Are you looking for the easiest trade to learn? Your in the right place. As someone with over 10 years in construction, running businesses in two different trades, I know what I’m talking about.
The 3 Easiest to learn:
- Painting
- Carpet Laying
- Landcsaping
Now, these might be the easiest, but it does not mean they are the best. We break down everything further on the best paying tades with the most opportunities.
There is so much pressure on young people to study and perform academically that there is a common belief that you can’t make a decent living without a college degree.
That is just not true. Some of the most well-off people I know, work in the construction industry.
They didn’t study for years and they didn’t start their careers with tens of thousands of student debt.
In fact, the emphasis on college as the only option to prepare for a career is one of the factors contributing to the current skilled trade worker shortage.
Other contributing factors include the large number of baby boomers that are retiring and the reduction or elimination of vocational education for people wanting to learn a trade.
The skilled trade workers gap has been increasing steadily in the United States in recent years. Forbes reports that more than 3 million skilled trade jobs will be available by 2028.
This means that these jobs will continue to be in high demand, making them a good career choice.
There are many vocational programs that prepare people for a career doing a trade.
Get training to master a trade
What is a trade?
It’s a practical job that requires manual skills and special training. Learning a trade can prepare you for a career that involves manual labor and training, but no academic studies.
This kind of study is for people who don’t want to spend four years studying and incurring debt, but still want to earn a decent living.
While learning a trade doesn’t require studying at university, you may have to attend trade school to enroll in training programs. Job training programs are also a route to one of these careers.
Many trades can also be mastered through on-the-job instruction. Gaining a qualification from a trade school or a vocational school usually takes less time than a college degree to complete – it can be anything from a few weeks to two years depending on what you decide to study.
Preparation for these vocations usually involves a hands-on instruction program to give people experience doing the job. In some cases, the training involves a couple of years of apprenticeship to prepare people for the work they will be doing.
Commonly, these jobs involve some physical aspect, such as moving things and using tools.
Training for skilled trade work can start in high school. Some schools offer tech training programs to prepare students for a skilled trade career. CTE programs prepare trainees for a variety of career paths.
Skilled trade jobs can be found in different industry sectors
Building Industry
This sector has loads of jobs that can provide job security and a reasonable income. These include construction jobs doing masonry, carpentry, flooring, painting, and plumbing.
Some of these trades, like painting, or carpet installing you can master in a few weeks. Others like carpentry and plumbing will take longer because you need to obtain a certification. The easiest trades to learn that require only basic skills are painting and carpet fitting.
Examples:
Plasterer
Carpenter
Carpet installer
Electrician
Insulation installer
Landscaper
Painter
Plumber
Roofing installer
Mechanical Industry
Mechanical trades involve work related to the maintenance, testing, and operation of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, the distribution of domestic and fire protection water, the maintenance and operation of sewer and storm systems, natural gas systems, etc.
These trades usually require a certification of competency and involve an apprenticeship or equivalent experience. The more advanced level is the master level, which involves a program of at least one year of working to gain the experience to become a master. Some people even prepare for early career entry by working as an assistant while still in high school.
Examples:
Auto mechanic
HVAC installer
Elevator mechanic
Locksmith
Machinist
Aircraft and Avionics Technician
Boilermaker
Wind Turbine Technician
Plumber
Pipefitter
Industrial Industry
These jobs have to do with manufacturing and technology. A high school diploma plus experience and a technical education will get you a job. An apprenticeship successfully concluded is enough to get a job in this field. Once you have mastered an industrial trade, you can move on to oversee others in a supervisory position.
A new industrial career path is in the maintenance of robots. Industrial robotics mechanics maintain and repair robots used in the manufacturing industry. Robots are used to perform repetitive and dangerous tasks and they are maintained by industrial robotics mechanics.
Examples:
Industrial robotics mechanics
Cargo freight agent
Ironworker
Line installer and repairer
Paving equipment operator
Metal fabricator
Asbestos worker
Medical Industry
Doctors aren’t the only professionals needed in the medical industry. People filling different jobs keep hospitals, clinics, and health businesses running and they don’t go to university to get qualified — they attend trade school programs for relatively short periods of time.
These are the people who keep the office running, deal with billing and insurance companies, or provide specialized care for patients. They usually get hands-on education to prepare them for the medical science jobs that are in such high demand.
Some of these positions require a degree or an associate degree, but you can also attend a certificate program that takes as little as two years or less.
