/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1956034
HVAC

>>1956034
sucking cock

Definitely not HVAC

>>1956034
Pipe laying.

>>1956034
>in the UK
Brick layer or plumber, also professional paki remover.

Plumbing will make you want to kill yourself

Mechanical contractor

They all suck, commercial hvac is the most tolerable

>>1956128
plumbing ain’t that bad mate.

what about electrical?

>>1956034
look into union chemical factorys wages

>>1956034
I'm an electrician. Commerical/industrial electric is pretty based. I work mostly residential though which is kinda lame.

Kinda wish I would've done welding/fabrication instead or automotive diagnostics. Running a speed shop building race cars would be cool.

Depends on what your idea of based is. Unclogging the toilet at mcdonalds at 2am on a Saturday is not based. Neither is roofing or laying flooring.

>>1956175
i fucking love this little green fuck

>>1956175
Residential is cool if you don’t mind low pay and you’re down to do the same repetitive tasks all day (if you’re building new houses; just nail plastic boxes to studs and staple romex from point a to point b

Commercial is fun bc you get to do stuff like operate heavy equipment and make fun of gay effeminate architects+engineers

>>1956181
me too lad, he gets around

>>1956034
plumber or electrician ol boy. don't know about the UK but plumbers seem to make more here in Canada

>>1956034
I don't know about bongistan, but in the states for residential it's carpentry. You'll have to put in some tough years framing, roofing, doing crete work, but if you have a decent head on your shoulders it's the fastest way to become a boss. Then it's just driving around, supervising, taking phone calls, ripping butts, and shooting nips all day. Raking in fistfulls of cash while telling the sparkies and plumbers what you need done.

>>1956034
commercial refrigeration.

>>1956034
Barista

>>1956034
commercial AC

>>1956149
The coworkers are.

Metal fab goyim it's
Based and pays good work all over the place too

its all good just dont stoop to anything low as carpentry

I do fire sprinklers. Nice thing is once you get a license and backflow certified you can just do inspections and it's cheese. If you still want to install it's pretty easy if you get in with a good company.

>>1956337
Carpenters are one rung above laborer. Both think they know everyone else’s job.

>>1956034
Do whatever. Learn the skills necessary and save a bit to work on your own. Self-employed Chads, regardless of trade, make bank. I'd only work for a company if I were to make at least $100k. Don't be a fag and you'll make connections. Do favors, advertise at first, etc.

>>1956175
Mechanic here, diagnosis does not pay

>>1956034
I’m a sole trader carpenter and gardener, trained in both. Idk what it’s like to be a contracting carpenter but I just make cool shit in people’s gardens. Like custom sheds, fences, gazebos, arbours, then I plant them with nice plants. You have to do a little hard groundwork sometimes but otherwise it’s great, be out in the fresh air and sun, no expectation to work in the rain, making fairly big impressive things and planting trees.

Do a mechanical or electrical apprenticeship and get into industrial technician or fitter jobs. Once you're qualified you can easily make £20 an hour as a contractor which depending on the client and whether the work is inside of IR35 or not can mean you can dodge nearly all of your income tax too. You can also travel the world doing contractor work for good money also. Working as a contractor also means you actually get paid overtime too which is normally either 1.5x or 2x your base rate so it's not hard to earn solid cash.

Welding is a good trade and in short supply but the value is in the specific standards and specifications that you're 'coded' (certified) for. Mech and elec is a lot more transferable.

Frankly if you want to be a generalist and earn decent money doing honest work then mech or elec tech/fitter is the career for you.

T. Engineer

>>1957356
Forgot to mention £20/hr is just the start for good mech and elec work in a normal 40h week job, once you finish your apprenticeship. The more experienced you get the more that number goes up. Get good at something niche then start a company and hire your own apprentices and make even more money.

Same applies to welding too but it takes much longer to get competent at all the things you'd need to be flexible in winning contract work, than simply doing a mech or elec apprenticeship.

>>1957357
>>1957356
Also as a tech, if you decide that you want to be a designer or an engineer, you can just send yourself back to college at the same time. Contractor pay as an engineer is decent. I'm not even 30 and I'm on £56/hr for a 37.5 hour a week job. I make as much as a medical consultant but 12 years younger, on 30% less hours and with half the stress.

