I want to switch careers or learn a trade. What should I check first?

Four pages in this library each guard one step of a switch. Ask what a first-year apprentice earns before you switch to a trade is about the pay on the day you start. Look at what the hospital hires without a degree is about jobs that ask for no degree and what each posting still asks for. Pick the job, then look up its route is about checking the job before you pay for any training. A new job should never ask you to send money is about the offer that is not a job. All four pages carry safety lines, and each sits with its own section below. None of the four tells you which job to take.

If you have already sent money to a new employer, call the company you used to send it right now: your bank, a payment app, a gift card company or a wire service. Tell them it was fraud and ask them to reverse it. The US Federal Trade Commission says to do this immediately. The last part of this answer, on job offers that ask for money, has the reporting steps for the US and the UK.

Before you switch to a trade, find out what a first-year apprentice is paid where you live, because the high pay figures you hear can be what fully trained workers earn. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says apprentices receive less pay than fully trained electricians, but their pay increases as they learn to do more. It says most electricians learn in a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, and that unions and contractor associations sponsor the programs. Its median wage for all electricians was $30.38 an hour in May 2025. That is the middle figure for every electrician, so half earn less, and it is not a first-year rate.

The US Department of Labor describes a Registered Apprenticeship as a paid job with a mentor, classroom instruction, wage increases as you gain skills, and a credential that is portable and nationally recognized. It says you apply directly to the employer or the program sponsor, and its search tool is the Apprenticeship Finder at apprenticeship.gov. In England, GOV.UK says an apprentice is an employee who earns a wage, gets holiday pay, and gets time to train, at least 20 percent of normal working hours. When that page was checked in October 2026, the apprentice minimum wage was £8 an hour for anyone under 19 and for anyone 19 or over in their first year; after the first year, if you are 19 or over, you are entitled to the minimum wage for your age. That is a legal floor and not what any trade pays; your contract should state your rate. In England, GOV.UK’s Find an apprenticeship service lets you search and apply; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own routes.

Some people say apprentice pay often starts at about half of a fully trained worker’s pay and rises steadily. If the full rate in your area is 40 dollars an hour, half of it is 20 dollars an hour; that is an example of the arithmetic, not a pay figure for any trade. The page’s step is to open one real listing and write down three things, the first-year pay, who runs the program and how you apply, then check whether you could pay your bills on that first-year pay for a year. The first years can cost money as well: one person says they cost money for books and tools. Do not quit your job or leave a course yet. An apprenticeship is a paid job, so if anyone asks you to pay for the place itself, stop and check first.

Trade work is physically hard and carries real injury risk. The BLS says working with electricity is dangerous, that accidents can be fatal, and that common injuries include electrical shocks, falls and burns. It says long periods of standing and kneeling can be tiring, and that workers must wear protective clothing and safety glasses, and hearing protection where it is loud. The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in a 2007 bulletin, says construction is one of the most hazardous industries, and that tasks such as lifting, stooping, kneeling, twisting and reaching overhead put workers at risk of back problems, carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis. In Great Britain, the Health and Safety Executive says skilled construction and building trades have some of the highest estimated rates of back injuries and upper limb disorders, and that construction has one of the highest rates of deafness caused by work, and of hand-arm vibration syndrome, which can permanently reduce your grip. If you already have a back, knee, joint or hand problem, or a health condition that affects your strength or how your body handles heat, ask your own doctor what the work would involve before you apply. If someone is seriously hurt at work, call 911 in the US or 999 in the UK. If you think a workplace is unsafe, you can report it to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the US or the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain.

In a 2020 bulletin, NIOSH says opioids are often prescribed for pain after work injuries, and it points to a Massachusetts study of deaths in 2011 to 2015, in which construction and extraction workers died of opioid-related causes at six times the average rate for all workers in the state. If pain medicine worries you, SAMHSA’s free helpline is 1-800-662-4357, open 24 hours; in the UK, FRANK is on 0300 123 6600. In the US, if you work for a private company, a job injury claim goes to your state’s workers’ compensation office, and the Department of Labor keeps a list of them. In Great Britain, GOV.UK explains Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit for illness or injury caused by work, and the Acas helpline gives free advice on your rights.

On whether it is too late in your 30s or 40s, people answer both ways; GOV.UK says you can start an apprenticeship in England if you are 16 or over, live in England and are not in full-time education, and that a previous qualification, such as a degree, does not stop you.

If you need steady work without a degree, look at what a hospital near you hires for in cleaning, kitchen and patient transport, and read each posting to see whether it asks for a license or certificate first. These are physical jobs. The BLS says nursing assistants and orderlies have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations, and that their work may be strenuous. It says janitors and building cleaners sometimes get injured, with sprains or strains from heavy lifting. If a back, joint, heart or other health problem could make lifting, long standing or helping people to move unsafe for you, ask your own doctor before you apply, and ask the employer what the job involves. The Job Accommodation Network explains how US disability law applies to changes at work; in Great Britain, the Acas helpline gives free advice on employment law, though the call itself may cost you.

