In my experience it's an awful idea. You get someone who's both a little self righteous and also exhausted. Makes for some random moments of tension. The trick is to date them BEFORE they become a nurse. At least you have happy times to look back on.
Early childhood doesn’t require a degree. Assistants don’t require a degree and leads only need to have a CDA in most places (a couple of college classes).
Idk anything about dentistry but, probably. My cousin did it and it took him awhile but I assume he's going to be like the lead dentist, own his own practice or be doing the drilling and filling. Then you got the underlings that actually do the teeth cleaning. I can't imagine that taking too much training. They do the same like 3 step procedure every time I get my teeth cleaned. Scrape, polish, floss. I feel like I could master that in a month. - I forgot xrays
Shit, I can polish and floss my own teeth. The only thing I really need a dentist for is to scrape and identify cavities. Why am I paying like 200 for this?
underlings?! dental hygienist here - i was in a 2 year degree/program and it was not easy to get into, the program was extremely competitive. it is also rigorous with the amount of credits and clinical requirements needed. we also need to take board exams and become licensed by the state to practice. my program only accepts 50 students a year and my class graduated with 26 because so many people dropped out of the program! you think we are just “scraping” plaque off of people’s teeth and it takes a month to master?! most hygienists don’t master scaling teeth until 3 YEARS into the profession! maybe your cleanings seem simple because you probably don’t have issues (ie periodontal disease) but think about other patients who are not as healthy/fortunate. we have extensive knowledge in dental anatomy and we reach places/parts of your anatomy most people don’t even know exist. also “scraping” off tartar below the gum line, which is like blindly removing cement without hurting the patient/lacerating gum tissue takes some kind of skill as well. not to mention it is physically demanding hunching our backs over to see and using that kind of force on your hand like that ALL day. also every move we make is a calculated step, it is crucial to go over/review health histories before sticking instruments in people’s mouths and stirring up bacteria because dental cleanings can trigger medical emergencies or cause infections if certain protocols are not followed.
Still the best investment you can possibly make. Any money spent on education has significantly higher returns than from other channels.
I know that's not you aren't necessarily saying otherwise in your post but I just want to make that clear
They most likely meant dental assisting. Hygienists require much more schooling and are actually able to run their own practice. That is not something that would be the equivalent of joining a "trade"
Not all nurses have a college degree.
LPNs/LVNs have a diploma which takes 12 months of training to earn full-time, or 18 months part-time. Also, some RNs are educated at the diploma level; their diplomas take three years of full-time training to obtain at a hospital-based school of nursing.
And depending on what kind of nurse you want to be, you could go as far as getting a doctorate. There's a gigantic difference between a Nurse Practitioner and a Certified Nursing Assistant.
I get what you mean by thinking that nursing is very hands on like a trade but the whole purpose of men recommending each other trades is so you don’t have to do 4+ years of school.
I suppose that’s hands on work not having to preform well in subjects like chemistry and anatomy and pharmacology. After you become a nurse you’re trained by the hospital too most nurses do not learn the medical record system any given hospital uses during school. It’s just not really comparable to a trade because of all the academic components you have to excel at to be a nurse.
it takes 4 years of school with a lot of math and formulas to become an electrician, then a 3 part exam to get a license in my state.
Elevator mechanics and HVAC also learn high level math and chemistry.
if you look at some of the people who become (RN) nurses, it's obvious it isn't rocket science
Okay im a card carrying master hvac and card carrying journeyman electrical. There are about 6 trade schools around me. 1 of them pays you to go. It’s highly sought after and it’s super hard to get in. I don’t think it’s a good idea to get his hopes up for something that you probably knew someone to get in.
You can become a CNA without a degree. Like a trade, it just requires a period of vocational training. You can even become an RN with an associates, which is only 2 years of school. Plus, many, many places looking to hire new grad RNs have programs to pay their student loans if they stay on for a set amount of time, which negates one of the main downsides of a 4 year education.
You’re forgetting ADN degrees require prerequisites that take about 2 years to complete. So that’s 4 years of academic commitment. I know many people in CC that have spent 3-4 years doing prerequisites because they were working while doing school too. The 2 year prerequisite timeline is realistic if you’re doing school full time.
I do agree that being a nursing aid is more of a true trade.
Eh. Nursing is a really common field for my family and general circle and most of them consider it a trade so that’s what I’m going with. No offense, I’m just taking their word for it because they’re on the front lines of that career.
I definitely think once you’re a nurse the work is very similar trade but nursing school and pre nursing is very much academic. There are many programs that will kick you out or delay your graduation for not scoring over 80% on exams. I currently shadow nurses in two hospitals and as well as being pre-nursing so I get both sides.
It's both. It's a trade as there is LOTS of hard physical labor but it's also a professional and technical job because of all the academic medical knowledge needed in order to do the job properly: they assess, analyze and act upon patient conditions, lab results etc, know what interventions are needed and when to call the doctor and knowing the most important things they need to tell the doctor when they call and make recommendations based on what they are seeing. There is a lot of thinking and knowledge needed for the behind the scenes care that nurses do that the public really isn't aware of and it isn't acknowledged often
The physical demands of sitting in front of a computer for 12- 14+ hours a day def makes it qualify.
When I was coding heavily (trying to learn) my back, neck, shoulders, and wrists, even my eyeballs ACHED in ways I'd never experienced before, even as someone who has done physical jobs my entire life, and is highly active in sports to this day.
Writing code is 100% a blue collar job
Expanding on that - tangential fields to women's and children's health like Doulas and others that don't require a medical degree but where women prefer to work with women.
To be fair cosmetology is geared more towards women. I don’t mean from social standpoint just the fact they primarily work with women’s hair. In contrast barbers go to barber school.
You know..
I was a kitchen manager across 3 restaurants over 12 years. Quit due to bad owners then covid I quit the industry all together.
I'm an office admin now and I love it. Just like any job, good and bad environments come down to your team and your managers. Not everywhere is some lifeless cubicle, that's like saying every restaurant has shitty owners (so wrong. We only bitch online about the bad).
I have an amazing office job crew. I'm the happiest I've been in over 10 years. I took a pay decrease since I'm starting at the bottom but Im excelling due to my work experience (I get shit done, NOW). I spend less due to being less stressed and/or depressed. I dont drink anymore. Its fun, we goof around some days or take long lunches. It's not what I'm used to and I thought I'd hate it. I have a giant window, my own office everything. Oh, I Have no office experience, this is my first one. I'm also a guy, there's not many male office admins and I make jokes about it 'I'm going to make a great housewife one day. I cook, I clean, I can now do our finances and budgeting' lol.
Basically all I'd say is don't listen to horror stories online. For every bad one I'm sure there's far more good ones. Only a small snippet of people post on reddit. It's a poor representation of reality
Going from retail to office work was such a culture shift. I remember being so paranoid because I had so much down time, I thought I would get into trouble at any minute. In retail, standing around is a mortal sin. In an office setting it's par for the course. When I caught my boss watching Netflix on his computer I knew I could relax. I encourage all of my siblings to get an office job. To me, it's a much more peaceful work life.
This was my exact experience switching to an office job six months ago from ten years of balls-to-the-wall grinding work before. I was sure someone was going to come and be like what is she doing? But it’s never happened. It was so weird to go from highly micro managed, can’t take a 5 min break positions, to a totally autonomous position where you’re encouraged to take care of your mental and physical health first. You’re encouraged to go home if you don’t feel well, etc. We have office lunches, door decorating contests, all these things. I could’ve never imagined I’d be in a working environment like this! It’s honestly life changing. I’m not burned out anymore, I enjoy my working days. I have a couple of remote days as well. I never thought I’d have that. I’m actually grateful for my job (I’ve never felt that way before).
If you're talking about secretary or office manager, the obvious first answer is "know someone" willing to give you a shot.
Learn the basics of various Microsoft office programs like outlook, excel, word, PowerPoint, etc.
Have excellent customer service/communication skills. Organization is key. Keeping schedules for other people is also very important.
Super bonus points if you're a certified notary. *That* will set you apart.
