Hey Its Me The Apprentice

[JONATHAN20]

Havnn't Said Hey In A While But Yeah, I Shouldnt Really Say The Apprentice More Like The Unemployed. I Never Thought It Was Gonna Be This Difficult. I Took Some Of You Guys Is Advice And Meet People At The Offices And Such No Luck They Just Say "okay Well Ummmm We'll Keep This On File And We'll Call You Back When There's An Opening" I Can Read People I Know What People Really Are Trying To Say "go Be Somebody Elses Problem I Dont Need A Day One-er" Everybody Wants A Licensed Guy Or 3+ Year Apprentice. I Mean I Cant Blame Them Who Wants Someone Right Out Of School. Im Thinkin Maybe It Wasnt Meant To Be. But You Know I Would Rather At Least Try It And Not Be Able To And Know I Couldnt Then To Assume It Wasnt For Me Because Thats What People Told Me. But Anyway I Have A Construction Agency Tryin To Find Me Work As A Helper Somewhere Anywhere 100 Miles Away I Dont Care At This Point. So Yeah Weight Off My Shoulders. Ill Talk To You Guys Later. Dont Take Your Jobs For Granted You Have No Idea How Hard It Is For Some To Be In Your Shoes.

[mdshunk]

I started to read that, then my eyeballs fell out. Might want to throw a couple periods and commas in there, and don't capitalize every word for crying out loud. If what you had to say was important enough to type it, type it in a way that is readable, por favor.

[JONATHAN20]

So yeah, i havnt been on the website in a while so ive been reading some of the treads, and hear alot of i dont reply back. i dont spend alot of time on the computer. i work long days at a factory (warehouse work) i come home and the last thing i wanna do is go online. sorry about the post above i didnt know CAPS was on and i have a habit of hitting shift. but anyway I HAVE GONE IN PERSON to clear up any misconceptions yall might have you guys arguin with me is the closest ive gotten and you guys crack jokes which is cool. but trust me when i find work you guys will be the first to know.

[cadpoint]

You really might reconsider an Gypsy type work due to the price of everything!

I personally will not work for a placement or employment service!
The vocation is tough enough I don't want them to make money of me!
I don't care that an employer does!

If you've visited every local office, well call them all back in a week, better yet show up at start time!

I really liked (Whomever posted it) a story of how to get employed from
visiting the supply house!

I feel for you, and for the record that'd be two pair of shoes.

Stay hungry, be safe!

[quogueelectric]

Havnn't Said Hey In A While But Yeah, I Shouldnt Really Say The Apprentice More Like The Unemployed. I Never Thought It Was Gonna Be This Difficult. I Took Some Of You Guys Is Advice And Meet People At The Offices And Such No Luck They Just Say "okay Well Ummmm We'll Keep This On File And We'll Call You Back When There's An Opening" I Can Read People I Know What People Really Are Trying To Say "go Be Somebody Elses Problem I Dont Need A Day One-er" Everybody Wants A Licensed Guy Or 3+ Year Apprentice. I Mean I Cant Blame Them Who Wants Someone Right Out Of School. Im Thinkin Maybe It Wasnt Meant To Be. But You Know I Would Rather At Least Try It And Not Be Able To And Know I Couldnt Then To Assume It Wasnt For Me Because Thats What People Told Me. But Anyway I Have A Construction Agency Tryin To Find Me Work As A Helper Somewhere Anywhere 100 Miles Away I Dont Care At This Point. So Yeah Weight Off My Shoulders. Ill Talk To You Guys Later. Dont Take Your Jobs For Granted You Have No Idea How Hard It Is For Some To Be In Your Shoes.
There is about 4 billion dollars being spent in the bridgeport area in the next 3 yrs go out and get some of it. 3 rules to follow 1.get to work on time. 2.Do what you are told. 3.Keep your mouth shut. you will do fine.

