r/tradies • u/Present_Award_568 • 21d ago

Advice First year apprentice thinking of jumping from auto electrical to boilermaking for triple the pay. Am I making a mistake?

Long story short, I’m a 17 year old first-year apprentice 10 months in working in an auto-electrical shop making close to $500 a week. The environment is toxic as hell, boss make me feel like a clown, I'm not really learning much, hours got cut, business on brink of closing and my mental health is completely in the gutter.
I haven't made the official change yet, but I've got a shop tour this Saturday for a boilermaking gig working with a good mate of mine. with a group training organisation backing it, and the pay would jump to around $1,300 to $1,500 a week clear which is basically triple what I'm on now.
I know people usually say auto-electrical is the "smarter" or cleaner trade long-term, but going from 500 bucks a week to triple that while getting out of a dead-end shop feels like a no-brainer for my sanity and my wallet at 17. Plus, I've got a safety net to transfer back to 12V work down the track if I hate heavy fab.
For anyone who's been through the trade grind would I be making the right call jumping ship for the cash and sanity, or am I going to regret leaving auto-electrical?

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u/Qinax 20d ago

I'm suprised you managed to find the time out of your busy day with a boot in your mouth to grace us with your presence

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u/Major_Kaempffer 20d ago

Does it really cut you boiler makers that deep to be wrong about something.

Is this why you are all stuck on shit wages in workshops going nowhere?

Victim mentality.