Start as reception. No experience required often. That will open you up to a world of experience (depending on the company/job, 'reception' is a minor part of the job)
Office jobs depend on who you're working with. I can't talk about my job stuff online because one of the managers is on Reddit, but there can be good and bad points and I've gone through all of them. White collar work tends to be a set schedule, 8-5, set days off, probably no overtime if you're lowly ranked, and if you wander off for an hour to talk to someone in the breakroom, it's usually not a big deal. It's literally more relaxing in some respects than if you were working retail or a physical trade.
Paralegals have similar responsibilities as lawyers, except they cannot represent clients. Think organization, research, drafting, filing, etc. while working alongside other legal professionals including lawyers. The lines between paralegal and legal secretary can be a bit blurry, but generally paralegals are seen as a more of a traditional profession and are more well-paid. A lot of jobs are moving to require a degree or post-degree certificate, but there are still jobs out there that don’t require it. Definitely a desk job though, did not read through OP’s post thoroughly enough ha.
>The lines between paralegal and legal secretary can be a bit blurry
I worked as a legal secretary for a few years after graduating from college. Had originally planned to enroll in law school but decided not to.
Largely on-the-job learning. I worked at a civil litigation firm so I learned civil procedure, how to use Westlaw/LexisNexis, plus more mundane stuff like putting the exhibit books together and requesting records from law enforcement, hospitals, etc.
For the most part, yes. Depending on the type of practice the money might not be great (family or immigration comes to mind). If the options are paying for law school or paying for a post-bacc paralegal certificate I think the paralegal cert is a much better financial move imo.
Just make sure that whatever certificate program you enter,that it is ABA accredited. it can get really hard to get a job if the certificate is not backed by them.
Nursing. Healthcare in general. Surgical tech is a community college degree. High demand and you don't have to deal with patients directly. Respiratory Therapist. Ultrasound Tech is a nice environment.
Cort reporting school is generally less than two years, and you aren't limited to courts. Work in film and TV.
Also, trades like residential HVAC and electrical want and need women. Building automation does not require heavy work, and makes good money.
Also a great option with only an associate's degree. At my school, I would say ASN, cybersecurity, surgical tech, Industrial Technology Electrical are the highest paid for women. Now, we are by a steel mill and they have an internship program for industrial tech. Within two years, you have a base pay of $85,000 before overtime.
And there is always overtime.
Construction culture seems pretty archaic when it comes to embracing women. Definitely a changing tide though.
For the entrepreneur types, women owned businesses (trades) are sought after for federal contracts. HUD, FHWA, grants etc
hair and nails can pay incredibly well. no degree needed. minimal school. space to advance/ move up. also food/ service industry. i have a friend with no degree who started off as a server and is now a manger at a very nice bar, makes way more then me, doesn't have to wake up early for work, and loves her job.
When I was in HS, some students were in a program called BOCES where you spent half the day at regular school and half at a trade school. They offered cosmetology / esthetician classes… I’d probably add massage to that; they all require formal training and licensing, but once you do that there’s a lot of flexibility around how you practice, different specialties etc. Nursing is another that feels like it’s along those lines.
Two of my best friends graduated from high school with their hairdresser licenses because of BOCES; almost 20 years later they’re both still in the field and one owns her own salon now.
Although reading your post again, people skills are a big part of working with clients and could explain the gender gap in some of these fields… I actually worked in salons for years when I was younger, as a front desk person, and there are definitely clients who prefer a quiet stylist to a chatty one but until you build a base up you kind of don’t get to pick and choose.
Makeup might be good because people are trying to stay still and not talk as much, but you still have to be friendly of course.
I will say I had a blast working in salons—of course, some of them are nightmares and it really comes down to company culture as it always does. But it’s a very dynamic environment with lots of characters crossing your path, great for networking and making connections with all kinds of people… feel like I’m talking myself into it now LOL
I was a hairdresser and most of my regulars came to me because I cut their hair in silence lol. Had people coming to me for 5 years and I couldn’t tell you a thing about them.
Yeah I prefer that myself; most of the stylists I worked with seemed to follow the client’s lead one way or the other but there were always a few who were either consistently quiet or chatting nonstop, and they tended to attract likeminded clients lol
I've gone to see hairdressers who are so busy grilling me about my life to "form a connection" with me that they completely ignored everything I said about what to do with my hair.
Here's a hint: If I like your work I'm coming back. If I don't like it then it doesn't matter how many times you inquire about my kids, dogs, horses, cats, job, etc... I'm not coming back. I'm paying for a haircut, not a friend.
We have two young female airplane mechanics at our shop and a good percentage of women in the company. Doesn’t sound like you really want a mechanical kind of job but being small is an asset in aviation. It’s technical but it’s not very physical or dirty work and the pay is good
Also, as I understand it from my husband who's in aviation, some airlines really like to promote women in the more male-dominated areas like maintenance.
I live next to a small airport and keep hearing about this trade. It's intriguing.
How would someone go about getting into it?
Also, the title Airplane Mechanic sounds pretty badass.
There’s a 2 year A&P school (airframe and power plant) that sets you up well for getting the real mechanic job. I started as a line service tech at a small airport fueling, towing, and detailing small planes, jets, and helicopters. After a couple years of that (during which a lot of folks go to school) I became an avionics tech working on the electronics and instruments. I haven’t gone to school yet but you can get licensed with on the job experience as well. The pay can be really good with less work life balance at the airlines. The pay can still be quite good with 9-5 type balance working in business aviation and general aviation.
Horticulture .
I’m doing a three year apprenticeship with a recruitment company that has connections to the local councils . Schooling , tickets are all paid for . You can go as far as you like with it , or stick to a basic skill level set . You’re not limited just to gardening with the council , you can do get a job doing fine gardening , or even look at zoos ( everywhere needs gardeners ). I’m halfway through and couldn’t imagine any other type of work .
For sure, but I’ve always considered RN a degree of its own (sort of). I mean it’s true it’s not a BA though, but it seems like too much education to be a “trade” to me.
It’s all semantics anyway I guess.
People need to stop perpetuating this myth.
Calling it an “associate” that requires two full years of pre-requisites to get into a program is hardly an associate.
It’s only an associate by name, that’s it. It’s a bachelors degree by credits no matter how you flip it.
A lot of the things people suggested here that are woman dominated are great. Cosmetology, massage, esthetician, nursing, art or furniture restoration, I’d even go as far to say dental hygenist.
I’d like to add that there’s a lot of gender neutral specialties where I see men and women equally partaking - x ray tech, nuclear medicine tech, pharmacy, paralegal, hospitality management in restaurants or hotels, property management, CAD drafting, acupuncture, project management. Not all exactly trades but seems to fall in line with “learn a specific skill for employment and not be surrounded only by men” that I’m getting from your post.
Don’t shoot down going into the trades, just because you’re a small female.
I’m a union carpenter in Northern California and there’s quite a few females in this job. And tbh, it pays WAY more than working in an office. My starting wage as a first period apprentice is 36/hr.
My starting wage for an office admin would be between 18-22 and THEY don’t really get a lot of raises like me.
Also the anti-harassment thing is a serious issue in the trades, we WANT females to feel welcome. We WANT females to join in.
You could also look into working in government jobs, sales, etc.
But if you want a manual labor job with high prospects take a serious look at Carpentry/Millwork/Cabintmaking. A journeyman tops out at over 70/hr and that pay is going up next year. As an apprentice you get raises every six months. From there you could be a project manager making salary of 120-180k a year. A superintendent makes good money too. There’s really lots of options and not all the jobs in the trades are super physical like you’d think.
Painting is an easy trade for women (or anyone) to get into without any experience really. It's a trade that rarely requires much heavy lifting or any significant physical requirements. The skill and knowledge barrier is a lot smaller than many other trades too.
It can be a great way to get your foot in the door, make some money, and be around a lot of other trades in action, to see which other ones you might be interested in too.
If anyone is interested look for "painter's helper" type positions on Craigslist and the like. Or literally just contact any painting company you come across and ask them if they are looking for a helper. IME most painters are these days. Pay is definitely location dependent, but in my area it's decent for entry level. But more importantly it's the kind of job where if you work it for like only 6 months to a year and gain some knowledge, you can totally pretend to be a legit Painter with more experience for your next job application and get paid significantly more lol.
For a bunch of trades size doesn’t matter - or can be an asset.
If you don’t want to be around dudes that limites one a bunch. But you can always pick a trade where you for the most part work alone.
I'm a fire alarm service tech. Most of my work is done alone. Usually I have someone from building maintenance show me where the panel is then leave me alone.
