[bespokedevelopr]

Welders, millwrights, machinists, carpenters, lots of trades have qualifying interviews. I’ve taken written exams in interviews for machining and welding as well as hands on show me parts.

Not that I agree with absurd interview process of software development but they often see themselves more akin to attorneys than tradesmen. The difference being attorneys have to pass a bar exam and even trades have journeyman cards to provide credibility.

Software development has none of that. Real engineering has PE licenses but how do you achieve that in such a broadly scoped field of software development?

We either play the interview game or find a way around it.

[devnull3]

I may have a outdated notion about the trades you mentioned, but I have seen an "apprentice" model a lot. I have seen it with a masonry where the experienced guy was bringing in his nephew and teaching him on the job. A lot of these trades are family owned and have seen taking in people based on someone vouching for the new guy.

Maybe this varies country to country. I have seen this in India and UK atleast.

In UK atleast there are trades like roofing, landscaping, exterior building cleaning, masonry, tree surgeon etc which I have seen them are mostly family based.

[throwanem]

This trade has never helped itself by insisting on being taken for a profession. A lot of these kids have never known the joys of time and a half - or the incentive that gives management to try to have all their s—t in one sock, every once in a while, for a change.