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America's new millionaire class: Plumbers and HVAC entrepreneurs

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185 points hhs | 4 comments | 13 Oct 24 15:35 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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nine_zeros ◴[13 Oct 24 17:35 UTC] No.41829855[source]▶
It is true that trades work has picked up quite a bit. High school kids and their career counselors say the reasons are:

- Well-defined career path.

- High pay as you keep going ahead.

- Union pay and benefits. Incredible stability. Incredible healthcare.

- No outsourcing.

- Lots of paid leave. None of that unlimited PTO scam.

- Lot of camaraderie. None of the corporate nonsense where execs take it all at the expense of people.

- Opportunity to start your own business at a certain point.

- No large student loan to get started.

While not all kids articulate all these points well, but they can tell how their seniors in college are grinding too much for little return - while trades people are working hard, taking vacations, raising families - and buying homes.

The average tradesperson in a HCOL is a millionaire by age 40 simply because they could buy a house earlier in their lives. And they are able to start families and live a very stable life. Kids are picking up on this.

replies(2): >>41830148 #>>41830325 #
linotype ◴[13 Oct 24 18:09 UTC] No.41830148[source]▶
You failed to mention any of the downsides:

- competition from non-Union labor

- broken body by 50

- fewer jobs than programming (there are multiple times as many programming jobs than plumbing, for instance)

- working conditions (no office work, expect hot/cold environments potentially far away from family)

replies(3): >>41830621 #>>41832277 #>>41836366 #
nine_zeros ◴[13 Oct 24 19:04 UTC] No.41830621[source]▶
> competition from non-Union labor

Very little. Because non-union workers join the union as soon as they see the benefits.

> broken body by 50

As opposed to broken minds by 50 for toxic corporate jobs.

> fewer jobs than programming (there are multiple times as many programming jobs than plumbing, for instance)

This is true. But that's because software development is considered one large blob while trades is broken into HVAC, plumbing, electrical etc.

> working conditions (no office work, expect hot/cold environments potentially far away from family)

And yet, they can pick and choose their work for the most part. No badging in for 5 day RTO BS.

replies(1): >>41832568 #
kortilla ◴[13 Oct 24 23:10 UTC] No.41832568[source]▶
>Very little. Because non-union workers join the union as soon as they see the benefits.

This isn't true and sounds like union propaganda. It's very easy to find non-union trade workers in big cities, even very liberal ones that are supportive of unions.

>As opposed to broken minds by 50 for toxic corporate jobs.

People don't have broken minds from corporate jobs. Physical damage from labor is real and extremely common. Every tradesman 40+ will tell you this. People retiring from corporate jobs do not consistently warn people that your mind will be broken.

>And yet, they can pick and choose their work for the most part. No badging in for 5 day RTO BS.

Are you joking? RTO isn't a thing because the trades were never allowed to work from home in the first place.

replies(2): >>41833360 #>>41883775 #
1. neverartful ◴[14 Oct 24 01:31 UTC] No.41833360[source]▶
I worked as a software engineer for 29 years and quit earlier this year. The stress and my blood pressure were significantly affecting my health and quality of life. I had started a part-time handyman business last year and took it full time after quitting my corporate job. My blood pressure and stress level have gone down a lot, but so has my paycheck and my benefits. I'm still glad that I made the switch because my last corporate job was going to kill me for the sake of corporate profits and executive bonuses.

I would say that there's good/bad from both sides of the coin. It's a personal choice and not everyone is the same.

replies(2): >>41833687 #>>41855701 #
2. linotype ◴[14 Oct 24 02:31 UTC] No.41833687[source]▶
Glad you were able to get your BP under control, it’s a silent killer. Any tips?
replies(1): >>41836652 #
3. neverartful ◴[14 Oct 24 11:52 UTC] No.41836652[source]▶
In my case, I tracked it regularly and when it was high I would try to go out for a nice walk outside or anything that might be calming. I limited my salt intake. The real solution for me was quitting my job.
4. kortilla ◴[16 Oct 24 04:46 UTC] No.41855701[source]▶
Sounds like you took the handyman job as employtainment. Being a handyman is incredibly stressful if you’re trying to raise a family on that income and are having trouble making ends meet.