The BLS says orderlies, who transport patients and clean treatment areas, typically have at least a high school diploma or equivalent and get a short period of on-the-job training, with no license, though a job may ask for CPR or basic life support. It says janitors and building cleaners have no formal educational requirement and learn on the job, and that some employers may require or prefer a high school diploma. Nursing assistants are different: it says they typically must complete a state-approved education program and pass their state’s competency exam. Some people point out that a patient care technician job usually asks for a nursing assistant license or state certification, even though others say hospital jobs need no experience; one person says it depends on the state and the hospital, and some hospitals train new hires themselves. A posting that sounds like an entry job can still need a certificate first, and the requirements in the posting decide.

People split on whether hospitals are hiring now, and the page cannot referee it. Some people who describe working in hospitals say there is steady hiring for roles that need no college degree; others say some hospitals have frozen hiring or are letting staff go over funding. Some people say outside applicants often do not hear back, because jobs are filled from inside or by referral. What a hospital near you is doing is for its own jobs page to say. One person says hospitals run thorough background checks, drug tests and health checks, and that these can rule out people who are otherwise qualified. Some people say some of these jobs are filled through outside staffing companies rather than the hospital, with lower pay and less job security than a direct hire; the employer named on a posting says which kind it is. In the UK, the NHS Health Careers site says there are no set entry requirements to become a healthcare assistant, that employers expect good literacy and numeracy and may ask for GCSEs, or the equivalent, in English and maths, or a healthcare qualification such as a BTEC or NVQ, and that they expect some experience of healthcare or care work, which can be paid or voluntary. For porters, who move patients and equipment around the hospital, it says there are no set entry requirements, that employers may ask for GCSEs in English and maths, and that they usually expect some relevant healthcare experience; porters must be physically fit for lifting, walking and pushing. NHS Jobs lists current vacancies across the NHS.

Pick a specific job that people are hired into, look up what it asks for, and choose the cheapest route to it that pays you or funds you while you learn. The US BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook lists, for each job, the usual entry-level education, the on-the-job training, the pay and the projected growth. Its page on registered nurses shows why to look: it says nurses usually take one of three routes, a bachelor’s degree in nursing, an associate’s degree in nursing or a diploma from an approved program, that nurses must be licensed, and that hospitals may require a bachelor’s degree. In England, the National Careers Service job profiles give the qualifications, salary and progression for each job. CareerOneStop, a US Department of Labor site, helps you find a job, free training and your nearest American Job Center. That page’s step is to write down two or three jobs you could picture doing that people are actually hired into, look each up, and note the schooling or training, whether you must be licensed, and the outlook. Do not enrol in anything or pay for anything yet.

Some people say a skill such as coding, a trade or IT can be learned through self-study or on the job; one person warns that this takes hours of study every day, and another that paid coding bootcamps can be scams or lead into a crowded field. The page could not check hiring for any of these where you are, which is the reason to look the job up first.

The page also says what pays you while you learn. The US Department of Labor says apprentices earn as they learn, with on-the-job learning and job-related classroom training. In England, GOV.UK says that if you are under 25 when you start and have been in local authority care, you may be eligible for a bursary payment. If you will need school and have no family to fill in the forms, the page covers independent-student rules for US federal aid; the financial aid office at the school you apply to is the place to ask how they work for you. If earning more would cost you benefits, one person says earning even a modest amount can cut off aid, and the page says to ask the office that pays your benefits what would change before you accept more hours or a raise. In England, Turn2us has free tools to check which benefits you could claim, and Citizens Advice gives free advice on benefits on 0800 144 8848.

If you are under 18 and you are not safe at home, or you are thinking of leaving, call or text the National Runaway Safeline on 1-800-786-2929 in the US, free at any hour, or call Childline on 0800 1111 in the UK. If you are in danger right now, call 911 in the US or 999 in the UK. One person warns that relying on a romantic partner for a place to live is dangerous, with a risk of trafficking and exploitation. If someone is forcing or tricking you into work, the National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888 in the US (text 233733), and in the UK the Modern Slavery and Exploitation Helpline is 08000 121 700 (open 8am to 6pm every day for now). Outside those hours, adults in England and Wales can call the Salvation Army’s referral helpline, 0800 808 3733, at any hour, and adults in Scotland can call Migrant Help’s out-of-hours line for urgent needs, 0141 212 8553; if you are under 18, call Childline on 0800 1111. If you are in immediate danger, call 999 in the UK or 911 in the US. One person also warns that scammers target people who are struggling, so do not give personal details to strangers online who offer help, and do not take investment or crypto tips from direct messages. If you have no food or nowhere safe to sleep tonight, the pick-the-job page says to call 211 in the US first, because it can connect you to local help; in England, GOV.UK says your local council must help if you are homeless or will be within 8 weeks, so contact its housing team today, and Shelter’s free helpline is 0808 800 4444 on weekdays. Looking up jobs can wait.

