How Do I Start A Career In The Trades - CareerMetis.com

How Do I Start A Career In The Trades Photo Credit â€" http://maxpixel.freegreatpicture.comSchooling is often focused on academic subjects and careers that involve working with your hands are taking a back seat. This isn’t always best for some people who are more suited to practical work.While they might not be advertised as well as they used to be, there are still plenty of different routes into a career in the trades.If you have decided that you want to do something a bit more practical with your time, here are a few ways that you can do it.1) Start At HomeevalevalBefore you start making any big decisions you should be completely sure that you are doing the right thing. Trying your hand at a bit of DIY at home could give you an idea of whether you are really cut out for a career like this.If you are considering being an electrician or a plumber, this isn’t the best idea because it is unsafe to be playing around with that kind of thing without any training. However, there are plenty of places online where you can fi nd tutorials on simple carpentry or building projects.Why not have a go at some of them and see whether you enjoy it, and more importantly, whether you are good at it? You’re going to be spending a few years training so making the wrong decision at this point will waste a lot of your time.2) High School DiplomaThe unfortunate truth is, you won’t get very far in any career without having a high school diploma and blue-collar work is no exception.It is also important to take your SAT tests and get good scores.If you go down the college route, they won’t matter as much, but apprenticeships will take these into account when deciding whether to offer you a place.3) Community College or Vocational College?Photo Credit â€" Flickr.comThe next step is to get some kind of formal training in your chosen area to study; community college and vocational college are your two main options here, but which one is best? Each of them has its own benefits, depending on your situation.evalCommunity college tends to be longer because you will need to take extra classes alongside training in your chosen trade. This will cost you more as you will be there for longer, and you also need to factor in the extra costs.You can buy your protective equipment and more from Steel Blue, you’ll need to this before you are allowed near any power tools, etc. Although it costs more money, and you will have to study for longer, you will come out with a degree.Vocational college only award you a certificate rather than a full degree, however, this doesn’t matter if you are dead set on pursuing a specific career. It’s a better option for people who have a smaller budget and want to get into a career as quickly as possible.4) ApprenticeshipsAn apprenticeship is a course that offers practical experience on the job, with some classroom learning to fill in the gaps. You don’t need to have a qualification from a college before getting an apprenticeship, so if you can find one that will take yo u, it’s a good way to get stuck in straight away.evalYou’ll be getting paid as well, making it a good choice for people with limited funds. Having said that, they can be quite competitive and having a qualification already will give you a leg up on the competition. Once you’ve completed an apprenticeship, you should be in a position to start working full time in your chosen field.