Examples:
Radiation therapist
Nuclear medicine technologist
Dental assistant
Dental hygienist
Paramedic
Phlebotomist
Respiratory therapist
Clinical laboratory technician
The three easiest trades to learn at trade school
Painter
This is one of the easiest trades to learn.
Painters are responsible for applying paint and coatings to the walls of both residential and commercial buildings.
A Painter can choose to do mainly residential work, painting the interiors and exteriors of residential homes, or choose to do commercial work, painting office buildings and other large properties.
This is an easy trade to learn, but it is physically demanding. Painters have to stand, kneel and stretch for long periods, oftentimes in awkward positions to reach difficult areas.
Painting roofs and ceilings require the ability to stand for extended periods of time on a ladder.
You don’t need any specific qualification to be able to work as a painter, but some employers may prefer that you have a high school diploma or G.E.D.
However, if you will be working with lead-based paints, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires you to get certification to work with these paints.
You can learn all the skills you need to be a painter by doing an apprenticeship program or through on-the-job training, which can be a few weeks or a few months.
During this time, you work under the supervision of an experienced painter.
Carpet layer
A carpet installer prepares and installs carpets in residential and commercial buildings. This occupation can be physically demanding, requiring installers to spend long hours bending or kneeling and wearing knee pads to protect their knees.
They work on new construction projects where new carpets are being installed as part of the construction of the building. For these projects, you must be able to read plans and specifications in order to install the floor coverings correctly.
Carpet layers also work on existing buildings where existing carpets must first be removed.
The removal may be hazardous due to dust and mold exposure. In these cases, special protective clothing is required.
There is no qualification needed to become a carpet layer but a high school diploma or GED is preferred.
For this occupation, you’ll receive training to do the job through an apprenticeship, assisting more experienced installers. Some states may require a license. While you don’t need to do any academic studies, you do need basic math and measuring skills.
Also, this job can be physically demanding. Carpet layers need a lot of stamina for long periods of standing, kneeling, lifting, and carrying heavy carpet rolls.
Landscaper
To become a landscaper is fairly easy.
It can be as simple as calling a few landscaping companies or searching for a job online.
There are no specific educational requirements to become a landscaper. If you love gardening, you probably have the necessary experience to take care of plants and lawns.
A landscape business that decides to employ you will provide a short period of on-the-job training when you will learn how to plant and maintain a garden, and how to use certain implements, including tractors, weed trimmers, and lawnmowers.
Depending on who you work for, you may also get training in tree felling, insect and disease treatment, lawn management, and pruning trees and bushes, among other skills.
Landscapers have to be safety conscious as they work with power tools that can cause considerable injury if not handled professionally.
They work in all weather conditions doing physical work that can be quite demanding.
There is no defined path to becoming a landscaper.
Most people learn this trade through their love of plants and the outdoors and by watching others create and care for beautiful gardens.
The 3 best, highest paying, and best-skilled trade job opportunities in the US
Many employment websites list electrician and elevator mechanic among the highest-paid trade jobs. Others that are consistently mentioned, include electronics engineering technicians, boilermakers, dental hygienists, electric linemen, and plumbers. The following are three high-paying trade jobs that you don’t need a degree for.
HVAC technician
HVAC technicians know how to deal with various heating and cooling systems, including refrigeration, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems. They can install, repair, and maintain all of these systems or they can specialize in installations, servicing, or repairing. They can also decide to focus on residential projects or large industrial projects.
It is possible to prepare for this occupation through on-the-job training as an apprentice or a certificate program. However, advancements in technology mean that those who do an associate degree program will excel in this trade.
The prospects for this trade are promising, According to the BLS, employment in this industry is projected to grow 15 percent from 2016 to 2026. Especially technicians that specialize in cooling systems should always be able to find a position as global warming continues.
According to Ziprecruiter, salaries for HVAC technicians range between $45,500 and $79,000 annually. The average pay is $50,590 per year.
Aircraft Mechanic
This is an excellent trade job career for people who are mechanically minded, and if you have a love for aircraft this can be your dream job. Apart from being a well-paid job, it also offers above-average job growth and stability.
To become an aircraft mechanic, you have to attend a tech school approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FFA)l.
According to the BLS, the average earnings for aircraft mechanics is $66,440 per year. However, salaries can go up to between $80,420 and $104,059 for mechanics working on jets. As you can see, this is a worthwhile trade to learn, which is guaranteed to help those who qualify find a rewarding position.
Plumber
This is one of the highest-paying skilled trade jobs in the USA. There is always a need for plumbing skills. Anyone who has ever had a blocked toilet over a weekend can attest to this. Plumbers are in high demand for emergency calls for repairs, and new plumbing installations.
