Blue Collar and Proud of It: The All-In-One Resource for Finding Freedom, Financial Success, and Security Outside the Cubicle (20 page)

Underground mines are damp and dark, and some can be very hot and noisy. At times, several inches of watermay cover tunnel floors, which may only be lit by a miner’s headlamp. Workers in mines with very low roofsmay have to work on their hands and knees or while lying down in confined spaces.Needless to say, this is tough work.

Training and Certification

There are few formal education requirements forminers, but a lot of experience is needed before people are expected, or even permitted, to performsome of the advanced jobs. Mostminers start off as helpers and learn on the job. Some formal training programs are available and are seen asmore important now than they were in the past. These programs are growing in popularity as the sophistication of equipment is increasing. Technology is changingmining, andminersmust adjust to the new techniques and machines. Some employers prefer to hire people who have had vocational training in high school or have attended postsec-ondary programs or technical schools. These programs and schools are typically found in mining regions.

The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 mandates that each U.S. mine have an approvedworker-training programin health and safety issues. In addition to newminer training, eachminermust also receive at least eight hours of safety training each year, and miners assigned to new jobs must receive safety training relating to their new position.

As workers gain more experience, they can advance to higher-paying jobs requiring greater skill. Miners with significant experience or special training can becomemine safety, health, and compliance officers, whose duties includemine safety inspection. Mining engineerswere often miners at one time, although engineer is a professional position forwhich a bachelor’s degree is required. It’s always an option down the road.

The Numbers

There were approximately 619, 000 jobs in the United States mining industry as of 2006. Average earnings were significantly higher than for other industries. For example, in 2006miners earned $21.40 an hour in oil and gas extraction, $22.08 an hour in coalmining, $22.39 an hour inmetal oremining, and $18.74 an hour in nonmetallicmineralsmining.

Employment in mining is expected to decrease. That said, employment in nonmetallic minerals mining should increase some because of continued demand for crushed stone, sand, and gravel used in construction. Environmental concerns, accompanied by strict regulations, have had a major impact on this industry. Restrictions on drilling in environmentally sensitive areas are also expected to limitmining, both onshore and offshore. Mining jobs are heavily concentrated in the parts of the country where large resource deposits exist, such as Kentucky, Pennsylvania, andWest Virginia. Metal mining is more prevalent in the West and Southwest, particularly inArizona, Nevada, andMontana. Surprisingly, about 80 percent of mining establishments employ fewer than twenty people, so these are mostly small operations.

Because workers in themining industry are older than average, some companies may lose large numbers of their workforce. Employment opportunities will be best for those with previous experience and for those with technical skills.

PLUMBER, PIPE LAYER,
AND
PIPE FITTER

Plumbing has been around since ancient civilizations, when Romans and Greeks luxuriated in baths and delivered water through aqueducts. They needed potable water, and potable water is what they figured out how to get—and that was the start of plumbing systems as we know them. Plumbers now connect our homes, businesses, factories, heating systems, andmore to water sources. Whilemore advancedmaterials and technologies are used, the general concept hasn’t changedmuch in thousands of years.

Modern plumbing involves more than clogged drains and leaking faucets, but for most of us that’s what we think of first. Plumbers are responsible for steamheat systems, pipelines that carry waste and water, and piping natural gas.

The Work

Plumbers, pipe layers, and steamfitters install, maintain, and repair complex residential and commercial pipe systems. Some of these systems move water to and from municipal water treatment plants. Others dispose of waste, provide gas to stoves and furnaces, or provide for heating and cooling needs. Pipe systems in factories or power plants carry steam that powers huge turbines.

Although pipe laying, plumbing, pipe fitting, and steam fitting are often considered a single trade, workers generally specialize in one area. Pipe layers lay clay, concrete, plastic, or cast-iron pipe for drains, sewers, water mains, and oil or gas lines. Plumbers install and repair the water, waste disposal, drainage, and gas systems in homes and commercial or industrial buildings. Plumbers also install plumbing fixtures—think bathtubs, sinks, and toilets—as well as appliances such as dishwashers and water heaters. Pipe fitters install and repair both high- and low-pressure pipe systems used in manufacturing, the generation of electricity, and the heating and cooling of buildings.They also install automatic controls that are increasingly used to regulate these various systems. Some pipe fitters specialize in only one type of system. For example, steamfit-ters install pipe systems that move liquids or gases under high pressure, and sprinkler fitters install automatic fire sprinkler systems.

While working on construction projects, plumbers are often involved in the design process, collaboratingwith carpenters or electricians to plan out where pipes and fixtures fit into a building’s blueprint. Their knowledge of codes is essential to the success of a project, and they should have a basic understanding of other trades.

Work Setting

Pipe fitters and steamfittersmost often work in industrial settings or power plants. Plumbers work in commercial and residential settings where water and septic systems need to be installed andmaintained. Pipe layers work outdoors, sometime in remote areas, as they build the pipelines that connect sources of oil, gas, and chemicals with their customers. All of these jobs can be physically demanding and require strength to carry pipes, other material, and equipment.

Training and Certification

Pipe layers, plumbers, pipe fitters, and steamfitters can enter the industry in a variety of ways. Most residential and industrial plumbers get their training in career and technical schools or from on-the-job training. Pipe layers, plumbers, pipe fitters, and steamfitters who do commercial work are usually trained through formal apprenticeship programs. Postsecondary courses in shop, plumbing, generalmathemat-ics, and drafting are all considered good preparation for this field.

Apprenticeship programs generally provide themost comprehensive training available for these jobs and are usually offered through unions or contractors. These programs are typically four or five years of paid, on-the-job training and at least 144 hours of related classroom instruction for each of those years. As apprentices gain experience, they learn how to work with various types of material and how to install different pipe systems and plumbing fixtures.

States typically require plumbers to be licensed. Requirements vary, but most localities require workers to have several years of experience and to pass an examination that tests their knowledge of general procedures and local plumbing codes.