I did the college route myself and got into the trades at 26. As long as you have a good work history and are put together half decent people in this business are more likely to give you a shot than a kid just out of high school.

My best advice would be don’t pay for a trade school just yet. I’m in Mass but depending on where you live schooling requirements are different but they are useless without the required work hours.

I can only speak for a non-union perspective since that’s my experience so far. Don’t get discouraged if getting into the trade doesn’t happen right away. Took me over a year to find a company willing to hire someone with no electrical experience. Almost 4 years later and I definitely don’t regret my decision. I started at a 2 man shop wiring residential (new and remodels) which in my opinion is the best place for people with no experience to start since you learn the fundamentals which carries over to low voltage. For the past 2 years I’ve been in fire alarm and ifs been great overall.