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Framing & finish
Carpenter
Building the thing that everything else attaches to.
Typical pay
$40k-$85k
How you get in
Apprenticeship or on-the-job, 2-4 years
Outlook
Steady; tied to construction cycles
Carpenters cut, frame and finish the structures other trades work inside. Framing is fast, physical and weather-exposed; finish carpentry is slower, quieter and judged by the sixteenth of an inch.
A day in the life
- 6:30aTailgate meeting, review the day's layout
- 7:00aSnap lines and start framing walls
- 10:00aCrane sets trusses, everyone stops to guide
- 12:00pLunch on a stack of lumber
- 12:30pSheathing and blocking
- 3:30pClean the site, stage tomorrow's material
How to get in
Union apprenticeship
Duration
4 years
Cost
$0 — paid while you train
Credential
Journeyman carpenter
- Apply to a UBC local when applications open
- Pass the interview and basic aptitude screen
- Work full time while attending night classes
- Finish with a journeyman card and portable benefits
Start as a laborer
Duration
1-3 years
Cost
$0
Credential
None — your work speaks
- Get hired as a laborer on a framing crew
- Buy your own basic tools early — it signals intent
- Take on cutting and layout as you prove out
- Move to lead carpenter, then foreman
Trade school
Duration
6-12 months
Cost
$4,000-$15,000
Credential
Carpentry certificate
- Complete a carpentry program with shop time
- Learn blueprint reading, which separates you fast
- Enter a crew above laborer level
- Still expect to learn the real pace on site
What people love
- · You can point at buildings you made
- · Skills transfer straight to your own home
- · Fast entry with no degree
- · Path to running your own crew
What wears people down
- · Weather is the whole job
- · Hard on shoulders, knees and back
- · Seasonal slowdowns in cold climates
- · Injury risk from saws and heights