Start Your Trades Career. Right Now.
You're in high school. You don't have to wait until graduation to get started — explore what trades pay, how to prepare, and how to land your first real job.
Pick a trade. See what it pays.
Every trade is different. Tap a card to see what the work actually looks like, what it pays, and whether you can start before 18.
Framing, concrete, masonry, roofing, and finishing. Entry-level roles often require no experience.
Start as an apprentice (4–5 years). Wire buildings, install breakers, troubleshoot circuits. Journey/Master licenses required.
Start as a plumber's helper. Install piping, fix leaks, connect water heaters. Journey/Master licenses required.
6-month to 2-year training. Install AC and furnaces, diagnose airflow, handle refrigerant (EPA 608 cert required).
6-month to 2-year programs. AWS welding, NIMS machining certs. High demand, skills-focused hiring.
3–6 month training programs. CDL often required, NCCCO crane cert for crane work. Job sites and industrial facilities.
Tech school or on-the-job training. ASE certifications highly valued. Work in shops, dealerships, or fleet garages.
Entry-level positions. On-the-job training common. General repairs and upkeep of residential and commercial properties.
No experience required to start. Pesticide, irrigation, ISA certs open more roles. Seasonal and year-round positions.
Technical training programs. NABCEP solar, harness safety certs. Fast-growing green-energy field. Top end covers power-plant operators.
CDL training (3–6 weeks). Class A/B licenses, hazmat, passenger endorsements. Long-haul, local delivery, or fleet services.
No experience required. OSHA 10, forklift, first-aid certs help. Great starting point for anyone new to the trades.
Wage ranges reflect Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Virginia state data, May 2024. Individual earnings vary by employer, location, certifications, experience, and union status.
Want to go deeper on any trade? See the training paths, certifications that matter, and pay breakdowns for all 45+ specific trades within these career paths.
Explore All Trades in Depth →College debt vs. trades paycheck.
This isn't a marketing pitch. These are actual Virginia numbers. 4-year degrees average tens of thousands in debt before the first paycheck. Apprentices earn from day one.
Sources: Virginia bachelor's debt from TICAS — Student Debt for College Graduates in Virginia. Apprentice and journey-level earnings from BLS OEWS Virginia, May 2024. Comparison intentionally simplified; full picture includes ~4 years of forgone wages for the college path.
From Now to Your First Paycheck
Two years, three stages. Here's what to do at each one.
- Take a CTE class
- Earn OSHA 10 certification
- Build a phone-photo portfolio of anything you build or fix
- Talk to your counselor
- Apply to a registered apprenticeship (paid, legal at 16+)
- Shadow a tradesperson for a day
- Volunteer on a build project (Habitat, church teams)
- Pick 2–3 trades you want to learn more about
- Sign up on KinTrades with photos and videos of your work
- Get matched to local employers automatically
- No resume, no long application
- Employers reach out — not the other way around
You don't have to wait for every path.
Registered apprenticeship programs — sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor — can take students as young as 16 into paid, structured training. You earn while you learn, under supervision, in real work environments. It's legal, and it's real money.
All 45+ Trades · 12 Families
Deep content on each trade — what the work involves, certifications that matter, training paths in your state.
Live Jobs in Your Area
See what employers are hiring for right now — by trade, by ZIP code, by distance. Real jobs, real wages.
How to get ready, starting this week.
Concrete actions. No "wait and see." Every one of these makes you more hireable the day you turn 18.
Take a CTE class
Most high schools offer introductory trades classes. Ask your counselor what's on the schedule.
Get OSHA 10 certified
Entry-level safety cert that many employers look for. Some schools run it for free.
Try a pre-apprenticeship
Local unions and community colleges run summer and after-school programs designed for 16–17 year olds.
Volunteer on a build
Habitat for Humanity, church mission teams, community rebuilds. Real hours, real skills, real references.
Shadow a tradesperson
Ask family, neighbors, or your counselor for a half-day visit to a real job site. Learn what the work feels like.
Start a phone-photo portfolio
Anything you've built, fixed, or helped with — snap a photo. You'll want this when you make your profile at 18.
Ready to Work? We'll Be Here.
When you turn 18, come back and create your KinTrades profile. You'll show your skills with photos and videos of your work, get matched with employers in your area, and start your career without writing a resume or filling out stacks of applications.
Teachers, Counselors, and Advisors
KinTrades is a skills-first hiring platform connecting skilled trades workers with employers across Virginia, DC, Maryland, and North Carolina. Accounts are for users 18 and older, but the platform is free to browse for anyone — your students can use it as a career exploration resource today.
✖ We Don't Collect From Browsers
- Names
- Dates of birth
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers
- Any identifying information
✓ We Collect From Account Holders (18+)
- Email + phone (verified)
- Name
- Trade experience
- Optional work photos/videos
- Full detail in Privacy Policy
Classroom use: Share this page URL with graduating seniors. Use the wage comparison and trade cards in introductory CTE lessons. Point students to the "How to get ready" checklist. The apprenticeship links are legitimate 16+ paths.