A Job or a Career?

A JOB	A CAREER with the Sheet Metal Industry
Provides a salary that might increase	Provides a salary that *will* increase
Limits your area of responsibility	Gives you many opportunities to grow
Generally, limits your business contacts	Offers a wide-ranging network of contacts
Provides few challenges	Tests your ability to think and learn
Can often be boring	Challenges your skills
Limits your opportunities	Opens doors to many opportunities
Typically, offers only basic training	Offers industry-recognized comprehensive education and training
Usually has limited benefits	Offers insurance, pension, paid vacations, and industry-assisted training
Keeps you in one place	Offers opportunities for travel
Provides few opportunities to contribute	Provides many opportunities to contribute to the industry and community
Gives you few or no retirement options	Provides many opportunities for a second career in the industry

Looking for more than just a job?

Keep reading to learn how you can get started with a career in sheet metal.

Step One

Find the training center closest to you and request information on applying for an apprenticeship.

Step Two

Apply for the apprenticeship program. Application requirements vary by state, and you may need to go through an interview process in addition to applying. Once you’ve been accepted, you’ll begin training in the exciting, diverse, and challenging sheet metal industry.

Step Three

You are enrolled as a first-year apprentice. Work hard. Study hard. On the job, you will be working with journey-level workers who have been through the same training as you. Watch what they do. Listen to what they say. Learn how to use your tools. Learn to be safe on the job. Be on time and ready to work every day. You will be earning a good wage and important benefits, such as health care coverage and contributions to a pension. In the classroom, you’ll work with the same tools you see on the job. Your classroom work, books, and materials will reinforce your experience on the job and vice versa. Like any education experience, the more you put into this training, the more you’ll get back.

Step Four

Spend time analyzing what specialties interest you the most.

Architectural Sheet Metal
Building Information Modeling (BIM)
HVAC Service and Refrigeration
Commercial HVAC
Residential HVAC
Welding and Industrial Sheet Metal
Testing, Adjusting and Balancing (TAB)
Sign Industry
Roofing

Step Five

Get ready to discover, commit, and contributeto the world around you as you take your oath to become a journey-level worker. The education and training you’ve received to date make you perfectly prepared to be a productive, efficient, skilled, trade worker from your first day on the job, but your education never ends. In the years ahead, you’ll get plenty of opportunities for advanced continuing education, specialty certifications, and new technologies. Take advantage of those opportunities. You’ll be doing valuable work that will make a difference in your community you can be proud of. You can stop here, or you can go on...

Step Six

The experience you’ve gained, coupled with your ITI training, equips you with the foundation to accept new responsibilities and enjoy the added rewards that go with that responsibility. Can you be a leader? A problem solver? Are you ready to think strategically? As an apprentice, your studies covered these areas, along with some principles of business and management. If you seek additional training or even certification in supervisory skills, step up to the plate. Here’s your opportunity.

Step Seven

Become your own boss. This step is not for everyone. There are plenty of risks, but even more rewards. You’ve got to be ready for the pressure and the stress of meeting a payroll, being responsible for a team of skilled people, taking on projects, and meeting deadlines. If running your own company is something you’re ready to do, you’ll find the sheet metal industry to be a challenging, growing, and potentially rewarding field. Even though you may be competing with many of the men and women you’ve worked with over the years, you will find they’re ready and willing to work with you to help you find the resources you need to get established. You will find your ITI training an invaluable resource not only in understanding how a job gets done, but also in how our industry can add value for the entire community.