Recession-proof skill / trade to make a little income. Ideas?

jamesgregory · #41 10/26/12, 07:44 PM

Thank you all for your thoughtful suggestions, including those pointing out the downsides (e.g. in depth training necessary) to some skills/trades.

Some of the "bigger" trades e.g. plumber, electrician, or engine mechanic might require more time and training then I can afford at this point, so I'm especially interested in perhaps more "small", specialised, or simple trades I could could learn and hone within say a few years...ideally part-time.

Keep them coming!

simi-steading · #42 10/26/12, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wharton

My local small engine dealer is having a bear of a time with the whole big box store situation. A new big box store opened a few miles away last year. Not only do they sell the same brands, but obviously they undercut him severely on price. Now it comes time for warranty. A brand new snow blower shows up at his shop with the control cables reversed, and a chute that was assembled wrong, and missing parts. The unit was obviously assembled by a minimum wage kid who didn't have a clue, and it isn't even functional. The owner states that the big box store manager told him that it wasn't their problem, he need to take it to a factory service center, and there just happens to be one, a few miles away. My repair guy calls the manufacturer for a warranty authorization and get denied as the issue has nothing to do with repairing or replacing defective parts, it needs to be broken down and reassembled by a competent mechanic. At this point the small engine guy has somebody else's customer screaming at him and calling him a thief for wanting to be paid to do the work correctly. This is not an isolated incident, and the end result is that local small dealers are dropping lines simply because they are no longer worth the headache. This is why I stick with Stihl and Honda for my smaller equipment. Once I see a name brand migrate from my local independent shop to the front sidewalk at Lowe's, I know that it's all downhill from there.

It took a long time to get a good reputation with them. Thankfully we had store managers that understood some times it wasn't warranty, and would foot the bill on things. Over time it changed and corporate would start getting involved with the stores, and they of course wanted everything for nothing.

Amazing too how many mowers they took on returns that the customer didn't put oil in it after they bought it.

Eventually we started doing all he setups for them. hey didn't even want to sell anything in a box, and they would be in running order for the customer. They lost a little money paying us for all the setups, but in the long run they made money not getting all the returns from being assembled wrong, or no oil or similar.

I'm sure in the 12 years or so since I was doing it, that things have changed again. It was a cut throat industry, and without the big box stores, a small shop would struggle.. No mater what brand you carried, before long the box had it. There was no manufacturer loyalty to the dealers. You are right, they all go down hill when they hit the big box.

I only go for the more industrial lines like Stihl, Dolmar and similar..

TedH71 · #43 10/27/12, 04:51 PM

CNC machinist. You can have just 1 to 2 years of schooling and be working at a job making halfway decent pay. Be sure to get into a school that also requires you to take manual machining classes because some machine shops don't have the money for the cnc machines (average price is half a mil for one 3 axis cnc router) so they tend to use older machines. Not all rural places have this field of work but some do.

Heritagefarm · #44 10/27/12, 09:42 PM

Nurses seem to be fairly recession proof.

arnie · #45 10/27/12, 09:51 PM

How about a politition

DebM · #46 10/28/12, 01:17 PM

Welder. In a recession a lot of people do for themselves, or do start-ups with sometimes dubious abilities. If you are a welder, you have to have equipment that not everybody has, or will have the ability to get, even if they have some training. Plus, it's a VERY GOOD barter skill. Dad used to barter beef with his welding guy. I also second AI technician, although in a deep recession, people may sell off/eat their animals instead of continuing to breed.

MushCreek · #47 10/28/12, 01:52 PM

Sadly, trades such as welders and machinists haven't been particularly recession or inflation proof. Demand can be spotty, with some parts of the country seeing skilled trades drying up, while other areas are doing better. I'm a very highly skilled toolmaker by trade, and salaries in FL have essentially remained the same for the last 15 years. Meanwhile, the cost of everything has gone up, in some cases hundreds of percent. Many skilled trades were gutted by opening up trade with China, so the number of jobs have decreased. This has been going on long enough now that there is actually a shortage of some skills, as workers have either retired or moved on to something else. Now if only the money were there.......

Pelenaka · #48 10/28/12, 02:35 PM

My daughter takes auto shop in high school and until recently I had no idea that one could get a degree. Last weekend we rented a car to go to two college open houses. Morrisville (sponsored by Ford) in Centeral New York which if memory serves me is a 4 year degree, the other is Alfred Sate a 2 year degree. She's leaning more toward Alfred as she can also do a third year for diesel mechanic degree.
Either way there's a $3500 in tools she's expected to have not to mention shop uniforms tuition, books, dorm, meals, ... but she will have a skill that will last a lifetime. Expected salary after graduation is $16 & above. Both school boast a 90% employment rate.

She had first wanted to take auto body but I talked her out of it. When times are tough you make sure your ride runs looking pretty can wait.

When I was young my Dad would have two or three cars in the driveway which he wrenched on then flipped. Granted those cars didn't have computer chips but there is always a market for a cheap ride or a good mechanic.