To become a plumber, you can enroll in vocational school during high school and then proceed to on-the-job training. You can also attend a vocational school that leads to a state license.
According to the US Dept of Labor Statistics, plumbers earn $56,330 on average. According to ZipRecruiter, the salaries for a residential plumber ranges between $45,000 and $82,500 per year, with master plumbers earning up to $78,000 per year.
Out-dated perceptions
It is not easy to be sure about what career path to choose these days. Most parents encourage their children to excel in their academic studies so they can attend university and pursue a profession with high earning potential. The result is that degrees and even doctorates are a dime a dozen with competition for jobs getting beyond fever pitch.
In the meantime, trade school programs, the many useful programs they offer, and skilled trade jobs are largely ignored, partly because there’s a stigma attached to doing a trade and not pursuing tertiary education.
In fact, research by Black & Decker has found that
- Young people underestimate the income potential for a skilled trade career – yet in reality, half of the current skilled trade workers with less than 10 years of experience start at $50,000
- Most young people have outdated perceptions of the trades – they don’t realize that 89% of workers are engaged with cutting-edge technology
- Fifty-eight percent of young people have never talked meaningfully to a skilled trades professional about career opportunities
Training for a modern trade is a smart career choice
The research confirmed that skilled trade jobs are in high demand. Those deciding on a career or thinking about changing their current job would do well to consider learning a trade.
A job search can take many months. One way to find a job is to network and spread the word that you’re looking for employment. You never know on whose ears your words fall.A
FAQs
What are the top 3 trades? ›
- HVAC Technician.
- Plumber.
- Electrician.
- Home Inspector.
- Construction Manager.
- Pipefitter/Steamfitter.
- Civil Engineering Tech.
- Cable/Fiber Optics Tech.
Becoming a painter is, by a vast majority, being perceived as being the easiest trade to learn. In a survey of 138 respondents, 77 people found that becoming a painter will likely be much easier to learn, in comparison to other popular trades like plumbers, electricians, carpenters, bricklayers, and glaziers.
Which job is best in 2023? ›- 1 - Registered Nurse.
- 2 - Software and Applications Programmers. ...
- 3 - Primary School Teachers. ...
- 4 - Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Managers. ...
- 5 - Construction Managers. ...
- 6 - Welfare, Recreation and Community Arts workers. ...
- 7 - Psychologists. ...
- 8 - Intelligence and Policy Analysts. ...
- Flight Attendant. 2020 Median Salary: $59,050. Quickest Program Length: 3 weeks. ...
- Electrician. 2020 Median Salary: $56,900. ...
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers. 2020 Median Salary: $50,590. ...
- Physical Therapy Assistant and Aide.
- Real Estate Agent. Selling real estate has limitless potential, and you can get started quickly. ...
- Commercial Truck Driver. ...
- Phlebotomy Tech. ...
- HVAC Tech. ...
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) ...
- Personal Trainer. ...
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Although learning a trade depends on the person's skills, some of the easiest trades to learn are elevator mechanic, electric lineman, millwright, boilermaker, and construction inspector, since you can learn your skills throughout apprenticeships and on-the-job training, and don't need a degree.
Which trade is the least stressful? ›Carpenter. Carpentry is one of the skilled trades that can be considered low-stress.
What trade is most needed? ›- Electricians.
- Welders.
- Plumbers.
- Home inspectors.
- Aircraft mechanics.
- HVAC technicians.
- Diesel technicians.
- Construction managers.
Fun Trades to Learn in Manufacturing
Manufacturing supervisors. Quality assurance specialists. General maintenance technicians. Industrial mechanics.
- Physical Therapist. Physical therapists are experts in movement and the human body that often help to rehabilitate people with injuries or disabilities. ...
- Firefighter. ...
- Teacher. ...
- Teaching Assistant. ...
- Quality Assurance Analyst.
What three jobs will be in demand in 2025? ›
- Data Science & Cloud Computing.
- Big Data Science.
- Digital Marketing & Strategy.
- Process Automation.
- Business development.
- Digital Transformation.
- Information Security.
- Software and Application Development.
- Computer Engineering.
- Actuarial Science.
- Computer Science.
- Management.
- Electronics Engineering.
- Healthcare Administration.
- Health Informatics.
- Construction Management.
- Personal care aids, 36.4 percent.
- Home health aids, 36.6 percent.
- Medical assistants, 22.6 percent.
- Medical secretaries, 16 percent.
