What Jobs are Considered Skilled Trades?

The definition of a person’s role in society is via eir job and career choices like skilled trade jobs. Anything which requires mental and physical effort is a job. By that philosophy, a person can have multiple jobs, such as an employee, parent, student, or homemaker. However, careers can be skilled trade jobs that offer payment in exchange for their work and skills, which are applied to sustain a business or industry to earn profits and grow.

Many careers are available, be it in business, industry, teaching, in research, and they require different levels of education and offer a varying market for employability. Employment opportunities are variable and highly dependent on industry needs, market trends, cultures, and global scenarios. Many jobs require a primary school or college education, while others require specialized training from special courses from specific technical or trade schools. These types of jobs constitute skilled trades.

Types of Jobs

skilled trade jobs

Employment opportunities are categorized into four sectors: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary, based on the nature of activities. Based on this classification, four types of jobs fall into these sectors.

Primary sector jobs include obtaining raw materials from the environment directly, such as mining, mineral extraction, farming, fishing, etc. The Secondary sector, also called the Manufacturing sector, jobs, including those involving manufacturing or processing things from these raw materials. Therefore, jobs like making steel or bread are examples of secondary sector jobs. Next, Tertiary sector jobs provide service to people or other industries. Hence, it is also called the service sector. This involves jobs such as telecommunication, transport, nursing, etc. And finally, the Quaternary Sector involves research and development and includes information-based services. For example, jobs in Information Technology (IT) and Biotechnology research.

Job Opportunities

Job Opportunities

The job opportunities in each of these sectors are different based on the industry’s needs and the required skill set of the employees. Consequently, there are various eligibility criteria, and the type of work needed varies according to the job requirements and positions. Therefore, it is inevitable that the remuneration for the jobs is also highly variable and has no parity.

Different types of jobs require different types of educational qualifications. It is a belief among the masses that a college degree is essential for getting a job and having a stable career. However, it is most certainly a myth. Many jobs require a 4-year college degree, even for an entry-level job. Nowadays, even a bachelor’s degree isn’t good enough to cut into the competition.

A Master’s or Doctorate is becoming the essential minimum qualification for entry-level jobs, and the competition is just rising every day. However, the benefits are not rising comparatively. In such a scenario, unemployment rates go up. Therefore, it is imperative to choose a career that provides stable employment and sustainability.

Career Opportunities in Skilled Trades

An excellent choice for a career that provides sustainable employment and opportunities in the industry is skilled trades. Jobs in skilled trades require special skills, abilities, and knowledge, and students learn these through specialized training in trade schools or technical schools. As a result, there are many diverse career opportunities in skilled trades.

Jobs in skilled trades are an excellent alternative to the traditional jobs that require a college degree. These jobs make you industry-ready, pay well and make you well sought after in the industry which is always in need of skilled professionals in the various trades. Career opportunities in skilled trades vary from industry to industry and depend on the marketable skills obtained through training from top trade schools.

Types of Jobs in Skilled Trades

There are many different types of jobs in skilled trades, such as in manufacturing, technology, construction, healthcare, and they are generally categorized into three main areas:

  • Industrial, skilled trades: These include jobs like welders, mechanics, machinists, tool and die makers, and even programmers.
  • Construction skilled trades: Jobs in these sectors involve trades commonly seen in the construction sector, such as carpenters, bricklayers, insulators, electricians, plumbers, and gasfitters.
  • Service skilled trades: These trades form a part of the service sector. These include nurses, orderlies, aides, therapists, and service technicians.

Some Examples of Skilled Trades

Welding

Some of these jobs in skilled trades are interdisciplinary, i.e., the expertise of the skilled technician may not have restrictions to just one of these areas. For example, the job of a welder. A welder fuses two or more metal or non-metal parts using heat, pressure, or cooling to form a joint. It is one of the most critical processes in the fabrication industry.Welding

Welding requires precision, skills, and training. And skilled, certified welders are always in demand in a large number of diverse businesses and industry roles. They are as much a part of manufacturing jobs as construction jobs.

Various employment opportunities open up by learning Welding Technology from the best welding schools in the U.S. That gives skilled welders sustainability and stability in their careers both as fresher and industry professionals with hands-on experience to attain better work opportunities in the industry.

The Syndicate PayScale Data says that an experienced, qualified welding technician can earn $100,000 annually on average when it comes to paying. In contrast, the average annual starting salary for a professional welder ranges from $54,000 to $71,000 and exponentially increases with years of experience.

Virtually every industry, including manufacturing, construction, transport, and energy sectors, employs skilled, certified professional welding technicians and provides enormous opportunities for growth and mobility in their careers.

Electrical and Automation Technician

Another exciting career is as an electrical and automation technician. This involves electronics and electronics troubleshooting, manufacturing technologies, industrial automation, and process controls. The manufacturing industry relies heavily upon electrical and automation components to work efficiently. Therefore, skilled technicians who have certifications and hands-on experience provided by the best trade schools in these areas employ many industries and companies to carry on their trades effectively and efficiently.

