If you’ve ever wanted to work with your hands and be engaged with a consistently rewarding career, carpentry should be at the top of your list. Plus, the option to work in a variety of interesting and diverse locations and the growth of the trade itself are icing on the cake. If you have a vague interest in carpentry, you might not understand all the of the processes required to become a carpenter, and there’s a good chance you’re not the only one. In this article, we help out by providing some great tips to help you get yourself on the path to becoming a fully qualified carpenter.
Where to get started with carpentry
Before you drop everything and embrace a carpentry certification, a little bit of research can be extremely helpful in demonstrating what carpentry is all about. Although you might have a firm understanding of what carpentry can be in your mind, carpentry is a field that is more diverse than you might think. You might choose to be a joiner carpenter, a green carpenter or even a formwork carpenter – although you might need to make a decision at some point, you’ll always have the option to switch it up and change to do something else. But before you start study, you should also consider if you have the personal skills that carpentry relies on. These include being in good shape, being good with your hands, good communication skills and excellent attention to detail, among others. If carpentry is definitely right for you, you can start thinking about beginning a Cert III in carpentry and organising an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships combine on-the-job training with your learning component, with both sources of education combining to form some concrete carpentry skills.
After learning the skills of the carpentry trade
You’ll typically engage with your apprenticeship for 4 years – during this time, apart from learning the technical skills you’ll be able to learn how to make tables, chairs and cabinets, understand how to inspect damaged structures and make suitable repairs and be able to properly interpret blueprints. After your apprenticeship is finished, you’ll be a fully qualified carpenter! It’s at this point where you can decide where to take your skills – whether you stay with your original employer, start your own business or pursue more complex carpentry work. If you want to keep learning, that is also an option – you can keep studying in order to gain more managerial skills or learn about more complex building in order to become highly valuable. Carpentry is still very much about on the job learning though, particularly when it comes to building connections. Meeting people during your study, as well as your on-the-job experiences, can lead to you meeting a considerable number of people you can connect with later.
Is carpentry right for you?
If you want to commit to a trade that offers a wide variety of benefits, then carpentry may very well be for you. While the ability to work with your hands, in property building and craft things on a regular basis is rewarding in itself, the opportunity to do so in a variety of jobsites means that you’ll always be exposed to variety, which can help you find new ways to show off your skills. If you’re interested in becoming a carpenter, doing a little bit of your own research can help a great deal in demonstrating what the potential career paths are, so make sure to look into it today!