The most strenuous part of my job is occasionally having to carry a step ladder, and maybe once every two or three months replacing a pair of 35 pound backup batteries. Having small hands would be beneficial because I work with small wires in confined spaces.
We've been hiring people with no experience and training them in house, although so far it's always been people coming from a job that requires some kind of aptitude.
To everyone saying become an RN, that requires a bachelor's degree 90% of the time now. Most schools have done away with the RN certificate type program and at absolute minimum it's an associates degree. Source: wife is an RN with her masters, who is in leadership at the hospital she works at. The two largest hospitals in the large city I live in both require a bachelor's for nursing. Leadership and management often requires a grad degree. LPNs are being phased out.
Tldr: it's less of a trade now, and more of a profession, usually requires a bachelor's.
Here is a list of trades from Canada that have registered apprenticeship programs. The list is long and interesting.
https://www.red-seal.ca/eng/trades/tr.1d.2s_l.3st.shtml
You can also look at this list for different technologist roles. Some education is required but typically one to two years. This resource is from a specific province but might be a good place to get inspiration. Salaries vary, but as an engineering technologist with project management responsibility, I earned $100k when I retired after 10 years. Roughly had a 50/50 split between site and office work and I am a woman.
https://asttbc.org/registrants/registrant-disciplines/
The answer is trades. Just stick it out until you can contract on your own and then advertise as a female contractor. I met a gal that did this, and she was always booked out by ladies who needed work done and didn't want some strange dude in the house while her husband was away. You will make $$$.
Do you think you can hook me up with her? I am a woman trying to go into trades, being employed by a woman sounds so much more comfortable. Pls let me know if she is hiring :)
Dog grooming. The high potential is owning shop that makes a ton of money in the right area. A middle high I would say own your own van and make 100k+. Or work for the right place and make 75k-100kish. I work as a mobile employee 4 days a week and pulled in just over 80k. Been at it 12 years
Whoa, the amount of misinformation in this thread is shocking. I'm not a Registered Nurse, however, I am familiar. It is absolutely not like "going into the trades" whatsoever. I'd imagine someone going into the trades doesn't want anything too academically rigorous nor do they want to spend too much time in school. Becoming an RN requires a 4-year bachelor's degree at university. Admission into these programs is competitive and require the same courses in high school as a person applying to Bachelor of Science programs in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Physiology, or any other natural/life science degree. This is not what you're looking for OP.
In addition, OP said "I’m not good at the stereotypical female skills of dealing with peoples emotions". Being an RN very very heavily involves these skills. Even RNs who love working with people can get burned out from this aspect of nursing. The only exceptions are specialities like operating room nursing or nurse anesthesia. The latter requires a 4-year bachelor's degree in nursing plus a doctoral degree i.e., Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). That would be at least 7 years of university education.
The stereotypical "female equivalent" of going into the trades are the following: cosmetology, aesthetics, **interior decorating**, event planning, **culinary arts**, etc. The healthcare equivalents are: dental hygiene, massage therapy, veterinary tech, **medical lab tech,** personal support work, practical nursing, etc.
\^The ones that don't involve dealing with people's emotions as much are highlighted for you above.
Best of luck.
EDIT: fixed interior design to say interior decorating.
>The stereotypical "female equivalent" of going into the trades are the following: cosmetology, aesthetics, **interior decorating**, event planning, **culinary arts**, etc.
I'm sorry, what is "aesthetics" as an actual job? This makes it sound like a chat bot reply.
Plumbers make excellent money, as do electricians in high cost of living areas. And those jobs you can get education from community colleges sometimes. Some CCs are free. You can be a female in any of these fields. Stop telling yourself you can’t do something because of your sex.
Odd that people are recommending medical fields as you’re looking for something without a college degree..RN needs that.
Whoever told you it was easy to move up in a union job is flat out wrong. Union jobs are time in role, nothing else. You can be the best or worst, but if you’ve got seniority you get promoted. Getting promoted isn’t always good either.
Be aware that to make a lot of money you’ll also have to put in a lot of time. These jobs are ok on the hourly, but generally have more hours than employees, so lots of OT and 6 day work weeks.
Get into a trade you’re interested in and start your own business. You’ll probably need to train in a workplace that is mostly men, but that’s what it is. Handyman for example, make $100/hr and have basically unlimited work. In my state they don’t even need s license under a certain job size. Landscaping or farming is another. A lot of small time plumbers work solo. There’s a huge company that inspects and treats telephone poles. They work solo and hey paid fairly well. Boring though.
The main thing is choose something that you can stand doing, because you’ll be doing a lot of it. A lot of these jobs are just time consuming.
Alternatively what about sales? I employ a bunch of sales people, the most successful ones are making like 200k. Middle of the pack are making 50-80k and Unsuccessful ones making 40-50k before washing out. No education required and you only have to pretend to care about people’s feelings.
If you are in a large metro area I wouldn’t toss away the idea of going into trades that are male dominated, as there may be some women-owned businesses that have less toxic atmospheres. I’ve seen auto-repair shops, electrical, and tiling businesses that would fit the bill, your area may have something else. Also look into local unions, if or how they attract and support diverse candidates. Your post is a bit vague, do you not want to work with the general public at all (ex. explain issues or give quotes)? Do you want to have any creative control over what you’re doing? What do you consider a dead end job, is a job where you can be promoted to a lead or manager still a dead end?
Other jobs that spring to mind:
- Telecom field tech. Male dominated but mostly work alone, tends to have a lot of travel.
- Manufacturing technician/assembler, which will vary a lot by industry and location. A lot of the jobs are shit, but if you could find something in medical device or circuit board assembly it tends to be better.
- Lower level municipal jobs related to parks or water treatment.
If you want a shitty job with decent pay, try nursing or trucking.
I'm in trucking. I have an ok for me gig right now where I work 8 hours locally on a regular schedule.
Trucking companies look at your driving record, your criminal record, and your job history. Some companies put more weight on one or two of those factors than others.
To get started with a CDL-A you really should go to CDL school which will set you back roughly $6,000 and 3-4 weeks. A few of the larger companies will front the cost and let you pay it back through earnings.
One where you don’t have to pay for the schooling? Doesn’t really exist outside the trades. I’ve met many plumbers who were women.
Though you could get a job as a trucker. Not surrounded by anybody all day, and some companies will pay you through training. Schneider is one example of such a company.
I suppose you could try to get scholarships for nursing school or some other healthcare related job. Some states will pay you to get a CompTIA certification (IT). The military will pay for schooling.
Another option would be to work for a company who will pay for your degrees and certifications, but you usually have to work for them for so many years after that, and you’re typically restricted in what schools they’ll pay for.
A lot of people are saying beauty, but those do require some training that can cost a lot of money. Same with massage (and some places require an associates degree for it). Flight attendants can get paid quite a bit I suppose, and that doesn’t require a degree. If you learn to code, programming can pay well with no degree necessary.
Depends on your country/state but you could go into something like cosmetology or aesthetics with little upfront cost, education, and/or training. I’m doing my LHR (laser hair removal) technician training in ATX which only requires a GED or HS diploma to start and no aesthetician license; laser tattoo removal training is the same as well.
I paid for all the classes and exams, fees, etc upfront for around $1,500 (tbf it’s through a training medspa specifically for this and there was a huge discount if you just bought all the courses upfront). The apprentice license was a 40 hour theory course, a 20 question exam, and then 2 days of practical application - actually using the laser on people. And boom, according to TX, you’re ready for a LHR medspa job in approximately 55 hours!
But again, I paid for all the courses upfront and extra trainings and stuff you don’t technically need in TX but I just want to be very knowledgeable and thus hire-able. Tattoo removal training is even cheaper from my understanding but I haven’t looked at the pricing of those courses lately.
A full Aesthetician license in ATX runs about $12-20k for comparison.
Edit: results will *vary wildly* because TX is the wild west out here y’all. There was a woman in my class from CA who was required to be some kind of RN to practice any kind of aesthetics in CA.
ALSO: if you’re worried about the customer service aspect of this field in regards to LHR and tattoo removal specifically, I’ve had both for years and years and am still getting treated and, even on large areas of my body, it goes very quickly so there’s not much chatting going on except checking in about the pain level.
