# Plumber vs Electrician vs House Painter



## drew53813 (Jun 25, 2014)

Would like to hear from pros in the industry on pros and cons of each career.


----------



## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

This is a really good question. All 3 professions are great. As a painter, I'm partial to the painting business. I like that it is different every day. You can work outside in the summer which is a huge plus for me.......I hate being inside. Plumbers and electricians make more money for the most part although I know guys in the painting biz making 6 figures. They have large companies and do large commercial projects.

Plumbers and electricians have to do more to get qualified with licensing, etc. The painting biz, not so mucn.


----------



## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Correct, also the licensing and qualifications for plumbing and electricians are very stringent as they should be. I have only ever done minor electrical but I always liked it because you really had to use your head to trace and locate the problems. Guess I liked the challenge.


----------



## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

pros and cons of plumbing--
strong unions
can be physically demanding- my back and knees hurt a lot of the day
Fair amount of travel if you live in a sparsely populated area
can be seasonal work or very cold at times (or hot, or wet)
Often long hours
I personally find residential plumbing redundant- basically the same daily
Good money in service, commercial and industrial- not so much in residential.
Multiple types of systems or materials to work on- each is unique or somewhat different
Never at the same location for long (10 mths. is the longest for me)
Hi rise buildings offer great views while mech. rms are hot and stuffy


----------



## drew53813 (Jun 25, 2014)

TheEplumber- how often would you say you have to work in crawl spaces and attacks? Not that I am afraid of going under, but wouldn't want to be doing that everyday.


----------



## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

drew53813 said:


> TheEplumber- how often would you say you have to work in crawl spaces and attacks? Not that I am afraid of going under, but wouldn't want to be doing that everyday.


In my experience-- I'd say about 2/3 of the houses here are crawlers. A 2 or 3 man crew will do a house in less than a week- sometimes in a day and a half. So you could be in a crawler 2 or 3 days a week on new work. Seldom if doing service.
Commercial work is more overhead than under the floor. A lot of ladder or man lift work.

The last shop I worked for- I was hired for trim work mostly. That accounted for about 75% of my time. The other 25% was service or rough in on remodels.

As with a lot of trades, shops focus on what they feel they do best. I went 15 years in the trade before I touched a drain snake because I worked strictly new commercial contracts- schools, hospitals, malls, retail buildings, military bases and prisons. Then I found a small local shop I liked and it was mostly residential work. I used drain machines there for a short time- didn't like it either so I moved on. Nice thing about the trades- work is readily available if the economy is good. The flip side is- it sucks when no one is building....


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Would be interesting to know why your even asking and what your location is.
Looking for a new career?
How much time are you willing to invest in a schooling not making a dime?
Good at math?
Color blind? Yes there's a reason for that question, bad choise to be an eletrition if your color blind.


----------



## drew53813 (Jun 25, 2014)

Joe- I am currently in the medical field, but with new the new healthcare reform layoffs may be on the horizon. I did some work for an electrician several years ago. I would say my math skills are mediocre. I am not color blind, I can see fine and have excellent vision. I am 32, and would like to prospect the idea of getting some education in a trade as a backup career. I enjoy landscape, and painting however I know there not the highest paying trades. Thanks for all your input.


----------



## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

joecaption said:


> Would be interesting to know why your even asking and what your location is.
> 
> Location doesn't matter.
> 
> ...


I know of several electricians that ARE color blind. But have no problems working their trade. 

Now a color blind painter could be a problem.


----------



## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

drew53813 said:


> Joe- I am currently in the medical field, but with new the new healthcare reform layoffs may be on the horizon. I did some work for an electrician several years ago. I would say my math skills are mediocre. I am not color blind, I can see fine and have excellent vision. I am 32, and would like to prospect the idea of getting some education in a trade as a backup career. I enjoy landscape, and painting however I know there not the highest paying trades. Thanks for all your input.


