Entering the tile profession?
I'm curious about the Tile profession. If there's any of the trades that interest me, it's tile setting. I have an engineering degree from University of Washington, I spent seven years at Boeing, and a few other years doing facilities design consulting for commercial cannabis growers in Washington state. I was bored to death working at Boeing and didn't care for my coworkers much. The cannabis thing was cool but is that tapered off I didn't seek other employment. I had a kid and for the past few years I've been making major overhaul improvements to my house. New bathroom. New kitchen where I vaulted ceiling and made major layout changes to the whole first floor. I love building and i'm very meticulous and like detailed work. I now have four tiling projects under my belt and while it kind of sucks while I'm doing it, it always feels like something that I would enjoy if I could get more practice and be better at it. I also like that tile is something that is really appreciated. "I really love the work my framer did" ...said no one ever! Tile is such an amazing craft and so artistic.
It's time for me to get back to work and make some money. I really don't want to go back into corporate work. I never thought I would consider entering the trades, especially at 42 years old, but I need to do something, and I NEED to enjoy it at least most of the time.
Isaac and team - can you offer some advice? Things to consider? How to go about it? How long before I can expect to earn a decent living? Currently living in Seattle.
Hey Mike- I would get a few more jobs under your belt, maybe do some projects for friends or neighbors. Possibly take a position with another company for a while to learn and also figure out if it is something you really want to do long term. The work like you said is very rewarding but also one of the most frustrating trades as well. It takes a special kind of "grit" to make it long term. It is both hard on the body and spirit sometimes.
That being said, there is great money to be had and also great accomplishment...probably because not everyone can do it long term. Honestly, most give up or find other avenues in the profession such as a material sales rep.
But I would start with a few more projects and get experience. No matter what it will always be a useful thing to know as you can do side work for people or do your own projects.
Whether you are successful or not depends a lot on how you are able to meet customers demands and run a business. I also recommend listening to the "Tile Money" podcast or find him on youtube. He covers a lot of the business side of things and also hundreds of interviews with tile installers.