8 Reasons Why Plumbing Is a Good Career Choice

Is plumbing a good career choice?  While we may be biased, we absolutely believe so. That said, we also want to ensure that if you are entering the field that it is something you feel confident and passionate about. With that in mind, we have put together a list of some of the top reasons we our alumni have given as to why they ultimately chose to pursue this path.

1. Start Earning Quickly

By comparison, plumbing is a career that you can begin earning quickly from the start of your training. You’ll be trained on-the-job, so you can start making money almost immediately.

While entry level earnings are far from overall earning potential with years of experience, it is usually enough to cover basic needs and expenses – even when you’re still in your training period. There aren’t many careers that can boast a decent pay so early in your career. 

2. High Earning Potential

Speaking of money, you could end up making much more of this than you’d think, especially if you’re skilled. The better you do your job, the more of a reputation you’ll have as a great plumber. This helps you get more clients and even charge more than you would’ve before.

The earning potential alone could be more than enough to persuade you to start a career as a plumber. While there’ll naturally be quite a few costs associated with this, you’ll make more than enough to cover this and have enough to live on going forward.

3. More Job Stability

The demand is high and the supply is relatively low. Some cities will have higher demand and growth opportunities than others, but your services will likely be highly sought after – leading to no shortage of ongoing work. 

The better you are at your job, the more you’ll see this. While you’ll have to put the time and effort into making sure you consistently do a good job, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t make a good living for your entire career.

4. Variety in Your Work

No two plumbing jobs are the same. One day, you could be fixing a leaky faucet, but you could be replacing an entire plumbing system the following day. This variety makes a plumbing career much more interesting than many other career paths. You shouldn’t have a problem making sure your work is interesting.

Each of your jobs could even come with their unique challenges, so you’ll have even more variety in your day. If you thrive on variety and problem-solving, then you may find the day-to-day work of a plumber to be more rewarding than something more repetitive. 

5. Opportunities For Advancement

A career as a plumber usually means you have plenty of opportunities for advancement. While you’ll start off as a journeyman, you can climb the ranks relatively quickly. You’ll need to prove your skills first, but passionate professionals typically have a lot of room to grow relatively quickly.

This is in stark contrast to quite a few other careers, where there may be more time and steps involved in the process. The more you put into your plumbing career, the faster you’ll see this, and there’ll be plenty of opportunities for advancement.

6. More Satisfaction In Your Work

In certain roles you may not get to see the direct impact your efforts have on those that you serve. This doesn’t happen when you have a career as a plumber. You not only have a great impact on peoples’ lives, but you get to see the results of your efforts first-hand.

That’s especially true when it comes to emergency repairs and similar situations. You’ll be much more satisfied with your work, especially when you know how much time and effort went into it. Then there’s the fact you’re helping make peoples’ homes and offices safe, giving you even more job satisfaction.

7. Earning More Respect

There are countless careers out there that people just see as jobs. People have them just so they can pay the bills and get by. That isn’t the case with a plumbing career. It’s one of the more respectful careers you can pursue. You’ll get more respect from clients than you’d think.

Even people who aren’t clients are sure to respect you for it. They know the kind of training and knowledge that goes into doing your job well. The better you do your job, the more respect you should get.

8. Opportunity to Run Your Own Business

Once you’ve gotten enough experience as a plumber, you could be in a position where you can start your own plumbing business. You’ll have developed the skills and expertise you need to run it properly. At the same time, you could have multiple contacts.

These could help you with your business going forward. You can turn them into suppliers, clients, and more. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to kickstart your own business relatively quickly.

Types of Plumber You Could Be In a Plumbing Career

When you’re considering plumbing as a career, you mightn’t realize that there are different types of plumber you can become. These all offer their pros and cons, and they’re worth thinking about from as early as possible.

They’ll all boast the benefits of a plumbing career mentioned above, on top of a few other appealing traits. A lot of this focuses on the kind of work you’ll do every day, as well as who your main client base will be.

The main types you have to choose from include:

1. Independent Plumbers – These are the kind of plumbers that have their own business and work for themselves. This lets you set your own hours and control your professional life, but it also means you’ll have a lot more competition.
2. General Plumbers – General plumbers are some of the more common, and this involves working for someone else. This is a great way to hone your skills and get better at the craft. You can focus on other areas once you’ve enough experience.
3. Specialized Plumbers – Almost the exact opposite of general plumbers, this option lets you specialize in a specific area, like sanitary plumbing. While this means having fewer overall clients, you’ll make more money per project with them.
4. Commercial Plumbers – Commercial plumbers are the ones that work exclusively on commercial properties, like restaurants and retail stores. These plumbers can often have a speciality, as they’ll focus on working with certain types of businesses.

These all offer their pros and cons, and it’s worth taking the time to consider them when you’re starting a plumbing career. Your decision could have a few implications for your career as a plumber, but this shouldn’t have to be a bad thing.