Real Trade Careers in BC — Real Numbers, Real Paths
If you’re trying to figure out whether the trades make sense as a career — for yourself, for a kid graduating high school, or for a second-act after some other job didn’t pan out — you’ve probably already noticed the internet is full of garbage information. One blog tells you electricians make $200,000 in their first year. Another tells you plumbing is “dying.” Neither is true, and both are useless.
This section of the site does something different: real numbers from real BC apprenticeship programs, real conversations with people doing the work, and a hard look at what each trade actually pays in 2026 — including the ones nobody talks about.
BC has some of the most generous apprenticeship support in Canada. SkilledTradesBC, BCIT, VIU, Camosun College, and Thompson Rivers all run programs that get you earning while you learn. Red Seal certification opens doors across the country. But the path isn’t always obvious, and the wages people quote you online are often years out of date or just made up.
What’s In Here
Whether you’re 18 and figuring out what’s next, 45 and tired of the office, or somewhere in between — these guides aim to give you the real picture. What it costs to start. What you’ll actually make. Which trades are growing. Which ones are physically rough. And what nobody tells you about the first two years.
Articles
BC Red Seal Trades 2026: What You’ll Actually Make, What It Actually Costs, and Who’s Lying to You — A no-spin breakdown of the major Red Seal trades in BC: real apprentice wages, real journeyman wages, real costs to enter, and the misleading numbers floating around online. Covers electrician, plumber, carpenter, automotive, and a few others.
More Coming
Single-trade deep-dives are next on the list — starting with what it really takes to become a BC electrical apprentice, what plumbers actually do day-to-day on a residential job, and the trades that are quietly crushing it for wages but nobody applies to. Subscribe (or just check back) for updates.