3 ms·

If you're a reasonable smart person you'll do really well in the trades. It's easy enough to learn quite a few trades while taking some basic business courses a

If you're a reasonable smart person you'll do really well in the trades. It's easy enough to learn quite a few trades while taking some basic business courses at night and you'll already be well ahead of the game. A friend of mine runs an industrial insulation business (install, removal, maintenance, etc) and uses union staffing for the contracts he wins. He works about 2 hours a day taking the calls he needs and arranging inspections for bidding on jobs. Makes as much as a software engineer at a FAANG. Another friend is a general contractor who has connections to custom cabinet shops and he sells home renovations and is getting 30% margin on high end jobs. Did all the jobs for about 10 years so bidding is easy for him and he doesn't lift a thing except the gas cap when he's filling his 100k truck.

bradlys 5y ago
While this is often a thing - it’s definitely one of the most directly leech-like things you could do. It’s quintessential capitalism at its finest (worst). Say what you want about FAANG eng - they’re often doing something.
- nemo44x 5y ago
  Interesting, I never really thought of it that way. I always saw it as someone creating a market for buyers and sellers of insulation installation/maintenance labor. I'm probably oversimplifying his involvement though. He does have to supervise on jobs, fire bad workers (which there is a lot, even in the unions) and deal with the day to day stuff.
- leetcrew 5y ago
  value delivered is not always proportional to time spent working. it's like the proverb of the engineer who fixes the machine by whacking it with a hammer. $5 to hit it, $995 for knowing where to hit it. even a "simple" home HVAC project can involve a bunch of different subcontractors that work for different companies, have different schedules, etc. without knowledge of the industry and the individuals involved, selecting and managing the subcontractors directly would be a nightmare for the average homeowner. the general contractor can earn most of their 30% cut just by knowing who to call in the first place and getting them to show up. when you find a good one, you really want to hold onto their number.

bradlys 5y ago

While this is often a thing - it’s definitely one of the most directly leech-like things you could do. It’s quintessential capitalism at its finest (worst). Say what you want about FAANG eng - they’re often doing something.

nemo44x 5y ago
Interesting, I never really thought of it that way. I always saw it as someone creating a market for buyers and sellers of insulation installation/maintenance labor. I'm probably oversimplifying his involvement though. He does have to supervise on jobs, fire bad workers (which there is a lot, even in the unions) and deal with the day to day stuff.
leetcrew 5y ago
value delivered is not always proportional to time spent working. it's like the proverb of the engineer who fixes the machine by whacking it with a hammer. $5 to hit it, $995 for knowing where to hit it. even a "simple" home HVAC project can involve a bunch of different subcontractors that work for different companies, have different schedules, etc. without knowledge of the industry and the individuals involved, selecting and managing the subcontractors directly would be a nightmare for the average homeowner. the general contractor can earn most of their 30% cut just by knowing who to call in the first place and getting them to show up. when you find a good one, you really want to hold onto their number.