Considering a Plumbing Apprenticeship in my late 20s, am I mad?

Thank you, that’s great to hear.

Company I currently work for is an M&E contractor, large scale pharma, data centres and what not.

I think I’d prefer housbashing and commercial rather than Residential. During my Elec apprenticeship I was doing Industrial and spent a few day sweeping a roof, few more just cutting unistrut.

Think I’d rather learn more even if it’s a little harder going

I don’t really know.

I don’t know how people make career decisions and I’m second guessing myself each step of the way.

I went into a Business degree with feck all understanding other than I was interested in getting a job and fascinated with how businesses were ran (McDonalds being more of a Real Estate company, Starbucks a bank etc). Struggled through that degree in the end.

Supply Chain Analyst then, in the weeds, faffing about with Excel and presenting to C Suite executives week on week, in a meeting with the CCO, COO and all the Sales directors to inform them on stock levels.

Thought my current role would be a better fit - analytical but in my head, not desk based, out on site solving problems and understanding sequence of Construction.

It’s not that - it’s even more fiddly work working on links and float, trying to get graphs to look right rather than be accurate.
Stressing over weekly reports and knowing I’m in the wrong job.

Why Plumbing? I don’t think I want a desk job.
I like seeing a finished job, not just a never ending backlog of tasks.
I like being able to take pride in my work - can’t do that with a fartsy Report.

Detail orientated but physical work, not wording in a word doc.
I’d also want to eventually work for myself and be able to grow a Business.
Feel plumbing is hands on, detail orientated but task based and rewarding whilst also allowing for self employment which is essentially a must for me.

I’ve friends who became software devs because they ‘liked video games’, I feel I’m putting in a lot more thought and not getting any further.

My uncle is self employed, I know what it takes.

I know I’m being fanciful, and that’s part of the worry. Am I going to hate it when I get into it and regret leaving a desk job for slogging away on a site? But also, am I just a bit soft and it’s more so I’ll enjoy that work more then I get over the initial hurdle and hardship?

I do know I’ve always wanted to be self employed, I won’t waiver on that, it’s not like I’ll turn around in 2 months time and want a cushy factory job.. in my head plumbing is the best way to get to where I want to be even if it is a hard slog

My logic for going towards Elec originally and now towards Plumbing is when **** hits the fan (and I doubt it’ll be as bad on Construction in Ireland as it was in 08), I’ll at least have a trade that’s in demand for repair work and that’s got a qualification behind it, far less likes to be undercut by someone who’s not qualified.

Long term ambition is/would be to to one day start my own Business and move away from the tools

I feel my business degree is largely wasted on me. I scrapped through it, and the jobs I can get out of it aren’t really of interest to me, other than maybe Sales.
Beyond that jobs that would interest me, and where a degree is a requirement seem to be few and far between.

But I know in reality education is never lost.
So it’d be good in the long run for moving upwards as a Plumber

I currently rent a room in Galway and am entirely self sufficient, but if I was to go back and do an apprenticeship I’d be moving back in with my parents and paying a much smaller amount towards rent.

That’s it though, it’d be a huge lifestyle change.

Good question.

I guess I was doing industrial work first time round. Lots of cable pulling, sweeping and cable tying. Which is to be expected as a first year apprentice.

Think I’d prefer residential and Commercial to Industrial, more variety, more problem solving rather than just installation - I think..

But I’m picking it for much the same reason, stability, job security, start up costs (compared to a Chippy), toll on the body and potential for self employment. Also somewhat tempted by MAMF - I like fixing things.
don’t know which of the two I’d prefer..