The Apprentice...So after 1 month in the field...

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JONATHAN20

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CLINTON, CT
Lets just say being a gofer gets boring after a while. Sometimes you wanna be the one making connections. I mean for the first couple of weeks cleanin up after the guy was tolerable you know I didnt care because I was finally working...but its starting to get old and its like he's doin it on purpose but whatever it comes with the territory and it has to be done if I want to continue with my remaining 7530 hours of my apprenticship. But on a lighter note Ive done....well observed alot in the past month. Everything from rinky dinky 4 20 amp fuse panels to 3phase 400 amp panels. (Where still waiting for them to break ground on the 1000 amp service) I pretty much do the basic stuff staple wire, receptacles and switches, measuring and cutting pipe to size. but mostly its get me inch and qtr. s.r screws. Hey I got wacked the other day that was fun. I kept my mouth shut i didnt wanna look like an idiot. Lets see what else......i can say this, this guy taught me that using all those fancy calculations to bend offsets and sattles are a waste of time it can all be done by eye and ive seen him do it. Ive been dyin the past couple of days because weve been in an attic runnin a feed for this guy central ac unit. Can i get some water or something?????? But yeah thats enough for now talk to you dudes later.
 
JONATHAN20 said:
Lets just say being a gofer gets boring after a while. Sometimes you wanna be the one making connections. I mean for the first couple of weeks cleanin up after the guy was tolerable you know I didnt care because I was finally working...but its starting to get old and its like he's doin it on purpose but whatever it comes with the territory and it has to be done if I want to continue with my remaining 7530 hours of my apprenticship. But on a lighter note Ive done....well observed alot in the past month. Everything from rinky dinky 4 20 amp fuse panels to 3phase 400 amp panels. (Where still waiting for them to break ground on the 1000 amp service) I pretty much do the basic stuff staple wire, receptacles and switches, measuring and cutting pipe to size. but mostly its get me inch and qtr. s.r screws. Hey I got wacked the other day that was fun. I kept my mouth shut i didnt wanna look like an idiot. Lets see what else......i can say this, this guy taught me that using all those fancy calculations to bend offsets and sattles are a waste of time it can all be done by eye and ive seen him do it. Ive been dyin the past couple of days because weve been in an attic runnin a feed for this guy central ac unit. Can i get some water or something?????? But yeah thats enough for now talk to you dudes later.
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A couple of quick pointers Cheif. Don't ever brag about getting hit. Not that you were really, but let's discuss how you got hit in the first place and how it could of been avoided.

#2. Don't ever think those fancy pipe calc's are useless, EVER. Even some here will tell you the easier Benfield technique is not 100% accurate everytime. If your boss is bending by thumbnail, and not marking, I suggest you watch in awe because it takes a long time to acheive that unless you are the Jimi Hendrix of pipe. It does take awhile to master it. I've seen several people who hardly ever used a tape or pencil, and they could bend by feel and nature without even looking at the degree marks. You are only one month in, be patient. Step back, watch, learn, listen, and don't take the bold approach.

If you think you don't need the math to bend, I'll grab you a piece of 1", a hand bender, and a print. If you can lay the pipe on every button without measuring or marking, than you are more gifted than most.

My biggest advice, is be patient, and not ancy. Suck in all you can possibly fathom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WORK SAFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Patience my friend,...PATIENCE!



edit: spelling
 
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JONATHAN20 said:
Lets just say being a gofer gets boring after a while.
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Read some of the other posts of guys looking for work and you'll be searching from the dust pan tomorrow. (And I am sure you understand that, don't take it personal, just a reminder. :smile: )

JONATHAN20 said:
...but whatever it comes with the territory and it has to be done if I want to continue with my remaining 7530 hours of my apprenticship. But on a lighter note Ive done....well observed alot in the past month. Everything from rinky dinky 4 20 amp fuse panels to 3phase 400 amp panels. (Where still waiting for them to break ground on the 1000 amp service) .
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If apprentice and helper work is the same everywhere like it is here, your foremen and journeyman may be a little apprehensive to let the green guy take on too much. I know here we are getting a little tired of putting in to much trust for guys that just aren't getting it. Keep at it, they will notice. Ask for a hand in something, push a little if you need to, get a feel for how they respond so you don't overstep your bounds.

