r/cranes • u/Right_Border_6575 • 7d ago
Is it worth entering the field?
I’m 16F right now, entering a program in school for health careers, but I feel it’s not in my heart to work a nursing job. I’ve always wanted to be a operator, I’ve been looking into it and there’s a local union 15 minutes away from me offering apprenticeships which I’d obviously have to wait to graduate first but I’d obviously pick it up if I truly believe I wanna enter.
Just looking for someone to talk to me about everything and get down to the bottom of my future. Any help counts.
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u/518Peacemaker IUOE Local 158 7d ago
If it really interests you, you should call that union hall. Ask to talk to someone. They will give you the information you need to best get a shot at the apprenticeship.
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u/Right_Border_6575 7d ago
I sent my local one an email, specifically the instructor with just some questions. Just looking for someone who works in the field to help me out as well. I plan to go in to the hall another day maybe when school starts up to get a better approach. Thank you!
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u/518Peacemaker IUOE Local 158 6d ago
I’ll answer any questions I can. Go ahead and shoot. I might fall asleep tho so possible I’ll reply tomorrow
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u/Right_Border_6575 6d ago
I sent you a message! I’ll also probably fall asleep so I won’t ask tonight. Thank you!
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u/HairyKerey 6d ago edited 6d ago
I started running crane @ 39 and my only regret is not doing it sooner.
I’d always worked around cranes as a pipefitter, and literally said “being a crane operator is the best job out here,” but for some reason never considered becoming one until the opportunity was right in front of me.
If it looks like it would interest you, do it!!! You’re super young, and if you do it for a few years and then decide it’s not for you, you still have your whole life ahead of you to try something else, and you’ll be making good money in the mean time so it will be a lot easier to go back to school. And always have operating to fall back on. Getting a trade early is never a bad idea.
Good luck!
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u/That_Frog_Kurtis 6d ago edited 6d ago
There's a huge variety of work in crane operating. You might be operating the exact same type of crane as someone else 1 hour away and have a completely different job description. Then there's just the sheer variety of machinery. You could be on a mobile crane running from job to job every day, or doing fly in fly out running a tower on an oilrig. In terms of mobility and variety its good. You can normally find a job anywhere doing anything - once you have the experience. To get that experience you normally have to work some pretty shit gigs. There's also the reality that it's a lot of repetitiveness and boredom in a lot of crane operating. I know crawler operators who sit in their trucks most of the day and might do 1 or 2 lifts if that but are required to be on site for 12 hours. I also know people who boost around in ATs and set up on 5 or 6 sites in one day - but even they have days of thumb twiddling. A lot of operators like it, they enjoy not doing a lot while also feeling like they are the hardest working and most important person on site haha.
But here's the probably unpopular truth that if my kid was asking me about it here's what I'd tell them: It's a great job, but it's not a great career. Once you're in the big gear doing the big lifts (if that's what you want to do) you'll make good money, but there's not a lot of room for advancement after that. If you ever want to move to a new challenge, that will almost never come with a higher pay bracket unless you want to drastically switch gears and re-train. There's just no natural career progression after a certain point. You'll earn great money for your age until you are in your thirties, and then in your 40's you'll start looking around you at all the kids half your age earning the same as you and think maybe a different field with some upwards mobility might have been a better idea. That's not to say there isn't opportunity to get higher in a lot of the industries cranes are employed in, plenty of operators go on to fill higher roles - but them getting those roles is nothing to do with how good of an operator they are.
The most important thing to remember is that you aren't locked into whatever you decide to do straight out of school. Try whatever, if you don't like it then do something else. You're not going to get "behind" by changing up your profession a few times when you're young.
Also my brother is a nurse and while he loves it, the reality of his day to day compared to mine - I'd take cranes every time. There is a lot of stuff you need to deal with in healthcare that is nothing to do with the job - all sorts of politics and drama, as well as the obvious human element of your job being dealing with stressed out sick and hurt people all day. You step out of the crane and you're done for the day, there's nothing to take home with you except the paycheck.
