What Trade is Right for Me?

February 20, 2025 byCharlotte Davies

5 min to read

3 students working in a kithcenn learning how to prepare and prep food for a career trade class in culinary arts at Connections Academy.

Whether you’re a high school senior figuring out what you want to do after graduation or casually exploring career options, it’s never a bad idea to get a head start on planning for your future.

Careers in the trades are on the rise as shorter training times, job stability, and opportunities to develop specialized skills offer an attractive alternative to college. But you may be asking yourself, “What trade is right for me?”

Explore how to identify the best trade for your skills and take the quiz to find out which potential career paths you might want to explore!

Different Types of Trades

Careers in the skilled trades are available in many different industries. Some of the more recognizable ones can be found in healthcare, manufacturing, construction, technology, and transportation, but the trades can also extend to creative careers as well, such as cosmetology, woodworking, culinary, design, pottery, jewelry-making and other skilled arts.

What are the Best Trades to Learn?

A career that fits your personality, interests, values, and skills can help determine what trade could be best for you and your career. Think about the skills and passions you already have—this may lead you toward a job you’ll be interested in long term and motivated to keep learning about over the life of your career.

Prefer straightforward, hands-on work? You might consider working with machinery or tools or in jobs with clear instructions that let you work with your hands.
Like having the freedom to be creative? Jobs that are more collaborative and allow for interpretation such as careers in design, the restaurant or the beauty industry, and the arts can allow you to work with others closely and develop your creativity.
Enjoy working with people and connecting? Working in healthcare, childcare, or in assistive roles can help connect you to a fulfilling career working with and caring for others.

Asking yourself questions like these can become a jumping off point to determining what you’d like to do with your future.

What Trade Should I Learn Quiz

Select words that best describe you and find out what types of trades could work best for your skills.

Select the Traits that Best Describe You

Adaptable

Collaborative

Communicative

Coordinated

Critical thinker

Detail-oriented

Empathetic

Analytical

Expressive

Flexible

Hands-on

Independent

Mathematical

Organized

Attentive

Patient

Physical

Service-oriented

Team-oriented

Tally Your Answers

Write down the keywords that best describe you and find the career field below that has the most matches.

HEALTH – Adaptable, Analytical, Attentive, Communicative, Critical thinker, Detail-oriented, Flexible, Empathetic, Hands-on, Organized, Patient, Service-oriented, Team-oriented

INDUSTRIAL – Analytical, Collaborative, Communicative, Coordinated, Critical thinker, Detail-oriented, Hands-on, Physical

MECHANICAL – Adaptable, Analytical, Communicative, Coordinated, Detail-oriented, Hands-on, Independent, Mathematical, Physical, Team-oriented

BUILDING – Analytical, Collaborative, Coordinated, Detail-oriented, Hands-on, Independent, Mathematical, Organized, Physical, Service-oriented, Team-oriented

ARTISTIC – Adaptable, Attentive, Collaborative, Communicative, Detail-oriented, Expressive, Flexible, Hands-on, Independent, Organized, Patient, Service-oriented, Team-oriented

Your results

Based on your responses, you might enjoy working in the following trades:

HEALTH

People who work in the healthcare field need to be able to adapt to circumstances that may change often, and they need to be able to remain compassionate and focused on others while they do it. Aside from learning the technical skills for a particular job, if you enjoy making sure people get the care they need, paying attention to detail, and like to have a flexible workday, a career in a healthcare trade might be for you. Try exploring carers as a:

Dental hygienist
Lab technician
Paramedic
Phlebotomist
Physical therapist
Registered nurse
Ultrasonographer
X-ray technician

INDUSTRIAL

People who work in industrial environments often work with precision machinery, so they need to be on their game when it comes to attention to detail and being coordinated. Roles in this trade field can be physical, but they also require sharp problem-solving skills and the ability to read technical documentation like blueprints and make sense of specifications. Some industrial trade careers include:

Boilermaker
CAD tech
Cement mason
Insulator
Ironworker
Line installer
Metal fabricator
Paving equipment operator
Pipefitter

BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION

People who work in building-focused trades have a lot of variety. Some jobs might require the ability to work on a team and collaborate, while others may be more independent in nature. No matter what though, strong hand-eye coordination, organization, and math skills are required for these roles. Being able to communicate is important as well, since you may be communicating with customers on some jobs or working with other professionals on the same project. The environment for this trade set may vary, too. For example, electricians or insulators may be required to work in confined spaces from time to time, so consider if that’s something you’d be comfortable with. Common building and construction careers you may consider are:

Carpenter
Construction worker
Carpet installer
Cement mason
Pipefitter
HVAC installer
Brick layer
Electrician
Line installer
Insulator
Landscaper
Painter and decorator
Plumber
Woodworker

ARTISTIC

People who work in artistic trades get to apply their creativity to practical settings. Along with needing strong attention to detail skills and staying organized, these professionals often work with other people, so being able to communicate effectively and work collaboratively is an important skill for this trade set. Depending on the job, what you do on a day-to-day basis may change frequently, so being flexible and adaptable is also essential. Frequently, people pursue creative trades as a:They can see the big picture as well as all of the small parts that need to be addressed make that big picture happen.

Baker
Barber
Chef
Cook
Esthetician
Hair colorist
Hair removal specialist
Hair stylist
Massage therapist
Nail technician
Pastry chef
Pet groomer
Pet trainer
Photographer
Potter
Woodworker

Connections Academy partnerships prepare you for your future

Our education partners are here to help kids and teens develop skills for their future. Explore how we’re helping students build trade-specific skills through our partnerships with SCFutureMakers, Home Depot, the National Technical Honor Society, the healthcare technical student organization HOSA, and the semiconductor-focused SEMI Foundation. Explore all our Career-Readiness partnerships.