I floundered in white-collar jobs until I found my calling as an electrician in my 40s

Thu, 08/01/2024 - 05:00

The rear view of a woman construction worker in a white hard hat with a hi-vis orange jacket on and a plaid shirt facing solar panels. — Rachel Hoobing (not pictured) said she didn't realize that blue-collar work was a viable career choice when she was growing up.
Credit: Getty Images/serts

Rachel Hoobing went to college and tried several white-collar jobs in her 20s and 30s.
She decided to become an electrician at 43 and trained at a community college and with a union.
Hoobing told Business Insider she wished she'd started that career sooner.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Rachel Hoobing, a 50-year-old electrician in San Francisco. It has been edited for length and clarity.