So, I’m looking for a career change since I’m probably going to move to a city of approx 200K people. What’s something that everyone needs either it’s simple or more complex?
Not interested in funeral services 😛
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Plumber or electrician.
Mechanic, mortician, nurse, doctor.
Especially in remote areas: doctor.
Electrical involves less working in messy situations but you’ll also be cold more often.
I do think electrician offers more ways to specialize (network cabling, alarm tech, etc). Plumbing may also but I’m not as familiar.
HVAC tech as well. Good ones make a good deal more than people think and it’s really not that hard if you like working with your hands. The troubleshooting concepts aren’t that difficult.
If you’re willing to deal with the later costs on your body, learn a trade.
Plumber, electrician, HVAC. Everyone needs something serviced, it’s just getting your name out/getting with a good company. Bonus, these things can follow you anywhere. Big city to small townships.
Welding is another solid one. Good welders can be in high demand.
Again, be forewarned, take care of yourself now, and be ready for it to catch up with you down the line. It’s rough on your body.
My brother is ten years older than me and works electrical. I worked as a cook then got into programming. I’m in my 50s.
We both have a chronic illness that causes spinal fusion. I look like a hunchback and his posture is normal.
So trades can wear you down, I got out of cooking for my health, but all the movement and exercise can be good for you if you don’t wreck your back and knees, I guess.
Only thing with welding over plumber, HVAC and electrician is they are likely going to be needed at a specific location ie industrial plant, construction or automotive stuff they may or may not be in that town and he has to travel to get there.
Came here to say electrician. Or anything related to utility (gas, electric, water, Internet, transportation) maintenance. These are often “we need someone 365 days a year” jobs, because they are literally the ones maintaining infrastructure for the rest of us, but those jobs also pay well and are in demand everywhere there are people.
If you’re not qualified for that stuff, consider starting with something like Flagging/traffic control. You’ll start as the poor sap holding a sign in the rain, but you can study and eventually become the person who designs/approves the traffic control plans, etc etc. Pretty much all utility work requires traffic control.
Surveying/Right of Way/GIS, if you’d rather work in a cube
Utility locators.
Everytime someone digs a hole, whether to install a fence post or dig a basement, existing utilities have to be located so they don’t get hit. Its needed literally everywhere rural or city, and very understaffed.
But its long hours and outdoors. Less taxing than other trades though, and women can do it as it doesn’t require much physical strength.
I would say plumbing, electrical or general contractor. At least around me theres a lot of people looking for people to help with things like painting the inside of a house, caulking/grouting, general landscaping.
IBEW will pay you to go to electrician school. They pay you.
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Sanitation engineer
You said you needed something more immediate, I’d say there’s nothing wrong with being a waiter / waitress / bartender while learning something else. They’re not the most secure jobs for sure, but they’re not exactly going extinct.
Alternatively, hotel staff make a lot (at least a lot for the small town I grew up in).
If you’re looking for a trade skill - HVAC, plumbing and being a mechanic will all be skills that will stick with you through life and they all pay pretty well.
Truck driving is really, really in-demand right now. If you’re willing to drive 12-14 hours some days, shower at travel stops and sleep in your cab (at least, that’s what I’m hearing a lot) then that could be for you.
You can get your EPA 608 for free in a few hours and get an HVAC job.
Garbage men. You can shut down a city pretty well by not collecting any garbage. But I hope you’re not in the USA. The way I hear it it’s mostly really hard dangerous manual labour in that backwards country.
I worked summers in high school with my town street maintenance department, shoveling asphalt in the Virginia heat and other assorted fun tasks.
One day the trash department was short a body and my boss volunteered me to help them for the day. It was the single hardest work day of my life, and we were done with our route by noon. I have no end of respect for the people that do that job.
In what country is it not?
I’m probably being ignorant because I don’t know whether there’s more to it, but Australian garbos drive a truck and control a big robot claw. They don’t need to actually touch the bins.
Doctors. Always needed even in remote isolated towns.
True! But i can’t spend 8 years studying I’m afraid. Need something more let’s say immediate.
“In high demand”, “pays well”, “is legal”, and “doesn’t require lengthy training and/or edcucation” are usually not a combination that exists.
Funeral services tick all boxes but I don’t want that.
Download the SkillCat app and get your EPA 608, then look at other skills.
You can easily get a job in HVAC pretty quickly
Physician and nursing shortages in the U.S. are going to become a larger problem over time. Nursing can already be a lucrative job, and is less demanding than being a physician.
In a city with no prominent industry, people will always needs healthcare, childcare, food, and maintenance on their belongings.
Healthcare: doctor, nurse practitioner, nurse, dentist, dental hygienist. Skin and hair care might be stretching the category, but everyone needs haircuts.
Childcare: teacher, ECE, nanny. Big spectrum here from no training required to professionally registered.
Food: production, supply, distribution, and sales. So farmer (but that’s capital intensive), food maker (baker, chef, cook, butcher) or distributor or seller.
Maintenance: vehicles (tires, oil changes, body shop, parts, detailing), homes (carpenter, painter, gas tech, electrician, window installer, roofer, landscaper), appliances (appliance technician), power equipment (mechanic, blade sharpening).
Probably more, but that should be a pretty decent list to start with, and all should be pretty portable no matter where you go, save for certain licenses that may be specific to a state or province.
Starting during the Great Depression, my grandmother insisted that every one of her children become either a teacher or a nurse, because those were the only people who were never out of work during the Depression. Both can be hard jobs (in different ways), but if you’re looking for something where you’re constantly employable, that’s where I’d start looking.
If you want a valuable job that no sane customer wants to abuse, dentistry is an option.
So either long medicine study, or you are assistant of a doctor that does want to make you as much as possible
Basic human needs,
Food, water, shelter. Go into any of these and you should be good.
Long term needs would add healthcare, education.
Plumber and electricians are usually employable and paid well, so long the city has that setup. It really depends on the type of place you live though. Higher income city? Landscaper/groundskeeper or house cleaner are good options, people are willing to pay to not need to do normal house chores. Many farms nearby? Livestock vet or slaughter/butcher. Lots of tech? Software/electrical/mechanical engineer, city depending. Someone mentioned teacher but I’d say look at salary first. Location depending, many are not paid well and the job can require up to 70 hours/week, which can be less than minimum wage of the same location. They also mentioned nursing, which is pretty good, but may require long hours depending on where you work.
Just one word: plastics.
Salespeople. I’m going to get downvoted for this, but there’s always good sales jobs for the right person.
