Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Timely to have Roger Wakefield with us for a few
minutes this morning on a topic that Jim and I
have talked a lot about on this program. Roger, good morning,
It's good to have you here.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
And how are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Well? Thank you. Roger Wakefield is a very popular blue
collar influencer and the host of the Trade Talks podcasts.
And we're seeing a trend now which I think is
very positive. A lot of gen zers are looking at
college and they're saying, you know, it's very expensive, I'm
going to have big debt, and AI might be taking
(00:35):
a career that I want before I even graduate. I'm
going to look at a blue collar career. This is
good news.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I think it's great news. We need more people in
the trades. We've needed people in the trades for years,
and it's starting to be something that the gen zers
are saying where they can get in and start making
good money and not have an unsurmountable college debt in
front of them.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
You are what a many decades plumbing professional, and there's
all kinds of jokes about, you know, you got to
take out a loan or get a co signer to
higher a plumber, but it point at points to the
fact that these these are not minimum wage careers if
you get the right training.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Oh no, the crews are amazing. This is one of
the one of the very interesting things about it is
you can start out today in plumbing, HVAC, electrical, probably
about and I'm going to give you numbers in Dallas,
probably fifteen to twenty dollars an hour. And I mean,
think about it. You're walking into a job green, you
don't know anything, and you can make thirty to forty
(01:41):
thousand dollars a year starting out. And the more you're
the more you stick with it, the more you learn,
the more you improve, the more money you can make.
It's easy to get to one hundred thousand dollars a
year these days, and I know people making twice that.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
What are the you referenced it here. I gather that
the building trades are really where it's at for many people,
right because AI can't go and do drywall, and they
can't do plumbing and that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Right, Well, it can't yet, and I'm sure somebody's out
there working on a robot that can, and when they
get it, we're all in trouble. But until that happens.
We need people. We need people that can come in
and learn the systems, understand the systems, and build them
and repair them. It's not just building these days. You
(02:34):
can make great money as a residential service plumber or
electrician or HVAC technician. I don't know when the last
time you had one of your systems breakdown, but when
it does, you want someone out there immediately. And supplying
demand is starting to affect the cost to that because
we don't have enough people in the trades and the
average age being in the mid fifties, the ones that
(02:58):
are getting ready to retire and need.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
To replaced right And I want to make clear to
I'm not putting down a college education in any way,
shape or for him, particularly obviously for folks who if
you want to be an m d. You're going to
have to go to college. If you want to be
an attorney, you're going to have to go to college.
Several others that require that degree, but many don't. What
do you think, Roger about about entrepreneurial types who want
(03:26):
to pursue a blue collar career. Is it is it
a good bet that if I get the right training
and I improve myself and I advanced that I can
start my own business.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Oh. Absolutely, I think it's a great idea. I was.
I'm actually at a PHCC event in San Antonio, Texas,
and I was talking with the gentleman last night. I
never met him before, but once I find out him
and his last's name, I knew exactly who he was.
This guy is a multi multi millionaire through selling plumbing companies,
(03:59):
and he's and not just selling them growing now. And
when I talked to him last night, he says, well,
now we've got companies in Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio.
Multi millionaire. You look at the guy, you would think, man,
this is just an old country boy, nice and friendly
and all that. He dresses like me and you just
(04:20):
I mean boots and jeans and a shirt. And I'm
talking to him. I'm like, oh my god, I know
who he is. And this guy's made. But I guarantee
you he has probably made hundreds of millions of dollars
as a plumber.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, and you probably want to college with just one repair. Now,
I'm kidding. Why is it? Though? You know, I imagine
that there's all kinds of jokes about it. Why is
plumbing so expensive.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Well, it's it's what it takes to do it. It's
supplying the man, and it's fixing to get worse. I've
been saying this for a few years. In the next
three to five years, I think plumbers, electricians, and HVAC
techs are making one hundred dollars an hour on the check. Wow.
And I think they're going to get there. We're going
to be in more demand than attorneys than a lot
(05:13):
of doctors, because we've got people that are going to
college to become attorneys and doctors and things like that.
But look at attorneys. I literally got a message the
other day, Hey, there's a new AI app that can
read a contract for you and redline it just like
an attorney. That's wow. And they don't have an app
(05:33):
yet that can fix your plumbing. Now. I make YouTube
videos teaching people how, but they've still got to be
able to do it themselves.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Sure, there are some there are some basic things you
can do it yourself or can do it, but a
lot of it, you know, And that brings to mind. Automotive,
We got it. You get an automotive or machinery repair
and stuff. These machines these days are so sophisticated. Uh,
there's a good career, right, Oh.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
It is any any blue collar career, any blue collar trade.
And you know you mentioned the business end and people
going to college. One of the most important things is
learn how to manage the money that you make, learn
how to invest it, learn how to grow it, learn
how to build a business with a budget. And these
are things that everybody needs to learn. So the business
(06:18):
end of it smart. No matter if you're going to
be an automotive mechanic or a plumber.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
How affordable is a blue collar edge or technical education
Roger compared to college.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Well, to be honest, you don't have to get the education.
You don't have to go to the trade school. When
I got into plumbing, I literally went down, got a
job in a plumbing company and learned to plumb while
they paid me. And the more I learned, the better
I got, the more money I got paid. You can
do that in just about any blue collar trade. You
(06:51):
can go to job. You can go get a job
at a mechanic shop today and say, look, I don't
know anything about it, but they need people so bad.
They're like, look all start to at fifteen dollars an hour.
