Getting started

Switching to the trades: a guide for career changers

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 10, 2026

Two ways in: apprenticeship or trade school first

Apprenticeship. Most electricians and plumbers learn the trade through an apprenticeship that lasts 4 or 5 years. For each year, apprentices typically get about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training plus some technical (classroom) instruction, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) describes a Registered Apprenticeship as "paid work experience with a mentor," "progressive wage increases," classroom instruction and "a portable, nationally-recognized credential."

Trade school first. Some people start at a technical school. BLS says graduates of electrical programs "usually receive credit toward their apprenticeship." In HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), school often comes first: BLS says HVAC technicians typically need a postsecondary nondegree award (such as a certificate), from programs that "generally last from 6 months to 2 years," although some HVAC technicians train through an apprenticeship instead.

Either way, the license comes later. Most states require electricians to pass a test and be licensed, and most states require plumbers to be licensed. The hours, exams and fees differ by state: see the electrician, plumber and HVAC pages for your state's rules, and journeyman vs. master for how the levels work. [3][4][5][6]

Is there an age limit?

Not in the federal rules. The federal regulation for registered apprenticeship (29 CFR Part 29) defines an apprentice as "a worker at least 16 years of age, except where a higher minimum age standard is otherwise fixed by law." It sets a minimum starting age, not a maximum.

A separate rule, 29 CFR 30.3 (Code of Federal Regulations), makes it "unlawful for a sponsor of a registered apprenticeship program to discriminate against an apprentice or applicant for apprenticeship on the basis of" several traits, including "age (40 or older)."

Programs set their own minimum qualifications on top of the federal floor. For example, the Electrical Training Alliance lists these typical requirements for IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)/NECA joint apprenticeship programs (JATCs), run jointly by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union and the National Electrical Contractors Association: "Minimum age 18," a high school education, "One Year of High School Algebra," a qualifying score on an aptitude test, and drug free. Each local program "may have additional requirements." See apprenticeship aptitude tests for what the test covers. [1][2][7]

Credit for what you already know

Federal rules require every registered program's standards to address "the granting of advanced standing or credit for demonstrated competency, acquired experience, training, or skills for all applicants equally, with commensurate wages for any progression step so granted." In plain terms: if a program gives you credit for past training or experience, it has to offer the same deal to everyone and pay you at the matching step.

BLS notes that workers with electrical experience from the military or the construction industry "may qualify for a shortened apprenticeship based on their experience and testing." How much credit you get, if any, for a technical school course or past schoolwork is up to each program. Ask the program before you apply. [1][4]

The pay cut, and how apprentice pay rises

Career changers often start below their old salary. Under federal rules, every registered program must have "a progressively increasing schedule of wages to be paid to the apprentice consistent with the skill acquired." The starting wage "must not be less than the minimum wage prescribed by the Fair Labor Standards Act, where applicable," unless another law or a union contract requires more. Your apprenticeship agreement must state "the graduated scale of wages" and whether you are paid for classroom time.

For a sense of where the path leads, BLS reports these national median wages for May 2025 (half of workers earned more, half less):

• Electricians: $63,190 per year
• Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters: $63,800 per year
• HVAC mechanics and installers: $61,010 per year

Ask each program for its own wage schedule before you accept. For more on pay, see electrician salary and highest-paying trades. [1][4][5][6]

The physical side of the work

Know what the job asks of your body before you switch. BLS describes it this way:

• Electricians "occasionally work in cramped spaces," and "the long periods of standing and kneeling can be tiring." They may work outdoors in heat, cold and bad weather, and "may be required to work at great heights." Common injuries include "electrical shocks, falls, burns, and other minor injuries."
• Plumbers and pipefitters "lift heavy materials, climb ladders, and work in tight spaces," and outdoor work "in all types of weather" may be required. Common injuries include cuts, burns and "falls from ladders."
• HVAC technicians "often work in awkward or cramped spaces," and BLS says they "have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations," including burns and muscle strains from heavy equipment.

[4][5][6]

Job outlook

BLS projects all three trades to grow "much faster than the average for all occupations" from 2025 to 2035:

• Electricians: 9 percent growth, about 72,700 openings a year
• Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters: 7 percent growth, about 42,000 openings a year
• HVAC mechanics and installers: 11 percent growth, about 40,600 openings a year

BLS says many electrician openings "are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire." [4][5][6]

Pre-apprenticeship: a way to get ready

A pre-apprenticeship is a short program that prepares you to get into a registered apprenticeship. DOL says pre-apprenticeships "may last from a few weeks to a few months and may or may not include wages or stipend." They can help if you need to brush up on math, learn tool basics or get to know local programs before you apply.

Under federal workforce rules, training money from an American Job Center (an Individual Training Account, explained in paying for trade training) can be used for pre-apprenticeship training that leads into a registered apprenticeship. [8][9]

Programs for women and veterans

Women. The DOL Women's Bureau runs the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant program. It funds organizations that develop pre-apprenticeship and skills training for women, train employers and unions, and run support groups and networks. In 2025 it awarded $5 million to 7 community-based organizations, which DOL's page lists.

Veterans. If you qualify for the GI Bill, VA says you may get a monthly payment for living expenses while you train in an apprenticeship or on-the-job training program, in fields such as plumbing or "an electrical trade." Helmets to Hardhats, a nonprofit run jointly by labor and management, connects transitioning active-duty service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members with training and careers in construction, including registered apprenticeships. It says it has partnered with 15 international construction trade unions. [10][11][12]

First steps

• Pick a trade and read your state's rules. Start with the electrician, plumber, HVAC or general contractor page, then your state's page.
• Find programs near you. Search DOL's Apprenticeship Finder. For union electrical programs, use the Electrical Training Alliance's training center locator. Compare union and non-union routes and read about electrician apprenticeships.
• Check the entry requirements (age, diploma, algebra, aptitude test) and prepare for the test.
• Visit an American Job Center if you were laid off or need help paying for training. CareerOneStop, sponsored by DOL, has an American Job Center Finder; its page says nearly 2,300 centers "help people search for jobs, find training, and answer other employment-related questions."
• Ask about credit and pay before you sign: what prior training counts, and the program's wage schedule.

[7][13][14][15]

Questions people ask