If a new employer sends you a cheque and asks you to send any of the money to anyone, or asks you to pay to get the job, send nothing: both are scams. That is the line the US Federal Trade Commission draws. In the UK, Report Fraud, the police fraud-reporting service, and the Disclosure and Barring Service warn about the payment half of it. The page explains the trick: an offer comes fast, perhaps for work from home and with no real interview, and a cheque arrives for supplies, tools or a starter kit. Then a second message says to send part of the money back, or to a supplier, or to buy gift cards. Your bank shows the cheque as money in your account, so it feels safe. The FTC says banks have to make deposited money available quickly, that seeing it in your account does not mean the cheque is good, and that a fake cheque can take weeks to be found. By then you have sent real money, and you owe the bank. The Commission says fake cheques can look just like real ones, even to bank staff, and that cashier’s cheques, money orders and cheques delivered electronically can be fake too. It lists jobs it has seen used this way: mystery shopper, personal assistant, nanny or caregiver, and virtual assistant, and says no honest potential employer will send you a cheque to deposit and then tell you to send on part of the money, or to buy gift cards with it. If you have deposited a cheque but not yet sent anything, the page could not find an official step for that case; your bank is the one that can say whether the cheque has been paid.

Paying to get the job is the other half. The Commission says honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job, and anyone who does is a scammer; it names starter kits, so-called training and useless certifications. In the UK, the Disclosure and Barring Service says never to send money before starting a job, including for training, uniforms or a DBS check, which in most instances the employer should provide. It lists a job offer without an interview as a sign of a job scam and says to ask to meet the hiring manager face to face or online. If a request is for a background check, send nothing yet: check that the organisation exists and contact it through details you found yourself, not the ones in the offer. Search the company’s name with the words scam, review or complaint, and tell one person you trust about the offer.

If you have already sent money, call the company you used to send it right now: your bank, a payment app, a gift card company or a wire service. Tell them it was fraud and ask them to reverse it. The FTC says to do this immediately, and to report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you gave a scammer your Social Security number, IdentityTheft.gov will give you a recovery plan. If you gave a scammer the password to an account, change it and turn on two-step sign-in. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Report Fraud, the police reporting service, says to stop all contact, note the person’s details, report it to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and tell your bank straight away. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101. This site has a guide for this, I paid a scammer, or think I’ve been scammed, with the full steps and what to say to your bank. If losing this money has you thinking about ending your life, call or text 988 in the US, or call Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK, at any hour. If anyone is threatening you, or you are in danger now, call 911 in the US or 999 in the UK.

Paying is not always the scam. The scam page separates a fake employer who takes money for training that leads to no job from a written agreement in a real job saying you repay training costs if you leave early. If you are asked to sign one, a free adviser can read it first: Acas or Citizens Advice in the UK, a legal aid office through LawHelp.org or your state labor office in the US. Whether an employer may make you buy your own tools or work clothes is an open argument: some people say it may be illegal or a sign you are treated as a contractor, others that it is a normal part of some work, such as trades, hairdressing and restaurants, provided you are not forced to buy from one seller at inflated prices. In the US, the Department of Labor says an employer may not take uniform or tool costs out of your pay, or make you pay them, if that leaves you below the federal minimum wage, and it says the same for overtime pay. In the UK, HM Revenue and Customs says the cost of uniform an employer requires you to buy always counts against your National Minimum Wage pay. Your state labor office in the US, or the Acas helpline in the UK, can say what applies to you.

Who this is not for. If you earn much more now than an apprentice does, the switch means a pay cut while you learn; put the first-year pay beside your bills before you decide. If steady income is what you need soonest, one person says new building work is prone to layoffs. If a bad back, bad knees, joints or a health condition limits lifting or standing, the safety lines above come first, and these jobs may be the wrong tool. If you expect a background check or a drug screen to rule you out, one person says the checks do rule people out. If you need money this week, hospital hiring can be slow and the page cannot say how slow. If depression, ADHD or anxiety is what stops you getting started, some people warn it can look like laziness, and a doctor is the right door. If you start having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 in the US, or call Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK, and call 911 or 999 if you are in danger now. If you are not in the US or the UK, none of the official lines here have been checked for you. This answer does not weigh a trade against college, and it does not cover starting a trade business, union fees or an entrance test.