Some days in this work, you wonder if it’s worth it.
You’re cold. You’re sore. You got chewed out for something that wasn’t all your fault. The journeyman you’re working with hasn’t said ten words to you all week. And the check doesn’t feel big enough for what it’s costing you.
So you start thinking about walking away.
I know that feeling. I started as a sheet metal apprentice in 1987.
I remember my first year in the trade. I was miserable and wondered if I had made the right decision.
I stuck it out and made it to journeyman. Then, as a journeyman, I did what you might be thinking. I quit the trade.
I got tired of being the first to be laid off, especially when I was the one helping the guys with layout and planning because they weren’t confident doing it themselves.
And then I came back. Coming back led to foreman, superintendent and, eventually, executive leadership. Nearly four decades after I started, I’m still in this industry.
I’m not telling you that so you’ll feel bad for wanting out. I’m telling you because I know what that moment feels like from the inside. And I know most people who quit don’t quit the trade. They quit a hard season.
Ask yourself which one it is
Before you make a permanent decision, get honest about what’s actually wrong.
Is it the work? Some people really aren’t built for this, and that’s fine. Better to know at 22 than at 42.
Is it this crew, this company or this foreman? That’s different. A bad jobsite isn’t the whole industry. Here’s what good field leadership looks like on a real jobsite.
Is it a season? Your first winter, your first layoff, your first time being the lowest person on the crew. Those feel permanent. They aren’t.
Is it something at home? Money, family, health. Sometimes the jobsite is just where the pressure shows up.
Most of the time, when I talk with young people who want out, it’s not the work. It’s the season, or it’s the people around them. Both can change.
Small beginnings are supposed to feel small
Chapter 1 of my book is called “Embracing Small Beginnings,” and I wrote it for this exact moment.
When you’re new, you carry material. You clean up. You watch other people do the work you came to learn. It can feel like you’re going nowhere.
You’re not going nowhere. You’re building the foundation everything else sits on. Every journeyman you admire carried the same material and swept the same floors.
What matters is what you do with the small job in front of you. Show up on time. Ask good questions. Do the boring work well. People notice. I promise you they notice.
Don’t make the decision alone
Here’s what I know now that I didn’t know then.
After almost a year of working another job while going back to school, I experienced a moment I will never forget. It was like a voice telling me to go back to the trades. So I did, but with a different attitude and disposition.
Here’s what I tell every apprentice now: find someone further down the road and talk to them before you decide anything. A journeyman you respect. Your apprenticeship coordinator. A foreman who’s been where you are. Your union rep. A family member who has worked hard for a living.
Not someone who will just agree with you. Someone who will tell you the truth.
Most of the people who quit, quit quietly. They never told anyone they were struggling. Don’t do that. A ten-minute conversation might save you years of regret.
Stop waiting for it to get easier
Here’s the hard part. I wrote a whole chapter on it: “Stop Being a Victim.”
Some of what you’re dealing with isn’t fair. Some foremen don’t teach. Some crews don’t welcome new people. That’s real, and the industry has work to do on it.
But you can’t control them. You can control your attitude, your effort and how you respond when things go sideways.
Waiting for somebody to make it easier for you will keep you stuck.
If you’re a leader reading this
You have someone on your crew right now who is thinking about leaving. You may not know who.
Watch for the apprentice who has gone quiet. The one who is late more than usual. The one who stopped asking questions.
Pull them aside. Ask how they’re doing, and mean it. You don’t need a program to do that. You need five minutes and a little courage. Here’s more on why seasoned leaders matter so much to newcomers.
Before you walk away
If you’re on the edge right now, do three things this week:
- Write down exactly what’s making you want to quit. Be specific.
- Talk to one person who has been in the trades longer than you.
- Give yourself 30 days before you make the call.
If it’s still the wrong fit after that, you’ll leave with a clear head instead of a bad day.
But if it’s a hard season, and it usually is, you’ll be glad you stayed.
Take it from someone who walked away once and found his way back: give it a fair chance before you decide.
Want to hear the whole story? Watch my three-part video series, Don’t Quit When It Gets Hard, on the Resources page. If you want a guide to work through, the Seven Principles Student Workbook walks you through goal setting, finding mentors and building the habits that move a career forward. And if you’re wondering where staying can lead, read From Apprentice to Leader in Construction: What the Journey Really Takes.
About Henry Nutt III: Henry rose from sheet metal apprentice to construction executive over nearly 40 years. He is a National Academy of Construction inductee, AGC of California Vice President, Governor-appointed CSLB Board Member, American Heart Association Board Member, and former Lean Construction Institute National Board Chair and Pioneer Award recipient. He is the author of Seven Principles: Creating Your Success in the Construction Industry.
