career change

[webphut]

Hello,

I am new here. I am seeking information, advice, and or opinions from others in the plumbing trade. So, I am fifty years old. I have been out of work for the most part since 2015 by personal choice. I have worked a couple of jobs during 2022 and 2023, but nothing as far as careers. My background from the age of seven years old is welding, machining, Mechanical design, fabrication, ornamental, structural, miscellaneous iron. I Had the opportunity to take some years off of work in 2015 to raise our four daughters. It was a very rewarding decision that I do not regret. Getting back to work/hired because of the long time off work has had its hurtles. Maybe it looks lazy to possible employers. Maybe its my need to go back to school, hence the truck driving school you will soon read about.

Now I am looking to get back to serve others for another 15 - 20 years if I have GODs blessing and wishes me to so. I have been really researching and studying different trades. I have no desire to go back to working with metal. HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, Commercial Truck Driving. Commercial Truck Driving is very attractive due to the fact that I could be fully licensed in as little as seven weeks and may be able to get on with a garbage company,ready-mix or maybe a propane company. It has to be local driving. I am actually ready to pay for the seven week program. I just keep having second thoughts and plumbing just keeps nagging me in the background of my thoughts. Electrical I really shy away from due to all the different math and laws(ohms type laws) that go into it. I took an electronics class in the 1990's, but even then, i have always felt intimidated by all the information I needed to remember. HVAC is attractive, but I am just not drawn to it like I am plumbing for some reason. A little about me as a person, most household maintenance stuff, I for the most part hire it out to companies to fix as I always have lacked the construction skills related to home repair and maintenance. I had a hand in building many commercial high rises and all the stuff that goes into them, but as for working on our homes in terms of fixing things, I have always just called someone to fix it. Plumbing though, minus the clogged drains/pipes, I have always felt at home fixing. Leaking toilet, I have never had a problem tearing the tanks and bowls apart and rebuilding them with all new rubbers and valves and such. I do not have experience replacing water heaters. I just never had the confidence to rip one out and solder in a new one.

Now I guess what I am posting here or am looking to here about is if I should give plumbing a shot as far as a new career goes. I been watching Roger Wakefield on you tube and some other plumbers. I honestly could care less about poop. I know most people are like ewwww. I honestly could care less, but again, I have not had to cut through a sewer pipe full of human poop. I am actually more worried about finding a company who would hire me and invest in e in terms of training me from scratch at the age of fifty. I am thinking Roto Rooter as I know they do offer this to new employees, but unaware of the cauveats less talked about.

I am not in bad shape. I can get into some pretty contorted positions under my own sinks over the years. There is alot I do not know as far as plumbing goes, but before I drop $4,000.00 on the Lone Star College truck driving program in two weeks, I want to make sure I am not making a bad decision by passing up a new career in plumbing. And to clear some of the you tube boasting on the $100,000.00's of dollars that can be made as a plumber. I have no desire to own my own plumbing business. I do feel there is a higher income potential working for a plumbing company as a w-2 employees compared to driving a truck locally for a company. I know it would be a few years, but ideally, i would like to be making $120,000.00 a year some time before I have to stop working. I know everyone on youtube likes to show off the big bucks, but they never or most times do not mention that to make the money they talk about, you have to own the company. Its always, I made $300,000.00 my first year as a plumber or I made $1,000,000.00 my first year driving dump trucks.

My wish list: Get hired. Be trained on the job or attend a training program (I am not sure if that means to become an apprentice or not). To serve others. Not sure if anyone else has ever had the opportunity to be able to give a homeless person a couple hundred dollars or not, but I have had the opportunity and the feeling I get from that is truly unexplainable. The feeling of having a effect on someones life is so special. Probably next to serving folks, maybe should be before serving others, but that is up in the air....to provide for our family and live a comfortable lifestyle. My wife says I am too nice, but thats what makes me happy.
Let it rip.

Start looking for plumbing company to hire me or Drop $4,000.00 on a CDL training program to hurry up the process of creating an income.

 

[Geofd]

If your 50 or so your looking at 4-5 years of school and field experience before you can take the plumbing exam I don't know what your looking for to start (wages) but it may be about 20 bucks an hour, if you don't mind getting dirty there's drain cleaning, no licence you just have to learn on the job
Some of the experienced guys I have worked with make good money, in the trades, there are no 5 day weeks so get used to 6 day weeks drain cleaning can be something you could look into, not the franchise companies
That's only my opinion.....

 

[breplum]

Body condition plays into working plumbing in the field. Ability to get down on the floor (with good knee pads) is essential. Knees (and back) can be a weak lynch-pin...After 50 years, mine are still fine, but not the case with so many others, esp with aging after 50.

Ramp up time for earning well is also tough at 50. Here in the Bay Area earnings can be worthy after you put in lots of time and training. Pay in your location may influence to some degree.
My 38 year old son in eastern Washington state tops out as a CNC machinist around $30/hr. but he loves machining.
If he were here he could be re-starting as assistant plumber starting at $35 -$45. But it costs a s-load more to live here.

$4k is not bad depending on what earnings can be to drive. My garbage truck driver friend makes great money having put the years in with Republic Services (hours suck IMHO).

 

[1911smith]

 

[webphut]

Body condition plays into working plumbing in the field. Ability to get down on the floor (with good knee pads) is essential. Knees (and back) can be a weak lynch-pin...After 50 years, mine are still fine, but not the case with so many others, esp with aging after 50.

Ramp up time for earning well is also tough at 50. Here in the Bay Area earnings can be worthy after you put in lots of time and training. Pay in your location may influence to some degree.
My 38 year old son in eastern Washington state tops out as a CNC machinist around $30/hr. but he loves machining.
If he were here he could be re-starting as assistant plumber starting at $35 -$45. But it costs a s-load more to live here.

$4k is not bad depending on what earnings can be to drive. My garbage truck driver friend makes great money having put the years in with Republic Services (hours suck IMHO).

I understand! Wife and I moved from SF East Bay Area (Concord,CA) to Texas for the kids schooling in early 2000's. I remember the just surviving. We had no idea what living was until we got to Texas. It nice, all I have to say about that. The 4 hour drive to snow skiing or Disneyland is nice, but being able to sleep at night not having to worry about paying bills outweighs California's landscape.

I actually did a four year apprenticeship in the shop ironworkers union, but sadly the money just is not there, not like a plumbers, electricians, or HVAC employees. I have no desire to be my own boss. Been there done that and failed. I just do not have the hunger I guess. I am lacking something, but business ownership is not for me. I just want put my head down, turn dials and make chips while serving others and with GOD's blessing, get paid.

I was not smart enough back then to choose to go into a different trade. I just put my nose down and focussed on turning them dials and making chips for the employer. I am fourth generation Metal trades. Go figure.

Thank you for the input folks. Sadly, five years of time is not on my side. I think the seven week Class A CDL fast track class at my local community college is probably going to be the quickest way to some halfway decent income. There appears to be a career path as a local truck driver through the Class B route with tanker endorsement for new CDL drivers with no experience with the garbage companies and the Ready Mix plants.

Thank you all for the input.