- Computer user support specialists, 10.6 percent.
- Construction laborers, 10.5 percent.
- Electricians, 10.4 percent.
If you want to make money every day, you should indulge in intraday trading. In intraday trading, you buy and sell stocks within a day. Stocks are purchased not as a form of investment, but as a way of making profit by harnessing the fluctuations of the stock prices.
What trade does not require math? ›Judges, acupuncturists, and elevator repairers are just a few occupations that the math-averse can take up.
What trade makes 100k a year? ›On average, many construction managers, electricians, and welders earn more than $100,000 per year. For the trades skills, there is no necessity for two years or less of advanced education. You can place yourself on the path to earning over six figures.
Is 23 too old to learn a trade? ›There is no apprenticeship age limit. There are many ways apprenticeships can not only benefit older people but can also be beneficial for their careers - from upskilling to restarting in a new field.
What is the happiest trade job? ›Construction workers are the #1 happiest job for a reason—they do what humans are built for! They plan, move and use their bodies, and get to see their creative works come to life.
What trade makes the most millionaires? ›In broader terms, the finance and investment profession has the most millionaires.
How much money do you need to trade with to make $100 a day? ›You're really probably going to need closer to 4,000 or $5,000 in order to make that $100 a day consistently. And ultimately it's going to be a couple of trades a week where you total $500 a week, so it's going to take a little bit more work. Want to learn more about trading?
What is the most chill job? ›
- Massage Therapist. Average Annual Salary: $43,000. ...
- Orthotist or Prosthetist. Average Annual Salary: $73,000. ...
- Technical Writer. Average Annual Salary: $78,500. ...
- Librarian. Average Annual Salary: $60,800. ...
- Astronomer. ...
- Genetic Counselor. ...
- Geoscientist. ...
- Cartographer.
- Accountant. What you'd do: Accountants deal with financial records and prepare reports to explain their findings to managers or individual clients. ...
- Archivist. ...
- Computer Programmer. ...
- Drafter. ...
- Funeral Director. ...
- Jeweler. ...
- Lab Technician. ...
- Librarian.
Probably the greatest single trade in history occurred in the early 1990s when George Soros shorted the British Pound, making over $1 billion on the trade. Most of the greatest trades in history are highly leveraged, currency exploitation trades.
Is there a skilled trade shortage? ›As baby boomers age and retire, there are not enough young people starting careers in the trades to fill the position that the previous generation has left vacant. This shortage of skilled labor in the United States itself is due to several factors: Priorities in education.
What is the best trade to apprentice in? ›- Plumber apprentice.
- Electrician apprentice.
- Carpenter apprentice.
- Brick mason.
- Automotive technician.
- Ironworker.
- Machinist.
- Solar installer.
While the average salaries for degree-based careers typically exceed those for trade-based careers, some trade school graduates earn much higher wages than people might expect. After acquiring specialized training, tradespeople can improve their earnings with experience, especially when working in niche fields.
Which job is best for enjoying life? ›- Dental Hygienist.
- Physical Therapist.
- Radiation Therapist.
- Optometrist.
- Human Resources Manager.
- Take inventory of your skillsets and abilities. Identify the skills you possess and consider how you might apply your soft and hard skills in different fields. ...
- Consult others about potential career fields. ...
- Gain valuable experience. ...
- Be flexible in your search. ...
- Build a network.
Easy, good, paying jobs include pet care, dog walking, home sitting, technical writing, patient care, delivery driving, massage therapy, and political science jobs. Most of these jobs only need the skill set and perhaps a post-secondary qualification.
What industries will grow in 2023? ›- Shipping and delivery services. The rising popularity of online purchases has led to an increased demand for shippers and is fast securing its place as the growth industry front-runner. ...
- The healthcare industry. ...
- Travel and food industries. ...
- Online retail. ...
- The AI revolution.
What are three of the fastest growing jobs? ›
OCCUPATION | GROWTH RATE, 2021-31 | 2021 MEDIAN PAY |
---|---|---|
Nurse practitioners | 46% | $120,680 per year |
Wind turbine service technicians | 44% | $56,260 per year |
Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers | 41% | $24,440 per year |
Motion picture projectionists | 40% | $29,350 per year |
- Petroleum Engineering. Early career salary: $96,742. ...
- Operations Research. Early career salary: $74,114. ...
- Marine Engineering. Early career salary: $70,837. ...
- Computer Engineering. Early career salary: $80,587. ...
- Systems Engineering. ...
- Chemical Engineering. ...
