Retraining in a new trade?

[BRUTE]

ERE doesn't qualify because it seems to require above average intelligence to apply

brute is not sure it's intelligence. it seems more a tolerance of demonstrating anti-social behavior and ability to reject social pressure.

[themodernchap]

Any interest in IT work? You can teach yourself online and get a high paying job entry level if you can demostrate some knowledge.

If I am honest, no. I know there is a lot of money to be made in it, and I know I could learn to do it. I was accepted onto a conversion masters which would give me an MSc in Software Engineering a few years ago but I didn't do it because I just don't have the interest. I would really like to eventually have a job which isn't a "desk job" because I dislike sitting inside all day in overheated offices. My girlfriend's brother does capacity / resiliance testing in London and makes an incredible wage for his age but he loves computers and coding and so on. Lots of my friends work in software architecture. One programmes automatic heart defibulators and is paid a kings ransom for it. Unfortunately it's just not for me.

Other than doing an apprenticeship / working as a mate and then doing an apprenticeship I can't see any viable ways into the trades. I will be speaking to my experienced electrician pal shortly to take him up on his offer of getting me out on site to build up more experience (which I will need to get a job for the apprenticeship).

I have considered the opperunity costs, and I know they are steep, however my job is temporary so assuming that I would continue to earn at my current level for the 4 years doesn't work for me. I was laid off twice last year, each time a temp here is laid off they are unemployed while waiting for a contract to come though, it's almost impossible to claim state benefits during that time, then they are on minimum wage for 12 weeks before their pay goes up to the same rate as the directly employed staff (if indeed they earn more than minimum wage that is.) Last year due to these kinds of exploitative hiring practices I earned only around £7500. It's hard to calculate oppertunity cost when your employement so so fickle.

[BRUTE]

brute completely agrees with that. an opportunity cost of 7500/year isn't that big anyway. and it seems like electrician/trades in general are a great fit for themodernchap.

brute still recommends trying to find out if there's a quicker way into/through the apprenticeship, as themodernchap has said this model is made for 17 year olds with no responsibilities, which themodernchap isn't if brute remembers correctly. maybe there is a slightly faster way for people who're older? maybe there's government/union type people themodernchap could ask about this?

[OrganicRain]

I am laid off and on the cusp of FI - but might retrain into nursing (male mental health nurse)

[themodernchap]

Bit of movement on this.

I will be getting my Construction Skills Register Card in early March, this will make it possible for me to go to active jobsites and assist with electrical work (but not actually do the terminations myself) and my friend has agreed to take me on at the weekends at least to let me build up some experience before going for apprenticeship jobs.

I've looked into it and unfortunately this is the only credible route into the trade. You can do diploma type things but I called a few companies and asked about them and they basically told me without several years experience these aren't worth the paper they are printed on. The message they keep giving me is that the trade is about what you can do, rather than what bits of paper you have to show for it.

I have to spend a little money on some safety gear but I already had some (hi vis vest for cycling for example) but I think this is a sound investment.

[jacob]

The message they keep giving me is that the trade is about what you can do, rather than what bits of paper you have to show for it.

It's always been about what you can do [because your job _is_ to do] but because of the widespread and recent policy to get everybody a piece of paper, employers/clients are wisening up to whether that piece of paper actually means anything. And because of the recent [seemingly global] "paper for everyone"-policy, it often doesn't. I fear that paper-issuers might have sunk themselves by printing too many diplomas.

These days, previously demonstrated work proficiency rules.