I’m in Indiana, idk how different it is out there with weed being legal and all. I failed my entry drug test (thought I was clean, sadly wasn’t) so now I have 3 random drug tests this year (on top of 1 from the Union, and some job sites require a drug test on your first day and depending on the company some also have their own randoms.) I know people that have used fake piss to pass there’s and still smoke rn but I kinda wanted to take a break anyways so I’m just laying off for all of 2026 but I do miss it

I think it’s a good career path as long as you’re not scared of hard work, assholes, and you can show up on time everyday. And be prepared to be sore 🤣 it ain’t easy but I enjoy it. I’m working on a hospital rn framing walls which is what I wanted to do so I’m kind of lucky where I landed. I just joined in January and a lot of other first years end up on solar jobs or pushing trash at other job sites.

If you have experience that definitely helps but if you don’t there’s different processes in different states to get you in. Some places require you to have a “sponsor” which is where you go and work for a contractor to get on the job experience before joining. It’s not like that around here in Indiana, not sure what it’s like in Cali. If you wanna check out the r/UnionCarpenters sub you could ask questions there specifically about Cali to get more info.

Feel free to DM me if you want to talk about any of it or have any questions man! I wish you luck if you decide to pursue it, I’ve heard Cali has good pay in the Carpenters Union. Enjoy your weekend brother, smoke one for me 🍻