[frizbeedog]

Havnn't Said Hey In A While But Yeah, I Shouldnt Really Say The Apprentice More Like The Unemployed. I Never Thought It Was Gonna Be This Difficult. I Took Some Of You Guys Is Advice And Meet People At The Offices And Such No Luck They Just Say "okay Well Ummmm We'll Keep This On File And We'll Call You Back When There's An Opening" I Can Read People I Know What People Really Are Trying To Say "go Be Somebody Elses Problem I Dont Need A Day One-er" Everybody Wants A Licensed Guy Or 3+ Year Apprentice. I Mean I Cant Blame Them Who Wants Someone Right Out Of School. Im Thinkin Maybe It Wasnt Meant To Be. But You Know I Would Rather At Least Try It And Not Be Able To And Know I Couldnt Then To Assume It Wasnt For Me Because Thats What People Told Me. But Anyway I Have A Construction Agency Tryin To Find Me Work As A Helper Somewhere Anywhere 100 Miles Away I Dont Care At This Point. So Yeah Weight Off My Shoulders. Ill Talk To You Guys Later. Dont Take Your Jobs For Granted You Have No Idea How Hard It Is For Some To Be In Your Shoes.

If this were Ameircan Idol, Simon might say "you just ain't got it kid. You're not ready for this compettition yet. Come back next year." Your apprenticeship is where prove yourself make contacts and learn your trade. Have you done all you can do? Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself that question. Is this what you really want?

P.S. There is no insult like the truth.

[JONATHAN20]

If this were Ameircan Idol, Simon might say "you just ain't got it kid. You're not ready for this compettition yet. Come back next year." Your apprenticeship is where prove yourself make contacts and learn your trade. Have you done all you can do? Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself that question. Is this what you really want?

P.S. There is no insult like the truth.

I have deffently tried so hard to find work the only thing i havnt tried is showing up at a job site, that just seem a bit ridiculous to me. I mean is it really that hard for people to remember that they had a first day once? everyone of you guys on here have had your share aww sh*t's, oops,coffee runs,and "sry boss im new" Correct me if im wrong but isnt supposed to be something like 720 classroom hours, 8000 "ON THE JOB TRAINING" HOURS. Then license time. i mean is there a trick to magically aquiring 6000 hours overnight.....i mean if there is please inform cause its what people want.

[480sparky]

The all-words capitalization comes from his having his CAPS LOCK on, and his browser changes all but the first letter of each word to lower case.

Just think.... someday the NEC will be written that way! :grin:

[cowboyjwc]

I do feel for you. I've always wondered about guys who say, "I need someone who has a little more experiance, go out and get some then come back and see me". ????

Sometimes the guys you give the break to are the most loyal.

The company my wife works for changed their policy,you can't be a manager unless you've been a manager before and have a BA, so no promoting from within. My wife has worked for this company for almost 10 years, has been promoted up through the ranks and is now stuck, but guess what, almost every new manager they hire is only there for a year or less before they get fired or move on.

When you want someone with experiance, you better check out what that experiance is.:smile:

[growler]

I have deffently tried so hard to find work the only thing i havnt tried is showing up at a job site.


Jonathan have you been keeping track of other members of your class? It wouldn't hurt to call some of them and find out if they are having any luck finding work. If any of them are employed then find out how they did it.

Also check back with your instructors and see if they know of anything. After all these are the people that promised all the wine and roses. Let them know you paid your money and now you need a job.

Just keep letting people know you are looking for work and sooner or later ( probably later with the economy being down ) someone will offer you a job. Just remember there are engineers out there looking for work and not having any more luck than you are. I think in the last month there were more people going out the door than in the door. :confused: :mad:

[Rewire]

Uncle Sam wants you. Have you considered military service? i had a year of Vo-Tec in electrical trades but at 17 I was not getting any response went 4 years Air Force came out at 22 a little more mature and with expierience.

