Trades Guild
The Study.
"A place where trades are treated like what they are — legitimate, learnable, and worth pursuing. Come to learn. Stay to teach."
What this is
A career discovery platform for trades, skills, and real-world work.
Trades Guild helps people explore practical career paths through beginner lessons, verified professional insight, community discussion, and eventually entry-level opportunities. The goal is simple: make trade knowledge easier to find, easier to understand, and easier to act on.
Who it is for
Built for learners, pros, and companies.
Members use it to learn and compare trades. Verified pros use it to explain what the work is really like. Companies use it to identify motivated beginners who have already shown interest, effort, and basic understanding.
How to use it
1
Choose a trade path
Start with a first-choice trade and a backup path so the platform can guide your learning.
2
Watch beginner lessons
Learn basic job knowledge like tools, terms, safety, and first-week skills.
3
Earn Study Points
Complete quizzes and activities to show progress, effort, and trade-specific interest.
4
Connect to opportunity
Use your profile, points, and learning history to become more visible to mentors and employers.
Mission
Make skilled work visible, respected, and reachable.
Our mission is to give young adults and career changers a clearer path into real work by combining education, mentorship, community, and transparent opportunity. Trades Guild exists to help people discover what they are capable of building with their hands, their discipline, and their character.
I am joining as
Member
Learning a trade
Trade Pro
Share expertise
Company
Post opportunities
Already have an account? Sign in
Create account
Age verification
Step 1 of 4 — We keep this safe for everyone
How old are you?
Your date of birth is used to keep The Study safe, especially for younger members. Never shared.
Date of birth
Create account
Your profile
Step 2 of 4 — The basics
Add photo
Helps build trust in the community
First name
Last name
State
City
Education level
Current situation
Email
Password
Create account
Your goals
Step 3 of 4 — Trade interests
Plan A — first choice trade
Plan B — backup path
Short bio (optional)
Community guidelinesThe Study is a respectful space. Harassment, solicitation, and sharing personal contact info in public posts is not permitted.
Create account
Choose your plan
Step 4 of 4 — Membership
Before you choose
How membership works
You can explore the concept for free. Membership is designed to unlock deeper learning, full trade libraries, verified pro content, and opportunity tools as the platform grows. Demo data may be used while Trades Guild is being pitched and built.
1
Create your profile
Tell us your Plan A, Plan B, and what kind of path you are considering.
2
Enter the Library
Browse trades and start with foundation-level lessons.
3
Learn and verify
Watch lessons, take quizzes, and build Study Points by trade.
4
Use your progress
Your activity becomes a simple signal of effort for mentors, companies, and future opportunities.
Explorer
Free
$0 / month
3 trade libraries · Career quiz · The Den · Basic Study Points
Member
Premium
$5 / month
Full library · All Chamber content · Video curriculum · Unlimited Study Points · Opportunities board · Priority visibility
$4 of every $5 goes directly to our youth trades fund — fully transparent, publicly tracked.
Trades Guild
The Study.
J
"Come to learn. Stay to teach."
How to get the most out of this
1
Build your profile + set your paths
Choose a Plan A and Plan B. Your feed and opportunities align to your goals.
2
Learn and earn Study Points
Watch trade videos, read Chamber posts, pass quizzes. Points are visible to employers.
3
Find your people in the Den
Talk to others on the same path. Share what's real. Two-way street.
4
Give back when you can
Once you're in — one honest post helps the next person more than you know.
You get
A real map in.
Verified insight from people who've done it. No noise.
You give
Your experience.
Wherever you're at — your story has value here.
?
Not sure where to start?
Take the career match quiz
›
Plan A
Not set
Plan B
Not set
Trade library
see all ›
Construction
38 pros · free
Insurance
29 pros · free
Electrician
55 pros · free
Real Estate
Premium
Fitness
Premium
Automotive
Premium
‹
Career match quiz
‹
Your matches
Based on your answers
Here's where you'd likely thrive
Not limits — a starting point.
1
Construction & Contracting
You lean hands-on, value stability, and like real results. Clear path in, strong income ceiling.
Strong match
2
Electricians & HVAC
Technical problem-solving suits your profile. High demand, great pay, clear apprenticeship path.
Good match
Construction.
Contracting · Project management · Skilled trades
38 verified pros
247 members
Chamber
Learn
The Den
Construction pts: 140
140 pts
All
Q&A
Interview
How to get in
MT
Marcus T.
General Contractor · 14 yrs
Verified
How to get in
How I got licensed at 19 — the real timeline nobody tells you
Started framing at 18. Here's exactly what I did, what it cost, what I'd skip, and what actually matters on your first job site...
DR
Diana R.
Project Manager · 9 yrs
Verified
Discussion
Salary expectations: year 1 vs year 5 in construction
People lowball themselves constantly. Let me break down what you can realistically expect and where the money actually is...
