Need a recession proof job? Become a plumber

[NNN0LHI]

I have been calling around to get a plumber to my house to do a job for over a week. They were all backed up at least a week or more. I finally got one to the house yesterday. I was perfectly happy with his work.

I had a talk with him while he was here and he said he has been working 7 days a week all through the recession. He said he doesn't know a single plumber who has been laid off in this area. They all have more work than they can handle.

So if there is someone out there looking for a good steady, well paying job I would recommend plumbing and HVAC as a great recession beater.

Don

[Island Blue]

1. "They are all backed up ..."

:rofl:

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Eviction Goon has the most opportunity. Smirk." - Republicon Homelanders

"We can promise you lots of work. Smirk."

- Republicon Homelanders

[Monk06]

3. A plumber only has to know three things; Shit rolls downhill, payday's on Friday and

don't lick your fingers.

[Fumesucker]

5. You forgot "Hot is on the left".. n/t

[Monk06]

15. A dry waller story .......

A friend of mind years back was a sheet metal worker
who did a/c duct work. He complained to the dry wall
contractor the his men were pissing in closets where
he was working on ceiling ducts and stinking up the
place.

The contractor denied it and demanded that he show
where his men had done this. So my friend said, "well
check this closet here it smells like a toilet". So
he opens the door to the closet and there's a dry
waller pissing on the floor.

I'm sure you have a few of these stories yourself.

:)

[Fumesucker]

20. My brother has a small painting company..

You have to be careful about leaving partial buckets of paint around on the job.. :)

[PreacherCasey]

23. I worked with a guy who told me about a hospital renovation his company did in the '80s.

The drywall tapers were shitting in the compound buckets and just mixing it in before taping the joints. People started getting sick after the reopening and they traced it back to that. Drywallers got sued to hell.

[Fumesucker]

25. I suspect I'll get attacked for this but..

Those kinds of problems have gotten worse if anything since so many undocumented immigrants have come into construction.

That must have taken some sleuthing to find that problem, I'm a bit surprised it was possible.

[On the Road]

27. Not Attacking You,

but why would these stories suggest anything to you about foreign workers? In my experience, they usually walk the straight and narrow. Now a lot of good old Americans are perfectly capable of pulling stunts like this.

[Fumesucker]

29. It wasn't the stories but rather my own experiences..

And I said "gotten worse" not "have started"..

I've been around commercial construction for a long time and have seen a lot of changes, more than a few of which have been for the worse.

[On the Road]

35. You May Know Better Than Me, Then

I just have experience with small-scale renovation, mostly hiring local people individually. Have just seen enough in that enviorment.

[PreacherCasey]

30. Actually, they were of Mexican descent. Not sure if they were legal or not.

I'm not saying it's necessarily an acceptable part of the culture of those workers but, working in construction myself, alot of their work habits are by no means safe or sanitary. I'm not making a general statement about Mexicans or Mexican Americans, just noting my experience.

We had a stair install crew from Argentina on my last job. Best crew I've ever worked with. They were amazing craftsman and cool to hang out with.

[Fumesucker]

33. A lot of the immigrants from Mexico are the poorest of the poor..

And just don't know any better, when you live in a garbage dump sanitary habits are not an automatic given.

Not placing the blame on the immigrants, just making an observation about some of those who have grown up desperately poor, it could be any of us if we were placed in that situation.

[PreacherCasey]

34. I hear you and agree. nt

[raccoon]

39. Why did they do that? Just a passive-aggressive way of getting back at "the Man?" nt

[ipfilter]

31. If you told a plumber

someone was pissing in a closet he would think that was totally normal.

[flamin lib]

4. Seriously! I'm questioning the need for my grandchildren to go to

college. Why? As soon as you get that engineering degree your job will be outsourced to India or China. Hell, even the service jobs are now being outsourced. Medical records, some paralegal work and phone banking have all gone off-shore.

Shit, learn to exterminate bugs or be an electrician/plumber/bricklayer--none of that stuff can be off-shored. Then all ya' gotta worry about are the H1Bs . . .

[Fumesucker]

6. Which is why I'm training my grandkids in photography and music production..

Two things I'm an advanced amateur in, neither one can be outsourced to any great extent.

