“Learn a trade” is just the new “learn to code.” People think about pivoting into the trades after failing to find white collar work and act like it’s an easy, high paying job. It is not.

• Almost all trades are extremely demanding physical labor jobs. It is not a question of if you will be injured, but when. Your bones will hurt, you will develop back problems, and if you’re not extremely careful you may do greater harm to yourself.
• Trades are just as oversaturated right now as any other industry. The shitty trade jobs prefer to take immigrants over natural born citizens because their workforce is perceived as expendable. Any secure, high-paying trade job is going to be just as competitive as a white collar job.
• Due to Trump’s policies (namely mass deportations and tariffs), the number of available trade jobs is dramatically lower than it was during and before COVID.

I have nothing against people in the trades or people wanting to get into the trades. But don’t act like it’s some silver bullet that solves all your employment problems. It requires very specific people who are willing to tolerate a lot of horseshit for minimal pay at the beginning.