I’ve noticed, as I’ve learned more and more, and pushed myself to grow. I’m catching up to peoples knowledge around me and surpassing them. Obviously, there’s a dynamic of competitiveness in the trades that pushes us to be better. I always want to strive to be the best electrician in the room. I’ve started to notice a resentment for many coworkers. I’ve never tried to be better than anyone or put anyone down, and I would be eager and happy to share any information I’ve learned with anyone wanting to know it. I have so much to learn, but the best foreman in my company no longer understands my questions. I’ve never seen a code referenced at my company. When I reference the code I am teased. I would like to be challenged more. we are a little foreman he heavy at my company so they aren’t in desperate need of leads and we usually have a few big jobs that the head guys run. in the Bible, it says do not be surprised when your persecuted. That feels true today. I have no mentor or anyone to call to deeply understands electrical. My heart is kind of hurting. Has anyone struggled with this before ?
Struggling with coworkers
- Thread starter Pinnie
- Start date
NEC Inspector
Member
- Location
- Kansas
- Occupation
- Inspector
Just keep learning, keep being nice and trying not to expose people when they don't know something.
They might resent you a little as you start to pass them up, but if you are looking out to protect their egos and trying not to put them down, they will accept that you are some kind of weirdo genius and leave you alone... except when they want the answer to a question. Then they are glad to be able to have a convenient answer.
They might resent you a little as you start to pass them up, but if you are looking out to protect their egos and trying not to put them down, they will accept that you are some kind of weirdo genius and leave you alone... except when they want the answer to a question. Then they are glad to be able to have a convenient answer.
Are you working Union or Non Union?
Sure. It happens everywhere. Just learn what you can, ask questions and challenge answers you know or suspect to be violations. But be prepared to back it up with code references and never, ever think you know it all just because you might be right from time to time.
non union
Of course. I just wish there were like minded people I worked with. I want to cut my teeth on something. Many guys are content. I either want to be out on my own jobs or look for another company. It’s not all about the money for me.
If you want to talk code, work in an area that has heavy inspection requirements. You will find electricians that know a lot about code and technique as well as tough inspectors with high standards and inspectors who are dead wrong that you have to fight. It sharpens your skills.
My goal is to start my own company although no strict timeline. I’m a year out before I can take my EC test in Ohio so I’m just trying to grind and learn. Not sure if I should be studying theory, code, business, or all three. I usually just have been learning things I don’t know regardless of if they lead to my goal.
Learn all you can.
One of the best lessons I learned is that “I didn’t know what I didn’t know!”
yeah im trying to
rambojoe
Senior Member
- Location
- phoenix az
- Occupation
- Wireman
And 2 ears, 1 mouth...
You are in fact getting tested now..
Re- (resentment)
Itll get fun in about 20yrs, believe me.
A great number of the people I worked with held on to knowledge like it was some kind of secret. They didn't want to answer questions and just said I'll learn that later. Only a handful of people in my career actually said "Come here, let me teach you this." Or opened a code book to show me where something was located. And when I found those guys, I soaked up all they could give. Later, I realized that all those guys who won't teach you either don't know the answer, or feel threatened that you are going to take their job. Joke's on them, because I never wanted to be a chain-smoking 60 year old house roper anyway.
I was always surprised by the few people that told me "you're making me look bad" because my work passed whoever was checking and theirs failed. Never understood that attitude and could not tell if they were saying it in jest or really wanted me to do things without knowing why and what the rules are.
yeah that sounds right. ive heard the saying you never want to be the best in the room. it means you should be in a different room.
Not a fun feeling. Cain and Abel.
Joe.B
Senior Member
- Location
- Myrtletown Ca
- Occupation
- Building Inspector
At this point I try to just try to stay in the room.
Well when your getting resentment for 'trying to be the best electrician in the room' others might see that differently. Try to be more of a 'team player' and strive to have the best team in the room.
On big jobs my only questions to a foreman were about the materials and whats on the prints,
rarely would NEC code come up, if they want you to look in the code do it, but in commercial the headaches come from dozens of codes the NEC is just one.
Smaller remodels and residential work is actually when I first had get to parse NEC code on my own, some inspector complaining about outlet spacing things like that come up the most on residential.
lots of teasing happens in construction, if it was not code they would find something else.
I worked on a big job with a young electrician that went by 'they / them' 'pronouns', talk about teasing.
Probably would have been worse except for the fact 'they' were really a female and they could also dish it right back at them and 'they' always showed up 5 min early and was ready to rock, when some of them were hungover and late. She got alot done in a day and that got my respect.
you guys raise a good point it is contradictory to try to be the best and not be better than anyone lol. what i mean is i try to be the best man/electrician i can be, but also love and pray for my coworkers (which is not always easy). i am not nearly as thin skinned as i was when i first entered the trade. I am a big hearted man. i have cried like a you know what in the port a john a few times. im not ashamed. it is a man who faces his emotions rather than denies them. but what i mean to say is im not in a environment necessarily yearning for my growth. maybe as yall have indicated, that is a foolish desire. i will instead try to keep an eye out if God has another road for me to jump to, and try to settle here for now.
zbang
Senior Member
- Location
- Roughly 5346 miles from Earls Court
Sounds a bit like the ol' crab bucket, you need to find another group of people to work with, folks who actually value knowing what's what instead of "the print say bla bla, I do bla bla, don't care why". Heck, you might see if an engineering company has a place for someone who know how to do things and actually reads the code; often good designers come from the trenches.
"We've always done it that way" is the sorriest excuse for not even thinking about the task at hand.
"We've always done it that way" is the sorriest excuse for not even thinking about the task at hand.