Not all prosperous careers begin with college.

Not all prosperous careers begin with college. With tuitions rising fast, many high academy graduates are taking advantage of opportunities with the military and trades. The manufacturing and construction industries, which are generally experiencing shortages of skilled labor, are the couple actively recruiting. This has meant presents of high salaries and guaranteed profession for high school grads. After completing a five-year apprenticeship, a 23-year-old electrical contractor can be earning as abundant as $60,000 to $70,000 a year, according to the National Electrical Contractors Association.

"Also, when you learn a trade, instead of paying coin out toward college, you can be bringing circulating medium in," says A.J. Pearson, executive director of the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. "People have a misconception that this is just public dirty work, but there's a actual technical aspect and a pride in the craftsmanship that is part of this work."

Training presented by the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) present to views how sophisticated construction technology can be. not long ago the organization has been educating members in the construction of "green" buildings, which are strength efficient and often made from recycl materials. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) also wants to dispel the notion that skilled labor is menial labor. "Manufacturing means everything from making potato chips to making computer chips, and opportunities range from tool and die work to advanced robotics," says Wade Sayer, director of business education programs for NAM. "Plus many manufacturers give tuition reimbursement to learn onward the job."

For more information forward careers that don't require community check out these Web sites: www.electrifyingcareers.com, www.gettech.org, www.armedforcescareers.com, and www.mcaproof.com

ELECTRICIAN

TAYIKA s SHAW

AGE: 27

LOCATION: Lubbock TX

JOB: Journeyman electrician, J&T Shaw Electric.

EDUCATION: Shaw complet a five-year earn-and-learn apprenticeship program by the agency of the National Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (NJATC). Shaw worked 40 hours a week learning the trade while going to classes sum of two units nights a week.

SALARY: Median annual salary ranges from $35094 to $47886 according to Salary.com, if it be not that some contractors earn $60,000 or more.

STARTING OUT: As a child, Shaw was fascinated watching her uncle tinker with electronic gadgets. In her senior year at Palo Verde High exercise in Tucson, Arizona, she decided to take a basic electrical wiring class. Her instructor revolveed her on to the career and told her about the apprenticeship program.

in succession THE JOB: Shaw and her husband (whom she met during her on-the-job training) stream their own electrician business, servicing local residences and companies. Shaw does repairs, installs electrical service, and uniform re-wires appliances. As one of the not many female electricians in the industry, and the first African-American woman to have complet the training program in Lubbock Shaw frequently gets surprised reactions when she's in succession the job. "But then tribe will come up and say they're inspired," she says. "Sometimes women on the same level ask me how they can get by heart into the field."

A big part of the piece of work is troubleshooting. She remembers fixing a restaurant fryer an appliance she wasn't familiar with. "There are in such a manner many little wires. You just have to relax, think about your training, and start doing a proces of elimination to view where the trouble is." onward a typical day she uses screwdrivers, pliers, nut drivers, flushs measuring tape, a cordless drill, and a ladder. The piece of work can also be physically demanding (climbing ladders) and sometimes dirty (doing subterranean electrical work in ditches).

REWARDS: "The awesome thing is that formerly you complete the [apprenticeship] program, you earn your 'journeyman's ticket,' which allows you to work for different unions across the nation at a great salary."

CHALLENGES: "I have a big phobia of bug Sometimes we fare in a crawl space, and there are bug or gnawings That's when the girl in me approachs out."

MORE INFO: National Electrical Contractors Association/International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, www.electrifyingcareers.com

--Traci Mosser

SHEET METAL WORKER

MICHAEL SMITH

AGE: 28

LOCATION: Cudahy, WI

JOB: Architectural sheet metal apprentice.

EDUCATION: These professionals must total an apprenticeship, typically lasting four or five years. Smith has training in drafting, welding, and store fabrication (processing materials to the specifications of a particular intend in the shop).

SALARY: Median hourly salary is $1531 by means of hour.

STARTING OUT: Smith first fancy he might pursue a career as an architect, further he wanted to earn cash more quickly and decided that at working as a sheet metal apprentice he could earn a living while learning a trade.

in succession THE JOB: As an apprentice providing general roofing services to many commercial buildings, Smith knows the community in high places and has worked onward high-profile jobs like the Milwaukee Art Museum and a local football stadium. Basically, he measures, chisels and installs metal roofing panels using hand tools, power tools, machines, and heavy equipment. The apprentice reads and interprets blueprints or sketches to determine the mode for fabricating, assembling and installing sheet metal effects such as copper, steel, iron, aluminum, or unruffled nonmetals such as plastic or fiberglass. "The piece of work involves a lot of math," says Smith, "measuring surface areas, details and angles."