28-Year-Old Says 'I've Worked in the Trades. It's Overrated'—People Romanticize It, But It Wrecked His Knees, Took His Weekends & Stunk Up His Clothes

For years, trade jobs came with a stigma. They were seen as backup plans—a route for people who didn't go to college or couldn't land a white-collar job. But that perception is shifting fast. Gen Z is now eyeing tool belts and hard hats as a smart, stable alternative to corporate life. Still, some who've actually done the work say it's not all it's hyped up to be.

"I've worked in the trades: it's overrated," one 28-year-old wrote in a Reddit post that struck a nerve. He spent seven years in HVAC, and said the physical toll showed up early. "Last year my knees and back started bothering me," he explained. "I used to play full court basketball on the weekends with my friends, but I had to stop that because I would be exhausted after working all week."

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The pay was good. He said he was debt-free with a credit score in the 800s. But eventually, he switched to an office job—and hasn't looked back. "My quality of life is better," he wrote. "I don't hear pro-MAGA rants anymore. I come home after work and my clothes smell the same as I did before I left. I did take a pay cut."

While he didn't claim trades are overhyped, others in the thread filled in the blank. "People romanticize trades but it's hard fucking work and takes it out of your body," one commenter wrote. Another shared that her uncle broke his back on the job and "it ruined his life." She warned that if her own son were injured in a trade, he'd be left without options. "There's a reason desk jobs provide better long term stability," she added.

That tension—between how trades are portrayed and how they're experienced—is showing up in more conversations. Despite the pushback, a May Resume Builder survey found that 42% of Gen Z adults are either working in or pursuing blue-collar careers. Surprisingly, 37% of them already have college degrees.

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One major reason for the shift: job security. A Zety poll found 72% of Gen Z workers believe artificial intelligence will wipe out many corporate roles. And 65% say they don't think a college degree is enough to protect them from automation. For some, physically demanding jobs still feel more future-proof than office ones that can be replaced by software.

But for others, the cost is personal. In the Reddit thread, one user said their physical job left them with chronic wrist pain. "No shame in my time there," they wrote, "but glad I'm where I am now." Another said they met more addicts in the trades than anywhere else. And several commenters warned that injuries or aging out of the work can leave people stranded without backup plans.

The trades can offer stability, income, and pride—but not everyone walks away with just those. For some, it's a bad back, lost weekends, or a career they had to leave behind just to stay healthy.

The jobs are real. The paycheck is real. So is the wear-and-tear. And the people doing the work are asking: at what cost?

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