The leading rationale of âLearn a trade --> use it for EA projects that need itâ looks weak to me:
Thereâs not a large enough density of âEAâ work in any given place to take up more than a small fraction of a tradepersons activity. So this upside should be discounted by (substantial) time to learn the trade, and then most of oneâs âfull time jobâ as (say) an electrician will not be spent on EA work.
It looks pretty unlikely to have ânomadicâ tradespeople travelling between EA hubs, as the added cost of flights etc. suggest it might be more efficient just to try and secure good tradespeople by (e.g.) offering above market rates.
As you say, it could be a good option for some due to good earning power (especially for those with less academic backgrounds, cf. kbogâs guide) but the leading rationale doesnât seem substantial reason to slant recommendations (e.g. if you could earn X as a plumber, but 1.1X in something else, the fact they could occasionally help out for EA projects shouldnât outweigh this.
Good points. With growth of hubs it could become more viable even if it isnât now. Transport costs (time, money) are probably low enough to make it efficient to travel at least a few times a year. Offering/âaccepting above market rates might help a bit, but it would still require costs of the search and vetting.
Given training costs and counterfactuals, another option might be to find good tradespeople and get them on board with the EA mission.
[Not one of the downvoters]
The leading rationale of âLearn a trade --> use it for EA projects that need itâ looks weak to me:
Thereâs not a large enough density of âEAâ work in any given place to take up more than a small fraction of a tradepersons activity. So this upside should be discounted by (substantial) time to learn the trade, and then most of oneâs âfull time jobâ as (say) an electrician will not be spent on EA work.
It looks pretty unlikely to have ânomadicâ tradespeople travelling between EA hubs, as the added cost of flights etc. suggest it might be more efficient just to try and secure good tradespeople by (e.g.) offering above market rates.
As you say, it could be a good option for some due to good earning power (especially for those with less academic backgrounds, cf. kbogâs guide) but the leading rationale doesnât seem substantial reason to slant recommendations (e.g. if you could earn X as a plumber, but 1.1X in something else, the fact they could occasionally help out for EA projects shouldnât outweigh this.
Good points. With growth of hubs it could become more viable even if it isnât now. Transport costs (time, money) are probably low enough to make it efficient to travel at least a few times a year. Offering/âaccepting above market rates might help a bit, but it would still require costs of the search and vetting.
Given training costs and counterfactuals, another option might be to find good tradespeople and get them on board with the EA mission.
(for the curious: kbogâs guide)