I had some tradespeople weigh in.
10/6/22
I had an interesting conversation with a guy named Dane yesterday. Dane is a heating and air conditioning technician. He took a seat as we talked. And by that I mean he parked his butt on the floor beside an indoor AC unit while I stood over him. He’d taken the drain line apart that leads to the outside of the house and was trying to put it back together. His clothes were grungy, his hands were dirty, and his baseball cap looked like it’d been around since God said let there be light. But Dane was very happy. I asked him how he got into the business.
“Well, I hooked up with a buddy and started going on jobs with him. I didn’t know anything about air conditioners.”
He told me stories about his early days on the job. His best one involved an encounter with a snake. He was cleaning out a drain line when he saw something dark moving inside the pipe. Before he could react, a black snake stuck its head out and bit him. He and the homeowner screamed. But once the initial shock wore off, Dane remembered laughing and assuring the homeowner.
“No need to be alarmed, ma’am. It’s just a black racer. They’re not poisonous. I thought it was a water moccasin for a second. But I wouldn’t be having this conversation with you if it was.”
Dane was full of whimsical stories, and he had the scars to prove them. He said he was born and raised here in Florida, and this is the busiest he’s ever been, adding, “There’s plenty of work because the demand is so high.”
I’m sure he wasn’t exaggerating. In states like Florida, it’s difficult to exist without a working HVAC system. I was reminded of that earlier in the day when someone at the doctor’s office mentioned that they have three generators hooked up to their house to prevent ever being without air conditioning in case of a blackout. But back to my conversation with Dane.
I asked him if he had to attend trade school to be an HVAC technician. He shook his head and said you just have to apprentice yourself to someone who’s been doing it longer than you have. Then you just learn. After Dane put the drain line back together, he promised to send an estimate for optional work to keep the drain line from clogging again.
“But don’t expect the estimate until this evening. We’ve just so darn busy. With all the hurricane damage, everybody’s been calling.”
Hmm. A happy man. A busy man, but a happy man. A busy, snake-bitten man, but still a happy man. I reflected on that. Earlier in the week I’d had a conversation with my neighbor, Chris, who also happens to be a tradesperson. He’s in the insulation installing business. He owns his business, which he recently sold for goo-gobs of money. But the plan is to work for another two years before the new owners take over. He took 10 minutes to evaluate our insulation, then another two hours to regale us with his financial wisdom. In case you couldn’t guess, Chris is a very happy technician too.
“It doesn’t make sense for college students to take on so much debt. Not everyone is cut out to be a doctor or a lawyer, not when you can make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in the trade industry.”
Chris dispensed more financial planning than insulation advice that day. And the data supports his premise that the advantages of becoming a tradesperson can’t be ignored, especially when it comes to net worth.
One of the biggest advantages, or course, is that a tradesperson doesn’t have to train as long for their career. A doctor or lawyer will need a four-year degree plus post-graduate study, racking up student loans along the way. According to one estimate, the tradesperson’s net worth dwarfs a doctor’s or lawyer’s for a good part of their careers. It isn’t until they reach the age of 41 that the doctor or and lawyer catches up. That’s almost 20 years after they graduated from college.
If you’re okay with that kind of long-term outlook, then maybe being a doctor or lawyer is for you. But if you’re looking to hit the ground running, a career in the trade industry may be a better fit. No matter what the profession, everyone is going to have their share of snake stories.
As my insulation installer and HVAC technician would say, “You have to do what you love.”
I think that’s an important lesson for us all.
#Imadechangestomy401KaftermeetingChris
2 replies on “Is a College Degree Worth Having?”
Very interesting. I too believe college isn’t for everyone or even necessary for alot of white collar jobs. I hope hiring companies eliminate a college degree as necessary for some jobs that basically you learn only when hired. These employees will have a 4 year earning head start over the college kids and non on the student loan debt.
On the job training without the college requirement sounds like a great idea.