Popular Mechanics - USA (2019-04)

78 April 2019 _ PopularMechanics.com

PLUMBERS TEND TO be well-paid. It’s hard and often dirty, and it has a high

licensing requirement due to its effect on public safety and health. Federal

data indicates plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters have a median pay of

about $52,590. Some of the more physically taxing work that plumbers do

can be wrestling with cast-iron pipe and getting a new boiler into a basement

and then getting the old one out. And then there’s drain cleaning: Running

a power auger through a clogged sewer is not for people with a low gag reflex.

The licensing requirement for plumbers is severe. In most cases, you need

at least three to five years of work experience and a specified amount of

classroom instruction in order to sit for a state’s plumbing exam.

Plumbers

may do pipe

and fixture

work and the

mechanical

work associ-

ated with

heating and

cooling.

Getting Started:

Many (perhaps most)

plumbers start out as

helpers in a plumbing

firm and go to school

at night to get their

educational require-

ments in order to

sit for the plumb-

ing license exam in

their state. Still others

attend trade school or

community college or

go through the train-

ing cycle in a union or

merit-shop training

program and achieve

certification. “Every

person is different,

regarding their posi-

tion in life,” Pat Porzio

says. “Find a company

that’s willing to take

you on. Work in the

field for two or three

years to find out if

the trades are a good

fit before going to

trade school. Find an

employer who values

you enough, who’s will-

ing to help you with

the process.”

What Plumbers Do:

Residential plumb-

ers are a varied lot

and the work they’re

permitted to do by

license depends on

the regulations of

Plumber

CONSULT THE

COLLEGE SCORECARD

The Department of Educa-

tion’s College Scorecard

may be the best, simplest,

and most up-to-date online

resource out there. It lets

users customize school

searches by area of interest,

specific programs, region,

and cost. For instance,

inputting a zip code in Grove

City, Ohio (43123), and

searching for “construction

trades” programs within

a 150-mile radius yields

five schools and provides

side-by-side comparisons

of average annual cost,

graduation rate, and salary

after attending. The College

Scorecard gives you a macro

view of choices for any type

of postsecondary option,

from prestigious universi-

ties to lesser known but

excellent career schools.

collegescorecard.ed.gov

DON’T FORGET

ABOUT YOUR

LOCAL COMMUNITY

COLLEGE

Trade and tech schools may

brand themselves more pre-

cisely to occupation-related

programs, but the nation’s

community colleges have

been training skilled workers

for decades and often have

more established instructors

and reputations. “Community

colleges tend to be places

where vocational training is

taken seriously and is done

with integrity, and we need

more of it,” says Barmak Nas-

sirian, director of Federal

Relations and Policy Analy-

sis, American Association of

FEW LIFE DECISIONS have a more profound

impact on your future than the choice of where

to continue your education after high school.

Lifetime earnings and even personal health

are closely tied to postsecondary education. As

explained in my story on the state of American

trade schools on popularmechanics.com, graduat-

ing from an occupation-specific trade, technical,

or career school can lead to just as lucrative a job

as a traditional four-year degree. There are thou-

sands of school choices. These tips can help you or

someone you care about make a smarter decision.

By Chuck Thompson