Premium content belowUnlock all 36 verified pro posts and live Q&As.
Unlock ›
Live Q&A
Union vs non-union — what nobody wants to admit
There are real tradeoffs on both sides. I've worked both and here's the honest breakdown...
‹
The Chamber
How to get in · Construction
How I got licensed at 19 — the real timeline nobody tells you
I walked onto my first job site at 18 with zero credentials and got hired as a framing laborer. I made $14 an hour and learned more in 6 months than I did in all of high school.
The thing nobody tells you is that the license itself is almost secondary. What matters first is finding someone willing to let you work and learn at the same time.
Month 1–6: Laborer, no license. Just show up, shut up, and pay attention. Month 7–18: Applied for my apprenticeship. Month 19: Sat for the contractor exam. Passed first try.
Study checkpoint · +20 pts
According to Marcus, what's the most important first step before getting licensed?
Study for the contractor exam immediately
Find work and document your hours on site
Join a union straight out of school
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Learning module
▶
0:00 / 4:00
Foundation module · Construction
How to read a measuring tape
+25 pts
MT
Marcus T.
General Contractor · 14 years
Approved
What you'll learn
1
Reading inches, fractions, and sixteenths
2
The black diamond marks and what they're for
3
Inside vs outside measurements
Knowledge check
Answer correctly to earn your Study Points.
Question 1 of 3
On a tape measure, what does each small line between inch marks represent?
One quarter inch
One sixteenth of an inch
One millimeter
‹
The Den
Hot · 847 votes
Construction
Marcus said getting on a site is step one — but how do you find someone willing to take a chance on you?
JL
jordanl_18 · 3 hours ago
847
94 replies
Report
Read his post and it all made sense but he skips the hardest part — the cold start. How do you show up somewhere and convince a contractor to let you on their site at 18 with nothing on paper?
94 replies
Sort: Top
‹
New post
Start a thread
Den rules — keep it good
Share your actual experience, not what sounds right
No recruiting, soliciting, or contact info
Disagree respectfully — no personal attacks
If a pro said it, link it — don't claim it as your own
Trades Guild
Opportunities.
Posted by verified companies. Your Study Points are visible to every employer here.
24 open listings
8 trades
14 states
Your Study Points: 420 pts
Visible to employers
All trades
Construction
Electrician
Insurance
HVAC
Featured
BF
Apprentice Electrician
Bright Future Electric · Sacramento, CA
KG
Insurance Sales Trainee
Keystone Group Insurance · Remote
RR
Framing Crew — Apprentice
RedRock Build Group · Phoenix, AZ
6 more listings availableUpgrade to premium to see all open opportunities.
Unlock ›
‹
Opportunity
BF
Bright Future Electric
Verified company
Apprentice Electrician
Pay
$18–22 / hr
Start date
June 2026
Schedule
Full time
Experience
None required
Your Study Points match
You have 420 pts — above their 200+ preference. Your score is visible to this employer.
About this role
Bright Future Electric is looking for motivated, entry-level candidates to join our crew as apprentice electricians. No license required — we'll get you there.
This is a real apprenticeship track with exam fees covered when you're ready to test.
A note from the owner
"I started the same way — no experience, just willing. If you're serious, I'll invest in you. That's the deal."— James R., Owner · Verified Pro on Trades Guild
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Apply
Applying to
Apprentice Electrician
Bright Future Electric · Sacramento, CA
What gets shared with the employer
Add a note (optional)
No resume required. Your Trades Guild profile is your application.
‹
Applied
Application sent.
Bright Future Electric will review your profile and Study Points. If there's a match they'll reach out through Trades Guild — your contact info stays private until you're ready.
What happens next
Company reviews your profile and engagement score
If interested, they message you through the platform
You decide when to share contact info and move forward
Every step stays inside Trades Guild until you're comfortable
Trades Guild · Youth Fund
Every dollar.
Accounted for.
Accounted for.
We don't just say we give back. Here's exactly what's come in, what's gone out, and who it helped.
Total donated to date
$0.00
Updated as grants go out
0
Active members
0
Grants awarded
0
Teens supported
$0
Collected
$0
Distributed
$0
Balance
Fund activity
No activity yet.
Entries appear as grants go out.
Entries appear as grants go out.
Admin only
Log a payment or receipt
›
‹
Fund admin
Admin · Fund management
Log fund activity
Log grant
Log income
Summary
Recipient first name
State
Trade
Grant type
Amount
Description (shown publicly)
Date
Attach receipt
Tap to upload — PDF or image
J
Jordan
Member · Sacramento, CA
Explorer · Free
140
Study Points
3
Modules done
4
Den posts
2mo
Member
Your paths
Plan A
Construction
Plan B
Electrician
Certificates earned