All of the trades you listed, take a lot of hard work, so they may not meet your earlier less work highest pay criteria/thoughts. 

http://www.diychatroom.com/f39/possible-mid-life-career-change-281194/#post2144850


----------



## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

drew53813 said:


> Joe- I am currently in the medical field, but with new the new healthcare reform layoffs may be on the horizon.


Layoffs may be on the horizon in your situation but overall health care jobs are continuing to grow. I know Obama Care is a lightening rod topic but the more people with insurance the more people who access the health care system the less likely of layoffs overall. The _growth_ of jobs has slowed but there is still growth. 
The slowing of growth is as much about years of trying to contain health care costs as anything. The cost of health care has climbed above inflation for 40 years or more.


----------



## drew53813 (Jun 25, 2014)

Craig- thats what most people think, and there might be a little truth to that, however with so many people being insured the problem is the Medicare reimbursement. Hospitals nation wide are losing millions on less reimbursement from insurance companies. That's causing hospitals to re examine certain positions within the hospital. I am in the Bay Area,ca and I can tell you some hospitals are filing chapter 11 and walking away. I have been doing this for 6 years and seen so much change.


----------



## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

drew53813 said:


> Craig- thats what most people think, and there might be a little truth to that, however with so many people being insured the problem is the Medicare reimbursement. Hospitals nation wide are losing millions on less reimbursement from insurance companies. That's causing hospitals to re examine certain positions within the hospital. I am in the Bay Area,ca and I can tell you some hospitals are filing chapter 11 and walking away. I have been doing this for 6 years and seen so much change.


Do you mean Medicare or Medicaid? And if people are insured the hospital gets reimbursed do they not?
I am not trying to "argue" rather understand the situation you face.


----------



## drew53813 (Jun 25, 2014)

Craig- I am talking about Medicare reimbursement. For example for certain conditions, if people are discharged and return to the hospital within 30 days the hospital is deemed responsible and must pay out of pocket for that patient. They blame it on the hospital and say that the patient wasn't cared for properly and we didn't perform enough education. Anyways, I am not looking to switch careers at this point just prospecting construction careers in the event something goes south.


----------



## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

What are your strengths and inclinations?

Great math skills are best for electrician and HVAC trades----

Painting takes patience and attention to details---

Plumbing also takes math and the ability to climb into some very awkward spots:laughing:

Hvac pros and plumbers often have licenses in both trades--

Carpentry has a variety of skills--
Framing takes a lot of math---and muscles--trim work is for the creative mind with attention to small details.

All trades require a certain amount of broom pushing and people skills--

'One skill wonders' are the first to be let go when things get slow--so you need to keep learning----logic and common sense coupled with hard work will lead a guy to the top of the heap---


----------



## JulieMor (Apr 25, 2012)

35 years IBEW, mostly commercial work.

Pros: Interesting work, lots of different things you can do, many roads you can take (residential, commercial, industrial, communication, line work, etc.) I had a few stints where I left the filed to do project management, estimating and CAD design, all while being paid union wages.

Under the IBEW, you get good pay, good benefits, health care and pension. I retired at 58 with lifetime health care, a pension and an annuity. At 62, two more pensions kicked in. As a member of the IBEW, when you get laid off from a job, you return to the hall and when it's your turn, you pick what job you want at the same pay & same benefits. In good times, there could be dozen to pick from.

Cons: It's construction and any job in construction will put a lot of wear and tear on the body. Not as much as some trades, unless you're humping 4" rigid, but over time, it takes its toll.

Sometimes monotonous - you could get on a job where all you're doing is installing row after row of fluorescent fixtures. I often said that after I die I'll know I'm in hell if I find myself hanging fluorescents on a concrete ceiling.


----------



## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

craig11152 said:


> Do you mean Medicare or Medicaid? And if people are insured the hospital gets reimbursed do they not?
> I am not trying to "argue" rather understand the situation you face.


My wife has been in the medical field for many years and yes they get reimbursed on a $700 procedure you may get $350 after Obama care they may get $70 to $100. Since this went into effect the hospital where she works has had 40 doctors quit and 60 nurses.


