How long you been in the trade?

[Besoeker]

Perhaps interesting that the newbies are relatively few.

 

[iaov]

First job in electrical field was in 1975. 34 years!! Holy s...t , I'm old!!

 

[Jarrett McFatter]

31 years and still loving it!!!

 

[360Youth]

I started in high school in 1987 but took a 5 year hiatus while in college and then job hunting. Been going strong for the last 13.

 

[The Iceman]

Going on 15 years for The Iceman.

 

[JWCELECTRIC]

Perhaps interesting that the newbies are relatively few.

I am seeing fewer younger electricians at the MA 15 hour code requirement classes, mostly older electricians. Either it takes to long to get a license and no one wants to go thru 4 years to complete, or we live in the computer age and the younger guys just don't want to get thier fingernails dirty.

 

[brantmacga]

got my start in the HS electrical program in '98. Didn't start full-time w/ a contractor until 2002, licensed in Dec. '06, on my own in March '07.

 

[raider1]

I started my formal apprenticeship in July of 1990. During the summers when I was in High School I use to haul material too and around job sites, as well as prefab-ed rigid 90's for underground work and other misc. laborer tasks.

Chris

 

[220/221]

the days of "STAR DRILLS" for a hole in concrete..

Gawd, I forgot about star drills :roll: Talk about primative methods!

1/4 inch star drills for anchors were not too bad.

If you needed to run 3/4" conduit thru a concrete or grouted block wall, you needed some massive forearms.

This was back in the day before Phillips screws too. The technology was in existance but not in production.

 

[kelley]

24 years. Graduated Trade school in 1985.

 

[hockeyoligist2]

This was back in the day before Phillips screws too. The technology was in existance but not in production.

Gawd you are old! I remember the star drills but we had Phillips screws!

 

[Karl H]

25 years for me. I started when I was 16 working for my best friends dad
who is a Master in TX. I worked every summer for four years and almost
every weekend when school was in session. I showed up for work on my first
day with a 7" standard screw driver with a bent shaft and a pair of Vice-Grips.
My new boss without saying a word, grabbed my only two tools and threw
them in the trash, and handed me a spade shovel and told me,"I'm paying
you five dollars an hour, so don't ever let this bulldozer run out of gas!"
That "Bulldozer" sputtered a few times even backfired once or twice
but, for four years never once ran out of gas. That was back when "Bottled
water" was drinking from a garden hose.

 

[peter d]

Perhaps interesting that the newbies are relatively few.

Pierre was quick to remind me of my relatively young age (30) at the meet and greet.

I've "only" been doing electrical work full time since 2002. Before that was every summer between school years in college and every vacation.

 

[LarryFine]

Gawd you are old! I remember the star drills but we had Phillips screws!

We had Philips screws, too. It's just that nothing came with them.

We also had crinkle-painted metal device wall plates. I hated them.

Added: I'll be 54 one week from today. This is your only notice.

 

[okeefe]

Started in high school and liked it, been doing it for 16yrs now.

 

[SEO]

43 years in the trade started in 1966, went into business in 1974(still in business) started electrical inspecting in 1978 and still learning.

 

[B4T]

38 years and no intention of changing a thing :grin:

 

[tkb]

I started in trade school in '73 and graduated in '77.
I started working in the trade in '75.

So thats about 34-35 years.

I took a cut in pay from bagging groceries to become an apprentice. :grin:

 

[cal1947]

a has been

a has been

forty years, some bad ,most of them were good, spent ten of them working away from home which most likely helped my marriage last as long as it has

 

[Fulthrotl]

Just curious.... how long have you been in the trade?

since july 5, 1977.