I bought my grandkids digital cameras for their birthdays and a MIDI keyboard for their Emacs (educational macs) that already have Garage Band installed..

The oldest is nine and already writing, playing and recording her own songs on the computer.

[shadowknows69]

10. Can't be outsourced, but an extremely saturated market as I'm sure you know.

But as far as rewarding, nothing beats the personal creation of something that is uniquely your vision. Just friendly advice from a former professional in several of those fields.

[Fumesucker]

12. Right offhand I can't think of any job market that isn't saturated..

A lot of the trick to getting work is about interpersonal skills, we work on that too.

I've been in construction for a long time and there are indeed lots of plumbers, carpenters and electricians having a real problem getting enough work, being a construction worker is hardly a recipe for full employment.

[shadowknows69]

14. Valid points. In that enviornment one might as well follow their dreams.

Hope you didn't take it as a criticism. I applaud anyone that wants to make a go of the creative arts as a career and a good basis in production skills of any technical kind offers perhaps more opportunity for opportunities. Just getting to the front of that line is the challenge so "Know your song well before you start singing" to paraphrase Bob Dylan. Best of luck to your grandkids. They're lucky to have such an involved and caring elder(meant as a compliment)in their lives

[Fumesucker]

18. I didn't take it as a criticism..

And I take "elder" as a compliment for which I thank you.

Just getting to the front of the line is a challenge in just about any career I can think of, I recall reading someone talking about the Bar exam in LA county and how it was done in a large gym and had the floor and all the bleachers occupied by test takers.

I tutor my grandkids in math, writing, history, science and so forth, they are still at the point where my knowledge is sufficient for that in most subjects. I try not to do it in a formalized way but rather talking about subjects as they come up in the course of our day to day activities and of course I'm always available to answer questions.

[shadowknows69]

21. Kudos my friend. I admit to being extremely jaded.

The entertainment business, even, maybe especially, in a small city like mine can be very ugly and cut throat. I had my dream job in the arts/media and lost it, but I really don't miss it because at times it made me start to become an ugly person in ways. Talent, sadly, is not always the most valuable commodity. Connections and yes, a fair amount of luck are essential to success. Depending on your definition of that of course. My production business failed, but I was content to keep producing things for people to enjoy on a website I used to run for free until my money completely ran out, as well as my health.

[Fumesucker]

24. I know the construction business well..

It's exactly the same way, ugly and cut throat, skill and ability take a back seat to connections and luck.

I think at the core all businesses are that way really.

Sorry to hear of your problems, I'm without health insurance myself since early this year and have had to take my health into my own hands. You are one of the dozen or two posters whose handles I readily recognize and in your case it's in a good way.

To what do you attribute the failure of your production business, if you don't mind me asking?

[shadowknows69]

32. Saturated market for one, although I was offering some exceptional services

A ton of it was, wait for it, just bad stinking luck. Started out with a partner that didn't fulfill his part of work we needed done, had a bad experience with a client that essentially drained my money by paying an employee for design work which was never honored or completely paid for and frankly there was also a lot of back stabbing and intentional smearing of my name and reputation from competitors and some people who apparently didn't like that I did better work than them. Eventually due to my back and other health problems I literally had to start turning jobs down. Few as they were. I drove cab to make up the difference and that's what really helped wreck my back, but it was essentially an independent contractor job so I had no work/disability protection. Now I'm just waiting for my appeal hearing to try to get SSI/disability. I hope to get back to the point I can work again some day, but in order to do that I need medical care and my only recourse is government programs now. Gods help me.

[Fumesucker]

Bad luck, backstabbing competition, people who dont do what they are supposed to..

A mind numbingly familiar tale in any business I can think of really.

There are a great many people who would like to learn what you know, have you considered teaching your skills to others?

[shadowknows69]

46. Sadly as far as tech I'm a few years behind the times now.

Have to get my garden in some order before I try to tend to others', but yes, teaching in a way has always appealed to me because both my parents are and I respect no occupation more. That said. Starting school again in my forties would suck madly. I'm currently looking into some opportunities through a disability advocacy group. Baby steps, but for the first time in a while I actually care about my future. So that's a start.

