When I was in high school, all the kids who left to become tradies were considered drop outs. We were the kids who didn’t enjoy being in school and we got bored easily. Teachers would reprimand us and other students would call us dumb because we put zero effort into any of our exams. I still remember everyone’s reaction at school when I said I was leaving to go study a trade. I was made out to be like some sort of deadbeat loser! Well, I guess I showed them. I’ve been in full time employment now for three years while they’re all still slaving away at university living off chicken noodles. Not only have I gone ahead and learned a skill, but I also am already making money from it.
I’m currently working in construction and it is in this job that I have met so many people and been exposed to various trade industries. It’s amazing how many different forms of tradies exist! It’s not just about being a plumber, an electrician, or a builder. There’s so much more. As a tradie, you need to know how to be a people person to work with various other people. It’s like recently for a job, I needed to hire reliable steel fabricators located in Melbourne. I needed them to work on a specific one off job for me. I know nothing about steel as I’m more knowledgeable about wood, but I could tell these fabricators were experts. They knew all about the fabrication process, different types of steel and metal, the best way to weld, and how to be efficient in the process. Speaking to most of these guys, I learned that they also didn’t finish high school either but they were so committed to learning a trade and developing a skill. It was great to see. They also successfully gave me information about steel beams. Melbourne is an architecturally savvy location with very intricate building designs. Steel beams are extremely important in the structural foundations of these buildings. It was great to receive insight from these experts.