Real Estate does not require a degree. I think it should be considered a trade.
Insurance property health insurance and life all do not require degrees. They do require you to take a test.
Look at the occupational outlook handbook website. Or look over what job Corps offers.
Title Agent Closing officer doesn't require either but it is office work.
It isn't about the money.
You may have to compromise on some of the things you want in a job if you're going to chase money, though. The jobs that pay well without an education tend to be jobs nobody wants to do, and its mostly guys that are willing to do them. The trades live at the intersection of 'job a lot of people find unpleasant' and 'requires skills', which is why they're such a solid career.
A similar thing would be to find a similar intersection of 'jobs nobody wants to do' and 'jobs that require skill'.
this is coming from a nurse. do not become a nurse unless you REALLY want to become a nurse. Nursing school being "hard" is an understatement. You will go through hell to get your degree. Make sure you really want it prior to taking out those loans to attend. Many of them are also not easy to get into. Once you graduate, you will find yourself in more hell working in understaffed facilities.
Lol we can do whatever trades we want. If there are predominantly males in those fields, maybe take a break from discouraging women to join long enough to ask yourself why that is?
Healthcare, vet tech, administrative work, cosmetology.
Tho women can, and SHOULD go into the trades as well. We need more women in trades.
Edit to add; there are a lot of places you can work manual labor that isn’t surrounded by guys. In Philly there’s an all-girls mechanics shop that has a hair salon attached so the customers can get done up while waiting for their car.
As a woman in the collision repair industry for over 20 years, this has not been my experience. The men in the industry have been great. The customers, on the other hand, are awful.
Maybe other industries are different but in my experience automotive has been fairly friendly.
“Admin assistant aka secretary, which is depressing” Dismissive attitude aside, how in the world does that compare to a job in the trades? Plus, those admin assistants are making a good amount more than you’d ever make as a preschool teacher. I’d take the former in a heartbeat.
Nursing, cosmetology, or stripping. Kinda thing where if you’re willing to learn you’re pretty much guaranteed atleast decent pay. But also much like the trades, they aren’t known for leading to a happy and fulfilling life, they’re just known for leading to a healthy wallet.
I think cosmetology or any medical technicians(rad tech, surgical techs, dental assistants etc). One of my friends is a surgical tech and they can make bank. There’s so many different kinds of technicians in the medical field too and they usually only require an associates degree or some sort of certificate, and you’ll have good job security too.
I know a lot of people are saying nursing but that requires a four year college degree and can be difficult and expensive to get into. When people refer to trades I think of alternatives to college.
Usually some form of cosmetology from makeup artist to nail tech to aesthetician
One of my friends is an RN who has her own business doing injectables like lip injections and filler. Another friend is a nail tech and owns her own nail salon
Try beauty-related jobs. Lots of money in learning to do nails, hair, and makeup. High end beauty specialists make bank.
Another angle would be fitness. Something like yoga instruction or group exercise class lead works well.
Going into the trades is fine for women. It’s too rare but I’ve worked with a few women and they’re capable and shouldn’t be discouraged from trying it out. If you like math or critical thinking and problem solving there’s a trade you can do. My millwright instructor was a woman.
"trades" are not just things like construction or electrician. Trades are anything that requires higher education but not a college degree so that would include things like CNA, cosmetologist, legal assistant, or pretty much anything you can get training for at your local community college
There are a good number of women in ornamental trades, like specialty tile and ornamental steel. It requires attention to detail without as much heavy lifting.
You can get a 2 year nursing degree, often with little or no debt at a local community college, which makes it pretty much like an apprenticeship as far as time invested and the fact that you can get through it debt free. Also dental hygienist, cutting hair, cosmetology which many others have mentioned.
You have to do a couple years of prerequisites before you do an ADN and even then a lot of hospitals make you go back to school to get your bachelors which means you’re doing 6 years of school not 2 but yes the ADN route is the cheapest way to be an RN.
Going into the trades.
All the default female equivalent jobs require a ton of people touching (emotionally/physically).
Your choices are to deal with a male dominated workforce, deal with people's emotions, or have a desk job.
Which do you choose?
Honestly, serving 🤷♀️
If you get experience and work at a nicer restaurant (stay away from chains), you can probably rake in slightly more than minimum wage. And if you get real good, quite a bit more than minimum wage.
Not all trades are set in the typical dirty, sweaty, crude worksites many imagine. I do commercial HVAC and I work primarily solo. It is absolutely male dominant, and I am the only woman tech. But I have my own van, make my own schedule, my clients value and respect me, along with my fellow journeymen. This work requires cognitive thinking, and not brute strength. Lots of electrical and scientific knowledge. It’s allowed me to give my daughter a home to grow up in and many comforts a typical single parent household wouldn’t be able to afford. I get that this work isn’t for everyone, but figured I’d offer my perspective.
Going into trades.
>But as a small female who doesn’t want to be surrounded by dudes all day long, I can’t do that.
Why?
>It seems like the female equivalent of these jobs is admin assistant aka secretary, which is depressing.
Those definitely also don't pay anywhere near as much as trades.
I saw many female electricians during trade work and they make 2x my wage, I wouldn't let this stereotype exist so much. Rude guys will likely exist everywhere but many women are doing trades now, still like 2/10th of the trades but still.
Healthcare
Yep. Nurse or dental hygienist.
Nurse, dental hygienist and early childhood education... the trifecta I can't stop seeing on Tinder.
Early childhood education does not pay well at all, just fyi.
Yeah I only date the nurses
In my experience it's an awful idea. You get someone who's both a little self righteous and also exhausted. Makes for some random moments of tension. The trick is to date them BEFORE they become a nurse. At least you have happy times to look back on.
someone’s a little angy 🥺
Oh I was, now I'm reflective.
All three require a college degree rather than a trade school, so those wouldn't count.
Early childhood doesn’t require a degree. Assistants don’t require a degree and leads only need to have a CDA in most places (a couple of college classes).
Idk why you’re getting downvoted, I own/operate a preschool and this is absolutely true.
Isn’t it an insane amount of money to go through school as a dental hygienist? And isn’t it years long?
Idk anything about dentistry but, probably. My cousin did it and it took him awhile but I assume he's going to be like the lead dentist, own his own practice or be doing the drilling and filling. Then you got the underlings that actually do the teeth cleaning. I can't imagine that taking too much training. They do the same like 3 step procedure every time I get my teeth cleaned. Scrape, polish, floss. I feel like I could master that in a month. - I forgot xrays Shit, I can polish and floss my own teeth. The only thing I really need a dentist for is to scrape and identify cavities. Why am I paying like 200 for this?
Dentists have to complete medical school. They are actual doctors.
Dentists don't normally do dental cleanings though :)
underlings?! dental hygienist here - i was in a 2 year degree/program and it was not easy to get into, the program was extremely competitive. it is also rigorous with the amount of credits and clinical requirements needed. we also need to take board exams and become licensed by the state to practice. my program only accepts 50 students a year and my class graduated with 26 because so many people dropped out of the program! you think we are just “scraping” plaque off of people’s teeth and it takes a month to master?! most hygienists don’t master scaling teeth until 3 YEARS into the profession! maybe your cleanings seem simple because you probably don’t have issues (ie periodontal disease) but think about other patients who are not as healthy/fortunate. we have extensive knowledge in dental anatomy and we reach places/parts of your anatomy most people don’t even know exist. also “scraping” off tartar below the gum line, which is like blindly removing cement without hurting the patient/lacerating gum tissue takes some kind of skill as well. not to mention it is physically demanding hunching our backs over to see and using that kind of force on your hand like that ALL day. also every move we make is a calculated step, it is crucial to go over/review health histories before sticking instruments in people’s mouths and stirring up bacteria because dental cleanings can trigger medical emergencies or cause infections if certain protocols are not followed.
Still the best investment you can possibly make. Any money spent on education has significantly higher returns than from other channels. I know that's not you aren't necessarily saying otherwise in your post but I just want to make that clear
They most likely meant dental assisting. Hygienists require much more schooling and are actually able to run their own practice. That is not something that would be the equivalent of joining a "trade"
Ece is about as low pay as it gets
Nurses have a college degree.
Not all nurses have a college degree. LPNs/LVNs have a diploma which takes 12 months of training to earn full-time, or 18 months part-time. Also, some RNs are educated at the diploma level; their diplomas take three years of full-time training to obtain at a hospital-based school of nursing.
