If I had to do it all over again, I'd be a plumber.
You're not stationary, you're on the move and your day has variety. You spend a lot of time in the physical world and meet lots of people. Your work might at times be smelly but is rewarding in a very direct way. You helped solve a tangible problem and your customers are grateful for it. The range of problems to solve is large, and if you widen your skills, you can grow into a generic handyman that can fix almost anything. Pay should be decent enough and by mid career you might even take a plunge at freelancing.
Where I live, the expensive cars are driven by the skilled trades, not by office clerks. But money isn't my main point, it's physical and mental health, clear purpose, impactful and rewarding work.
Bonus: AI isn't coming for you anytime soon.
Extra bonus: no office politics.
Frankly, it's exactly what Gen Z needs. They're all so cynical and divorced from the physical world and real people. Should they go into an office job, nearly 100% of their life would be digital, perpetuating and accelerating their issues.
Yeah but could your body handle 30+ years as a plumber? It’s hard physically work, shit hours and uncompensated commutes. You are literally covered in poop some days and working in the wet/cold others. It’s only a good gig once you own your own firm
There's huge differences in the individual trades and what it means for your body.
The vast majority of my friends are in the trades (I'm the outlier with an office job) and over the course of 20 years, many things have improved. Better tools, machines to do the very hard parts, etc. Some trades aren't super physically taxing, whilst other are, like plasterers.
So the comparison is complicated, and you'll also have to take into account the physical and mental wear of an office job.
Fancy cars also have a function of status. I don't need to prove my status, so I drive an inexpensive car.
That said, my friends in the trades are regretting their choices as they age and their physical ailments add up. I think it's a solid option for the first 15-25 years as long as you have an exit plan as your body ages.
(Note: I want to speak that this is perceived status and this has side effects. That I don't prove my status through a car or that there is a perceived need of those in the skilled trades to do so does not make a value judgement.)
You're not stationary, you're on the move and your day has variety. You spend a lot of time in the physical world and meet lots of people. Your work might at times be smelly but is rewarding in a very direct way. You helped solve a tangible problem and your customers are grateful for it. The range of problems to solve is large, and if you widen your skills, you can grow into a generic handyman that can fix almost anything. Pay should be decent enough and by mid career you might even take a plunge at freelancing.
Where I live, the expensive cars are driven by the skilled trades, not by office clerks. But money isn't my main point, it's physical and mental health, clear purpose, impactful and rewarding work.
Bonus: AI isn't coming for you anytime soon.
Extra bonus: no office politics.
Frankly, it's exactly what Gen Z needs. They're all so cynical and divorced from the physical world and real people. Should they go into an office job, nearly 100% of their life would be digital, perpetuating and accelerating their issues.
Digital sucks. It has no soul. Chose wisely.