About a decade ago, Jae Park took a furniture-building class on a whim. She fell in love with it instantly. At the time, she was graduating from college with six figures of student debt. She couldn't afford to chase a passion — she needed to chase a paycheck.

So she chose tech. She climbed the ladder and eventually landed a role as a sales enablement operations strategist. On paper, it was exactly what she had aspired to: stability, good pay, and solid benefits. In reality, she felt entirely disconnected from her work.

Then came the AI boom.

Over the past year, her company pushed employees to force AI into every single aspect of their workflow. The culture shifted overnight. "It felt like being on a massive cruise ship executing a violent U-turn at full speed — and everyone was falling overboard," Park said. "I knew I wanted out."

In March, she finally jumped.

The catalyst came from an unexpected place. She was listening to a podcast about women entering the skilled trades. Something clicked. Because she doesn't have kids and doesn't own a home, she was in a unique position to take a risk.

She walked into the local trade union office in Las Vegas, where a rep walked her through their four-year carpentry apprenticeship programs, compensation packages, and benefits. To get the ball rolling, she gathered her paperwork and completed a 10-hour OSHA construction safety course online for $60.

But while entering the system was simple, finding an actual job proved to be an entirely different beast.

To enter the apprenticeship program, you need to be sponsored by an employer. In her first week, Park visited seven different construction sites. Sometimes the union list would give the address of a massive casino, leaving her to wander around trying to find the actual construction entrance. When she found the right area, the foremen were always incredibly busy.

"I had to use every ounce of my people skills to read the room, find a breaking point in their day, and deliver a tight, 30-second elevator pitch introducing myself as a new apprentice," she said.

At one point, she thought she had landed a sponsor, but their program hours ultimately clashed with the union's requirements. It was back to square one.

It has been nearly a month, and she is still looking for a sponsor. Her specific interest is in millwork — architectural woodwork — which is currently facing a seasonal slowdown. Because she is financially stable enough to wait, she's holding out for a millwork placement.

"When I first committed to carpentry, I felt a pang of regret," she admits. "I kept thinking, 'I wish I had done this when I was 18.' But in hindsight, I'm incredibly grateful I waited until my 30s."

The trades are physically demanding and heavily male-dominated. "It took me a decade in the corporate world to learn how to establish firm boundaries, read people, and stand up for myself. If I had entered this industry at 18, I don't think I would have survived."

Recently, she attended her very first union meeting. "Seeing people from entirely different companies sit down together to share experiences, trade advice, and offer genuine support was overwhelming. I actually welled up. I realized I had never felt that level of structural support in my entire corporate career."

For the first time in a long time, she is genuinely excited for the future.