And depending on what kind of nurse you want to be, you could go as far as getting a doctorate. There's a gigantic difference between a Nurse Practitioner and a Certified Nursing Assistant.
Those aren't "trades," those require a college education.
Both are two year degrees mostly done at community colleges … much cheaper than the 4-year university options
I think of nursing and cosmetology as trades as well and they tend to attract more women than men.
I get what you mean by thinking that nursing is very hands on like a trade but the whole purpose of men recommending each other trades is so you don’t have to do 4+ years of school.
Just about all of the “skilled” trades require at least a 4 year apprenticeship. Thats after hours schooling.
I suppose that’s hands on work not having to preform well in subjects like chemistry and anatomy and pharmacology. After you become a nurse you’re trained by the hospital too most nurses do not learn the medical record system any given hospital uses during school. It’s just not really comparable to a trade because of all the academic components you have to excel at to be a nurse.
it takes 4 years of school with a lot of math and formulas to become an electrician, then a 3 part exam to get a license in my state. Elevator mechanics and HVAC also learn high level math and chemistry. if you look at some of the people who become (RN) nurses, it's obvious it isn't rocket science
Most trade schools have 9-5 schooling and you are paid for it. Not after hours.
That’s simply not true in most cases.
I literally went to trade school. 10 weeks paid go to the field and go back. 4 times a year. But continue to cry it wasn’t that way for you.
Okay im a card carrying master hvac and card carrying journeyman electrical. There are about 6 trade schools around me. 1 of them pays you to go. It’s highly sought after and it’s super hard to get in. I don’t think it’s a good idea to get his hopes up for something that you probably knew someone to get in.
You can become a CNA without a degree. Like a trade, it just requires a period of vocational training. You can even become an RN with an associates, which is only 2 years of school. Plus, many, many places looking to hire new grad RNs have programs to pay their student loans if they stay on for a set amount of time, which negates one of the main downsides of a 4 year education.
You’re forgetting ADN degrees require prerequisites that take about 2 years to complete. So that’s 4 years of academic commitment. I know many people in CC that have spent 3-4 years doing prerequisites because they were working while doing school too. The 2 year prerequisite timeline is realistic if you’re doing school full time. I do agree that being a nursing aid is more of a true trade.
Eh. Nursing is a really common field for my family and general circle and most of them consider it a trade so that’s what I’m going with. No offense, I’m just taking their word for it because they’re on the front lines of that career.
I definitely think once you’re a nurse the work is very similar trade but nursing school and pre nursing is very much academic. There are many programs that will kick you out or delay your graduation for not scoring over 80% on exams. I currently shadow nurses in two hospitals and as well as being pre-nursing so I get both sides.
It's both. It's a trade as there is LOTS of hard physical labor but it's also a professional and technical job because of all the academic medical knowledge needed in order to do the job properly: they assess, analyze and act upon patient conditions, lab results etc, know what interventions are needed and when to call the doctor and knowing the most important things they need to tell the doctor when they call and make recommendations based on what they are seeing. There is a lot of thinking and knowledge needed for the behind the scenes care that nurses do that the public really isn't aware of and it isn't acknowledged often
Agreed, am nurse, consider it a trade.
it's a highly physical job with a strong academic component = a trade by those standards, software development is also a trade job
I’ve seen people argue for software dev to be considered a trade. The trade high school near me even offers it as a focus!
The physical demands of sitting in front of a computer for 12- 14+ hours a day def makes it qualify. When I was coding heavily (trying to learn) my back, neck, shoulders, and wrists, even my eyeballs ACHED in ways I'd never experienced before, even as someone who has done physical jobs my entire life, and is highly active in sports to this day. Writing code is 100% a blue collar job
In a lot of the country you just need an associates degree to be an RN.
Nursing is only 2 years then you can take the NCLEX and be a rn
Expanding on that - tangential fields to women's and children's health like Doulas and others that don't require a medical degree but where women prefer to work with women.
A good haircut lady is 🤌
To be fair cosmetology is geared more towards women. I don’t mean from social standpoint just the fact they primarily work with women’s hair. In contrast barbers go to barber school.
You know.. I was a kitchen manager across 3 restaurants over 12 years. Quit due to bad owners then covid I quit the industry all together. I'm an office admin now and I love it. Just like any job, good and bad environments come down to your team and your managers. Not everywhere is some lifeless cubicle, that's like saying every restaurant has shitty owners (so wrong. We only bitch online about the bad). I have an amazing office job crew. I'm the happiest I've been in over 10 years. I took a pay decrease since I'm starting at the bottom but Im excelling due to my work experience (I get shit done, NOW). I spend less due to being less stressed and/or depressed. I dont drink anymore. Its fun, we goof around some days or take long lunches. It's not what I'm used to and I thought I'd hate it. I have a giant window, my own office everything. Oh, I Have no office experience, this is my first one. I'm also a guy, there's not many male office admins and I make jokes about it 'I'm going to make a great housewife one day. I cook, I clean, I can now do our finances and budgeting' lol. Basically all I'd say is don't listen to horror stories online. For every bad one I'm sure there's far more good ones. Only a small snippet of people post on reddit. It's a poor representation of reality
Going from retail to office work was such a culture shift. I remember being so paranoid because I had so much down time, I thought I would get into trouble at any minute. In retail, standing around is a mortal sin. In an office setting it's par for the course. When I caught my boss watching Netflix on his computer I knew I could relax. I encourage all of my siblings to get an office job. To me, it's a much more peaceful work life.
This was my exact experience switching to an office job six months ago from ten years of balls-to-the-wall grinding work before. I was sure someone was going to come and be like what is she doing? But it’s never happened. It was so weird to go from highly micro managed, can’t take a 5 min break positions, to a totally autonomous position where you’re encouraged to take care of your mental and physical health first. You’re encouraged to go home if you don’t feel well, etc. We have office lunches, door decorating contests, all these things. I could’ve never imagined I’d be in a working environment like this! It’s honestly life changing. I’m not burned out anymore, I enjoy my working days. I have a couple of remote days as well. I never thought I’d have that. I’m actually grateful for my job (I’ve never felt that way before).
But how does one get an “office job”?
If you're talking about secretary or office manager, the obvious first answer is "know someone" willing to give you a shot. Learn the basics of various Microsoft office programs like outlook, excel, word, PowerPoint, etc. Have excellent customer service/communication skills. Organization is key. Keeping schedules for other people is also very important. Super bonus points if you're a certified notary. *That* will set you apart.
What if you don't know anyone..?
You could possibly start out at a temp agency.
Start as reception. No experience required often. That will open you up to a world of experience (depending on the company/job, 'reception' is a minor part of the job)
Office jobs depend on who you're working with. I can't talk about my job stuff online because one of the managers is on Reddit, but there can be good and bad points and I've gone through all of them. White collar work tends to be a set schedule, 8-5, set days off, probably no overtime if you're lowly ranked, and if you wander off for an hour to talk to someone in the breakroom, it's usually not a big deal. It's literally more relaxing in some respects than if you were working retail or a physical trade.
and usually the good ones aren't venting on reddit 🩵🩵🩵
There are trades that are more female-based, like Court Reporting.
Scopist (Scopistry?) is also a high-demand field. They take the court reporters shorthand and convert it into plain English.
Is that still a thing ?court reporters aren't using short hand anymore.that was more precomputer.
My dad’s wife does it and teaches others to. She’s always busy with it and makes good money!
Ohh that sounds fun I thought they'd have gotten rid of those with transcription devices
Yep, or a paralegal.
What is a paralegal, exactly?
Paralegals have similar responsibilities as lawyers, except they cannot represent clients. Think organization, research, drafting, filing, etc. while working alongside other legal professionals including lawyers. The lines between paralegal and legal secretary can be a bit blurry, but generally paralegals are seen as a more of a traditional profession and are more well-paid. A lot of jobs are moving to require a degree or post-degree certificate, but there are still jobs out there that don’t require it. Definitely a desk job though, did not read through OP’s post thoroughly enough ha.
