#1: What are you good at? All of us have talent in a variety of areas. What it is true that you can develop talent/skills thru training and on-the-job learning, you might narrow your trade career choices by considering things you are already good at. Skilled trade jobs often focus on one key area. For example, do you like to know how things work? Do you like taking things apart and putting them back together?

#2 What are your interests/passion? The Skilled Trades offer you the opportunity to make a living from doing things that interest you. If cars are your passion, becoming a mechanic can be ideal. Think about what kind of things interest you. Then, start looking at jobs that match your interests.

#3 Ask for advice. If you’re still in high school tap into your school career counseling program. If you’ve already graduated, schedule an appointment with a trade school advisor. You’ll find that people are very willing to help you define a future career path!  Contact an Advisor with The Blue Collar Recruiter.

#4 Decided on your career choice? Talk to tradespeople in that industry. Ask questions. Discover what a day in their working life is really like, why do they love it? Check out this example. What do they dislike about it? Here are a few questions to help you get started:

• What type of school did you go to? Would you choose this option today or try something different?
• Was it easy to get your first job?
• What advice do you have for someone interested in getting into this trade?

#5 Research employers in your chosen trade field. Some employers may offer combination on-the-job and pre-apprenticeship programs. Due to the shortage of people entering the skilled trades these type of work/train programs are becoming more popular among business owners. It never hurts to ask, especially if you have an employer you’d like to go to work for!

#6 Understand the pay and demand for future job growth. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is a great resource to use to search skilled trade salaries and find out how much the demand for a career is going to grow over a 10-year period. Here’s an example for HVAC.