you can always go to the hall and get another.

On the downside, construction workers aren't very understanding about gay or trans stuff.  We have a few members who are lesbian and that is tolerated but if you're gay, you'd better have thick skin.  And if you're trans - forget it!  One threat I got was "Accidents can and will happen."  Most of the so-called macho occupations are pretty much the same.  "This is man's world!"  And, no matter what anyone says, women really are only tolerated, not accepted.

[LordKAT]

"This is man's world!"  And, no matter what anyone says, women really are only tolerated, not accepted.

Yup!

[accord03]

I am a man and I'll step into my own world 

[Eva Marie]

I would avoid the automotive repair trade like the plague. The flat rate guys are not getting enough business to make their tool payment (oh, did i mention the thousands of dollars in tools you'll need?).  Many guys are flagging 30 or less hours a week.

And the auto manufacturers have cut the time allowance on their SLTS (service labor time studies), which means that they pay less hours than what you spend doing warranty work. This is a good deal only if you like working for free.

If you like working on cars, do it as a hobby. I'd personally go for the electrician. And judging by what they charged me to put in a 220 volt circuit recently, they do quite well.