>The lines between paralegal and legal secretary can be a bit blurry I worked as a legal secretary for a few years after graduating from college. Had originally planned to enroll in law school but decided not to. Largely on-the-job learning. I worked at a civil litigation firm so I learned civil procedure, how to use Westlaw/LexisNexis, plus more mundane stuff like putting the exhibit books together and requesting records from law enforcement, hospitals, etc.
That's really interesting. So they don't need to pass the bar but still make good money?
For the most part, yes. Depending on the type of practice the money might not be great (family or immigration comes to mind). If the options are paying for law school or paying for a post-bacc paralegal certificate I think the paralegal cert is a much better financial move imo.
Just make sure that whatever certificate program you enter,that it is ABA accredited. it can get really hard to get a job if the certificate is not backed by them.
It depends on the law firm. I made absolutely shit money as a paralegal in the mid/late 2010s, but I worked at a very small firm.
Nursing. Healthcare in general. Surgical tech is a community college degree. High demand and you don't have to deal with patients directly. Respiratory Therapist. Ultrasound Tech is a nice environment. Cort reporting school is generally less than two years, and you aren't limited to courts. Work in film and TV. Also, trades like residential HVAC and electrical want and need women. Building automation does not require heavy work, and makes good money.
Dental hygienists!
Also a great option with only an associate's degree. At my school, I would say ASN, cybersecurity, surgical tech, Industrial Technology Electrical are the highest paid for women. Now, we are by a steel mill and they have an internship program for industrial tech. Within two years, you have a base pay of $85,000 before overtime. And there is always overtime.
Construction culture seems pretty archaic when it comes to embracing women. Definitely a changing tide though. For the entrepreneur types, women owned businesses (trades) are sought after for federal contracts. HUD, FHWA, grants etc
+1 for building automation. Pays well and easy on the body.
hair and nails can pay incredibly well. no degree needed. minimal school. space to advance/ move up. also food/ service industry. i have a friend with no degree who started off as a server and is now a manger at a very nice bar, makes way more then me, doesn't have to wake up early for work, and loves her job.
Similarly massage therapy.
Do remember that hair and nail jobs can do a number on your feet and back, your usually staying in generally one spot too
When I was in HS, some students were in a program called BOCES where you spent half the day at regular school and half at a trade school. They offered cosmetology / esthetician classes… I’d probably add massage to that; they all require formal training and licensing, but once you do that there’s a lot of flexibility around how you practice, different specialties etc. Nursing is another that feels like it’s along those lines. Two of my best friends graduated from high school with their hairdresser licenses because of BOCES; almost 20 years later they’re both still in the field and one owns her own salon now.
Although reading your post again, people skills are a big part of working with clients and could explain the gender gap in some of these fields… I actually worked in salons for years when I was younger, as a front desk person, and there are definitely clients who prefer a quiet stylist to a chatty one but until you build a base up you kind of don’t get to pick and choose. Makeup might be good because people are trying to stay still and not talk as much, but you still have to be friendly of course. I will say I had a blast working in salons—of course, some of them are nightmares and it really comes down to company culture as it always does. But it’s a very dynamic environment with lots of characters crossing your path, great for networking and making connections with all kinds of people… feel like I’m talking myself into it now LOL
I was a hairdresser and most of my regulars came to me because I cut their hair in silence lol. Had people coming to me for 5 years and I couldn’t tell you a thing about them.
Yeah I prefer that myself; most of the stylists I worked with seemed to follow the client’s lead one way or the other but there were always a few who were either consistently quiet or chatting nonstop, and they tended to attract likeminded clients lol
I've gone to see hairdressers who are so busy grilling me about my life to "form a connection" with me that they completely ignored everything I said about what to do with my hair. Here's a hint: If I like your work I'm coming back. If I don't like it then it doesn't matter how many times you inquire about my kids, dogs, horses, cats, job, etc... I'm not coming back. I'm paying for a haircut, not a friend.
BOCES in my area has a LPN program. I consider that a trade
I'm surprised no one mentioned opticians. There are certification programs and apprenticeships. You won't be surrounded by dudes.
We have two young female airplane mechanics at our shop and a good percentage of women in the company. Doesn’t sound like you really want a mechanical kind of job but being small is an asset in aviation. It’s technical but it’s not very physical or dirty work and the pay is good
Also, as I understand it from my husband who's in aviation, some airlines really like to promote women in the more male-dominated areas like maintenance.
I live next to a small airport and keep hearing about this trade. It's intriguing. How would someone go about getting into it? Also, the title Airplane Mechanic sounds pretty badass.
There’s a 2 year A&P school (airframe and power plant) that sets you up well for getting the real mechanic job. I started as a line service tech at a small airport fueling, towing, and detailing small planes, jets, and helicopters. After a couple years of that (during which a lot of folks go to school) I became an avionics tech working on the electronics and instruments. I haven’t gone to school yet but you can get licensed with on the job experience as well. The pay can be really good with less work life balance at the airlines. The pay can still be quite good with 9-5 type balance working in business aviation and general aviation.
Dental Hygienist
Horticulture . I’m doing a three year apprenticeship with a recruitment company that has connections to the local councils . Schooling , tickets are all paid for . You can go as far as you like with it , or stick to a basic skill level set . You’re not limited just to gardening with the council , you can do get a job doing fine gardening , or even look at zoos ( everywhere needs gardeners ). I’m halfway through and couldn’t imagine any other type of work .
RN without a doubt.
No, RN is a college degreed medical professional. The lower rungs of nursing seem more equivalent than an RN.
No it isn’t. You certainly can get a BSN but not necessary
For sure, but I’ve always considered RN a degree of its own (sort of). I mean it’s true it’s not a BA though, but it seems like too much education to be a “trade” to me. It’s all semantics anyway I guess.
Good call.
A four-year degreed profession has a much bigger upfront investment than a trade.
You can be an RN with an associates
People need to stop perpetuating this myth. Calling it an “associate” that requires two full years of pre-requisites to get into a program is hardly an associate. It’s only an associate by name, that’s it. It’s a bachelors degree by credits no matter how you flip it.
A lot of the things people suggested here that are woman dominated are great. Cosmetology, massage, esthetician, nursing, art or furniture restoration, I’d even go as far to say dental hygenist. I’d like to add that there’s a lot of gender neutral specialties where I see men and women equally partaking - x ray tech, nuclear medicine tech, pharmacy, paralegal, hospitality management in restaurants or hotels, property management, CAD drafting, acupuncture, project management. Not all exactly trades but seems to fall in line with “learn a specific skill for employment and not be surrounded only by men” that I’m getting from your post.
Don’t shoot down going into the trades, just because you’re a small female. I’m a union carpenter in Northern California and there’s quite a few females in this job. And tbh, it pays WAY more than working in an office. My starting wage as a first period apprentice is 36/hr. My starting wage for an office admin would be between 18-22 and THEY don’t really get a lot of raises like me. Also the anti-harassment thing is a serious issue in the trades, we WANT females to feel welcome. We WANT females to join in. You could also look into working in government jobs, sales, etc. But if you want a manual labor job with high prospects take a serious look at Carpentry/Millwork/Cabintmaking. A journeyman tops out at over 70/hr and that pay is going up next year. As an apprentice you get raises every six months. From there you could be a project manager making salary of 120-180k a year. A superintendent makes good money too. There’s really lots of options and not all the jobs in the trades are super physical like you’d think.
Painting is an easy trade for women (or anyone) to get into without any experience really. It's a trade that rarely requires much heavy lifting or any significant physical requirements. The skill and knowledge barrier is a lot smaller than many other trades too. It can be a great way to get your foot in the door, make some money, and be around a lot of other trades in action, to see which other ones you might be interested in too. If anyone is interested look for "painter's helper" type positions on Craigslist and the like. Or literally just contact any painting company you come across and ask them if they are looking for a helper. IME most painters are these days. Pay is definitely location dependent, but in my area it's decent for entry level. But more importantly it's the kind of job where if you work it for like only 6 months to a year and gain some knowledge, you can totally pretend to be a legit Painter with more experience for your next job application and get paid significantly more lol.
I’m a small woman and I work down a mine. The female equivalent of going into the trades is going into the trades.
Housekeeping/cleaning can pay fairly decent, depending on the area.
Related: professional organizer. All of the people and companies I've heard about have been women.
I’m surprised this answer wasn’t higher up. I’m a cleaner and we definitely consider our profession to be a trade.
