Im new to the site

[JONATHAN20]

My name is jonathan i am 20 years old i live in the southern connecticut area. i am currently going to porter & chester institute and im enrolled in the electrical program. i am 6 months into it. its very interesting and definetly something i would want to do. i have a question that i want to ask current in the field electricians. what is it that you as the employer want from a year 1 apprentice? what are your expectations? what aspect should i practice heavily on? my teacher tells me everyone was "green" once, but id like to start of not being absolutly clueless. i mean dont get me wrong i learned quite a lot i have 3way and 4way switch loops (feed at the light feed at the four way, (or trick splices). we have a residential mock up ive installed the service about twice. we have a commercial mock up as well and i have a good understanding of the basic parts needed mc connector, red head, slim jims. i feel like im missing so much. any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

The most important assest that a worker can have is desire to learn and willingness to listen. Perhaps some bosses would rather not do things the way you may have learned them so you must be willing to change.

Also, if you can familiarize yourself with the materials and what they are called then that would be helpful. I hate sending helpers to the truck 6 times to get the right part.

Sounds like you have what most apprentices don't have.

 

[cschmid]

Some one who wants to work and can show up on time everyday.
some one who wants to do this type of work and an has eagerness to learn
Some one who takes personal pride in his work.
Some one who when finishes a task early and the boss is busy will continue to work on the job if nothing more than cleanup until a new task is assigned.
One of the things you miss on a mock up is the hard work involve in drilling holes with a hole hog and ladder safety, so I want someone who is conscientious of his environment.
I also like someone who has some morals and can be trusted not to go through the customers personal belongings or steel from them.
attitude is one of the most important aspects being able to get along with your co-workers and the customer.

These are some of things we watch for on the job.

 

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

Remember that what you're learning is the theory and the craft end of the business, not the business end of the business. You can have every possible method of wiring 3 and 4-ways committed to memory, but if you can't put that into practice in an enviroment where speed is of the utmost importance, it's useless.

In my first 2 years in the trade I saw many helpers come and go. The major reason was their inability to realize that time is money, and act accordingly.

 

[360Youth]

Hard work and initiative. The learning will come the more you are in the field. Ask questions, but read up on code and places like here. One nice thing I like about this collection of electricians and they create a higher standard for yourself. Always want to be better.

 

[480sparky]

Never be afraid to ask questions. "WHY do it that way?", "HOW do I...?", "WHEN should this....?", etc. You may have heard the old adage, 'There's no such thing as a stupid question.' Well, truth be told, there is such a thing as a stupid question, and it's the question that doesn't get asked.
Ask your employer to rotate you from one crew to another on occasion. This gives you a chance to work with more people and gain from more diversified experienced people.
Read as much as you can. There's pleny of printed material out there for you to work with.
Finally, be sure to spend some time here with your new friends. We're here to help you, so don't be afraid to jump in.

Welcome aboard!

 

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

Another thing... be sure to ask WHY 10 times more than HOW. You will encounter many electricians whose work is just fine, but have no idea why they do what they do.

 

[360Youth]

Another thing... be sure to ask WHY 10 times more than HOW. You will encounter many electricians whose work is just fine, but have no idea why they do what they do.

Hey, no need to get personal.

 

[peter d]

Your attitude alone (willingness to learn and be taught) will put you ahead of 95% of your classmates. I also attended school in southern CT (not at P&C though) and it was a battle for most of my classmates to show up and stay awake. When they were awake, they didn't seem to care much about learning important aspects that would help them in the trade.

So my advice is to be wiling to learn and expect to do a lot of jobs that you will hate, like digging ditches and lugging material around and cleaning up messes. Because even those who have 5, 10, 20 and 30 years or more in the trade still have to do that work from time to time.

 

[DIRT27]

Attitude is everything. Asking questions is great, but its how you ask them. I have had problems with a lot of apprentices that think they know a better way or think they know it all after they been doing it a year or so.

The school will help you have a basic understanding of things. When you get out the field it will be a whole different world. There is more than one way to do everything and just because you learned it one way someone else might make you do differently.

Keep a good attitude no matter what your doing. Always stay busy and work hard. Try to learn everything you can and you will be fine.