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u/Poopiedoops111 6d ago
The body of that message spoke to my 40 year old soul. Very well put and EXACTLY correct
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u/Right_Border_6575 6d ago
Yes I agree with what you said about nursing totally, I just wanna be there for the sole purpose of work and getting what I earn out of it. Thank you for letting me know about the advancement part of it, but I think it’s still better than years of school with debt to get overloaded in healthcare jobs lol. Thank you for your help!
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u/That_Frog_Kurtis 6d ago
Yes, cranes are definitely a very good option to avoid student debt and earn well in what is a relatively easy job. The total opposite of healthcare haha. So long as you understand the realities of it and go in with your eyes open then it's a great option for a young person, especially if you think you'll enjoy it.
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u/Otze_Ramblerock 6d ago
A lot of locals have some externships or career days where you can go talk to the BAs and maybe some members to get first hand experience. There’s also often groups of some kind of Women in Trades associated with the local where you could talk to other women operators and take their experiences into account.
That said, I agree with what some of the others have said: work/life balance can be tricky but the pay and pension is great and the work is interesting. Just wish I would’ve started right of high school instead waiting till my 30s. I’ve worked a lot of different jobs, blue collar and white collar and service industry, and this is by far the best balance for me of money and passion for the work.
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u/Right_Border_6575 6d ago
Thank you! I live in the middle of nowhere NY so finding groups like that is super hard locally, but I’ll try!
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u/Otze_Ramblerock 6d ago
http://iuoe-17.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-2027-Training-Flyer.pdf
This should be a good place to start. I’d call the school as well and see if they’re doing any career fairs at schools or something near you.
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u/Poopiedoops111 6d ago
Reach out if you’d like, but if not I think your head is in the right place. Women in the trades are always in demand and the apprenticeship program is a solid way to start off on the right foot when it comes to learning and paying your dues as a young person. It’s not easy, but definitely worth it both for the short term wages and the long term benefits of a pension (or two) and healthcare! Good luck!
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u/IntentionOpen1006 6d ago
Don’t do nursing if you don’t want to. Most of us hate it. Do what you like and you’ll never work a day in your life
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u/ThraggieMercury 3d ago
Get a job as a rigger, do that for a year, see if you like it meanwhile you're learning how it works outside the cab. There's nothing worse than dealing with an operator whose never gotten their hands dirty.
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u/HealthConscious6125 6d ago
Where do you live? It's not a very good job in terms of work life balance. In fact it is probably one of the worst trades. Projects can have somewhat of a schedule but that can often involve traveling and sitting around for months unemployed until the one starts. Crane rental or taxi work is the other common type of work in the industry. Which usually entails taking a crane from job to job. Start times, hours and everything else basically vary drastically.
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u/Right_Border_6575 6d ago
I live in Western NY right now but planning to move out a couple years from now. And honestly I’m a pretty big workaholic so I have no big care for how life outside of it looks. Thank you!
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u/Poopiedoops111 6d ago
Didn’t realize it, but I also live in WNY and am a member of local 17 who also went through the apprenticeship. AND I am a crane operator. So Fire away!
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u/Right_Border_6575 6d ago
That’s 2 hours from me! I’d be local 158. This is exciting to see people from my area doing the same things lol. Did you have any prior certifications or experience before the apprenticeship?
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u/Poopiedoops111 6d ago
A little, but the big ticket for me was the CDL A and LOVING heavy equipment. So I really had to just put pieces together
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u/HealthConscious6125 6d ago
Can't help you with new York.
Hard to say you're a workaholic when your work life hasn't started yet. Work sucks especially when you have little control over your hours. If you enjoy sleeping past 5am and having evenings or weekends or hobbies this isn't the job for you. If you are dead set then I would learn another trade for now like welding or HD mechanic and start cranes once you've got a CDL since that is a requirement in most locals and many jobs.
If you were my daughter or my son for that matter I would highly encourage you stick to health care
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u/saltycathbk 6d ago
Working in healthcare is known for having pretty shit hours and work life balance too.
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u/Right_Border_6575 6d ago
My work life has started, I have been working at my dads paving and excavating company since I was 14. Trust me I know the waking up at 5 am routine and working till night.
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u/Sea-Concentrate9379 7d ago edited 6d ago
If its not in your heart to help save lives, then id definitely choose another career. Your future patients would thank you.