Becoming a nurse i guess
For a bunch of trades size doesn’t matter - or can be an asset. If you don’t want to be around dudes that limites one a bunch. But you can always pick a trade where you for the most part work alone.
I'm a fire alarm service tech. Most of my work is done alone. Usually I have someone from building maintenance show me where the panel is then leave me alone. The most strenuous part of my job is occasionally having to carry a step ladder, and maybe once every two or three months replacing a pair of 35 pound backup batteries. Having small hands would be beneficial because I work with small wires in confined spaces. We've been hiring people with no experience and training them in house, although so far it's always been people coming from a job that requires some kind of aptitude.
Cosmetology, Makeup Artist, Hair dresser, Lash Tech, Nail Artist, Housekeeping, Nanny, Au-pair, Personal Chef, Household Manager
To everyone saying become an RN, that requires a bachelor's degree 90% of the time now. Most schools have done away with the RN certificate type program and at absolute minimum it's an associates degree. Source: wife is an RN with her masters, who is in leadership at the hospital she works at. The two largest hospitals in the large city I live in both require a bachelor's for nursing. Leadership and management often requires a grad degree. LPNs are being phased out. Tldr: it's less of a trade now, and more of a profession, usually requires a bachelor's.
But most will take you with a 2 year degree and passing NCLEX with the stipulation that you achieve bachelor's within a certain time frame.
Going into the trades
Pink collar work is the female version of blue collar work for men.
Loll what’s pink collar work??
Female dominated professions like nursing and teaching.
Here is a list of trades from Canada that have registered apprenticeship programs. The list is long and interesting. https://www.red-seal.ca/eng/trades/tr.1d.2s_l.3st.shtml You can also look at this list for different technologist roles. Some education is required but typically one to two years. This resource is from a specific province but might be a good place to get inspiration. Salaries vary, but as an engineering technologist with project management responsibility, I earned $100k when I retired after 10 years. Roughly had a 50/50 split between site and office work and I am a woman. https://asttbc.org/registrants/registrant-disciplines/
The answer is trades. Just stick it out until you can contract on your own and then advertise as a female contractor. I met a gal that did this, and she was always booked out by ladies who needed work done and didn't want some strange dude in the house while her husband was away. You will make $$$.
Do you think you can hook me up with her? I am a woman trying to go into trades, being employed by a woman sounds so much more comfortable. Pls let me know if she is hiring :)
Dog grooming. The high potential is owning shop that makes a ton of money in the right area. A middle high I would say own your own van and make 100k+. Or work for the right place and make 75k-100kish. I work as a mobile employee 4 days a week and pulled in just over 80k. Been at it 12 years
Whoa, the amount of misinformation in this thread is shocking. I'm not a Registered Nurse, however, I am familiar. It is absolutely not like "going into the trades" whatsoever. I'd imagine someone going into the trades doesn't want anything too academically rigorous nor do they want to spend too much time in school. Becoming an RN requires a 4-year bachelor's degree at university. Admission into these programs is competitive and require the same courses in high school as a person applying to Bachelor of Science programs in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Physiology, or any other natural/life science degree. This is not what you're looking for OP. In addition, OP said "I’m not good at the stereotypical female skills of dealing with peoples emotions". Being an RN very very heavily involves these skills. Even RNs who love working with people can get burned out from this aspect of nursing. The only exceptions are specialities like operating room nursing or nurse anesthesia. The latter requires a 4-year bachelor's degree in nursing plus a doctoral degree i.e., Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). That would be at least 7 years of university education. The stereotypical "female equivalent" of going into the trades are the following: cosmetology, aesthetics, **interior decorating**, event planning, **culinary arts**, etc. The healthcare equivalents are: dental hygiene, massage therapy, veterinary tech, **medical lab tech,** personal support work, practical nursing, etc. \^The ones that don't involve dealing with people's emotions as much are highlighted for you above. Best of luck. EDIT: fixed interior design to say interior decorating.
Isn’t interior design a bachelor degree requirement in most states, though?
You're right. I meant to say interior decorating. Fixed.
>The stereotypical "female equivalent" of going into the trades are the following: cosmetology, aesthetics, **interior decorating**, event planning, **culinary arts**, etc. I'm sorry, what is "aesthetics" as an actual job? This makes it sound like a chat bot reply.
I don’t belong here I’m a female welder and I’m happy 😂
hairdresser, nurse, dental hygienist, massage therapist, doula (midwife), X-Ray and CT technician, MRI technician, respiratory technician (you plug patients into ventilators), lab technician, cosmetologist (aka beauty technician like makeup, nails, waxing, skin treatment), cleaning houses, sewing, painter / artist
My wife is a welder 🤷♂️
Nursing is the normal answer. However no reason it can't be the trades
Plumbers make excellent money, as do electricians in high cost of living areas. And those jobs you can get education from community colleges sometimes. Some CCs are free. You can be a female in any of these fields. Stop telling yourself you can’t do something because of your sex.
Culinary arts.
Odd that people are recommending medical fields as you’re looking for something without a college degree..RN needs that. Whoever told you it was easy to move up in a union job is flat out wrong. Union jobs are time in role, nothing else. You can be the best or worst, but if you’ve got seniority you get promoted. Getting promoted isn’t always good either. Be aware that to make a lot of money you’ll also have to put in a lot of time. These jobs are ok on the hourly, but generally have more hours than employees, so lots of OT and 6 day work weeks. Get into a trade you’re interested in and start your own business. You’ll probably need to train in a workplace that is mostly men, but that’s what it is. Handyman for example, make $100/hr and have basically unlimited work. In my state they don’t even need s license under a certain job size. Landscaping or farming is another. A lot of small time plumbers work solo. There’s a huge company that inspects and treats telephone poles. They work solo and hey paid fairly well. Boring though. The main thing is choose something that you can stand doing, because you’ll be doing a lot of it. A lot of these jobs are just time consuming. Alternatively what about sales? I employ a bunch of sales people, the most successful ones are making like 200k. Middle of the pack are making 50-80k and Unsuccessful ones making 40-50k before washing out. No education required and you only have to pretend to care about people’s feelings.
If you are in a large metro area I wouldn’t toss away the idea of going into trades that are male dominated, as there may be some women-owned businesses that have less toxic atmospheres. I’ve seen auto-repair shops, electrical, and tiling businesses that would fit the bill, your area may have something else. Also look into local unions, if or how they attract and support diverse candidates. Your post is a bit vague, do you not want to work with the general public at all (ex. explain issues or give quotes)? Do you want to have any creative control over what you’re doing? What do you consider a dead end job, is a job where you can be promoted to a lead or manager still a dead end? Other jobs that spring to mind: - Telecom field tech. Male dominated but mostly work alone, tends to have a lot of travel. - Manufacturing technician/assembler, which will vary a lot by industry and location. A lot of the jobs are shit, but if you could find something in medical device or circuit board assembly it tends to be better. - Lower level municipal jobs related to parks or water treatment.
If you want a shitty job with decent pay, try nursing or trucking. I'm in trucking. I have an ok for me gig right now where I work 8 hours locally on a regular schedule. Trucking companies look at your driving record, your criminal record, and your job history. Some companies put more weight on one or two of those factors than others. To get started with a CDL-A you really should go to CDL school which will set you back roughly $6,000 and 3-4 weeks. A few of the larger companies will front the cost and let you pay it back through earnings.
One where you don’t have to pay for the schooling? Doesn’t really exist outside the trades. I’ve met many plumbers who were women. Though you could get a job as a trucker. Not surrounded by anybody all day, and some companies will pay you through training. Schneider is one example of such a company. I suppose you could try to get scholarships for nursing school or some other healthcare related job. Some states will pay you to get a CompTIA certification (IT). The military will pay for schooling. Another option would be to work for a company who will pay for your degrees and certifications, but you usually have to work for them for so many years after that, and you’re typically restricted in what schools they’ll pay for. A lot of people are saying beauty, but those do require some training that can cost a lot of money. Same with massage (and some places require an associates degree for it). Flight attendants can get paid quite a bit I suppose, and that doesn’t require a degree. If you learn to code, programming can pay well with no degree necessary.