Tldr get into industrial mech/elec work

>>1956547
I was doing residential inspections last week, figured I made around $1200 an hour. Just for manipulating the tampers and running the drain. Fucking ridiculous

>>1956034
Cabinetry is a commonly overlooked trade and is quite varied. Like you've got furniture makers who make chairs and tables and shit, cabinet makers who make cabinets for kitchens and bathrooms. And you could also do shop/office fitting, which is effectively a glorified cabinet making. It's a relatively high precision wood trade, but an extremely rewarding one. Only issue is pay isn't exactly the best (at least here in Aus / mid20s(or maybe I'm a shitcunt)) when compared to some carpenters and joiners. Also less spastic dropkicks in cabinetry.

>>1957384
cabinet makers are a dime a dozen if you are actually making cabinets. if you make furniture you get paid a lot but its hard to find solid work because no one wants to pay $5k for a table you spent weeks on when they can go to ikea and get some cheap shit that looks decent for 500. it might be rewarding but is probably better left as a hobby

>>1956034
Probably plumber for $$$. By based do you mean cool, useful in everyday life, unique?

Personally, I prefer doing maintenance which sort of falls in with trade work. You can get a job anywhere. If you show that you're competent, you get a task list and are generally left alone to work in peace. Don't have to deal with a bunch of dumb drunk coworkers. Major catch, the pay is low. Best part is the variety. You may never be highly specialized, but you won't be bored out of your skull every day either.

>>1956034
based on what?

>>1956337
Probably a dump question but whats a sparky? An electrician? Welder?

>>1957310
Sounds like my dream job, if I didn’t live in Scotland.

>>1956034
go on your own and bid jobs
as long as you keep thinking about working for a wage you will never make it

>>1957642
Electrician

>>1957736
Not OP but how do I get to this point? I’m just an apprentice and in my state you need to have a masters license to pull permits and (legally) take bids for contracts. There’s a guy I work with who started his own shop but I guess he’s not ready to 100% go out on his own yet because he still works for the contractor I work for 40h/wk.

Where do I start after I get a masters license, if I wanted to go out on my own?

>>1956034
Low voltage wiring. It's safe, you spend most of your time with upper middle class customers, your coworkers are mostly going to be white guys of average intelligence who like tinkering, beer, and modding their cars/computers/homes.

Considering electric work since the IBEW around me pays nice(almost $20/hr starting). I'm just not too sure if I can jump into 40hrs a week after being home for 8 months though and I don't know how the market will be in the coming months either. Heard that they're laying off guys for now because corona is slowing everything and jobs are running low. Might just go part time retail for a few months waiting for things to clean up

>>1957770
>in my state you need to have a masters license to pull permits and (legally) take bids for contracts
What the hell? I don't do work that requires a license so I can't really help you, sorry. Surely you can still do subcontracting for bigger companies or GCs? Pays a lot more than hourly.

>>1957923
>I don't do work that requires a license so I can't really help you, sorry.
Good for you

commercial HVAC is pretty good. i'm union and get good benefits, federal holidays/company holidays, bonuses, work vehicle, gas card, etc.

the work can be shitty trying to troubleshoot and diagnose, install is fucking cake, retro is fun too. all around good trade. just full of fucking hicks tho

>>1957906
IBEW member here, applications to join. have been closed for nearly a whole year.

>>1957955
Is commercial HVAC part of UA or SMART? I'm interested in learning HVAC.

>>1957384
Cabinet Makers on the west coast have moved to MDF "particle board" production where most of the material is like Ikea. It's cut via CNC and assembled in the quickest form possible. The hinges, if done in the 32mm system are tapped on with a deadblow. It's very much the profession for those who seek to run their own business. But it's among the most profitable among "woodworking". Just because every homeowner seeks cabinets, and not custom furniture.

My 2cents anyway , as someone who worked in a cabinet supply warehouse.

Roof
Make strong

Aircraft mechanic

Was gonna make my own thread for this but reckon I can just ride the coat tails of this one
Any farriers out there who feel like giving advice to a dumb kid? First I wanted to get into welding but out here that's pretty much entirely an oil industry thing so I really doubt it'll be something worth doing by the time I'm actually at the peak of my working years. Farrier sounds good because out here the ratio of horses to people is like 1:1 so there's gotta be lots of demand for it even if the rest of the economy tanks. Also like the idea of being independent and not having to move innacity for jobs. Only thing I'm worried about is the fact that I've never really had anything to do with horses in my life so I have no frame of reference for what working with them is like.
Idk, what are some things I should know before getting too excited? What were some things you wish you knew before getting into it? Any comments are appreciated.

