| By :
Nick Messe
Being a roofer is a challenging, yet rewarding job. There are many advantages to becoming a roofer and endless opportunities that could potentially unfold right before your eyes. Of course, not just anybody can be a roofer, it takes training, talent and skill. Not being afraid of heights is a prerequisite as well. Training to become a roofer can be difficult and it is a lot of hard work, but rest assured, it will pay off. Most roofers start by becoming an apprentice first. When working as an apprentice, most of the training is on-the-job. As an apprentice, you can expect to learn a multitude of skills from waterproofing to installing shingles to learning about environmentally friendly roofing systems. Each apprenticeship program is unique but many offer pay while in training. The length of time can vary to complete your apprenticeship, but on average, most apprenticeship roofing programs are 4 years. Typically, an apprenticeship requires approximately 2,000 hours to complete. Starting out as an apprentice, you can earn up to $33,000 per year. That's not bad pay for being a new guy in training. Being an experienced roofer, you can earn up to $68,000 in a year. As you can see, this career can be very rewarding and there is also room for advancement so you can earn even more. You might even consider going into business for yourself. Some of the projects you might perform could be installing shingle, slate or tile roofs or applying various types of single-ply roofing systems on general businesses, schools, hospitals or residential homes. There is also a lot of repair and replacement work on existing buildings. You may also waterproof foundations, plaza decks and traffic coating. With the waterproofing skills you learn as a roofer, you can also apply those skills to waterproofing ponds, tanks and more. As a roofer, you can join the union or work as an independent contractor, it's entirely up to you. Of course there are benefits with each so you have to choose which is best for you. Work is also very stable for roofers because you're not limited to just roofing jobs. You can also be hired to work on brick, cement or stone work to ensure the job being done is impermeable and doesn't allow water through. In addition, you can also work for different construction companies. Roofing is an ever growing field because of all the new businesses that are popping up on a daily basis and let's face it, there's already a ton of buildings that exist that will at some point need work done to them. Generally, work is more seasonal especially during spring and summer months due to weather but you can perform different job tasks throughout the year. It's no wonder that roofing is a very steady job as compared to other similar industries.
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