[haskindm]

Military experience is definitely a good suggestion. You say that you are presently working in a warehouse. How has your attendance been? The main thing that many people are looking for is someone that is reliable. If you could get a letter to that effect from your current employer it may help.
Have you indicated to potential employers that you are very willing to start "at the bottom". Many people feel that since they have some training they should start out making big bucks. If you have not told them differently, potential employers may feel that this is what you expect.
What is the general employment climate in your area? The economy is "down" in some areas. Other areas have not been hit as hard, and some areas are still booming. Have you considered relocating to an area with a stronger economy? New Orleans is still begging for construction trades I understand. Tennessee was just hit with tornadoes and many places will need to be rebuilt. The field you have chosen is difficult, as you should be finding out in your training. It is also somewhat difficult to "break in". There are many people that begin the trade because they think that it is an easy way to make good money, find out that they need to work, and then get out. You need to convince an employer that you are in it for the long haul. Why did you choose this trade? Did you know someone that was in it? If so, pester them for job leads. Most entry level jobs are NOT advertised in the newspaper. Showing up at the jobsite is not a bad idea. Be the guy that is there when someone else does not show up, again. In their frustration you might get a chance. You won't believe how many people a potential employer talks to that can't or won't work. You need to do whatever it takes to separate your self from the rest of the crowd.
Now, (this is going to be difficult and unpopular) look in the mirror and tell me what you see. Do you see a bright, clean, well spoken, energetic, polite, intelligent employee? Or do you see someone that looks like all of the rest of the bums hanging out on the street corner? Be honest. I know appearance shouldn't matter, its what inside that counts, and all the other BS that we have heard since the 60's. But the FACT is that appearance does matter. If you want to be treated like a professional, for goodness sake look like a professional.
I will get off my soapbox now.

[Rewire]

Now, (this is going to be difficult and unpopular) look in the mirror and tell me what you see. Do you see a bright, clean, well spoken, energetic, polite, intelligent employee? Or do you see someone that looks like all of the rest of the bums hanging out on the street corner? Be honest. I know appearance shouldn't matter, its what inside that counts, and all the other BS that we have heard since the 60's. But the FACT is that appearance does matter. If you want to be treated like a professional, for goodness sake look like a professional.
I will get off my soapbox now.
if you don't use drugs why dress like you do.

[frizbeedog]

I have deffently tried so hard to find work the only thing i havnt tried is showing up at a job site, that just seem a bit ridiculous to me. I mean is it really that hard for people to remember that they had a first day once? everyone of you guys on here have had your share aww sh*t's, oops,coffee runs,and "sry boss im new" Correct me if im wrong but isnt supposed to be something like 720 classroom hours, 8000 "ON THE JOB TRAINING" HOURS. Then license time. i mean is there a trick to magically aquiring 6000 hours overnight.....i mean if there is please inform cause its what people want.

Perhaps I was a bit too harsh. Sorry. :smile: Our apprenticship program has a list of out of work apprentices and the list is usually short, and the guys don't spend much time on the list. But that's here and you're there. On the other hand there are certain folks who are always on the list and there is usually a reason why. Word travels through the grapevine pretty fast if you get a bad reputation in this industry. It may not seem fair but that's the way the world works, like it or not. No, there is no trick to aquiring your hours exept to work hard, work quickly and efficiently, learn fast, be safe and make the boss some money. If you ever do get your foot in the door do your best to keep yourself there. If the world seems unfair, stop dwelling on the unfairness of it and ask yourself another question: What can I do now?

Best of Luck. frizbeedog out.

[wireman71]

Join the military? That's crazy talk... Just keep going to shops, handing out resumes. Wear work clothes. Can't hurt to call them back once in a while to see if things have opened up. Right now is a bad time of year unfourtunately to be looking for work and the economy might be tanking to... I like the idea of getting ahold of your classmates and seeing how they have faired. They might have some leads to.

[DIRT27]

Don't think it is so ridiculous to go to the job site. The company I work for has hired guys that came to the job before. Mabey not on the spot but it was there first point of contact. We have had few that you could tell weren't worth hiring, but if they seemed alright the foreman would give them a business card and tell them who to talk to in the office.

Now this helps two ways, the foreman will tell you who to talk to. You can go right to the person that is hiring. You have the foreman's name so you can use this when you talk to who ever is in charge of hiring. It sound a lot better when you call the owner or person in charge of hiring when you can drop a name. If the foreman is willing to talk to you they can also give you an inside on what type of company it is and what they are looking for.

Think of this, you go job site and talk to the foreman. He says we might be looking for a guy are two, here is my card, call the office and talk to Joe hes the owner.