>>1958010
I would say first thing to do it get a job as a farm hand, get around the environment you will be working in, see if it suits you.

>>1958053
Does that give you much experience with horses? I've been on and off farms quite a lot and it seems like farm hands are basically equipment operators who stick cows with needles and pull babies out of them.

>>1956034
Building Engineer. I started in HVAC and did a handful of plumbing jobs. If you can get in with a hospital or school district it's the best pay for little work.

You get paid the big bucks to change the thermostat for tenants. Most of my job is letting Telecom people into my electrical rooms. I change electrical ballast and unclog toilets. Change filters every 4 months and maybe a belt if they are worn on the 55-70 ton AC unit.

Is it worth going to trade school after completing a 4 year business degree? The job market is probably going to be terrible for the next few years and I haven’t learned shit in college. I’d like to learn a trade skill that will always be in demand so I don’t end up working at Target or something. I already have an associates degree so I wouldn’t need to do any of the core classes for a trade degree at my local community college. Was thinking of doing welding but not really sure. Any opinions from some trade veterans?

>>1958010
Have you ever cleaned your toenails out and smelled the stuff that you removed? We had a guy some do a demonstration in school. When he took the old shoe off it smelled so bad all the girls and faggots were screeching. Just a heads up

Obviously low volt

>>1957310

Sounds nice, where did you learn and where abouts do you work?

>>1956034
I'm electronics and comms. I fix warships. It's pretty good but the other end of it is fixing gambling machines which would probably be pretty shit. Every trade can be based.

>>1959444
Yeah I've heard the legends about farrier stank
I've never encountered it in real life but generally smells don't bother me

>>1957961
HVAC is part of UA

>>1956034
Welding. Getting to dick around with steel and fire all day and get payed good money to do so is the best.

>>1956034
Surveying!

>>1959645
Made me chuckle

As a 30+ britfag, is it too late to do an apprenticeship? I have a chem degree and years experience in labs and project managing in said labs, but I just want a change. Can manage the terrible pay for a couple of years.

Actual anecdotes appreciated.

>>1959644
>good money
If only. Guess I need to git gud and go down tig or pipe route.

>>1956034
The only answer is arboriculture.
It is the greatest trade.

>>1959478
Low voltage guys are all faggots with pony hail haircuts

"Industrial Mechanic".

Forklifts, scissor lifts, boomlifts, warehouse trucks, dockplates and fittings..

Pay and companies tend to be mediocre and shady, but the pay is always steady, and you will never lack for work.

>>1956547
How do I get involved in this? Submit an application form with my local union and see what happens?

I'm nearing SHTF levels of unemployment here. Help an anon out please.

>>1956987
But I do
t.General Contractor

>>1960412
No, you just now the carpenters. Everyone else is fucking you

Painting

>>1960416
nah

>hire cheap ass mexi subcontractors
>let subs and a guy you hired for $14/hour run all the jobs
>make subs buy all materials
>get bills from subs
>do nothing, mark up 25%
>drive around in a F350 Platinum all day to different jobsites
>leave quickly before anyone asks any questions
>bail after getting 90% of payment with only 50% of work done
>don't pay subs and find new ones on craigslist
>make bank

General Contracting, a how-to book.

>>1956034
Getting pegged by BBC

debt collector
the kind that kills people

>>1956034
I’m a plumbers apprentice but I also know how to weld (stick/tig/mig) and use all the tools fabricators use, I’ve also done some carpentry and landscaping as well metal working. At this rate I’ll be a Jack of a trades, master of none

>>1960487
just a thought anon, having a well-rounded experience is more valuable to yourself and employers than having singular focus/capability. don't be that guy who can recite building a watch.

>>1960642
This is true. Knowing all that shit will keep you employed when things get slow.

>>1956034
I was a fire alarm guy, but we like to go by F.A.G.s for short. Pretty easy, but annoying, better than sprinkler work tho.