- Electrical Engineering. ...
- Computer Science.
- Healthcare.
- Construction.
- Education & Training.
- App & Software Development.
- Data analysis.
- Cyber Security.
- E-commerce.
- Product Designer.
- Registered Nurse(RN) ...
- Logistician. ...
- Software Developer. ...
- Post-Secondary School Teacher. ...
- Actuarial Science. ...
- Industrial Engineering. ...
- Data Scientist. ...
- Information Security Analyst.
The five fastest-growing careers are nurse practitioners, wind turbine service technicians, ushers and ticket takers, motion picture projectionists and restaurant cooks.
What is the fastest-growing career? ›Rank | Occupation | Percent Change |
---|---|---|
1 | Nurse Practitioners | 46% |
2 | Wind Turbine Service Technicians | 44% |
3 | Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers | 41% |
Ties are broken by a field's number of overall projected jobs in 2031. The health care sector is expected to experience a boom in the next decade. In fact, the top three fastest-growing industries—specialty hospitals, home health care services, and health care practitioner offices—all fall under its umbrella.
How to earn money $1,000 per day? ›Sell Online Courses
Making a course for various skills, including dance, drawing, cooking, etc., and selling it on platforms like Udemy, Unacademy, Skillshare, Teachable, etc., can help you earn money daily. To put it simply, the more popular your course is, the more money you make.
Quick trade jobs to learn include truck drivers, medical coders, and personal trainers. Trade school enrollment has surged as college enrollment dropped in recent years. Demand for trade jobs such as trucking has caused governments to relax licensure requirements.
What is the easiest trade? ›It seems that plumbers and electricians have the least physically demanding position, which the trade school degrees provide.
How hard is HVAC math? ›
An HVAC career doesn't typically require advanced math skills. HVACR technicians do need basic math skills, like the ability to read a tape measure, calculate basic load requirements and use fractions. Those are covered in HVACR technician training, so you're prepared to enter the field.
What are the 3 trades? ›The 3 Types of Trading: Intraday, Day, and Swing.
What are the highest paying trades? ›- Radiation Therapists. ...
- Nuclear Medicine Technologists. ...
- Dental Hygienists. ...
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technicians. ...
- Aircraft and Avionics Equipment Mechanics and Technicians. ...
- Boilermakers. ...
- Construction and Building Inspectors. ...
- Electricians.
- Domestic trade.
- Wholesale trade.
- Retail trade.
- Foreign trade.
- Import trade.
- Export trade.
And when we categorise the forms of trading based on the time period, there is intraday trading, swing trading and positional trading.
What trades are up and coming? ›- Electricians.
- Welders.
- Plumbers.
- Home inspectors.
- Aircraft mechanics.
- HVAC technicians.
- Diesel technicians.
- Construction managers.
You're generally limited to no more than three day trades in a five-trading-day period, unless you have at least $25,000 of equity in your account at the end of the previous day.
What is the 3 day trade rule? ›In short, the 3-day rule dictates that following a substantial drop in a stock's share price — typically high single digits or more in terms of percent change — investors should wait 3 days to buy.
What trade is most in demand? ›- Residential electrician. ...
- Plumber. ...
- HVACR technician. ...
- Construction/carpentry. ...
- Industrial engineering technician. ...
- Auto mechanic. ...
- Diesel mechanic. ...
- Landscape designer.
That is why, to this day, the king of all trades--the almighty blacksmith--has a fringe at the bottom of the apron.
What are the main skilled trades? ›
Industrial, skilled trades: These include jobs like welders, mechanics, machinists, tool and die makers, and even programmers. Construction skilled trades: Jobs in these sectors involve trades commonly seen in the construction sector, such as carpenters, bricklayers, insulators, electricians, plumbers, and gasfitters.
What is the most common thing to trade? ›Rank | Category of Good | % of Total Global Exports |
---|---|---|
#1 | Cars | 4.9% |
#2 | Refined Petroleum | 3.0% |
#3 | Integrated Circuits | 2.9% |
#4 | Vehicle Parts | 2.5% |
Which type of trading is best? Scalping Strategy This strategy entails utilising small wins, which accumulate later in the day. A trader sets buy and sell targets and sticks to them throughout the day. This is the best day trading strategy that suits traders who can quickly make decisions, act, and stick to them.
What are the four major trade areas? ›There are four types of trading bloc such as preferential trade area, free trade area, customs union and common market. Here is the list of 10 major regional trade blocs across the world. The main advantages of trade blocks results from an increase in FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) and tariffs are removed.