So you call the office and ask for Joe. You can say " I stopped by your foreman Mikes job on 10th street, he says you might be looking for a couple of guys. Is it okay if I stop by and drop a resume?
Sounds a lot better then just showing up asking if they are hiring and dropping off a resume.

Just because a guy says they are not hiring doesn't mean you are not worth hiring. Things are slow right now and a lot of shops are laying guys off not looking to take more on. Being persistent is going to be the key if you don't follow up you might miss out because you were forgotten when the opportunity arrives.

With that being said the company I work for has two offices, one large far from me and the small one that does work in my area. We have about 10 guys out of our small office. 8 Journey man some good some just okay. One guy that has his license but I wouldn't consider him a journeyman and wouldn't mind seeing him go. One apprentice that walks around all day like he is dragging around 500lbs with him and works slower than my grandma. We could use about 3 more apprentices, but I don't think we have had any apply.

We do use a temp service when things get busy and have hired some of these guys on to our payroll if they are worth it, so don't rule that out.

Good luck.

[bikeindy]

Join the military? That's crazy talk... .

I hardly think it is crazy talk. Some guys need exactly what the military offers and will go much further in the end. after all he didn't say become part of the infantry.

[JohnME]

I dont like to talk union here, but I tried to find work for 6 months after getting my degree. I went to EVERY shop around and supply house, no one wanted me.

I called one guy who said he was a union shop, and said to call the hall. I didnt know a thing about it but called anyway since I had nothing left to turn to. 4 years later I am now a foreman, making great money, with a truck, and other perks that all add up to an awesome job.

Keep it in mind, they will give you a place to start. I dont care if you like unions or not, but it worked for me and figured I would throw it out there as it might be of help to you.

No need to reply to this post guys- its just an option for the guy, not a debate.

[JONATHAN20]

The only issue i run into sometimes when i want to go personally and shake someones hand at an office or something the office is usually a house like in a neighborhood where people are sleeping. i can tell the difference between an office in the shape of house and house that is a residence. i wasnt about to go knocking on this guys door at 6:00 on a saturday morning. but then i went to the next office on my list and this i could tell was an office so i went in talk to the receptionist boss wasnt there i left my resume and called back 2 days later. My teach told me to always stay away from the small mom & pop business. self employed 1 man show. Thats most likely the residence home that i usually run into. But i have no way of knowing how big the company is when i select 25 names random out of the phone book. but im definetly going to attempt the job site method. but first to look for a job site.

[growler]

Uncle Sam wants you. Have you considered military service?


Nothing wrong with military service. Most people decide to wait until they retire to see the world but it's a lot more fun when you are young and can enjoy it.

The military has some great jobs working on very high tech equipment and some very good schools to train a person to work on this equipment.

For some people this can be a very enjoyable experience but it's not for everyone. I think the secret to military life is finding a job that you enjoy doing ( the same as civilian life). Many young kids get talked into taking a very crappy job for a few bucks in bonus money.

The idea for getting a good job ( MOS) is research. You need to find out what the job is all about before agreeing to sign up.

I do agree with Rewire, it can be worth looking into just to see what they offer. :smile:

[nyerinfl]

Nothing wrong with military service. Most people decide to wait until they retire to see the world but it's a lot more fun when you are young and can enjoy it.



I did 4 years in the AF, I went in as an electrical systems apprentice, which is basically being an electrician for the military. They had an excellent training program, doing things you would normally never do, like climbing utility poles, working on high voltage, high voltage splicing and loadbreaks, airfield lighting, etc. etc. But they also teach you the ins and outs of more typical electrical work and theory. The time in counted toward getting my masters also. Not a bad idea if you think you have the stomach for military life.

[wireman71]

Your right about the mom and pop deals.. A little larger shop would be better. If they don't have an office with someone in it during business hours I would consider calling them instead of knocking on the door at 9am and having the guys wife asnwer in her bathrobe.. Hmm, maybe knocking on the door isn't such a bad idea : P If you know your town pretty well you'll get a feel for which ones are gonna be residences and which aren't due to location. Keep applying, spring is coming, new projects are going to start.