Journey
The application trail
Every post in my career-change journal, organized so you can start at the beginning or find what’s relevant to you.
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All journey posts
Listed from the beginning of the story forward. New updates still appear first on the homepage.
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I Got Laid Off. It Ended Up Changing Everything.
Getting laid off was scary at first. It also gave me the space to admit I needed a different kind of future.
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Why Office Work Stopped Making Sense for Me
I did not hate the work. I was just tired of the way it followed me home.
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Why I Started Looking at Union Apprenticeships
I started with healthcare benefits. Then I found pay scales, scheduled raises, pensions, and a real training path.
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College Was the Default Path. I Wish I Had Looked at Trades Earlier.
I grew up thinking college was the main path to a good career. I wish I had understood the trades earlier.
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What Makes a Union Apprenticeship Different From Just Getting a Job
A union apprenticeship is not just an entry-level job. It is paid work, training, school, wage progression, and a long-term path.
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The Four Bay Area Unions I Decided to Apply To
I narrowed my search to four Bay Area union apprenticeship paths that felt realistic for my commute, family, and future.
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How I Compared Different Union Paths Before Applying
Pay matters, but it was not the only thing I had to compare. Commute, training, work type, and family life mattered too.
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What I Wish I Knew Before Applying to Any Union Apprenticeship
The biggest lesson so far: apply broadly, study early, and do not wait on one union before starting the next.
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Why Pay Scale Research Changed How I Looked at the Trades
The hourly wage got my attention. The total package is what made me take the union path seriously.
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Understanding Total Package vs. Take-Home Pay
The hourly wage is the number everyone talks about. The total package is the number I had to learn how to read.
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Why Healthcare Benefits Mattered So Much to Me
When you have kids, healthcare stops being a side benefit. It becomes one of the main reasons to choose a path.
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IUEC Local 8 Opened Applications. I Had Five Minutes.
I did not understand how competitive the process was until I was refreshing my browser, trying to beat the application cap.