@PopularMechanics _ April 2019 79the state where they
live. For example, they
may do pipe and fixture
work for potable and
wastewater and the
mechanical work asso-
ciated with heating and
cooling. However, most
states today have sepa-
rated the two trades,
making plumbing
separate from heat-
ing and cooling work,
which requires an HVAC
license (heating, venti-
lation, air conditioning).
Things Plumbers
Love: Smooth and
level floors, plumb
walls, fixtures that
come out of the box
without parts missing.
Great Day: When the
inspector has signed
off on the permit
without issue and the
homeowner comes
in and sees shiny new
fixtures that work
flawlessly.
Tough Day:
The inspector dings
you for a code violation,
your helper didn’t
show up, you ran out of
ProPress fittings.Amazing Tool
You’ll Get to Use:
Ridgid 1224 threading
machine.Great Resource:
Plumbing 101 and 201,
prepared in conjunction
with the Plumbing
Heating Cooling Con-
tractors Association
($50 to $90, depending
on source and whether
the book is new or
used).EVERY BRANCH of the militar y needs people w ith building tra des and mechan-
ical expertise because the military builds and maintains both permanent
and temporary structures of various kinds. It also operates, maintains, and
repairs a wide range of vehicles, including the world’s most sophisticated air-
craft, earth-moving machines, tanks, trucks, and cars. It does things that no
other construction company or mechanical entity can match. On short notice,
it can deploy anywhere in the world and rapidly build an airfield, docking facil-
ity, or other military installation. This is exciting, and it can be dangerous,
particularly under combat conditions.
Some of what the military will train you for is a hand-and-glove fit for work
in the civilian sector, some of it not so much, but all of what the militar y trains
you for is to accept responsibility, and at a young age. Are there qualifiers?
Of course. As the military itself will tell you, it doesn’t guarantee you a slot in
exactly what you want. Your assignment is based on how you do on the Armed
Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the length of your enlistment, and, of
course, what the military needs.
“Military training is second to none,” says Bill Lego, a Navy veteran and
electrica l contractor in Rockford, Illinois. “But remember that the militar y’s
needs come first. It’s not day care or a self-fulfillment adventure. You can’t take
gap years or choose where you’d like to live.”Where the
Military Can
Take You—And
Where It Can’t
State Colleges and Universi-
ties. “We take pride in our
finest academic institutions
as we rightly should, but
most industrial countries
have superlative institutions
that compete with our fin-
est in this country. The real
genius of this country is its
system of mass education,
and community colleges are
the base of that in terms of
postsecondary education.
Community colleges are the
backbone of American higher
education if you think about
their imprint and footprint
and the people they touch.”
KNOW WHERE TO
FIND FINANCIAL AID
Plentiful federal financial-
aid options are available
for what the federal gov-
ernment designates as
“vocational, trade and
career schools.” The Insti-
tute of Education Science’s
online College Navigator
helps students assess career
goals and education options.
In addition to providing
general school information,
including tuition, fees, and
estimated student expenses,
it helps identify types of
financial aid provided for
specific schools and pro-
grams and default rates for
students with student loans.
nces.ed.gov/
collegenavigatorBE WARY OF
MISINFORMATION
There are plenty of repu-
table private trade schools
around the country. Forbes
listed the Pittsburgh Insti-
tute of Aeronautics in West
Mifflin, Pennsylvania, and
Johnson College in Scran-
ton, Pennsylvania, among
its Top Trade Schools for- But prospective stu-
dents should be aware that
deceptive advertising and
outright fraud exist.
“Funding is based on
enrollment, so the incen-
tives for some schools are
such that as long as they get
people to sign up they stay
in business,” says Anthony
Carnevale, director of the
Georgetown University
Center on Education and
the Workforce. Carnevale
has served as an expert wit-
ness in court cases that have
closed down more than 30
private schools.
“Our basic role in all
these things is to look at the
programs and see if they’re
worth it. For instance, if they
promise you by taking this
criminal justice program,
does this person actually
get placed as a police offi-
cer? Do they cut corners?
You do a criminal justice
program, you spend a lot of
money because you want to
become a police officer, and
then the only work you can
get is work in retail. Well, the
institution claims you are
working in criminal justice
because you’ve got to watch
out for shoplifters. That has
actually happened. That’s a
real case example. They’reeasy to get. But it’s the same
all over.”SERIOUSLY: BE WARY
“When you look at the busi-
ness model, consumer fraud
is the business model,” says
Nassirian. “I would abso-
lutely encourage people
to be skeptical. Do not go
to one of those sham tech
training institutes. There
are lots of them. If it’s a for-
profit institution I would be
exceedingly careful. The
problem is lots of for-profits
are now converting to fake
nonprofits, so the nonprofit
designation alone is not an
assurance. In the old days
you could rely on antiquity.
If a school says it was estab-
lished in 1876 that was some
assurance. But we have an
environment now that is
favorable to fraud. A place
might be founded yesterday
and through acquisition you
purchase someone’s marque
that says you were founded
in 1876.”