Thinking about becoming a Plumber but.....

[Alucard625]

Hello, first a little about myself:

Age: 35 (so, I want something that won't take me forever)

Current job: I'm making $16.50 hr at a Hotel/Casino in Vegas as a Utility Porter.
A Utility Porter does maintenance (cleaning carpets, picking up trash, cleaning floors, etc.)
It is a pretty easy job and they pay great, but is not a job that requires any special
studies, anybody can get that job. I'm not too crazy about that feeling cause if I ever had to
leave and come back I'm competing with everybody or if I ever had to move I would also
be competing with everybody. Not to mention that no other state has as many hotels or
huge hotels as Vegas. So I depend on Vegas and I'd rather depend on my own professional
skills.

The field of engineering sounds appealing to me as they make a lot of money plus
I keep hearing how those types of careers (plumbing, electrician, etc) always have good demand
regardless of where you live or who you work for. I'm inclined for plumbing as I've always liked
doing basic plumbing repairs at home and I'd rather work with dirty water and sh!t than
electricity.

However, before I make my final decision and start making all kinds of detailed plans to go to school
I would like to get a final opinion from other people. This field of handyman/engineering is
totally new to me. I don't wanna start studying and then find out there was this other
career, within the same field, that would've suited me better. So I ask you, what other careers/training
should I consider aside from becoming a plumber or an electrician?


Thanks :)

[CleeIB]

Hi Alucard625,

It's a little difficult to say what might "suit you better", since the job that suits one best is the one that best fits one's interests, personality, skills (current and acquire-able), and life situation.

Right now we know your life situation and your current skills, and maybe a little about your interests (you like doing basic plumbing repairs at home).

Bu we don't know what your long-term professional goals are (everyone wants to make money, so that isn't a helpful measure), or what you're like as a person (though you're evidently self-aware and desirous of self-improvement).

Plumbing/electricity are good fields in that there will be demand for them for a while. The other field that came to mind while reading your post was construction, though construction is an uncertain bet at the moment due to this economy.

If you like plumbing best, you should do plumbing.

You may want to check out other professions to see what they are like, so you know what options to eliminate. Maybe see if you can speak to any electricians or plumbers or handymen or construction workers to see what their jobs are like. The more you know, the more informed your decision will be.

If you want, you can share more details that can help us give advice regarding careers. But already the fact that you've said that you like plumbing says a lot.

Good luck!