[Stephanie]

19. Even attorneys and doctors are being outsourced

Surgeries are even being outsourced as insurance companies send patients overseas to save money on procedures.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/14/news/economy/lawyer_outsourcing/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6621014/

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/090724/medical-outsourcing-india

[dysfunctional press]

37. forget about the bug extermination route...

just google: pesticides + parkinson's.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_89395.html

Pesticides Linked to Parkinson's
Occupational exposure may trigger the neurodegenerative disease, study finds


http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL87119020080418
Study confirms Parkinson's-pesticides link

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

7. Yep, it can't be outsourced and great$$$$. I recentlty paid $120 for a 15 minutes

of work.

[Libertas1776]

8. No matter boom times or great depression...

the shit still needs to be pumped through the pipes.

[rucky]

9. Not so in my area:

I just had this conversation with a plumber friend of mine & his work has dropped by 30%, since nobody's building or doing any major renovation projects. He also says most of his repair calls are now from people who tried to do it themselves first.

[seabeyond]

11. i use the plumber my parents did. three decades into relationship, lol

i can get him say day, anytime. but i hear ya.

tiler

that is what i need and looking for job to be done by end of next week. fingers crossed

[NNN0LHI]

17. Tile guys are like the Mafia around here

The estimator comes in and give you a take it or leave it price, demands the money upfront, and then he tells you they will be back next month to do the job. And you feel lucky to get them.

They do good work though.

Don

[seabeyond]

28. uh oh. damn good thing there are always hotels for in laws. ooooops

under constrution dear mother in law.

[tammywammy]

40. You should look into DIY

Tiling isn't really that hard. My mom retiled her entire bathroom by herself, and seriously if she can do it, everyone can. ;)

[seabeyond]

41. we have tiled so much of our other houses. but

this is a big shower, with large tiles. we tiled the tub, and two counters. on the shower though, want done professionally. tub was kinda hard for hubby. didnt want to hurt his feelings, lol, but looks a tad less than professional. did good on the rest. but shower is gonna be hard.

but thanks

[tammywammy]

42. Good luck,

If you were closer to DFW I could recommend someone that did work for my friend's parents, but I doubt they'd commute to Amarillo.

[seabeyond]

43. lol. thanks. nt

[Monk06]

47. Tile setters are Prima Donnas. Like plummers they know their trade

is essential too the completion of that all
important room. The bathroom. And it is a
demanding and fairly highly skilled trade
if the work has to be done quickly and
competently. If you are talking ornamental
stone fugetaboutit, you wait for when the
sub is in a good mood to do the job.

[TxRider]

13. Or mechanic

[hlthe2b]

16. or an undertaker...

[madmom]

22. That's totally different than the experience I had. I had one over a couple weeks ago, He

was there same day I called with a "helper". He told us we would be billed for both of them because there wasn't much work out there and it was either sending two men together or laying some off. So I got to pay plumbers fees for a glorified gopher, because that's all the 2nd man was. It really pissed me because we weren't told this until after the job was done.Needless to say I won't ever call them again.

[Fumesucker]

26. Whether you got screwed or not depends on the rate you paid for the helper..

If you paid full rate then yeah, you got screwed..

But if it was only a partial rate then you may have come out ahead, fetching and carrying is a big part of construction and takes a lot of time, it's not efficient to pay someone full rate to do a lot of the gofer work.

[madmom]

36. We did pay full rate. And it seemed to me at the time that after he/they planned the

job, the few minuscule things the "helper" had to fetch could've/should've been in their tool bag. They know what they were coming for we told them on the phone and they had been here before so they knew the "lay of the land" so to speak, so yeah I think we got ripped off.

[madville]

38. My BIL is a plumber, hasn't had work in a year

He's a union plumber though and won't/can't do non-union work (which there is plenty of). He was saying that when they do get work they call people back based on seniority and apparently he's not very high on the list.

[shanti]

44. funny you should mention this

i posted a couple of weeks ago about my college educated son (graduated with a history degree last year) who now has decided he wants to go to trade school to be a plumber/plumbing contractor. he hasn't been able to find a job (outside of retail) since graduation, so decided to use what's left of his GI bill and become a plumber. i was beside myself over his decision (he's 32), but your post makes me feel better about it.

[The Wizard]

45. Learn physical therapy

The boomers are all getting to the stage of needing some kind of physical therapy.
Or, open a Depend Adult Diaper boutique.