I see so many articles pushing the construction and skilled labor trades as this underrated career that's in high demand and pays very well.
I've been working the last 8 years in some form of construction, primarily electrical work, and can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is NOT the answer. I've always said that Construction takes advantage of Men's bodies the way that Stripping/Dancing takes advantage of women's bodies. There are clear differences but the fact remains that the labor shortage is due to the fact that no one (en masse) wants to work like a donkey and sacrifice their bodies for the kinds of assholes that run these trades.
I have family in the trades and they've all accumulated injuries that heavily affect them physically, emotionally and financially. Not one guy I know of whose been working in any building trade has made it past 10-15 years without some sort of injury. No matter how much contractors act like safety is their priority, it's not. Getting their shit built/installed quickly is their priority and if you don't know how to do EVERYTHING that pertains to that specific trade, you get treated as expendable. This very same thing has kept me from being able to learn my trade through and through because it's so dog-eat-dog. As if the sheer danger of it all isn't enough, you have these bloated cavemen as bosses harassing you for not knowing everything.
The trades need a serious overhaul in the way they function with their people. They want women to join the trades so badly, yet the number of sexual harassment cases I've witnessed is absurd and mind-boggling. And at this point, I'm trying to figure out a way to make a career move before I wind up sacrificing my body to a career that has not and does not treat me right.
What are your thoughts, what do you think about the trades and what keeps you from working them if you don't, and what has kept you there if you do?