Best trade for Mature age apprenticeship?

[greenacc]

So tradies, if you were considering a career change from a desk job to a trade at the age of 40 which trade would you choose?
Mainly due to my age I think plumbing is out due to the amount of digging involved?

 

[lowandslow]

Be a industrial electrician. Well paid and lazy.

 

[losh1971]

Depends on who will offer you an apprenticeship. Back when I was doing my trade as a baker we had a few mature age people doing apprenticeships when I was a trade school. I think chefs will take on a mature age person. I'd sorta like to retrain as a mech but not sure if I would get sick of working on cars and that the reasons for me wanting to learn the trade, which is so I can do more of my own work on vehicles I drive would soon fall by the wayside.

 

[losh1971]

An engineer would be a great trade. Imagine being able to do all your own machining of performance parts for the vehicles you own. I have an idea on how you feel. I have had a desk job for the last 20 years plus running a part-time business for some of that time. But since I have stopped working as a landscaper I have packed on the pounds and couldn't even jog for 100m without killing me.

 

[EYY]

Refrigeration mechanic

 

[figjam]

Be a industrial electrician. Well paid and lazy.

My son, ( real age 46, head age just going on 19 ), did an apprenticeship as an industrial sparky with a well known Australian company. For lots and lots of stupid reasons, (mainly women who fucked with his brain ) he abandoned the trade after a few years and has wasted his knowledge farnarkling around in low paid, dead end jobs that did not require much effort on his part.
Hallaluyah ! He has finally seen the light, realised that there is a shortage of tradies, and has started back in the trade, marvelling that he has been given a phone, a ute, a full working week with overtime, holidays, superannuation, and $50K+ salary.
(All I need now is his acknowledgement that I have been right, and he was not right.)

 

[lowandslow]

50K a year? WTF
Our sparkies are on 110k+ with minimal overtime and a 7-330 mon-fri week.

 

[figjam]

50K a year? WTF Our sparkies are on 110k+ with minimal overtime and a 7-330 mon-fri week.

Yes, I know that.
But he thinks he is a millionaire after 15 years of farnarkling. It is a step, on the bottom rung, in the right direction that I hope will enlighten him to the reality of life and current wages. He gave it away because he didn't like being told what to do, (that also included a couple of years in the Army as a techo).
My replies have been that if he had stuck with it, he would have been on big $$$ telling others what to do by now. But, what would I know ?
Ahhh, the joys of being a father whose kids think I know nothing, but the older I get, they realise I am learning more.

 

[Immortality]

I'd suggest something that interests you and something you enjoy. Doing a job for the sake of doing said your you will soon get bored with it and want to start the process all over again.

 

[Immortality]

Yes, I know that.
But he thinks he is a millionaire after 15 years of farnarkling. It is a step, on the bottom rung, in the right direction that I hope will enlighten him to the reality of life and current wages. He gave it away because he didn't like being told what to do, (that also included a couple of years in the Army as a techo).
My replies have been that if he had stuck with it, he would have been on big $$$ telling others what to do by now. But, what would I know ?
Ahhh, the joys of being a father whose kids think I know nothing, but the older I get, they realise I am learning more.

Yes, the joys of parenthood. how does that saying go? you can lead a horse to water....

At the end of the day we all have to learn and mostly we learn from our mistakes, for some it just takes longer than others.

I'll admit I've done some dumb **** over the years but with age comes a little wisdom and I think I'm finally heading in the right direction.