----------



## InPhase277 (Feb 9, 2008)

Plumber. If someone needs painting or electrical work, they will put it off until forever. And when they finally do call someone, it will be their cousin who can both paint and change light bulbs.

But you better believe that if the toilet is running over, they will call a plumber NOW!


----------



## drew53813 (Jun 25, 2014)

Tool seeker- your right on with your analysis. That's the kind of stuff civilian people don't know about. It is becoming harder and harder for hospitals to stay a float.


----------



## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

I live in a city with 3 fairly large hospitals (one is a VA so I'll say 2) None are laying off. I have a daughter who is a nurse at University of Kentucky, the are not laying off. I have a step daughter who is a nurse at the top rated hospital in Michigan (Beaumont Royal Oak), they are not laying off. The BLS shows hospital jobs increasing in June as they have for awhile


> Health care added 40,000 jobs in June. Job gains were distributed among the three component industries--ambulatory care services (+23,000), hospitals (+11,000), and nursing and residential care facilities (+7,000). Employment in health care had grown by an average of 34,000 per month over the prior 12 months.


So maybe, maybe, the problem is management at certain institutions. 

In any case we face a multifaceted problem in this country with a massive debt, an aging population that doesn't die at 65 anymore and a health care industry that is expensive and getting more so. Some folks blame the latter on Obamacare and too much Government regulation. But most every other advanced country in the world has more Government "interference" they pay a lot less and by in large they get better results. I don't have answers, I don't think Obamacare is "the answer" but I do think it was a step in the right direction.


----------



## JulieMor (Apr 25, 2012)

No doubt construction work isn't filled with job security. When I was taking the test to get into the apprenticeship program, the Apprentice coordinator told everyone in the room,* "If you think you're guaranteed year round work in applying for this job, think again. Figure on about 9 months a year you'll be earning a paycheck and you'll be fine."*

It was never that bad but there were times I was off for months between jobs. In good times, you could pick up overtime jobs and make up for your time off but you can't count on that over the long run.

But if you're still having trouble deciding, this might help: :wink:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mViO9mnCTBo


----------



## ponch37300 (Nov 27, 2007)

drew53813 said:


> Tool seeker- your right on with your analysis. That's the kind of stuff civilian people don't know about. It is becoming harder and harder for hospitals to stay a float.


Getting pretty far off topic but we have 3 big hospitals in our area, all within 5 minutes driving. Plus what seems like thousands of specialty hospitals/offices all over. From dedicated cancer centers to rehab centers to birth centers to pediatrics to hand and foot to this and that. And these aren't little buildings, huge 4,5,6 and up story buildings that are all newer. And ALL of these places are non stop adding on or remodeling. All the work is over and above fancy. From the looks of things around here they are not only staying afloat but they are doing very well.


----------



## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

If someone is in their early twenties and deciding on a career path, perhaps we should ask the question -'which jobs are less likely to be taken over by robots?'

http://singularityhub.com/2015/06/29/human-vs-robot-bricklaying-robot-can-place-1000-bricks-an-hour/


----------



## paintdrying (Jul 13, 2012)

Painting is a trade I owe so much too. Seriously, every house the world over needs painting. Around here you can make 15 dollars and hour painting. I pay a rag tag team 30 an hour per guy. 
You could make very good money running your own painting business.


----------



## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

Acknowledging, of course, I have no hands-on experience in any of the three trades, it occurs to me painters are the least likely to be called out on a frigid Sunday night or holiday weekend emergency.


----------



## JulieMor (Apr 25, 2012)

Blondesense said:


> Acknowledging, of course, I have no hands-on experience in any of the three trades, it occurs to me painters are the least likely to be called out on a frigid Sunday night or holiday weekend emergency.


True, but when you're sitting at home with screaming kids driving you nuts and that emergency call comes in, you get to tell your spouse you have to go. And you get overtime pay to boot.


----------



## Raiders121113 (Mar 28, 2013)

If you become an electrician, try and do TI work. Not back breaking and for the most part its easy money. Especially on TnM.


----------

