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$45/hr starting is great. Most pro tradesmen that are good I know bill 75-150$/hr. The SWEs that I know who are KILLING it are in the 100-250 hr range but I ca

$45/hr starting is great. Most pro tradesmen that are good I know bill 75-150$/hr. The SWEs that I know who are KILLING it are in the 100-250 hr range but I can guarantee you that a tradesmen in the bay that is good and skilled is pulling that as well. Electricians and plumbers especially make a lot of money if they're licensed and have the experience. Most guys go solo business and have enough booked worked for a life time. This was the consequence of people doscouraging trade work on the 90s and 2000s. These guys are doing very well now.

cjbgkagh 3y ago
I'm not seeing those same numbers, anecdotally it seems people are very excited a $80 hourly rate in SF in a skilled trade that requires a 5 year apprenticeship - which suggest to me that most are not getting that. Though perhaps those doing well don't have time to post on the internet. "I can guarantee you that a tradesmen in the bay that is good and skilled is pulling that as well." - or to rephrase; a similarly skilled tradesperson isn't making more in trades than they would have made as a SWE. In general there is a competency crisis so I'm sure competent tradespeople can and do charge a premium and as things get worse I'm sure the premium they can charge can increase. That said, the US was angling to be a 'knowledge-worker' economy but for some reason, like many western countries, there now seems to be a huge appetite for importing unskilled labor to create a more mixed economy. I believe there will be an effort to push the newly arrived unskilled labor into the skilled tradespeople labor force which would put downward pressure on blue collar salaries. So the current windfall that they are enjoying might yet abate. I think the denigration of blue collar was done so people wouldn't feel as bad about shipping factories overseas to increase corporate profits. The process of financialization and deindustrialization was driven by politicians and bankers and I think culturally the rest of us are were reacting to these realities as opposed to driving them. I think financializing and deindustrializing the economy was a mistake, as is importing large amounts of unskilled labor. I truly would have loved to have seen a larger blue collar middle class.

cjbgkagh 3y ago

I'm not seeing those same numbers, anecdotally it seems people are very excited a $80 hourly rate in SF in a skilled trade that requires a 5 year apprenticeship - which suggest to me that most are not getting that. Though perhaps those doing well don't have time to post on the internet. "I can guarantee you that a tradesmen in the bay that is good and skilled is pulling that as well." - or to rephrase; a similarly skilled tradesperson isn't making more in trades than they would have made as a SWE. In general there is a competency crisis so I'm sure competent tradespeople can and do charge a premium and as things get worse I'm sure the premium they can charge can increase. That said, the US was angling to be a 'knowledge-worker' economy but for some reason, like many western countries, there now seems to be a huge appetite for importing unskilled labor to create a more mixed economy. I believe there will be an effort to push the newly arrived unskilled labor into the skilled tradespeople labor force which would put downward pressure on blue collar salaries. So the current windfall that they are enjoying might yet abate. I think the denigration of blue collar was done so people wouldn't feel as bad about shipping factories overseas to increase corporate profits. The process of financialization and deindustrialization was driven by politicians and bankers and I think culturally the rest of us are were reacting to these realities as opposed to driving them. I think financializing and deindustrializing the economy was a mistake, as is importing large amounts of unskilled labor. I truly would have loved to have seen a larger blue collar middle class.