>>1960442
Damn it’s scary how accurate this is for most non-Mexican GCs here in the southwest usa

>>1958010
https://kentuckyhorseshoeingschool.com/

>>1956034
Owner/builder-Landlord-Stay at home dad w/ 800sqft wood/metal shop. Kind of a niche trade, lots of nepotism. not many masters willing to take on apprentices outside their blood line.

>>1956175
Are you in Europe? Cause welding doesn't pay shit in America. Its like around 18$ an hour depending on location.
That might sound good for a young buck but you aren't gonna raise a family on that happily. Also it tops out at 23 in PA where I am so even if your there for 20 years you'll only be around 45000 a year if your lucky.

>>1957495
This. I got into maintenance management and the pay is pretty decent. Making 55k at 24 but I work my asshole off because they only gave me one tech. Hopefully going to take charge of some new construction the company is doing and that facility will get 3-4 techs so I won’t have to work as hard at all, plus I’ll probably get a raise to like 60k

>>1960053
its not too late.

t. my apprentice is 6 years older than me

>>1962919
Never too late.

t. 39 year old pipefitter apprentice

>>1962925
I bet you look rough.

>>1956034
>>1956175
I am /g/ fag who went /biz/ with all his savings, lost his job and now I am 30 with just 10k in my bank, at least I have no debt, and I own my place.
Is it too late to start an apprenticeship as a electrician? Will anyone hire me? Is there such thing as hiring only youngsters etc?

>>1956034
>britfag
Roof thatcher, it's based and comfy af

>>1962944
Is it too late to start an apprenticeship as a electrician? No
Will anyone hire me? Yes
Is there such thing as hiring only youngsters etc? Companies actually prefer older people because they work instead of complaining or fucking around on their phone.

live in northern california age 29. my goal was to get a career in auto industry but theyve been dicking me around for 2 years. wifes parents not doing so well in souther california so might move to help out.

ive noticed at least on both websites of JATC for north and south theres a huge difference in apprentice wage pay and seems like north would be better for overall training.

any electricians that can vouch if id be taken more seriously in san jose more than orange county? or have any personal experince at either locations?

it’s a dying industry so i wouldn’t make a career out of it but I have found car electronics installation pretty based
doesn’t pay anything like a “real” trade but the lack of people coming in has driven wages up a bit, making 50k a year as a college student installing remote starts at best buy is hard to beat given the low barrier to entry

>>1962944
I'm 30 and in my 3rd year of my apprenticeship. Apply. Try NJATC (union) once they open up applications. I think it's still open in Cincy Ohio. I did it as a last choice career. I don't think I'll stay with it long term, because I honestly do not enjoy it. But everytime I go back to my stomping grounds I realize how desperate I was, and shouldn't take my job for granted.

>>1964574
each local has their JATC. Training is just about the same, but it really isn't the institution which trains you, it's the type of jobs. I think any place which features industrial or high sky rises has enough work for you to train.

Orange County is okay. The work environment isn't that great because there's huge non union electricians down in San Diego. Two of the largest are based out of there. But the guys I've met from Orange County have been good.

Never met a guy from San Jose. I'd imagine they'd mostly work commercial jobs and might be pigeonholed as a result.

Once you're locked in, and accepted into a local, the local owns you. The pension follows you from that local. You have to fight tooth and nail to transfer locals once your journey out. You have 5 years during your apprenticeship to decide if you want to re-locate, and if the other place has applications which are open.

>>1964900
>Once you're locked in, and accepted into a local, the local owns you. The pension follows you from that local. You have to fight tooth and nail to transfer locals once your journey out. You have 5 years during your apprenticeship to decide if you want to re-locate, and if the other place has applications which are open.
This is what I’m facing right now in my head. I’m working in 583 right now but I’d like to try working somewhere that pays more and I’ve never lived in another city before. I’m just concerned about whether I’d be able to find work on book 2 (3?) as easy when I get to another city and how the whole “transferring locals” thing works if I found a place and wanted to put down roots. I’m a 3rd year right now too so I have another year and a half/2 years to make up my mind but I’d like to still stay in town for a while after I turn out so I can get all my skills down before I leave somewhere else that way I don’t reflect poorly on the guys in the local.

horticulture tech,there will always be a need for food,always.also seeing shit you brought into the world grow and thrive and flourish under your care is just that sort of special that can't be understated desu.

