Career Guidance
How to Get Into an IBEW Apprenticeship (Test & Interview)
What it takes to get into an IBEW apprenticeship: aptitude test score targets, the interview that decides your rank, and how to avoid a years-long wait list.
skilled-trades
Articles tagged "skilled-trades"
63 articles found · Page 2 of 4
Trade Programs
Commercial vs Residential HVAC: Which Path Pays More, Which Burns Out Faster
A side-by-side career comparison of commercial and residential HVAC for technicians choosing where to specialize. The pay differential, the on-call and overtime profile, the BAS controls premium, the burnout data behind the industry's 110,000-tech shortage, and the realistic career ladders on each side.
Trade Programs
Best Electrician Schools and IBEW/NECA Apprenticeships: How to Pick the Right Training Path
Trade school, IBEW/NECA union apprenticeship, or non-union ABC/IEC route — the three real paths to electrician licensure compared on cost, timeline, pay progression, and long-term earnings.
Trade Programs
Pipeline Welding Careers: How to Break Into the Highest-Paid Welding Niche
How pipeline welders actually earn $100K+: the Local 798 wage scale decoded, the 6G test and API 1104 standard, the rig-welder pay structure, and the honest tradeoffs of a life on the road.
Trade Programs
Heat Pump Installer Careers: Why IRA Incentives Are Reshaping HVAC Hiring
Heat pumps are the fastest-growing HVAC equipment category and federal/state incentives have changed which technicians get hired. A practical guide to the IRA's HEAR rebate program, the 25C tax credit (now expired), AHRI shipment trends, the DOE Energy Skilled training designation, NATE Heat Pump specialty pay, and how new HVAC techs should position themselves for heat pump work.
Trade Programs
How to Become a Plumber in 2026: Apprentice to Master Path
A step-by-step guide to becoming a licensed plumber — how the 4–5 year apprenticeship works, how to choose between UA union and PHCC/ABC non-union paths, what it takes to earn journeyman and master licenses, and what you earn at each stage.
Trade Programs
How to Become a Truck Driver: CDL Class A, ELDT Training, and the Owner-Operator Path
A step-by-step guide to becoming a Class A CDL truck driver — the ELDT training requirement, how to choose between paid company-sponsored training and a private CDL school, what you earn as a solo driver, and when (or whether) to go owner-operator.
Career Guidance
The Trade Worker's Résumé: How to Land Your First Apprenticeship or Journeyman Job
How to write a skilled-trade résumé that gets read — what to put in your Certifications & Licenses section, how to list OJT hours, why specific tool names beat generic descriptions, and the cover-letter structure JATCs actually respond to.
Trade Programs
How to Become a Welder: Certifications, Training Paths, and First-Year Pay
A step-by-step guide to becoming a welder — comparing trade school, community college, and apprenticeship paths, the AWS certification structure including D1.1 structural, and what welders earn from first-year helper to pipeline and specialty rates.
Trade Programs
How to Become an Electrician: Apprenticeship, Journeyman, Master Path
A step-by-step guide to becoming a licensed electrician — how the 4–5 year apprenticeship works, how to choose between IBEW/NECA union and non-union paths, what it takes to earn journeyman and master licenses, and what you earn at each stage.
Trade Programs
How to Become an HVAC Technician in 2026 (EPA 608 + NATE)
A step-by-step guide to becoming an HVAC technician — covering school vs apprenticeship, the EPA Section 608 certification, NATE credentials, state licensure, and what you earn from apprentice to senior tech across the first five years.
Career Guidance
Fire Academy vs. Fire Science Degree: Which Path Gets You Hired — and Promoted — Faster?
A practical decision framework for aspiring firefighters weighing a fire academy against a fire science degree — what each delivers, when employers actually require a degree, and how FESHE programs combine the two.
Trade Programs
How to Become a Firefighter: Step-by-Step from No Experience to Your First Shift
A practical step-by-step guide to becoming a firefighter with no experience — covering EMT prerequisites, the CPAT, academy options, NFPA 1001 certification, the hiring gauntlet, and what you earn at each stage.
Trade Programs
Boilermaker Career Guide: One of the Highest-Paying Trades Nobody Talks About
Boilermakers earn a median $73,340/year building and maintaining the pressure vessels, tanks, and industrial systems that keep power plants, refineries, and LNG terminals running. Here's what the career actually looks like — pay, training, outlook, and how to get started.
Trade Programs
Masonry Careers: The Ancient Trade With Modern Demand
Bricklayers, blockmasons, and stonemasons earn a median $56,600/year with ~20,700 openings projected annually. Here's what the career looks like — pay, training paths, shortage drivers, and how to get started.
Trade Programs
Pipefitter Salary, Career Path & Outlook (2026)
Pipefitters earned a median $62,970/yr (BLS 2024) with top earners above $105,150. Learn the path, the pay, and why LNG and data centers are fueling demand.
Trade Programs
Elevator Mechanic Salary 2026: $106K Median, Top-Paid Trade
Elevator mechanics earn a $106,580 BLS median — the only trade with a six-figure median wage. IUEC union pay scales, NEIEP apprenticeship odds, and pay by state.
Skilled Trades Outlook
What the Trump Administration Is Actually Doing for Skilled Trades — and What It Isn't
The White House talks up trade careers, but what's actually changed? From Workforce Pell Grants and the 1-million apprenticeship push to Job Corps closures and $1.6 billion in cuts, here's the full picture for prospective trade students.
Career Guidance
How to Negotiate Your Pay in the Trades
A practical, data-driven guide to negotiating higher pay in the skilled trades — covering when to ask, what to say, how union and non-union negotiations differ, and why the current labor shortage gives tradespeople real leverage.
Career Guidance
Trade Careers You Can Start After 50: A Realistic, Data-Driven Guide
A practical guide for adults 50 and older considering a career in the skilled trades — covering which trades suit mature workers, the financial calculus of a shorter career runway, health insurance during training, and how life experience becomes a genuine advantage on the job site.