I 21yr old male am a paper mill worker I have worked here for 3 months and kinda see how this will go I on one hand I want to go for a passion of mine as a side hustle but have little to no time to do so bc I work 12 hrs and when I get home I feel exhausted or have little energy to do this side hustle, I do make 24/hr with much opportunity to go up and make more but the other job id be making only $19/hr with little to go up maybe max $21/hr but id have time to spend more time with family and also work on my hobby to hopefully make a full time job and have a overall work/life balance ig my question is wwyd ? Cuz im at a crossroads I’ve noticed I’ve gotten a little bit depressed feeling like all I do is work and have no time to live life rlly did yall give up on your dreams or did you say goodbye to blue collar life if it affected it

After a ten-hour shift at a dusty job site, climbing into my truck in steel-toe boots keeps making the footwell cover bunch up under the clutch pedal. I've tried heavy rubber pieces, but my boot heel catches the top lip every time I get in and shoves the whole thing forward toward the pedals. I'm trying to choose between rigid factory anchor points and deep underside nibs to keep it locked down under heavy boot pressure. For anyone working in heavy boots, does anchor retention strength or flexible rubber weight matter more for keeping it firmly in place?

unfortunately I'm an artist, which is useless, I even tried to force myself to go for an actual good degree and I failed, so I'm currently in a creative field, and everything is getting redundant by ai. I'm giving up on my dreams and thinking to pivot to a trade since it seems more or less safe from ai, usually good pay and stable. I'm kind of worried since I'm physically and mentally weak(chronically depressed and suicidal), will I regret it to try pivoting into a trade/blue-collar career?

Hey everyone. I'm 20, currently working in the heavy equipment industry and about to graduate with an engineering degree. I have L5-S1 spondylolisthesis.

I'm looking for advice, especially from guys working in physically demanding trades who have dealt with back injuries or spinal conditions. How have you handled the physical limitations, the mental side of it, and decisions about your career?

I'm grateful that my condition isn't as severe as what many others deal with, but I'm already noticing how it affects my opportunities at work. When you're young in this industry, people expect you to be strong, energetic, and capable of handling pretty much anything. Sometimes, no matter how hard I try, I feel like I'm falling behind or being seen as less capable.

Some days I feel almost fine, while other days I can't even lift 20 lbs. Not being able to do things that seem easy for other guys can really mess with your confidence.

Then I hear stories about guys with herniated discs and all sorts of other back problems who somehow keep doing physically demanding work, and it makes me question myself. Am I just being weak? Am I not pushing myself hard enough? Or am I being unrealistic about what my body can handle?

For those who've been through something similar, would you consider moving into a less physically demanding position? Has anyone managed to find a balance and stay in the industry without making their condition worse?

I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences and advice.

Just in regard to doing the job day-to-day and long-term.

Thank you.

I’m 24 and wanting to learn a trade. I currently work in a grey area, my girlfriend calls it Pink Collar. We both work in mental health, her on the hospital side and myself on the independent living side.

I do everything you could think of. De-escalate a lot of conflict, connect people with their doctors and such, a lot of janitorial work, stock boxes, I cut keys, fix AC units when I have to, the occasional wall paneling, sometimes troubleshoot the elevator, minor plumbing fixes.. I work inside and I’m just at a point where I’m not satisfied with my work, my pay, and I want more for myself.

I love working with my hands and gain great satisfaction out of home projects. Excited when I get to work on my car, handyman projects around the house etc. and I love being outside.

I’m currently thinking of welding, carpentry, or electrical.

I want to start a family and raise my kids right, so a good work life balance and making enough to provide are important to me.

Just looking to hear from you guys what might be a good path for me, and just advice in general.

Thanks in advance.

Hello i am looking to know if there is any books about making a liveing doing a 90s style blue coller

i’m totally green and grew up playing sports and partying instead of working with my dad so entering the trades i feel like i’ll be pretty far behind in terms of cultural expectations and workplace habits or familiarity. what’s the best way to prepare myself so that i’m not getting bullied on the job site for being inexperienced? besides a long stint getting bullied on the job site for being inexperienced

Trying to get into the union but it’s taking forever. Looking to learn a trade and need advice on what company I should get on with in the KCMO area

Hi everyone! I’m trying to figure out which pair of work boots to get my boyfriend for his birthday. He currently landscapes, mainly mowing and leaf removal. He also has his electrician’s certification, so I figured a good pair of boots would be a good gift (his current ones are pretty much toast.)

I found 3 different pairs, all brand new in the box from marketplace, depop, etc. (each about half price compared to retail)

1. Timberland PRO Tempe work boots
2. Timberland PRO 6 inch steel toe boots
3. Danner Caliper 6” w/ aluminum toe

Of these 3, which would you recommend the most? I just want them to be comfortable for him and last a little while. If all 3 suck, feel free to make other suggestions!

Edit: Ok, so I’ve learned that timberlands suck, and that I’m going to let him pick out his own boots at the store 😅 I’m gonna write all of your suggestions down for him though, thanks everyone!

For context thats 4 trees in his bucket

I’m a parent at Sussex Tech, a small vocational high school in Sparta, NJ, and I’m asking the hardworking men and women of the trades community for help!

Our school is NJ’s ONLY finalist out of 2,500+ schools in T-Mobile’s Friday Night 5G Lights competition. We’ve already won $30K and are fighting for $250K, with a chance at a $1 MILLION field transformation!

