860,000+ Trade Openings a Year

A Career That Pays Well,
Is Hard to Automate,
And Requires No College Debt.

Find trade schools near you or take our free assessment to discover which skilled trade career fits your background and goals.

860K+
Openings a year across these 31 trades
$150K+
Top trade earning potential
$0
College debt required for most trade paths
🛡️
AI Cannot Replace The TradesHands-on skill. Local work. Real wages. Future proof.
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🔧 New — A TurnToTrades Original

The TURN Method™

Four steps from stuck to skilled — with a built-in trade matcher that narrows 31 trades to your Top 3. Free, private, about 10 minutes.

Make the TURN →
Free Trade Finder

Find Your Trade

Answer a short set of quick questions and get your top 3 trade matches based on your background, skills, and goals. It's a guided exploration tool, not a validated aptitude test — here's exactly how it works.

Career Changer
AI Displaced Your Job

Match your professional experience and skills to the right trade career path.

✓ Top 3 trades for your background
✓ White-collar crossover advantages
✓ Salary ranges & training paths
Start the Trade Finder →
Student / Young Adult
Skip The Debt

Find the right trade before committing to college or a career path.

✓ Top 3 trades for your interests
✓ Earning potential vs. college debt
✓ Training path and how to start
Start the Trade Finder →

Both paths are 100% free. No account required. Results in ~3 minutes. How the matching works →

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Trade Earnings

Compare Trade Salaries

See what skilled trades pay at every career stage — and how they stack up against a four-year college path.

Selected trade snapshot

Salary data sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics. Last updated: May 2025. Figures represent national median; actual earnings vary by region, employer, and certification level.

Find schools for this trade →

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🗺️ NEW: Salary by State Guides
Full 50-state median pay tables for all 25 trades — see exactly what your trade pays where you live. Real BLS data, updated for 2026.
Browse State Salaries →
Free Directory

Find Training Programs

Search trade schools and apprenticeship programs across every US state, powered by CareerOneStop.

Program data sourced from CareerOneStop and Apprenticeship.gov
Listing out of date? Let us know
Earn While You Learn
Apprenticeships

Get paid from day one while you train. No tuition debt — you earn a wage, learn on the job, and finish with a nationally recognized credential.

Find registered programs on Apprenticeship.gov

There is no national list of open apprenticeship seats — programs recruit on their own schedules. The Department of Labor’s Partner Finder lists the registered sponsors near you by trade and state. Call them and ask when they accept applications.

Search openings on Apprenticeship.gov
Official federal source — opens in a new tab, never affects this page
How apprenticeships work by trade
Electrician
IBEW / NECA joint programs (electrical training ALLIANCE)
4–5 yrs · paidFind local programs →
Electrical Lineworker
IBEW / NECA and utility co-op programs
~4 yrs · paidFind local programs →
Plumber / Pipefitter
United Association (UA) local JATCs
~5 yrs · paidFind local programs →
HVAC / R
UA and independent (ABC) programs
3–5 yrs · paidFind local programs →
Sheet Metal Worker
SMART / SMACNA (ITI) programs
4–5 yrs · paidFind local programs →
Welder
UA, Boilermakers, Ironworkers or employer programs
3–4 yrs · paidFind local programs →
Carpenter
United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) councils
~4 yrs · paidFind local programs →
Operating Engineer
IUOE local training programs
3–4 yrs · paidFind local programs →
CNC Machinist
NIMS-aligned employer and registered programs
~4 yrs · paidFind local programs →
Industrial Machinery Mechanic
UBC Millwrights and employer programs
~4 yrs · paidFind local programs →

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Our Mission

Why TurnToTrades Exists

The Problem

For two generations students were steered toward college and told almost nothing about the trades, and the skilled workforce has been thinning ever since. Now AI is accelerating white-collar displacement — over 200,000 workers in 2025 alone — with no clear roadmap for what comes next.

The Solution

The skilled trades are hiring. Across the 31 trades on this site, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 860,000 openings every year through 2034 — and roughly 95% of them are replacing people retiring out, not new positions. Electricians, pipefitters, HVAC technicians — this is work that has to be done on site, by hand, and it pays extremely well.

The Bridge

TurnToTrades connects displaced professionals and career starters to trade schools, apprenticeship programs, and the tools they need to make the turn.

⚙️

Who Built This

TurnToTrades was built by someone who spent 45 years in manufacturing — starting as an apprentice machinist, rising to VP of Operations — who retired in 2025. What he saw was a shortage of skilled labor that kept getting worse, and an education system pushing kids toward college while saying almost nothing about the trades. AI displacement is coming. Good organizations are already working on this. This is one more place to turn, from someone who came up through it.

turntotrades@gmail.com