4 Benefits of Working An Active Job

What kind of career do you want? The choices can overwhelm anyone thinking about furthering their education or who has just entered the job market. To narrow the ocean of possibilities, most jobs fall into one of two categories: Active job or desk job. Each has pros and cons, but there are some perks that give active jobs an edge over desk jobs.

1. Making Connections

Working long hours as a welder or HVAC professional allows you the opportunity to get to work closely with people in a way that you don’t as a desk workers. Not to mention that one of the many benefits of a skilled trades career is a work environment that stimulates you, and working as a team brings a sense of camaraderie. After spending this kind of extensive time together, you have established a face-to-face connection with future employers, potential clients, and friends who can refer you for another job. In an office, your network may be limited to those you see almost every day and who know the same people you know.

2. Healthy Living

Working a job where you go outside, walk often and spend hours moving can save you from developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer, according to a report from CBS New York. Studies show that office workers who sit for six to eight hours a day have the same risks for disease as smokers. The inactivity, the report states, may be killing people at the same rate as smoking. The sedentary hours combined with little physical exercise after work increase the chances of early death. Active jobs keep the body in better shape, the mind clearer, and leave you with more energy overall.

3. Change of Pace

Welders, electricians, and other workers get to work at different locations frequently. This variety keeps the job fresh and a place to forward to going. Desk jobs, on the other hand, generally require you go to the same place every day. See the same people every day while staring at the same monitor every day. Certified welders also see many new places, depending on the career path taken. Welders can find their careers take them:

• Underwater
• To a branch of the military
• To industrial manufacturing plants
• To self-employment as a traveling welder

Limits as to the mobility of your career are few, as long as you have the skills required and the drive to continue learning welding.

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The job prospects for hi-tech welders, sheet metal workers, and more are promising to say the least. For instance, the fields of pipefitting and plumbing¹ are projected to grow 21% before 2022. And the future of green collar jobs² is bright as well, as the need for cleaner, greener forms of indoor climate control³ grows.

Taking a look at the projected growth for general office workers⁴, 6 percent from 2012-2022, which is slower than the average for all other jobs. Additionally, the median pay, $27,470 a year⁵, falls well below the average $43,640 a HVACR technician earns a year⁶.

The facts don’t lie. Desk jobs often pay less, and can be detrimental to your health. With an active job, you’ll get to meet people who keep you in the loop while you stay healthy, save the environment and make good money.