How to Start a Career in the Trades: Apprenticeships, Schools, and Certifications

The Case for a Trade Career in 2025

The skilled trades are experiencing a once-in-a-generation moment. Baby-boomer retirements are creating hundreds of thousands of openings per year. Federal infrastructure legislation is pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into construction, clean energy, broadband, and manufacturing. Employers are raising wages, improving benefits, and lowering barriers to entry just to fill positions.

At the same time, the economics of a four-year college degree are increasingly unfavorable for many students. The average graduate carries over $30,000 in student-loan debt, and median starting salaries for bachelor-degree holders in non-STEM fields often lag behind journeyman wages in the skilled trades. A first-year apprentice electrician earns a paycheck from day one while accumulating zero debt, and a journeyman electrician five years later earns a median salary that competes with many college-educated professionals.

This guide walks you through every step of entering the trades, from choosing a trade to applying for apprenticeships to surviving your first year on the job. Whether you are a high school student, a career changer, or a veteran transitioning to civilian work, the trades offer a proven path to middle-class earnings and long-term career stability.

Step 1: Choose Your Trade

With 50 skilled trades tracked by TradePay, choosing the right one matters. Start by asking yourself three questions: What kind of work do you enjoy? Are you comfortable with heights, confined spaces, or extreme weather? How long are you willing to train before earning full wages?

Trades fall into broad categories. Construction trades like electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and ironworkers build new structures. Mechanical trades like HVAC technicians, diesel mechanics, and millwrights maintain and repair equipment. Infrastructure trades like linemen and pipeline workers keep essential systems running. Industrial trades like welders, machinists, and industrial maintenance technicians work in manufacturing and processing environments.

Use TradePay Trade Pay Score to compare trades on pay, growth, demand, and cost-of-living-adjusted value. Talk to people who work in the trades you are considering. Shadow a job for a day if you can. The best trade for you is one that matches your aptitudes and preferences, not just the one with the highest median salary.

Step 2: Prepare Before You Apply

Competitive apprenticeship programs receive far more applications than they have openings. Preparing in advance dramatically improves your chances. Here is what to do before submitting applications.

Get your high school diploma or GED. Every apprenticeship program requires it. Take math courses through at least algebra; strong math skills are essential in every trade. If you are still in high school, enroll in shop classes, career and technical education programs, and any pre-apprenticeship programs available in your district.

Earn your OSHA 10-hour construction safety card. The course costs $25 to $50 online and takes about 10 hours. It shows employers and apprenticeship committees that you are serious about safety. Get CPR and First Aid certified through the American Red Cross or American Heart Association.

Consider a trade school certificate program. A six-month to one-year program in electrical technology, welding, or HVAC gives you foundational skills, demonstrates commitment to the trade, and can earn you advanced standing in some apprenticeship programs. Physical fitness matters too. Most trades require standing for long hours, lifting 50 or more pounds, climbing ladders or scaffolding, and working in extreme temperatures. Start building your endurance before you start working.

Step 3: Apply to Apprenticeship Programs

There are two main types of apprenticeship programs: union (joint apprenticeship and training committees) and non-union (employer-sponsored). Apply to both to maximize your chances.

Union apprenticeships are offered through local unions affiliated with national organizations like the IBEW (electricians), UA (plumbers and pipefitters), IUOE (operating engineers), UBC (carpenters), and the Ironworkers. Visit the websites of these national organizations to find your local union and learn about application windows, which typically open once or twice per year. The application process usually includes a written aptitude test covering math and reading comprehension, an interview with the apprenticeship committee, and submission of transcripts and references.

Non-union apprenticeships are offered by individual contractors and through organizations like the Associated Builders and Contractors, which runs apprenticeship programs through local chapters. These programs may have more flexible application windows and lower barriers to entry, though they typically do not include union-scale wages and benefits.

Apply to multiple programs across multiple trades if you are flexible. Getting your foot in the door is more important than getting into your first-choice program on the first try. Many successful tradespeople entered through a related trade and transitioned later.

Step 4: Survive and Thrive in Your First Year

Your first year as an apprentice is the hardest. You will be the lowest person on the jobsite hierarchy, performing the least glamorous tasks while trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible. Here is what to expect and how to succeed.

Expect early mornings. Most construction sites start between 6:00 and 7:00 AM, which means waking at 4:30 or 5:00 to commute. Expect physical exhaustion. Your body will need weeks to adjust to standing, lifting, and climbing all day. Expect classroom work in the evenings or on weekends, typically four to eight hours per week on top of your 40-hour work week.

Your first-year apprentice pay will be 40 to 50 percent of journeyman scale, which means modest earnings while you are learning. Budget accordingly. The pay increases are built into the program, and by year three or four you will be earning 70 to 85 percent of journeyman wages.

Succeed by showing up early, staying late when needed, volunteering for tasks others avoid, asking questions constantly, and never pretending to know something you do not. Carry a notebook and write down instructions, code references, and lessons learned. Build relationships with the journeymen who are training you. They control your progress and can advocate for you when advancement decisions are made. Safety is non-negotiable. One safety violation can end your apprenticeship. Follow every safety protocol every time, even when you see experienced workers cutting corners.

Step 5: Earn Your Certifications

Beyond your apprenticeship completion, most trades require specific certifications to practice legally or to access the highest-paying work. Plan to earn these during and after your apprenticeship.

Every tradesperson should hold current OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 cards, CPR/First Aid certification, and any trade-specific safety certifications required by their occupation. Electricians need state journeyman licenses and often pursue master electrician certification. Plumbers follow the same journeyman-to-master progression. HVAC technicians need EPA Section 608 certification to handle refrigerants, and many pursue NATE (North American Technician Excellence) certification. Welders earn certifications from the American Welding Society for specific welding processes and positions.

Additional certifications can unlock specialized, higher-paying work. Examples include crane operator certification from the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, CDL licenses for equipment that must travel on public roads, and manufacturer-specific certifications for equipment like fire-alarm systems, medical gas piping, or building-automation controllers. Each certification you add expands the range of work you are qualified to perform and increases your value to employers.

Step 6: Plan Your Long-Term Career Path

The trades are not a dead end. They are a launchpad. After earning journeyman status, successful tradespeople have multiple career paths available to them.

The technical path leads to master-level certification, specialization in high-demand niches like renewable energy or data-center construction, and the highest craft wages. The supervisory path leads to foreman, general foreman, superintendent, and project manager roles, where earnings shift from hourly wages to salaried compensation that often exceeds six figures. The entrepreneurial path leads to starting your own contracting business, where earning potential is limited only by your ability to manage projects, employees, and finances.

Some tradespeople transition into related fields like building inspection, code enforcement, estimating, safety management, or trade-school instruction. Others leverage their hands-on expertise to move into sales and technical support roles for equipment manufacturers and supply companies.

Regardless of the path you choose, the skilled trades provide a foundation of practical knowledge, problem-solving ability, and work ethic that transfers to virtually any career. The key is to keep learning, keep earning certifications, and keep building relationships in the industry. Your apprenticeship is just the beginning.