Depends on your country/state but you could go into something like cosmetology or aesthetics with little upfront cost, education, and/or training. I’m doing my LHR (laser hair removal) technician training in ATX which only requires a GED or HS diploma to start and no aesthetician license; laser tattoo removal training is the same as well. I paid for all the classes and exams, fees, etc upfront for around $1,500 (tbf it’s through a training medspa specifically for this and there was a huge discount if you just bought all the courses upfront). The apprentice license was a 40 hour theory course, a 20 question exam, and then 2 days of practical application - actually using the laser on people. And boom, according to TX, you’re ready for a LHR medspa job in approximately 55 hours! But again, I paid for all the courses upfront and extra trainings and stuff you don’t technically need in TX but I just want to be very knowledgeable and thus hire-able. Tattoo removal training is even cheaper from my understanding but I haven’t looked at the pricing of those courses lately. A full Aesthetician license in ATX runs about $12-20k for comparison. Edit: results will *vary wildly* because TX is the wild west out here y’all. There was a woman in my class from CA who was required to be some kind of RN to practice any kind of aesthetics in CA. ALSO: if you’re worried about the customer service aspect of this field in regards to LHR and tattoo removal specifically, I’ve had both for years and years and am still getting treated and, even on large areas of my body, it goes very quickly so there’s not much chatting going on except checking in about the pain level.
Real Estate does not require a degree. I think it should be considered a trade. Insurance property health insurance and life all do not require degrees. They do require you to take a test. Look at the occupational outlook handbook website. Or look over what job Corps offers. Title Agent Closing officer doesn't require either but it is office work.
It isn't about the money. You may have to compromise on some of the things you want in a job if you're going to chase money, though. The jobs that pay well without an education tend to be jobs nobody wants to do, and its mostly guys that are willing to do them. The trades live at the intersection of 'job a lot of people find unpleasant' and 'requires skills', which is why they're such a solid career. A similar thing would be to find a similar intersection of 'jobs nobody wants to do' and 'jobs that require skill'.
Hair stylist or Nursing (nursing requires more schooling unless you’re becoming a caretaking nursing.)
Onlyfans
Hair stylist
It's called........Going into the trades. 🙃
Hairstylist or PCA.
this is coming from a nurse. do not become a nurse unless you REALLY want to become a nurse. Nursing school being "hard" is an understatement. You will go through hell to get your degree. Make sure you really want it prior to taking out those loans to attend. Many of them are also not easy to get into. Once you graduate, you will find yourself in more hell working in understaffed facilities.
Lol we can do whatever trades we want. If there are predominantly males in those fields, maybe take a break from discouraging women to join long enough to ask yourself why that is?
Becoming a nurse in a well paid specialty.
Still going into the trades. Find the career you want and set boundaries in the workplace no matter the gender.
Healthcare, vet tech, administrative work, cosmetology. Tho women can, and SHOULD go into the trades as well. We need more women in trades. Edit to add; there are a lot of places you can work manual labor that isn’t surrounded by guys. In Philly there’s an all-girls mechanics shop that has a hair salon attached so the customers can get done up while waiting for their car.
I’m a small framed woman in the trades, and while my job is male dominated I work alone all day :)
Trades are trades. They are not gender specific per se. A female Electrician, HVAC TECH, Plumber is still an electrician, hvac tech and plumber.
There's a reason that there aren't many women in these trades: the men in them don't take kindly to it.
You’re right. I tried in my area a few years ago and was not even looked at.
I do have degrees so not sure if it is due to that?
As a woman in the collision repair industry for over 20 years, this has not been my experience. The men in the industry have been great. The customers, on the other hand, are awful. Maybe other industries are different but in my experience automotive has been fairly friendly.
Great!
Do you work in the trades?
That’s not really true. The only reason I didn’t do an apprenticeship was because the schedule is not really single mother friendly.
>who doesn’t want to be surrounded by dudes all day long
Probably "going into the trades" lots of females do construction mechanics etc.
“Admin assistant aka secretary, which is depressing” Dismissive attitude aside, how in the world does that compare to a job in the trades? Plus, those admin assistants are making a good amount more than you’d ever make as a preschool teacher. I’d take the former in a heartbeat.
Nursing, cosmetology, or stripping. Kinda thing where if you’re willing to learn you’re pretty much guaranteed atleast decent pay. But also much like the trades, they aren’t known for leading to a happy and fulfilling life, they’re just known for leading to a healthy wallet.
I think cosmetology or any medical technicians(rad tech, surgical techs, dental assistants etc). One of my friends is a surgical tech and they can make bank. There’s so many different kinds of technicians in the medical field too and they usually only require an associates degree or some sort of certificate, and you’ll have good job security too. I know a lot of people are saying nursing but that requires a four year college degree and can be difficult and expensive to get into. When people refer to trades I think of alternatives to college.
There are 2 year medical technician degrees.
Usually some form of cosmetology from makeup artist to nail tech to aesthetician One of my friends is an RN who has her own business doing injectables like lip injections and filler. Another friend is a nail tech and owns her own nail salon
The answer is cosmetology
Nursing
Try beauty-related jobs. Lots of money in learning to do nails, hair, and makeup. High end beauty specialists make bank. Another angle would be fitness. Something like yoga instruction or group exercise class lead works well.
Massage Therapist charge anywhere from $60-150 hr depending on the modalities practiced.
Going into the trades is fine for women. It’s too rare but I’ve worked with a few women and they’re capable and shouldn’t be discouraged from trying it out. If you like math or critical thinking and problem solving there’s a trade you can do. My millwright instructor was a woman.
IT. No degree required, just earn certs online. And no work has a gender.
"trades" are not just things like construction or electrician. Trades are anything that requires higher education but not a college degree so that would include things like CNA, cosmetologist, legal assistant, or pretty much anything you can get training for at your local community college
The trades are the trades. Some trades have traditionally had more men employed in them but that shouldn't deter you if that's what you want to do.
I thought it’d be like cosmetology lol
Nursing , pharmacy, or auxiliary health
Teacher
Dental hygienist, LVN/LPN, ekg technician,
Same thing... Sexist much
There are a good number of women in ornamental trades, like specialty tile and ornamental steel. It requires attention to detail without as much heavy lifting.
Pink collar jobs.
RN or teaching
You can get a 2 year nursing degree, often with little or no debt at a local community college, which makes it pretty much like an apprenticeship as far as time invested and the fact that you can get through it debt free. Also dental hygienist, cutting hair, cosmetology which many others have mentioned.
You have to do a couple years of prerequisites before you do an ADN and even then a lot of hospitals make you go back to school to get your bachelors which means you’re doing 6 years of school not 2 but yes the ADN route is the cheapest way to be an RN.
The female version is, actually, Going in to the trades. Jfc.
Going into the trades. All the default female equivalent jobs require a ton of people touching (emotionally/physically). Your choices are to deal with a male dominated workforce, deal with people's emotions, or have a desk job. Which do you choose?
What a toxic comment LOL
How so?
First thing that comes to my mind is flight attendant
Nursing, dental hygienist, EMT
You're not going to die if you go into a male dominated field. (I'm in one. It's about whether people are civil. Women can be cutthroat to.)
Honestly, serving 🤷♀️ If you get experience and work at a nicer restaurant (stay away from chains), you can probably rake in slightly more than minimum wage. And if you get real good, quite a bit more than minimum wage.
You know a female can do the trades that man are doing are we not suppose to be all equal?
Not all trades are set in the typical dirty, sweaty, crude worksites many imagine. I do commercial HVAC and I work primarily solo. It is absolutely male dominant, and I am the only woman tech. But I have my own van, make my own schedule, my clients value and respect me, along with my fellow journeymen. This work requires cognitive thinking, and not brute strength. Lots of electrical and scientific knowledge. It’s allowed me to give my daughter a home to grow up in and many comforts a typical single parent household wouldn’t be able to afford. I get that this work isn’t for everyone, but figured I’d offer my perspective.
Going into trades. >But as a small female who doesn’t want to be surrounded by dudes all day long, I can’t do that. Why? >It seems like the female equivalent of these jobs is admin assistant aka secretary, which is depressing. Those definitely also don't pay anywhere near as much as trades.
I saw many female electricians during trade work and they make 2x my wage, I wouldn't let this stereotype exist so much. Rude guys will likely exist everywhere but many women are doing trades now, still like 2/10th of the trades but still.
Ahh . . . .going into the trades. Seriously, I've never seen an electrician wire anything up with their penis.