If you're willing to show up, if you're willing to learn,
and if you're willing to invest in yourself.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Awesome, Roger, thanks appreciate the info this morning, and thank
you you bet. It's important topic, Trade Talk Trade Talks
podcast host Roger Wakefield here on kfab's morning News
Timely to have Roger Wakefield with us for a few
minutes this morning on a topic that Jim and I
have talked a lot about on this program. Roger, good morning,
It's good to have you here.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
And how are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Well? Thank you. Roger Wakefield is a very popular blue
collar influencer and the host of the Trade Talks podcasts.
And we're seeing a trend now which I think is
very positive. A lot of gen zers are looking at
college and they're saying, you know, it's very expensive, I'm
going to have big debt, and AI might be taking
(00:35):
a career that I want before I even graduate. I'm
going to look at a blue collar career. This is
good news.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I think it's great news. We need more people in
the trades. We've needed people in the trades for years,
and it's starting to be something that the gen zers
are saying where they can get in and start making
good money and not have an unsurmountable college debt in
front of them.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
You are what a many decades plumbing professional, and there's
all kinds of jokes about, you know, you got to
take out a loan or get a co signer to
higher a plumber, but it point at points to the
fact that these these are not minimum wage careers if
you get the right training.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Oh no, the crews are amazing. This is one of
the one of the very interesting things about it is
you can start out today in plumbing, HVAC, electrical, probably
about and I'm going to give you numbers in Dallas,
probably fifteen to twenty dollars an hour. And I mean,
think about it. You're walking into a job green, you
don't know anything, and you can make thirty to forty
(01:41):
thousand dollars a year starting out. And the more you're
the more you stick with it, the more you learn,
the more you improve, the more money you can make.
It's easy to get to one hundred thousand dollars a
year these days, and I know people making twice that.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
What are the you referenced it here. I gather that
the building trades are really where it's at for many people,
right because AI can't go and do drywall, and they
can't do plumbing and that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Right, Well, it can't yet, and I'm sure somebody's out
there working on a robot that can, and when they
get it, we're all in trouble. But until that happens.
We need people. We need people that can come in
and learn the systems, understand the systems, and build them
and repair them. It's not just building these days. You
(02:34):
can make great money as a residential service plumber or
electrician or HVAC technician. I don't know when the last
time you had one of your systems breakdown, but when
it does, you want someone out there immediately. And supplying
demand is starting to affect the cost to that because
we don't have enough people in the trades and the
average age being in the mid fifties, the ones that
(02:58):
are getting ready to retire and need.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
To replaced right And I want to make clear to
I'm not putting down a college education in any way,
shape or for him, particularly obviously for folks who if
you want to be an m d. You're going to
have to go to college. If you want to be
an attorney, you're going to have to go to college.
Several others that require that degree, but many don't. What
do you think, Roger about about entrepreneurial types who want
(03:26):
to pursue a blue collar career. Is it is it
a good bet that if I get the right training
and I improve myself and I advanced that I can
start my own business.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Oh. Absolutely, I think it's a great idea. I was.
I'm actually at a PHCC event in San Antonio, Texas,
and I was talking with the gentleman last night. I
never met him before, but once I find out him
and his last's name, I knew exactly who he was.
This guy is a multi multi millionaire through selling plumbing companies,
(03:59):
and he's and not just selling them growing now. And
when I talked to him last night, he says, well,
now we've got companies in Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio.
Multi millionaire. You look at the guy, you would think, man,
this is just an old country boy, nice and friendly
and all that. He dresses like me and you just
(04:20):
I mean boots and jeans and a shirt. And I'm
talking to him. I'm like, oh my god, I know
who he is. And this guy's made. But I guarantee
you he has probably made hundreds of millions of dollars
as a plumber.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, and you probably want to college with just one repair. Now,
I'm kidding. Why is it? Though? You know, I imagine
that there's all kinds of jokes about it. Why is
plumbing so expensive.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Well, it's it's what it takes to do it. It's
supplying the man, and it's fixing to get worse. I've
been saying this for a few years. In the next
three to five years, I think plumbers, electricians, and HVAC
techs are making one hundred dollars an hour on the check. Wow.
And I think they're going to get there. We're going
to be in more demand than attorneys than a lot
(05:13):
of doctors, because we've got people that are going to
college to become attorneys and doctors and things like that.
But look at attorneys. I literally got a message the
other day, Hey, there's a new AI app that can
read a contract for you and redline it just like
an attorney. That's wow. And they don't have an app
(05:33):
yet that can fix your plumbing. Now. I make YouTube
videos teaching people how, but they've still got to be
able to do it themselves.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Sure, there are some there are some basic things you
can do it yourself or can do it, but a
lot of it, you know, And that brings to mind. Automotive,
We got it. You get an automotive or machinery repair
and stuff. These machines these days are so sophisticated. Uh,
there's a good career, right, Oh.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
It is any any blue collar career, any blue collar trade.
And you know you mentioned the business end and people
going to college. One of the most important things is
learn how to manage the money that you make, learn
how to invest it, learn how to grow it, learn
how to build a business with a budget. And these
are things that everybody needs to learn. So the business
(06:18):
end of it smart. No matter if you're going to
be an automotive mechanic or a plumber.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
How affordable is a blue collar edge or technical education
Roger compared to college.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Well, to be honest, you don't have to get the education.
You don't have to go to the trade school. When
I got into plumbing, I literally went down, got a
job in a plumbing company and learned to plumb while
they paid me. And the more I learned, the better
I got, the more money I got paid. You can
do that in just about any blue collar trade. You
(06:51):
can go to job. You can go get a job
at a mechanic shop today and say, look, I don't
know anything about it, but they need people so bad.
They're like, look all start to at fifteen dollars an hour.
If you're willing to show up, if you're willing to learn,
and if you're willing to invest in yourself.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Awesome, Roger, thanks appreciate the info this morning, and thank
you you bet. It's important topic, Trade Talk Trade Talks
podcast host Roger Wakefield here on kfab's morning News
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