Consider Carpentry

Why a great career path often gets overlooked and how employers can help change this

What does a career in carpentry entail? What should you expect when interviewing with different companies? Where could this career take you? Read on if you are interested in this path for your career or if you are a company trying to attract new talent and diversify your workforce.

Are you at a transitional moment in your life and trying to decide what comes next? Have you considered carpentry ? 

Here are a few quick qualifiers:

1. Do you like to work with your hands?

2. Are you okay with working outside and in weather?

3. Do you enjoy problem solving?

4. Does detailed work hold your interest?

5. Are you able to lift, carry and climb?

6. Do you like a job that changes daily?

7. Are you encouraged by seeing the physical results of the work you’ve done in a day?

If you answered yes to these questions, perhaps you should consider carpentry…

I started my own journey 6 years ago as an apprentice and have found exciting growth opportunities every day in this career. When I first joined Maine Passive House, I wanted to design buildings. I felt overwhelmed trying to understand how a set of plans could become a full-fledged structure.

I realized that I would need to know how to put the pieces together before I could draw something on the page. Building was the answer. I was 23 years old and had never once considered carpentry as a career path.

What is stopping people from joining the trades?

Academic Pressures

For a long time there was a lot of pressure on young folks to get a college degree right out of high school. It became the “respectable” path. A glorified one. Guidance counselors held meetings with stressed out juniors under pressure to accumulate Advanced Placement credits and submit 2-8 college applications by January. Standardized testing, extracurriculars and application fees all made college into an exclusive and expensive endeavor. Often, the stereotype was that technical and vocational training schools were for students who didn’t excel in the classroom. Many graduates enrolled in college as “Undeclared” and used their college experience to figure out where their interests lay. College is quite an expensive way to explore your options!

According to a report by ANGI Research & Economics, the age people enter the trades has shifted since 1980. It used to be that one third of tradespeople started their careers between the ages of 16-20 years old. Current polling shows that the dominant age group for entering the trades is now 25-30 years old. What is causing this shift?

You guessed it… college.

There are so many things to unpack here, the first being that many young people are choosing to wrack up significant debt to pursue “higher education” when the trades offer significant job satisfaction and higher than average pay of $55,000 per year. Nearly 85% of tradespeople describe their job as somewhat or very satisfying and the prevailing reason for that satisfaction is due to finding “meaning and value in the work.” 

I don’t want to discount some of the life skills and social development that I benefited from by living on campus and studying at a liberal arts college. However…

If I could tap my 17 year old self on the shoulder, I would say, “Hey, consider all your options, babe.”

There is a labor shortage in the skilled trades. National statistics show that 27% of skilled tradespeople are within 10 years of retirement. These are skills that keep the world moving forward. They were deemed “essential” during the early days of COVID-19 lockdowns. We need to disrupt the narrative that the trades are not a desirable path after high school.

I hope I can show you some ways this can feel like a successful and fulfilling career, but before we get there, let’s examine another common barrier to entry.

Diversity and the Trades

There is no need to beat around the bush here, carpentry and the trades in the United States are saturated with cis, white men. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a significant racial disparity in the construction industry. Systemic racism is a significant cause of this inequity tracing back to the structural inequalities this country was built upon as well as the unionization of the industry. The first strikes in the industry caused the formation of unions. People who could not afford to stop working during strikes were excluded from the negotiation table. Things are changing, but historically, the construction industry has not been a desirable place for people of color.

There is also significant gender disparity in the trades. The Maine Department of Labor reports that only 14% of construction workers are female, which is even lower than the national average of 18%. The proportion of women in construction has not improved much over the last four decades.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry has the second highest rate of sexual harassment in the country.

Hollywood depicts construction workers catcalling - a stereotype that holds some weight. It’s intimidating to enter a trade with such a toxic reputation. Furthermore, it can be quite hard to imagine yourself in an industry when you don’t have any role models that look like you.

But this is changing.

The way I see it…

I’m partial to beginning your career in the “green building” sector, especially if you’re the first one through the door. My own experience has been quite positive. I have a few theories, but this speculation is entirely anecdotal.

One theory is that these environmentally conscious builders are already open-minded and innovative, so hiring a “non-traditional” carpenter is done thoughtfully and intentionally. I also believe that the attention to detail required to preserve a continuous air barrier and various membranes on an energy efficient building can provide a critical task for people with little to no carpentry experience.

In my humble opinion, if you enter the trades today I recommend being selective about joining a company that cares for the planet and people as much as profit. My guess is you’ll have better support there.

None of this change happens in a bubble. By hiring women and people with different ethnic and racial backgrounds, the clients, subcontractors and vendors all have to adapt alongside the company. Even if the crew is ready to support this change, there are plenty of opportunities for unpleasant interactions, harassment and microaggressions in the community at large.

I highly recommend confirming that the organization you are working for is prepared to address issues internally and externally.

Chances are, if the company has a diverse crew, they have had to deal with a number of challenges before. However, it’s likely that if you are the first in the door they haven’t prepared fully for what that might mean. This is a critical topic to discuss with your potential future employer.

Questions to ask in your job search:

(Companies take note, consider asking yourselves these questions, too. Your answers might help you discover if you are truly prepared to support a crew member who diversifies your team.)

What to expect your first day:

Getting started in carpentry requires that you have a strong work ethic, curiosity, and a willingness to clean, tidy and perform menial labor when your mentor is otherwise occupied. It is absolutely critical that you check your ego at the door and come with initiative to keep yourself busy in a productive manner. It also requires that you are inquisitive and pursue your own development. Approach a supervisor or mentor when they are working on a project you want to learn more about. Spend time at home reading about the upcoming tasks. The more prepared you are each the day, the more you add to the team, and the faster you will progress.

A carpentry apprentice for residential construction is expected to learn basic jobsite etiquette, the sequencing of a construction project, maintaining cleanliness, safety and organization on site, and assisting with all carpentry tasks.

This role is meant to prepare someone to work independently as a carpenter performing tasks like framing, flashing for water, installing windows and doors, finish carpentry, decking, siding and trim. People who succeed in this role are motivated; they take initiative and look for ways to be helpful. They care about developing skills and learning the trade. In short, your attitude is everything.

Basic tools to bring on your first day:

1. Tool belt

2. Hammer

3. Speed square

4. Tape measure

5. Box cutter

6. Pencil

7. Sharpie

8. Cat’s Paw

Opportunities for growth within the industry:

After apprenticeship, people can continue on to become carpenters, specialized carpenters, Lead Carpenters, Project Managers, Site Supervisors, General Contractors, and building energy auditors. That’s just scratching the surface of the carpentry industry.

Basic requirements for most of these positions include:

• Math and problem solving abilities

• Intermediate English skills

• Ability to lift 50 lbs or more

• Work on your feet for 8-10 hours/day

• Inquisitive and driven

If you continue on into construction management some additional skills are required:

• Client management/communication

• Leadership skills

• Organizational skills

This field can offer steady benefits, career advancement, community relationships, interesting and challenging new opportunities, creativity, and good wages. It is a marketable skill anywhere in the world and it will serve you on your own personal projects.

There is a great need for people to enter the construction industry and learn the trades to carry on into the future. At this moment in history it is an employee’s market and I strongly recommend that you learn more about the companies you are interested in to make your selection based on common values and potential opportunities. The work that you do as a carpenter is physically rewarding and the buildings you construct will stand for decades to come, a testament to your impact on the built environment.

Take a moment. Consider carpentry!

Interested in hearing more?

Check out Anna’s feature on Fine Homebuilding’s “Keep Craft Alive” Podcast.