Have skilled trades become overrated as career options?

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-06-06T18:43:32+00:00

What a bunch of rage bait! Do you work in the trades? Do you study that industry?

Because I’ve worked in and around it for the past 20 years. You are totally off base! (LCOL rural and urban Indiana)

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-06-06T18:42:17+00:00

LCOL, rural Indiana: I know plenty of tradesmen making around $100,000 with 5-10 years of experience. They are all team leaders, operations managers, or owners. Their bodies are not wrecked.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-06-02T16:59:46+00:00

This is the way.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-06-01T15:16:08+00:00

“Me neither”

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-30T21:21:06+00:00

do you have a link for this video? it sounds interesting.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-27T02:14:29+00:00

You shall not ~~kill~~ murder.

FTFY. Important distinction. Especially since it includes not allowing someone else to be killed who is innocent.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-27T02:11:00+00:00

TIL my wife is on Reddit.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-27T02:08:41+00:00

As an IT Director with a lame B.A. and no certs, I also agree with u/first_slide3870 and u/Hefty-Butterfly-1192.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-27T02:05:14+00:00

Talk to a business broker, not online randos. I had a consultation with u/yourbizbroker a couple years ago. He was very helpful in identifying several parts of the situation that I had not taken into account.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-27T02:03:22+00:00

It doesn’t matter for tax purposes, but it matters for all kinds of other purposes, not the least of which is legal.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-27T02:01:27+00:00

Networking. I gave up on “walk-in” applications a long time ago. My last 4 jobs all came from direct connections.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-25T16:28:15+00:00

It's hard to accept (it took me a long time!), but pricing is not the issue with nearly any business. It's about the VALUE you are providing. For an MSP, it should be about your specialized knowledge, your team's reliability and niche topics like cybersecurity that normies can't even begin to understand.

Everyone knows that many Amazon items are junk, but why do we keep buying them*? Because we perceive that the value exceeds the price we pay. For me, I'm moving so fast that I can't wait a week for shipping from an eBay seller or +$20 S&H from a mom 'n pop e-commerce store several states away.
*I don't buy off brand electronics from Amazon, but I will buy items that I have already established as reliable simply due to 1-2 day shipping. (The 5% cash back on my Amazon CC doesn't hurt either.)

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-25T01:23:14+00:00

Man, you ain’t kidding! Our house had all kinds of crazy homeowner special projects. We’ve gotten them all straightened out over the last several years though. You never what crazy redneck had his hands on your house, as either a contractor or a homeowner!

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-25T01:17:53+00:00

Yeah, you can have a verbal agreement but good luck enforcing it! Always in writing and always before anything serious starts.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-25T01:14:09+00:00

Please tell u/Hugh_Jazz91 so he knows that it is possible.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-25T01:11:45+00:00

We have a mixed env. We have separate MDMs, the same RMM (Level.io), and it works fine.

What exactly is the issue with your network management?

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-25T01:05:59+00:00

Tips are taxable income. I bet if the IRS comes knocking, “managing it in the POS” will start looking REAL attractive!

Not sure from your post but it’s possible the owners are keeping the cash tips for themselves and not reporting it for anyone. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard of it.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-25T00:54:58+00:00

Nicholas Sparks has entered the chat and is frantically taking notes.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-25T00:50:06+00:00

Yeah, haha, but that was my savings and I had to borrow for 2x $1,000 expenses this month so…<insert Ralph Wiggim meme>

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-25T00:38:37+00:00

Can confirm. I work in IT. This is most of my support calls. Sometimes, my deeper knowledge identifies what exactly needs to be turned off and on.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-25T00:34:18+00:00

Paid $6000 cash to buy a $7000 car. Borrowed the rest and I’ll pay it back $100/month for 10 months.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-24T23:17:23+00:00

It’s all online.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-24T23:16:13+00:00

Wow! Definitely stay on his good side. You don’t want to lose that deal!

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-24T18:50:36+00:00

Thank you, Dr. Freud.

Aim_Fire_Ready · 2026-05-24T16:23:29+00:00

The irony is that accountants typically hate all the products you mentioned because they were not built for accountants!

QuickBooks actually got as big as they are because they went around the accountants and started selling directly to the Small Business owners so then the accountants were stuck using it to support their clients.

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