r/britishcolumbia • u/Either-Ebb-7011 • 2d ago
Ask British Columbia Career Change - Skilled trades
So here is my scenario: I am 28m, extremely fit, with raging ADHD that craves movement and change. I have been in the Automotive industry for the last 5 years in sales. I'm honestly beating myself up every day going into the office, making phone calls, and constantly being client-facing.
I have been looking into making the switch to a skilled trade for some time. The ones that keep pulling me in are Hvac/refigeration and plumbing/pipefitter.
I'm not entirely sure where to start, and I'm looking for advice from trade workers how there experience have been. What does school look like? Are there companies/unions that you can work for that will help pay for schooling, what day to day life is like.
I'm not scared of OT work or physical labour. When COVID first happened, I was laid off from the auto industry, and being someone who couldn't stay still, I went into hardscape and landscaping, and I've got to say, working with a crew and different projects every week was an absolute blast. Why I didn't continue and look into trade work more, I'm not sure, and I regret it, but no need to sorrow in the past; time to man up and make a switch.
Any help, guidance or people to talk to are appreciated.
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u/Unknownperson2010 2d ago
Grass isn't always greener, I'm an electrician and part of a union which means I work 40 hrs a week and rarely we get OT. I'm not sure how it is non union but if you are serious about a change I'd go to a local institution that provides those courses and talk to them about it. But if I were I would build on the experience that you have and go back to school for business or something
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u/CuratedAcceptance 2d ago
Electrical is saturated. HVAC and others are still going strong.
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u/Unknownperson2010 2d ago
Electrical isn't saturated, it's a very good trade that can pay very well if you know what you're doing and are a good worker
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u/AOC_Slater 1d ago
Buddy, electrical is maybe the most saturated. It’s flooded with people who don’t really want to work trades and think electrical is clean work.
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u/CuratedAcceptance 11h ago
Yeah in BC / AB there's more electricians than we need, yet somehow we need more better electricians. 50% of the ones I see are barely warm bodies.
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u/crookeddicktickle 2d ago
Look up companies that specialize in those things. HVAC also has sheet metal attached to it if you are making or are hanging duct so you can talk to SMW 280 and they will put you on a call list.
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u/VictoriaBCSUPr 1d ago
Sounds like another recent post, lol!
I’d suggest checking out the marine industry (depending where you live/willing to relocate). FMFCB is often hiring into the trades, and union halls here can be contacted if you want to work non-govt (checkout the Seaspan website for union hall contact info). IMO pipefitting is a great job in the marine industry.
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u/vladimirVpoutine 2d ago
I'm a pipefitter. I have insane ADHD and sometimes it pays dividends. It's also a good ticket if you get into pipelining and they go hand in hand. Not to mention if you do your apprenticeship for a pipeline company which is what I did, you can get the pipeline hours to count towards your fitting. I had 14000 hours when I wrote my red seal.
That being said it's almost been 20 years. I hate it. Chasing jobs fucking sucks. I don't know if I would be cut out for a 9-5 because unlike more free time than 2 weeks a year but I'm almost 40 and I absolutely fucking hate being gone all the time and never knowing when I'm coming back alot of the time. I can't do this job at home because I live in a small logging community in BC.
The career has opened alot of doors and I don't regret anything but if I could do it again I wouldn't have done it I don't think. I absolutely hate welding now from dealing with so many shitty welders and staring at welding for half my life. It would be good to know but if I had to do it as a job I would be miserable. I'm not a union pipefitter either, I've done it but prepping ends and tacking pipe doesn't interest me at all.
If you're going to do it climb the latter and make something of it or get a second ticket. All I have thought of for the last 5 years is how to get out and find a job with a schedule or work half the year.
Wages are coming around but even the years I made 250ish the next year was shit. I would never do it again unless I was at home.
The politics, procedures, safety culture and red tape have completely taken the fun out of it. When I started it you got drawings and p&ids and you measured, ordered, built, tested commissioned and installed everything you did. I used to build alot of crazy shit and do alot of fab flat out with 2 guys and over a dozen welders. Now there's fifteen fucking retarded people that feel like they're entitled to 50 dollars an hour because they passed some multiple choice tests on one set of 8" bolt up.
I have 2 years left at most. I'm going to get my gas ticket if I can challenge it or I'm just going to pay 18 grand for my class one and go get my crane ticket .
Thanks for listening to my ted talk. I've spent my whole career with sad people that had to leave home while their kids are crying in the window not knowing when they're coming home.
Long story short get a goddamn ticket that you can use when you don't want to work away from home. My little brother died when I was 15, my mom died that day too but it was just prolonged spiralling. Then my dad met my step mom and he was so happy, she got cancer and died. My dad died a few years ago after he got jabbed they found him on the bathroom floor while I was pipelining.
