I was a month shy of 29 when I started. When I got out of the military when I was 21, factory work was quick money and more steady the apprenticeship. As much as I wanted to be an electrcian, my family came first. Years later, I was not happy with factory work. My wife came across an apprenticeship job with ok pay. I would have to take a big pay cut plus a cut in hours since I was working all the OT I wanted at the time. Between the layoffs and dealing with a tragedy in the family, it was a very hard road. In time we managed to make it through the hard times.
I agree with ITO that kids these days have little respect for the construction trades. Currently in Alaska, more people are leaving the trades faster than they can be replaced. Kids today do not want a hard, dirty job for little pay. They want a job playing computer games in an air conditioned office that has a skateboard ramp. That office will never get built without the qualified trades people. I recently read in a trade magazine that in the next seven years, there will be a need for 84,000 more electricians then there are available today. I do not think that number includes the losses through retirement and such.
Getting through an aprenticeship program is not an easy task however when you "pay your dues" it is a rewarding career that is always changing.
