What to Expect

Forget the stereotype of a plumber in a white T-shirt with a wrench sticking out of his back pocket, bent under a kitchen sink. Today's plumbing students deal with some pretty complex systems, and computer knowledge is becoming essential.

"There was a lot of work to do, that's for sure," says Grant Searle. He recently became a journeyperson after being an apprentice for five years. He could have finished his apprenticeship in four years. But he decided not to hurry through it.

"I didn't do it as fast as I could have," he says. "I didn't want to rush and get my (journeyperson) ticket and not have all the experience I needed."

Searle hadn't expected so much classroom work. But he appreciated the value of it.

"There is a lot of work, and that surprised me a fair amount," he says. "But it's good -- you need to learn all that stuff. If you're not serious about it, you won't make it through, that's for sure."

Michael Bouchat had worked as an apprentice before taking the two-year plumbing program at Los Angeles Trade Technical College.

"Really, they didn't teach you anything when you were an apprentice," says Bouchat. "You're not allowed to do anything on your own -- you're basically just watching.

"And when I went to Trade-Tech that pretty much ended because they showed me how to do everything, so I wasn't so frustrated anymore," he adds. "I'm still an apprentice, but I'm actually doing a lot of the stuff myself. I have a lot more skill to do it, and I can think things through.

"Plumbing is a whole different way of looking at things," says Bouchat. "You have to be mechanically inclined, and there's so many different plumbing systems and you have to be familiar with all of them, so [plumbing school] gets you familiar so you're looking at the big picture instead of coming in and not knowing anything."

How to Prepare

A high school student who wants to become a plumber should take shop classes during high school. These classes will help you develop skills working with your hands.

"I guess the [high school course] most related to plumbing would be metal work," says Evans. "But I think anything using your motor skills is really helpful."

Los Angeles plumbing apprentice Michael Bouchat agrees. "I took metal shop," he says. "Yeah, it would [help]. Any kind of trade that you take that has some kind of mechanical training will help you down the line."

If your school doesn't offer metal shop, take whatever trade they do offer. "Any trade that you take in high school will always help you figure out what you're doing in any other trade," says Bouchat.

Applying yourself in math class will also help. "Math is a good thing. Math and shop (class)," says Karen Freidenberger. She's a plumbing instructor in Los Angeles. "If you're not mechanically inclined, you aren't going to like it. In electrical there's a lot more math, but in plumbing you've got to be mechanically inclined or else you're never going to enjoy it."

Bouchat also suggests joining clubs or taking classes in public speaking. "Because if you're someone that doesn't like to talk to the public, then plumbing's the wrong thing for you," he says. "Because you go out, you're going from house to house, and you have to know how to talk to people confidently, explain the problem, and then provide a solution."

High school students considering a plumbing career should also be in good shape. And they should enjoy working with their hands.