These skills and certifications give industry expertise and knowledge, making graduates from these skilled trades programs a valuable asset to the industry. A lot of exciting work for a skilled technician lies in learning skills such as handling Hydraulic & Pneumatic Systems, AC/DC Motor Controls, Automation and Engineering software like AutoCAD, SAP, and Plex Modules, Interpreting Engineering Drawings, and Robotics and applying these skills to their jobs daily. This career choice is no less challenging than a regular college degree and more lucrative as a career choice in the industry.

Jobs in Construction

Jobs in Construction

Jobs in construction are generally perceived to be more labor-intensive and repetitive, but that is far from the reality and variety provided by the many different roles and job profiles in the construction industry.

A good example is the job of a Construction Safety Officer. Their job ranges from assessing and tracking assets, tagging construction materials like pipes and valves with identification tags for metals, and warnings to implementing policies and regulations for effective safety maintenance.

There are other attractive jobs in construction, such as a Glazier or a Mason. A Glazier specializes in constructing glass walls, while a Mason creates the foundation of construction projects.

Some of the construction technician jobs include blueprint reading, interpretation of engineering plans and instructions, basic shop math, concrete finishing, laying foundations, bricklaying, frame setup, foundation layout, industrial and personal safety, and safe concrete operation and practices.

Plumbing/PipeFitting Job

Plumbing is one of the best-skilled trade jobs, closely associated with construction jobs. Plumbing systems form an integral part of most construction projects, whether residential buildings, corporate offices, shopping malls, government buildings, schools, or hospitals. Therefore, Pipefitting jobs are essential and related jobs to plumbing, with the main difference between plumbing jobs and pipefitting jobs being welding skills.

Pipefitters are trained in welding on complex piping systems in industrial and commercial settings. Plumbers usually work on low-pressure piping systems that carry potable water and sewage and find employment opportunities in organizations that work on sewage draining systems and sanitization systems in residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial settings.

Pipefitters typically work on piping systems that carry fuel, oil, chemicals, and steam and involve fabricating, installing, assembling, repairing, and maintaining these piping systems.

In addition, pipefitter trains in welding, bending, and precision cutting of metal and metal alloy pipes.

Many different states in the US offer lucrative and flexible job opportunities for professionals certified in plumbing jobs and pipefitting jobs. Getting a professional plumbing/pipefitter certification from a trade school is the best way of having a stable and meaningful career and is a worthy investment for the future.

Sterile and Central Processing Technician

Sterile and Central Processing Technician

Healthcare is an indispensable area in the service sector where the need and demands for certified professionals are always present and can be high-paying skilled trade jobs. It is a very respectable profession with a variety of different job profiles. One such job is as a certified sterile and central processing technician.

Sterile technicians play a significant role in preventing infection, decontamination, sterilization, and cleaning of medical equipment, inventory, and equipment management in the medical and healthcare industry.

With the current covid scenario and fear of covid exposure, the need for sterile technicians has increased exponentially and is projected to continue on the rise and offers a great job prospect for interested candidates who want to make a difference and impact world health scenario.

 

Automotive Technician

A vastly different and fascinating job in the service sector is definitely an automotive technician who requires proper skilled trades programs. However, it is one of the most rewarding and stimulating careers in the automotive engineering industry. It involves learning and applying the fundamentals of mechanical, electrical, design, operations, software, safety, repairs, manufacturing, and maintenance of vehicles in industrial and recreational settings.

It also encompasses creative and innovative skills applicable to the modification and customization of cars and trucks. These skills make certified professionals highly sought after by the industry and car enthusiasts looking for reliable and trained professionals who can address their needs. A professional certificate course for an automotive technician program is guaranteed to make a life-changing impact on the career of a professional.

Why Should You Consider a Career in Skilled Trades?

Experience gained in professional courses is more valuable than theoretical courses for the best-skilled trade jobs. Trainees work on projects, learn from skilled professionals in the industry, and build their resumes with experience and certifications, making them highly sought after. They become value assets almost immediately after completing their certifications and can earn right later.

Is Pipefitter a good career for you?

The cost of education is also a significant factor that makes skilled trades a more preferred alternative to a regular college education. On average, a professional skilled trade course costs about one-fourth of a regular public college degree. This makes it easier for students to graduate with almost no debt. In addition, with options for federal grants and student loans available, this makes it even more convenient to get a professional degree in a skilled trade from a top trade school in the program of choice.

A trade school certification can be obtained in as little as six months or up to 2 years. This gives the advantage to join the industry with the best paying skilled trades much ahead of peers who enroll in regular college programs. One can also complete multiple useful and relevant certifications in that time and become highly skilled and industry-ready when it would take for a regular college graduate even to land an entry-level job. A certified and skilled technician is a sought-after asset to the industry and can earn very well with increasing years of experience and exposure.

A career in a skilled trade pays well even at the entry level. Although salaries vary between industries, educational levels, companies, and states, with years of experience, income can increase exponentially and offer a sustainable career choice. In addition, since skilled trades are always in demand, there is abundant job opportunity and high job security.

A career in best paying skilled trades from a top trade school is preferable to a regular college degree for many reasons. It is fun, more economical. It requires less time to finish and graduate. It offers industry exposure and hands-on training from the best instructor and industry professionals. They make trainees industry-ready with their work skill set development, and it guarantees employment right after graduation!

Read more:

Trade School Infrastructure | Trade schools in Philadelphia | Vocational School in Philadelphia | Welding Technician program

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