Trades Today Career Opportunities

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Another crucial aspect of the skilled trades as it relates to entre-

preneurship? The fact that there is not the same age bias or

experience bias that other industries have. “The average age of a

company owner with employees in the skilled trades is 43, nearly

30 percent younger than the overall average for CEOs of 59,” the

HomeAdvsior report shared. Where other industries might require

more ladder climbing, higher startup costs, or other barriers that

would prevent a younger person from finding themselves at the

helm of the company, the unique attributes of the trades provide

a more welcoming atmosphere for young founders and owners to

give it a go on their own.

The overall takeaway here is that the skilled trades are a good path

for people who want to be entrepreneurs or are interested in owning

their own businesses. In the abstract, many Americans are drawn

to the idea of “being their own boss,” but many never reach that

goal because of the limitations of the jobs or industries in which

they work. By simply not having most of those barriers, the skilled

trades offer plentiful opportunities for young aspiring entrepreneurs

to make their mark.

Five

Overall job satisfaction

One of the unfortunate consequences of our nation’s student loan

debt crisis is that we tend to talk about education, training, and job

choice in terms of return on investment. “How much money am I

going to make in this career?” “What will I get in terms of benefits?”

“What are the opportunities for advancement?” “How much will I

be making in 10 years?” “How much will I pay to get the degree or

credential I need to compete for a job?” “How good are my chances

of landing a job in this field that can make me a living?” “How long

will it take me to pay off my college loans with the salary I will likely

get offered at my first job?” These are the types of questions that

today’s high school students have to ask as they consider their