Question for you "Young" guys

[76nemo]

In truth Ive been sorta shocked at all of the youger guys in the trade with passion....ITS GREAT

I'll be 33 going on 60, you still want to label me as young???????

 

[Mule]

I'll be 33 going on 60, you still want to label me as young???????

Ha, when you are young, you want to be older...and when you get older, you want to be young....

 

[76nemo]

Does it outnumber the ones who don't give a care?

I can't speak for the others not on this site, but for those of us that are here, it seems we love our job. We take pride in the service we perform.

As far as those who don't care, they probably won't make it. We can only wait and see.

 

[Mule]

I can't speak for the others not on this site, but for those of us that are here, it seems we love our job. We take pride in the service we perform.

As far as those who don't care, they probably won't make it. We can only wait and see.

I fully agree, those interested in this forum, obviously have a desire to constantly improve at their trade IMO.......

 

[76nemo]

Ha, when you are young, you want to be older...and when you get older, you want to be young....

Mule, I don't wish to be older. My liver and mentality says so. I sometimes would like to be in my twenties again, yet that's too far gone

 

[electricalperson]

i wanted to be an electrician since i was 5 or 6. when i was young i went into the basement opened the fuse panel cover, removed a fuse and stuck my finger in and hot a hell of a shock. i dont think i was grounded since i was on a wooden chair so i think i touched the back of the fuse socket and the shell

 

[Fulthrotl]

Yes and no is my answer to your question. There isn't a shortage as the past 2 apprenticeship classes in my local(#81) have taken in a very high number of guys. However, it is a matter of how many of them are really there to learn and actually work and how many are there just to be there.

This year they took in 27 students, last year 38. As of today, they are down to 22 and 18 respectively. I am sure by the end of this year the numbers will even be lower. I mean it's about a 50% drop out rate after the first year, so how many will actually complete their apprenticeship and be decent mechanics we will have to wait and see. Personally I am disgusted with the Local's JATC and can't do anything about it but think that they should be more stringent as to who they allow into the program.

Sorry for the rant, it's a very touchy subject to me.

i posted something in another thread about work attitude, and how it's
different than it was 60 year ago.

it was a bit different 30 years ago as well. my apprenticeship class had
75 guys taken in, and as it was a 4 year apprenticeship then, four years
later 72 graduated. they lost 3 guys in 4 years. that was high, but it was
a large class.... previous years only took 20 each, and they lost 1 in four
years. a 5% fallout.

people tried for years to get in. why? there was an abundance of work,
and most all of it was done union, including housing. it was a premium
job. i was working in electrical manufacturing, making $6.25 an hour,
(pretty good in 1975), went into the apprenticeship at $6.28, and four
years later was making $25.50 JW scale, with double time for all OT,
and excellent benefits.

a very good friend of mine finally gave up teaching the apprenticeship
classes when he was having to teach remedial math to people who
couldn't do fractions, so he could teach them AC theory.

before you get all spun up at your local JATC, consider that they only
can work with the people who walk in the door.


randy

 

[djcrzysounds@yahoo.com]

I can't speak for the others not on this site, but for those of us that are here, it seems we love our job. We take pride in the service we perform.

As far as those who don't care, they probably won't make it. We can only wait and see.

My last foreman who I hold a great respect for gave me the link to this site and told me it was a great place to go to
A. Learn what goes on in the rest of the country.
B. Ask for advice from other Electricians
C. Be able to vent frustrations and get answers as to why.

I do enjoy reading a lot of the posts on here and just reading them makes me enjoy being an electrician more and more. I just can't believe the guys that think that twisting two wires together and going home and not caring if the two wires were the right two call themselves 'electricians' and are there just for a paycheck.

 

[jayrad1122]

I'm 18 going to college. Went to Vo-tech for 3 years and I was the top of my class. Got 4th in the Nation for motor control twice. (missed 3rd b/c I forgot to wear my safety glasses..LMAO) I going to school for Electrical Engineering, but I will be dropping out in December and going into the Union. My dad is a foreman for a large contractor and I will hopefully be working for them. (And he's on here too.)

I originally was going to college just for a degree and was planning to go into the union after college anyways. I was not planning to become an EE. I don't would rather be installing a hundred duplexes than sit in an English class. I just like doing hands on activities more than writing. And there are more reasons but I just don't feel like explaining.:roll:

-Jared

 

[adamants]

young ones coming in

young ones coming in

there are a lot of young people looking at coming into the trade, however, most of them don't really want to be there, they are only there to get out of school or to silence their parents. They want to spend all day texting their mates and having long smoko breaks, finishing early.... don't even bother asking if they want to work saturdays! Which leaves you with the rest, subtract the ones who don't know which way is up, or even have basic problem solving skills, and you are left with a very few, tidy, clued up, motivated workers, who really are hard to find. don't let them go, train them and look after them or they will be your future competition. I'm not old myself, only 28, but i feel like there aren't that many motivated worthwhile guys out there who will do what it takes to get the job done and give a damn what it looks like. but i'm not complaining!
Anyway, i got into the trade to shut my parents up (they knew of a job going), I was always looking to go home early, never worked Saturday... boy how things change when you work for yourself!:-?

 

[cschmid]

I see alot of kids in the tech schools and have had several apprentices from the tech schools..lets see several had to be micro managed..several droped out of the trade due to the amount of physical labor..and some have gone on to be real good electricians..around here micro managed means you can not keep a job..

 

[ryan_618]

After getting expelled from high school in 1994, I started framing houses during the day and going to (high) school at night. My brother had just returned from the marines at the time, and was an electrician. His pay checks were better than mine, so when I turned 18 and was able to get licensed as an electrical apprentice I did. When I was 23 or so I started as an inspector, as I didn't want to wear tools for the rest of my life, and I also didn't want to be an EC. I started teaching code when I was about 25. I am 30 now.