Offering an unusually high level of job security, this line of work usually requires a four-year apprenticeship with a local union. However, getting a foot in the door is tougher in some cities than in others. Start by contacting your local building-trades union and ask what you need to do. One downside: You may have to be on call 24/7.
Cole Haston began his career working with his dad. "My dad got started when I was pretty young and I would tag along with him, so I was interested at an early age," he says. "I got hired as an apprentice in the union and took classes at night. Now, I am a modernization mechanic; I go into a building and upgrade the controllers, replace some components that have a lot of wear and tear."
But this is no day at the office -- they are working with heights, electricity and dangerous machinery, after all. But Haston still loves his job. "What I truly love is the variety of work, the places you get to go. There aren't a lot of jobs out there where you can go to a federal penitentiary one day and a five star hotel the next. It never gets boring."
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