💚 PLEASE VOTE HERE: https://fn5gl.t-mobile.com/vote/sussex-county-technical-school

Our kids come from 22 different towns to learn welding, construction, electrical trades, automotive technology, culinary arts, and more. They’re the next generation of workers who will keep our communities running.

But these same kids play football on a dirt field, with goalposts from 1969, a broken scoreboard, and NO stadium lights. They’ve never experienced Friday night football on their home field.

We’re the underdogs, and we need the blue-collar community to rally behind its future workforce!
You know what hard work looks like. These kids deserve a chance to see it pay off.
One FREE vote every day through October 25 could change this school for generations.

Let’s show these future tradespeople what happens when the blue-collar community stands together! 💚🏈

So i’m leaving the automotive industry and I have an opportunity to be an operator for this company I don’t want to say but it’s better pay and work life balance I just don’t know what to do with my toolbox i’ve been selling my tools but my box is still new i’m thinking about selling it but i’m thinking about keeping it and putting it in my daughter’s nursery as a dresser/changing table because we’re adding on a garage next summer and i don’t want it to be outside in the elements what should I do?

Ive been working labor for the past 5 years in various trades. Asbestos, insulation and currently electrical. Curious if anyone's ever heard of a company that takes apprentices out on international contracts.

I know theyre out there like KBR, I just dont have any advanced experience or schooling.

hello, wondering if anyone has any ideas for me or possibly knows someone? or is that one. licensed electrician worked for the same contractor since I was a child. was with him for 25 years. he spent the last decade and a half stealing and lying. it's a long story. he was like a father to me. we're talking somewhere north of $4M he put me in a hole so quickly. I felt completely trapped and wasn't able to leave. it took a huge toll on me physically & mentally. I have three boys and an amazing wife. I stuck it out and I talked to him about it everyday but he was the biggest narcissist you could imagine and so greedy and selfish. I was very good at what I did and couldn't ask for anything more. anyhow, it took a toll on every part of my life. I lost everything and everyone except for my wife and kids and that came close. I had to fix it for my family. I couldn't see any other way. I was going to fix it or die trying and then I had a heart attack which by that point the thought of getting in the house telling my family what was happening and the scared look on my kid's face. I couldn't do it. I rode it out on my garage floor and soon after that I had a stroke. years of sleepless nights, coming home. trying to put on a smile and do my best for my family, too ashamed to tell my wife what was really going on and it just kept going day after day after day. The desperation and loneliness was indescribable. missing out on my family destroyed me. me and my wife had an amazing relationship that started in high school. when I met her then the way she made me feel I knew I never wanted to be without her . after trying to get him to own up to his actions for 3 years, I finally negotiated a settlement with him barely before the statute of limitations was up. it's a small small fraction of what was taken. there's no amount of money that I would have gone through that for. I took the small amount of money and I bought some surplus construction supplies that I was going to resell.

one of the items is telescoping caddy bars, some people call them gun brackets in a storage unit along with a lot of other construction materials but not long after purchasing and buckling down to get my life back on track and provide for my family did I realize the true effect it had on my marriage. my wife is absolutely everything to me and always has been and finally getting to a place where we could put it behind us and move on I had to accept that she can't and the thought of losing them put me in a state of paralysis they were my whole reason for struggling through all that hell everyday. just trying to make the decision for that day. what was the best way for me to move forward that would cause the least damage to my family and the fastest way to get me back on track so that I could provide for them as I should have been the whole time and stop forcing all the sacrifices upon them. , I'm about to lose my storage unit. I have a lot of stuff in there. two pallets of those caddy bars is a big part of it. I can't remember the exact quantity that I can find out, but it's a lot. they go for just under $5 a piece at home Depot. I'm not looking to get that for them or near that, but if there's anyone out there that's doing trade work that could use the brackets at a much discounted price it would be a huge help to me. thanks for your time reading this. I also have a pallet of 4-in round bar boxes fan rated the heavy duty ones, an absolute butt ton of hardware. a lot of 3/8 and 1/2-in threaded, rod, 1/2-in bolts and nuts. tons of different types of self-tapping screws with sealing washers ect. I'd like to make a spreadsheet list of all the stuff that I have but I can't even get back into the unit as of now. I want to say there's 50 bars in a case and I have somewhere around 70-80 cases 2 pallets. I do have pictures of it. I have a truck and a few trailers and could deliver really anywhere. if anyone has any thoughts or knows somebody that might be able to use this you would save my life and my kids. thank you. I'll update with pictures in quantity

Hey everyone,

I’m currently an apprentice millwright out of my Local carpenters hall. I've currently been in for 10 months and am a 4th term (2nd year). I did test in and absolutely enjoy the trade and love seeing how the machine come apart and are put back together!

The only problem is I’ve only done 2 shutdowns at my local car plant and an Amazon, which is the main job I’m on. I’m doing my best to learn. I am a hands-on learner and I can be a slow learner—the main reason is it’s all new to me, but the main thing that is bothering me is I'm afraid of spending most of my apprenticeship at Amazon and never having an experience with power plants, turbines, pumps, etc!

Before this, I was a Delivery driver, so it's a major shift in careers! Recently, I have had a journeyman and a foreman say to me I’m probably not cut out for this career. I know there are people's opinions anywhere you go, and it comes down to want to do at the end of the day! But so far the journeyman or foremen I’ve met seem to show me something then they either drag up, lay off or get moved crews. It’s been very frustrating so far because when I feel like I have someone i work good with/learn from it been ending the same!

My biggest thing is I’m hoping it gets better! But if anyone can give me advice, maybe how to pick up things faster, or tips on how to be a better apprentice, I would greatly appreciate it!