Most are 20 to 30. The 30+ usually have experience. At 30 to 40 they tend to bounce from contractor to contractor lying about their abilities to get more money. But us old timers know the game.

The one kid that has stuck is 23 and when he hired in he barely knew what end of a hammer to use. He will get every opportunity to grow into the job because the effort is there. The other six wanted a paycheck but didnt want to work for it. I tend to pile the work on them and force them to sink or swim.

The best hire Ive made in the last two years is a 23 year old girl. Tall slight thing. Works her tail off. Took a year but now shes become a valuable member of the crew. Her main problem is strength and stamina but I use her to her strengths and she is thriving.

Its a hard line of work. You are out in the hot sun for 12 hours a day and 8 on most Saturdays. But its rewarding too. You can see the end product on every job and when it looks sweet there is a lot of praise to go around and maybe a little extra cash at the end of a week when we do a couple cash homeowner jobs. They make good money when they become journeymen. My top guys make 100k plus. And in the winter you get 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off for 2 months. But if your smart with your cash in the summer when your working a gazillion hours that 2 weeks off with 762 dollars of unemployment allows you to spend some time with the wife and kids. I do snow removal too and those that want it can work for 15 dollars cash all winter to supplement.