>>1965162
How did you get into that field?

>>1964592
My friend did this during high school years ago. I remember visiting him in 2010/11 and he was wiring subs/speakers into a modern day Mercedes. I just can't imagine ripping apart the interior of a luxury car, nonetheless a brand new one. I break the clips and crack random plastic just taking apart basic econo cars.

>>1965258
another tech at my shop accidentally dropped a screw into the shifter housing of an AMG benz while taking the radio out, thought it would be no big deal and just put a new screw in. customer leaves and immediately comes back and tells us his car is popping into neutral as he drives.
then I got to spend 4 hours disassembling the whole ass interior so I could disconnect the shifter from the transmission and get that bitch out

luxury cars are a rarity in the shop though, other than for remote start purposes and those are actually some of the easiest ones to do

>>1964900
hey man thanks for the info. is there a difference in joining ibew directly vs joining JATC if they are already involved with ibew? or is it ultimately the same thing?

>>1956034
Stone masonry is objectively the most based trade and will make your ancestors smile upon you from heaven

But if your a fag you could do electrical or plumbing

Pull 6 figures and I sleep and shitpost all day

>>1959644
I thought welding was one of the lowest paying trades?

>>1960442
>general shitbaggery: a contractor's guide to fucking people over

>>1960442
Live in California by chance?

How badly will i be made fun of/looked down upon if i bring Ryobi tools to a jobsite? I am just starting out in my trade and the buy in on Milwuakee/Makita seems pretty steep. But i only have a Ryobi Impact/Drill right now that i use for work and i feel kind of embarassed using it sometimes on the job.

>>1966554
No one gives a fuck as long as the job gets done.

>>1956034
Gonna hear back soon about a sponsorship as a commercial truck technician apprentice soon, wish me luck bros

>>1966554
You will get made fun of if you use the wrong tool for the job, or your work is pants on head retarded, or if you talk like a fag.

>>1966562
this first and foremost.

>>1965246
i grew up into it you might say,my grandmother was a judge in the local royal horticulture society and i grew up in her garden helping her.it just worked.

>>1956034
>What's the most based trade to get into?
>>Britfag if that's important
Dentistry

>>1965258
Watching a 17 year old Mexican kid use a dirty flathead screwdriver to pop the leather panels off my new truck was pretty unnerving. They did a good wiring job though

>>1967662
you know your installer is good when he has one of these. technically for aircraft sheet metal but works amazing for every panel in a car

>>1966272
I ran crane for a few years in the oilfields, swing cab/tele boom in the 50-100 ton range

I enjoyed it, but when i was considering taking it to the "normal" world (oilfield is a weird domain) it lost much of its appeal

>i live in country/rural and it seems 90% of crane job sites are in the big cities AKA have to fucking drive in the commute each day
>many states you have to join a fucking union
>the whole "if something bad happens and they decide it's your fault you can be legally charged with manslaughter, etc"

>But most of all it's nearly impossible to be self employed unless you have the insane capital for crane equipment, insurance, etc

That being said, i really enjoyed running them and heavy equipment in general. Sucks that outside of cranes the wages for running equipment are pretty shitty in the two places i've had experience (Texas and New England)

>>1967809
Yeah location is everything and union helps. I was running rig in Michigan for $20 an hour working in the city ect and then I was making 26 in the oil fields in Canada. Moved back to my home state and joined the union and now I make triple of what I was making. A lot of commuting tho

>>1960442
Yeah douche but how long till your face is known and you get charged and fucked by tyron in prison? Unless you are a vagrant and hit up every city in a state in a year. Btw karma is a bitch. douche

>>1968046
Damn you were only making $26/hr in the fields? Out in west texas the guys are (well at this point "were") making double that

>>1956034
DISHWASHER

>>1956034
trade country, then probably plumber

>>1960053
Go for it my 40+ relative is in the middle of his apprenticeship. Don't know how common it is but in his case he got full salary during his apprenticeship either due to work experience or due to costs of living not really sure. Although work experience always seems to hold value

>>1960053
honestly most people that are gonna end up in the trades arent mature enough to do this work until they have spent a few years spinning their wheels in their late teens early 20s so its not uncommon to have a 30 year old apprentice. I have even seen 50 yr old 1st years, but their backs usually break pretty quickly and they end up quitting.