JONATHAN20 said:
Lets see what else......i can say this, this guy taught me that using all those fancy calculations to bend offsets and sattles are a waste of time it can all be done by eye and ive seen him do it.
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Don't let him fool you, a lot of the knowledge came from knowing those calculations at some point. My brother is like that, he can't tell me too many formulas off the top of his head because he just bends it out of habbit.

JONATHAN20 said:
Ive been dyin the past couple of days because weve been in an attic runnin a feed for this guy central ac unit. Can i get some water or something?????? But yeah thats enough for now talk to you dudes later.
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The best help you can be a lot of times is being there and anticipating the needs. Learn to have an eye for what they need before they need it. Now, and in the past, if I was working with other foremen we used to argue (;) :grin: ) over got to be the helper that day. Your day will come and you will long for those days of nothing more to think about than to fetch and run.:grin:
 
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Welcome to being a 1st year. The old school guys basically had the goal of making your job miserable to the point where you quit. If you made it through a year of getting dumped on they figured that you were worthy of actually trying to teach. Every once in while they would throw you a tidbit to keep you interested- the classic carrot and stick ( though they tended to prefer the stick). Stay with it- it gets more bearable, interesting, dare I say fun? as time goes on.
 
JONATHAN20 said:
i can say this, this guy taught me that using all those fancy calculations to bend offsets and sattles are a waste of time it can all be done by eye and ive seen him do it.
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with that attitude, I wouldnt want you laying your hands on the material that I am paying for, a good conduit man uses a tape measure and understands what the marks on a bender are for, "eyeballing" doenst cut it....
 
1st year

1st year

My first year I was told that 1st years are lower than whale crap.

All I saw for a year was a shovel, digging bar, and a pick. Hands so sore you couldn't open them in the morning. (try digging in Arizona)

Don't let them break you it will get better-learn all you can, nobody can take knowledge away from you. But they can take everything else.
 
Good Deal!!!!

Good Deal!!!!

Yeah just keep plugging along and learning. I feel bad when I see an experienced guy treating an apprentice like crap. Company pays for apprentice to learn and schooling only for the guy to jump ship because he hates the guy or guys he is paired with. When the guy does quit there is no going back in the apprentices mind. To much work going on for skilled workers. Sometimes I think companies are looking for guys that just been trained so they can scoop up a nice journeyman.

If you see someone doing a bad habit please don't pick up on it. Usually common sense tells you it's a bad habit.

Ken
 
I still remember my first day in the field: Shiney new tools all arranged on a clean leather belt, walking onto the job thinking "All right! I'm an electrician!" Without so much as a "Hello" the first thing I heard was "Gather all the trash barrels and empty 'em in the dumpster." It was a ten story high-rise sitting on a full city block. There were a lot of barrels.

Don't get discouraged. Keep your pride in check. It's easy to think "I'm better than this, they aren't using me to my full potential." Somebody has to do your job, and right now, it's you. You do it long enough and well enough and someday you get to do their job instead.

Hang in there.

-John
 
You sound like you have the right attitude about wanting to learn this trade.
Thats what you need. Just keep up what your doing and the foreman will notice that you can be used for more than a gopher. Their are alot of guys out their that dont want to learn and just happy with cleaning and handing out tools. You will learn alot from what your doing just from watching. Also ask as many questions as you can.
 
Still complaining

Still complaining

In your posts of past you are negative and nieve about most things you comment on. Thier is a time to measure and calculate bends and a time to free form as needed. Thier is a time and place for everything. If all your being asked to do is get material please have the good sence to take it as serious as the 1000 amp service your drooling over and get the right material as fast as you can. If asked for 5 get 6, and ask what else can I get you.
P.S. Have some respect for the people that put time into training you and be greatful of your education, it will benifit you more than you give it credit.
 