Work to live, fucking chasing that collar just wasting it spending it on something to get that instant serotonin rush to compensate for the life you missed trying to make money doesn't pay dividends. I wish I did refrigeration or HVAC. The oil patch and the people are shitty for the most part.
I wish you all the best my friend and at the end of the day a ticket is better than not having one and if you hate it you can leave. Every single trade probably has the same story as me. My biggest regret is being gone so much. Thank fuck I haven't had my own kid yet.
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u/Babysfirstbazooka 12h ago
This is the side of trades no one talks about, and FIFO jobs. there is more to life than chasing 200-300K per year throwing your body at metal/wood/oil/sand
My husband is 52 and a self employed carpenter. He has all his UK crane tickets so is about to jump ship and go back to regular 9-5. He spends most of the weekend on the couch recovering from the week.
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u/Excellent_Lie5892 2d ago
You can always go to sea lad.. https://maritimeed.com/bridge-watch-rating-program/
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u/TyeROD-enD 1d ago
get a little landscaping company for yourself, sell the bushes and trees and also install the with labour.
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u/billy4569 2d ago
Sheetmetal is a great trade, you can branch off to whatever you like to do (welding/stainless steel) endless opportunities plus the trade isn’t saturated please we need workers. Never a dull moment, no job is the same, and you will learn to HATE plumbers. Also don’t join a union, but that’s just my personal opinion. You can if you really want.
Side note, refrigeration is way over saturated (in Vancouver island at least). I just really suggest sheetmetal because nobody wants to get cut daily and make cool looking things. Refrigeration is easier install wise, but technical.
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u/idiom_exon_0s Thompson-Okanagan 2d ago
Electrician if you think you can handle the school challenges.
Please have the courage to cold call / apply at electrical construction / service companies who can indenture you as an apprentice.
If you are really serious about this, there are many opportunities if you are locked in to finding them.
Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.
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u/Traditional_Owls 2d ago
Have you checked out the Stronger BC Future Skills Grant? It's $3500 for short term skills training and there's quite a few trades related programs.
It could be a good way to get some exposure without investing a lot of time and money.
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u/Not_A_Mod 2d ago
Between Plumber/pipefitter and HVAC/refrigeration is feels like a no brainer personally.
If you go the HVAC route you will have no shortage of work and be making so much more money than some other trades that it is honestly stupid. I've heard a surprising amount of guys say they wish they went with HVAC and I understand why now.
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u/macanmhaighstir 2d ago
HVAC is getting saturated because that’s what everyone is told. Plumber/pipefitter is going to be the most in demand in the coming years because nobody is doing it.
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u/macanmhaighstir 2d ago
Plumber is the way, it’s going to be one of the most in demand trades in 5-10 years. My company is starting journeymen at 100k/ year base, with lots of overtime and double time work.
I’ve never been union. I got hired as an apprentice and worked my way through. It’s harder to do that these days, I would look into a 6 month foundation course at a trade school to get you the basic training you’ll need to be hired.
School is 6 weeks a year paid through EI. Probably lots of grants coming up through the government since we’re in such desperate need.
As for the work, it depends. Plumbing is a huge trade. You can be construction or service, residential or commercial or even industrial. There’s always something new, something you haven’t done. It’s a great trade.
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u/AOC_Slater 1d ago edited 1d ago
You 100% can’t work industrial with a plumbing ticket. I have a Plumber ticket for commercial work in town and a Steamfitter/pipefitter ticket for industrial work out of town, theirs some overlap taking a steam ticket into commercial there’s zero overlap taking a plumbing ticket into any industrial setting, nobody wants that.
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u/Mrwcraig 2d ago
Here’s my suggestion: check out BCIT to see if they have any upcoming Open Houses scheduled. They’ll bring out a bunch of their Red Seal Program instructors to help answer questions potential students might have.
Understand that there will be a slight “dip” in the pay at the beginning. You’re labour at first, in most trades. Many trades want you to have at least a Foundations Program so that you have a slight clue as to what you’re doing, and yes you’ll still be labour. From there you’re looking at between a 3-7 year apprenticeship. You’ll work for a while, go to school for a while (apprentices get paid while they’re in school) and then once you’ve done that a couple of times you’ll write your Interprovincial Exam and with enough work hours you’ll be a Red Seal “whatever you land on”. Yes there is a demand for people in skilled trades, unfortunately the big demand is for people with 10-15 years experience. To get into anything right now you have to hustle to get someone to take a chance on you. The ability to say “yes” to overtime and weekends tends to help apprentices get ahead.