How a Father’s Advice Built a Career

SMACNA's President discusses his story of how he entered the trades and provides advice for those looking to join our industry.

Let me take you back to when I was 19 years old and attending community college.

I had just finished high school and was planning on being a CAD operator/engineer in the automotive industry. Around that time, my dad (a journeyman sheet metal worker) made a suggestion that changed my life. He told me to go take the sheet metal apprentice test. When he mentioned it, I joked, “I don’t want to be a dumb sheet metal worker.” He looked at me and said something that changed everything: “Don’t be a dumb one, be a smart one.”

I’m really glad I listened to my dad. More than 35 years later, I’ve worked my way up from being an apprentice to owning my own business. I am fortunate that my career has always felt more like my hobby than a job. I can’t think of another job that offers so many opportunities. Where else can you make a good living working with your hands? This career is about much more than just installing ductwork. There are so many ways to use new technology that’s changing our industry. We’ve moved past paper plans on job sites and can now work with project models from anywhere. We’re even starting to use AI to help our companies become smarter and more flexible. Can you name another field where this is possible, and you don’t have to worry about huge college debt? I can’t. Where else can someone start at the bottom and work their way up to owning a business and leading in the industry? I feel lucky to have had this chance, all because of a talk I had with my dad.

But not everyone thinking about this field has someone like my dad to guide them. That’s why we need to do more to show high school students and young adults that there’s a real alternative to college. As I travel around the country during my Presidency, I find this to be a common theme. This path offers great benefits, financial security, and the chance to build a rewarding career. That’s why SMACNA programs like National Careers in Trades Week are so important. We are working with SMART and will continue to raise awareness about these opportunities. Many of our coworkers are getting ready to retire, and it’s up to us to find the next generation of “smart” sheet metal workers. They’re out there, ready to start their future. Let’s help give them the same push I got back in 1990. Thank you and take care.

I can’t think of another job that offers so many opportunities. Where else can someone start at the bottom and work their way up to owning a business and leading in the industry? — Todd Hill

Published: May 18, 2026

SMACNews March/April 2026

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