Many high school guidance counselors would have you believe that you can never amount to anything unless you go to college. However, the millions of trades people in the United States would beg to differ. They make excellent livings doing thinks like hydro excavation and plumbing, which allow them to work with their hands instead of spending all day at a desk in an office building. If you're living in or moving to Clarksville, Tennessee and you think a trades career would be right for you, this article should give you a place to start.

Trades careers aren't like other careers. While to be successful in almost any career you need to undergo training, training to be a plumber isn't the same as training to be a veterinarian in a London, Ontario animal hospital. Instead of going to college, studying from books, and writing exams, you'll take a much briefer training course to earn your certification and then begin your apprenticeship, where you study under a more experienced trades person in your field.

Finding an apprenticeship is much like finding a job, because unlike many of the office internships that college grads start out in, apprenticeships are paid positions. As an apprentice, you'll be expected to assist the master trades person who employs you. He or she might get you to help install thermal insulation materials on the job site, or perhaps just watch as he or she performs a particularly tricky feat. In summary, it's learning on your feet, so you have to be adept at watching, understanding, and repeating.

So how do you find an apprenticeship? For those of you who have trained in an independent program or spent a few years away from the trade, you can find many apprentice positions on job websites like Indeed, Green Jobs, and Simply Hired. Trades are a major part of the employment landscape in Clarksville so you shouldn't have much of a problem finding a position. However for more specialized trades you might find yourself working under an architect in Toronto, as small towns in Tennessee simply don't have the right type of work going on.

The alternative to finding apprenticeships yourself is to choose to do your training at a school that finds apprenticeships for its students when they are ready. Vocational high schools usually offer this feature. Check with the Clarksville school board to see if there's one near you. Alternatively, you can get help finding your shrink sleeves manufacturing apprenticeship from your community college or career school. Make sure to ask if they offer this feature before you put down your tuition deposit. These sorts of programs cost a little more but can be worth it.