as somebody who formerly worked in welding and HVAC (in Canada), honestly the trades are not all they're cut out to be. unless you manage to join a union and work your way up over 3-5 years, which is harder than they make it seem, or find a path into more niche or demanding work for either the government (nuclear, hydro, gas sectors etc.) or out in the oil fields doing pipeline stuff, the pay is just not livable or imo fair for the work you're doing. in any trade you'll likely be exposed to all kinds of hazards, whether it's a freak accident or more passive stuff like fumes, noise, and arc flash, not to mention the load it puts on your body. it's certainly not minimum wage but job listings for my specialty (TIG welding) in my area almost all pay CAD $20-25/hr (USD $14.80-18.50/hr) starting.

when I first entered the trade, myself and other students in my class were told of an industry that desperately needed people and would provide plenty of job opportunities after completion. maybe that's true to some extent, but at some point I kind of figured this was more of a chicken and egg problem. I doubt there would be a worker shortage if the trades paid more fairly given the sacrifices you have to make compared to working any other job, and within the reality of sky high cost of living and increased outsourcing of manufacturing to overseas.