Had to pick between a 4 year degree and a trade school at 18. I chose the trade route.

I went with a local concrete apprenticeship program in Phoenix instead of going to ASU, and three years later I'm already running my own crew. Anyone else here make a similar call and wonder where you'd be if you went the other way?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elliot8d ago

Wait, did you really start running your own crew after just three years as an apprentice? Most concrete apprenticeships take about four years to finish before you can even test for journeyman status.

emery_taylor8d ago

...but see, I had a buddy who went through something similar. He was only two and a half years into his apprenticeship when his foreman quit mid-job, and the boss just told him to grab the reins. He was pouring a retaining wall for a parking lot, and half the guys under him had been in the trade longer than him. They didn't respect him at first, wouldn't even hand him his trowel. He managed to finish the pour on time, but the boss later admitted it was a mess and the wall cracked within a year.