Are You In The Right Profession?

How many times have you heard a person tell a friend of theirs that they are in the wrong profession? A lot, right? And how many times have you told yourself that at some point in the future? Perhaps too often, and just like anyone else you end up secretly thinking to yourself "Maybe I should try this out". Well, turns out there are many ways to do this. One of these is by enrolling into college courses or maybe taking an online course. But another way is for people with more time than money and less complex goals, pursuing vocational training opportunities offered at their local post secondary institutions.

So, why is vocational training so important? Well, it's important because at the most basic level, it schools people on a practical skill. The idea here being that if you have the right certification in a certain trade or field, you will make more money in that trade or field than a person with no such certification. Why is this the case? Well, because certified tradesmen are deemed to have more value to their prospective employers than someone without credentials. In other words, they are less likely to be laid off from their job or replaced if they were to get sick. Their value is also increased by their ability to work closely with others in their field of choice. This type of ability is considered to be one of the most important parts in being able to make money.

The good news for everyone that wants to pursue vocational training is that it's not necessarily a requirement for entering the workforce. It's not even necessarily required for certain professions. Instead, you can go through school but not actually get a certificate because the goal is simply to learn and train on the job anyway, from there you will end up acquiring a formal certification later on.

Below is a list of different vocational training programs that you can look into either online or at your local post secondary institutions. These are for people that have some sort of interest in any of the following professions: welding, basic auto body repair, plumbing, precision machining or computer programming, woodworking and the ever-so-popular electronics.

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Reference: http://www.ehow.com/about_5254213_different-vocational-training-schools_.html

P.S. I personally know several people who are in careers where they have to get additional training such as plumbing, welding, computer programming, electronics or precision machining. Many of them were told they were "just too old" or "too short" to pursue these things when they were younger because of the career path they wanted to choose but there is nothing in the book that says you have to be really old or really short. They actually do have a way around this. I was also told that there are some vocational programs for older people too that includes training for older people seeking jobs in these areas (I'm talking about careers not IT jobs though).

So next time you have a spare moment, get on your computer and find out the best vocational training programs in your area. You'll be glad that you did!

If you're interested, I got my plumbing certification at the age of 57 but that isn't to say that I'm not good at it or can't do any plumbing jobs. My plumbing certification is also good for many years down the road when I need to go back for additional training in order to upgrade my skills (either because of my age or because too much time has passed to where I need additional training). One thing is certain though, pay attention to your human body and how it feels inside when something isn't right. If you're not sure what to do, ask someone like a doctor or someone else in your family who's older and more experienced.

Getting certification for plumbing jobs can be done - whether you are young or old!

A lot of people believe that having a plumbing certification is only for the younger people, but I have proven them wrong. Believe me that if you ask for more time paid to take the tests then most likely they will give it to you because they might not have a lot of other certified plumbers under 30. I also ask for more time paid to do the tests because I am older and I want to make sure that I'm paying attention and not having any distractions. :D

My first plumbing certification was at the age of 57 years. I did this because I wanted to be able to work on jobs for a bigger company in my city, where there were already a lot of people who were certified. At that time there was no plumbing certification required just because you were older, but now they do require it to be 51 years old or older. Beforehand, they didn't have plumbers and electricians in their organization up until 1960-70 years, so there really wasn't much work for these people around town.

Obviously, having a plumbing certification is an advantage for anyone in this field. But I can tell you that the real benefits of having a plumbing certification are for older people. It's true, there are opportunities to do mechanical and electrical work or repair jobs but those are jobs that everyone has access to. That's why the real benefit is being able to work on jobs only plumbers and electricians can do.

I have worked on many different kinds of systems from new houses, apartments, mobile home's, insurance claims, rehabilitation projects and more. I also have helped out with local manufacturers who were going through an expansion phase. This allowed me to work on far better and more difficult jobs than I ever would have on my own since most contractors don't have the expertise that plumbers and electricians do.

If you are looking for a way to get into the plumbing industry without going through the expensive training that it takes, then look no further!

The fact is that there are plenty of companies out there who will hire you if you have an apprenticeship like from the CWNA or other plumbing/heating certifications. It took me several years to get some of my certificates but now I use them as a tool to help me when I'm asked what skill set I have that they can't find on someone else's resume.

I can say that getting a plumbing certification was one of the best moves I've ever made.

You don't have to be young or old to get your plumbing certification, but it's certainly a lot easier if you're younger (since it will take you far less years to get your certificates) and you're also more agile which is important in this job.

Some of the reasons why older people like me should consider plumbing are:

The age requirements may be lower than most other trades because of me being able to work on such difficult work. I'm not sure what is the average age for a plumber but I think that older people with good certifications stand out more if they need help on one of their projects.

Conclusion

There is no reason why older people cannot have plumbing certification and it's not as hard as many people might think.

When I started in this field, I was told by everyone that it was too hard to get a plumbing certification because they don't go to school to get a plumbing certificate. That's true but you can still get work just fine if you have one.

If your plumbing certification has expired, then contact the governing state agency and they'll put you back in good standing so you can use your certificate again within the parameters of what age requirements are there for that state. If we're talking about the CWNA or other certifications their requirements are two years after you have been certified.