I'm an LPN and while there's been times where I've taken a huge pay cut on relocating to a new area I've always been able to find work. The trick for me is to have a varied nursing background & skill set, and be a reliable worker.

HeelSpur · #49 10/28/12, 03:30 PM

A hooking moonshiner.

moldmonkey · #50 10/28/12, 10:40 PM

Another machinist here. I love the work but it takes a while to get good enough to earn top wages and many places don't have very many jobs. Machine shops are competing globally. If you go the trades route, pick something that can't be outsourced.

I would suggest handyman. Small house maintenance jobs, lawn mowing, snow removal, hauling stuff away, etc. Small towns have lots of older folks that are unable to do these things for themselves. My Mom is recently widowed and she is having a hell of a time finding someone to do these type of jobs. I live too far away, my brother is too busy, and the local guys aren't very good and/or unwilling to do small jobs.

If you are willing to do any job, no matter how small and do what you say you will & be on time, you should develop a reputation and business fairly quickly. Small towns can be very cliquish but to be honest many tradesman in small towns aren't very good at customer service.

I have often thought a husband/handyman & wife/housecleaner & home aide team could do very well in areas with lots of seniors.

Terrabus · #51 10/28/12, 11:43 PM

I have tried to work in the Funeral industry at various times in the past. There are a few places where you can go to school and get a degree. Some states require this.

Also, there is big money in coffins and urns. If you're any good at wood working, I'd talk to local funeral homes about offering your wooden urns and coffins. Be careful, some states have some weird laws about this, like Illinois.

I used to work at a cemetery. I loved it. I was outdoors, nobody complained and nobody was in a hurry. Mostly, I was left alone to cut grade and pick up sticks.

lonelytree · #52 10/29/12, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeelSpur

A hooking moonshiner.

Won't work.... arthritis and I would drink all the profits.

Sunbee · #53 10/29/12, 01:58 AM

If you're looking for something strictly seasonal, the guys who do tilling are busy as all get-out for a month or so in the spring and fall here--like call in April if you want tilling in May busy. Don't know how easy or hard it'd be to get into that.

Plowpoint · #54 10/30/12, 01:38 AM

I am a machinist by trade, but always seem to fall back to my welding skills in recessions.

I have worked too hard to become an accomplished machinist to call myself a welder, but to be honest with everyone, I have spent more time as a welder then as a machinist.

A certified welder is a recession proof career for sure.

gotmules · #55 10/30/12, 11:13 AM

in our town, we have a small shoe store. they have always done leather repair. the current owner was taught by her parents. she can fix shoes, boots, purses, saddle stirrups, etc. we used to have another shoe repair shop, but the gentleman passed away. it makes sense to re-sole a pair of boots rether than pay two or three hundred dollars for a new pair. she keeps shoe strings, leather oil, etc., in the store.
also, we have a chainsaw shop that is always busy. they do lawnmowers, weed whips, and tires for mowers, too. they keep old benches and chairs around for people to "visit" while waiting. they get customers from twenty miles away, and they are a ways out in the country.
tool sharpening, scissors, knives, shovels, you don't get that service in the big stores. my scissors could stand to be sharpened, and I would think quilters would need it even more.
we have lots of places that process beef, deer, pork, but only one elderly gentleman who still does poultry. I've read of people who have portable processing trailers who go to farms and take care of butchering needs, but don't know of any here in mid-Missouri.
just a few thoughts.

sisterpine · #56 10/30/12, 11:17 AM

Small engine and electric motor repair. We had a terrible time finding folks to work on our chipper, generator, chainsaw, well motor/pump etc.

TheMartianChick · #57 10/30/12, 12:02 PM

I am in a similar situation in that we want to move to amore rural location, but I still want to have earning potential. Instead of looking to things that I can do for the people that live in my new location, I am looking to do things virtually. I do quite a bit of private business consulting, business plan writing and marketing for companies. I can do these from anywhere and some of my clients have been in NY, NJ, CT and MA. I also write magazine articles for agricultural/country living publications and in recent years, I've been publishing novels. The best thing about this is that there aren't a lot of deadlines to worry about and I can fit my work around my hobbies and other interests.

Beeman · #58 10/30/12, 01:02 PM

No Idea where you are moving to, that is what will dictate what will work more than anything. If you're moving to a rural are where there are a lot of others that moved from the city you can do most anything, especially if it requires getting dirty. If you move to a real rural area it will be much tougher as if they lead a simpler life their requirements are simpler and they will do most everything themselves.

majik · #59 10/30/12, 01:24 PM

Think about services for the elderly. We're all getting older. In my area, transportation is a challenge, so that makes shopping hard, and people end up moving to town. Ditto cleaning and yard maintenance. You would also get the satisfication of meeting some cool people with great stories, I bet.

Heritagefarm · #60 10/30/12, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sisterpine

Small engine and electric motor repair. We had a terrible time finding folks to work on our chipper, generator, chainsaw, well motor/pump etc.

I tried doing that myself a couple times. But, I don't speak Small Engine.