KP2 said:
In your posts of past you are negative and nieve about most things you comment on. Thier is a time to measure and calculate bends and a time to free form as needed. Thier is a time and place for everything. If all your being asked to do is get material please have the good sence to take it as serious as the 1000 amp service your drooling over and get the right material as fast as you can. If asked for 5 get 6, and ask what else can I get you.
P.S. Have some respect for the people that put time into training you and be greatful of your education, it will benifit you more than you give it credit.
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I did not think he was being that disrespectful, just lamenting, abd wanting to do more. The key, I think, is that he thought some might be overly "down" on him...

JONATHAN20 said:
I mean for the first couple of weeks cleanin up after the guy was tolerable you know I didnt care because I was finally working...but its starting to get old and its like he's doin it on purpose...
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....The key advice is to be patient and productive, at whatever the task is, and those who need to notice will. And if they don't, he will know by then that it is time to start looking elsewhere.
 
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You should take in to account that running and getting material is teaching you something. You might not think that it is, but learning the proper material to use is a big step to becoming a rounded electrician. You need to pay attention and look at the material on your truck and how it is used.
 
I didn't get a chance to post this the first time around but:
SAVE ALL YOUR PAY STUBS.
Later on, you will need proof of hours to apply for the journeyman's test or to get into the union. It is very important to save your pay stubs. Just get a big envelop or cardboard box.
This is the most fundamental advice I, or anyone, can give to a new apprentice.
~Peter

Note: that is nonsense about bending conduit without mearsuring and marking it. The guy is probably just doing 30? bends. See if he can freehand a 22.5? offset. [Multiplier = 2.6]
 
JONATHAN20 said:
i can say this, this guy taught me that using all those fancy calculations to bend offsets and sattles are a waste of time it can all be done by eye and ive seen him do it.
Click to expand...

That's all well and good for 1/2" EMT, maybe even 3/4". But once you are standing if front of this bender and you need to make an offset in 3" EMT (and it must be right the first time,) suddenly those useless calculations aren't so useless.

So please take our advice, do not disregard any EMT bending calculation as a "waste of time." Learn them (they are actually quite simple) and you will have obtained one of the great skills in this trade.
 
There is no problem when you mess up a bend on 1/2" or 3/4" EMT. I've seen guys take all the bend right out like the pipe was never bent. Please, learn the fundamentals of bending (i.e. stub deducts, back bends, offset multipliers).
Some day, you will have one stick of 2" EMT and a Chicago Bender and one chance to get it right. Practice doing the math on 1/2 or 3/4. If you mess up, then fall back on the hacksaw and coupling. Learn on the skinny stuff. 3" and up boneyards are an expensive mess.

By the way, practice using the hacksaw rather than the sawzall. Hacksaw use is starting to be a lost art. Sawzalls (reciprocating saws) can be dangerous. Hacksaws cut EMT fast and safe and are very portable.

I still see a lot of very nice new pipe installs. Its nice to see a good craftsman's work.

Good housekeeping is a top priority for me and helps with organization. You will see some jobs where foremen, supers and G.C.s don't mind grabbing a broom.

Anticipate your journeyman's fastener need. Have a nail apron with drywall screws or teks or tapcons or whatever is appropriate. He will know he hired the right apprentice when he looks down from his ladder to yell for an EZ anchor but has to stop to reach out for the one you have just thrown him.
 
nyerinfl said:
You should take in to account that running and getting material is teaching you something. You might not think that it is, but learning the proper material to use is a big step to becoming a rounded electrician. You need to pay attention and look at the material on your truck and how it is used.
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This is a good point.

Also, by doing the grunt work, your foreman, J-man, etc. are learning about your work ethic.
Some guys (not implying you are one) simply aren't worth spending much time training, because they are too lazy to cut it in the long run anyhow.
 
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