trade or code?

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QES said:
can't have both!
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I will disagree with that.

I know both the code and the trade for the type of work I am involved in.

There are also areas of the code and the trade that I do not know.
 
QES said:
it rephase that, to know the trade meaning know to do electrical skills not to code stardard.
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If your skills are not up to all applicable code standards (i.e. NEC and NFPA 70E) then what good are they?
 
QES said:
which is more important? to know the codes or know the trade? can't have both!
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Geez, I hope the Babylonians don't start making a distinction between Hammurabi's Code and their professions....:D But then again, how many Babylonian electrical contractors could be left...?:wink:

Seriously, you gotta be kiddin'. To me, that's a dangerous presumption. The one that implies a tradesman can only have success with one at the expense of the other...:-?
 
I agree that they are the same thing. It's hard to know everything so I would pick "Trade" if I had to choose. If you do the same thing everyday, chances are you know how to do it better than anybody. :wink:
 
We all have choices to make on our competence to do new or different work that is out of our comfort zone.

It is our responsibility to either educate (update) ourselves or not to accept the job.

I think it is simple if you are going to accept a job outside of your comfort/knowledge level then either educate yourself or turn down the work.
 
I know the code for the things I do, but the nice thing for all of us is that it's written in a book, so we can look it up if I have to. I can't pull trade skills out of a book. You absolutely need some of both, but you can look up code, and you need to develop skill.
 
One of the most skilled tradesman that I know has worked for me for over twenty years and was a licensed EC on his own before that. I doubt that he has looked at a code book more than a half dozen times since he's been with me. He is good at motor controls and almost all facets of residential rewire work. He can bend pipe (by eye) and he is clean-cut and reliable. That said, it is my job to make sure the work he does is code compliant. At his age he is not about to change so as long as he makes me $$ he stays.
 
bkludecke said:
At his age he is not about to change so as long as he makes me $$ he stays.
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IMO if he is not up on code, he may not be as skilled as you think, sounds like an excuse to me.

At my age, I am learning every day, age has nothing to do with staying current, with code changes, how can anyone claim to be a good tradesman, when they fail to stay current.
 
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satcom said:
IMO if he is not up on code, he may not be as skilled as you think, sounds like an excuse to me.

At my age, I am learning every day, age has nothing to do with staying current, with code changes, how can anyone claim to be a good tradesman, when they fail to stay current.
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Good post.
 
bkludecke said:
One of the most skilled tradesman that I know has worked for me for over twenty years and was a licensed EC on his own before that. I doubt that he has looked at a code book more than a half dozen times since he's been with me. He is good at motor controls and almost all facets of residential rewire work. He can bend pipe (by eye) and he is clean-cut and reliable. That said, it is my job to make sure the work he does is code compliant. At his age he is not about to change so as long as he makes me $$ he stays.
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I noticed how you mention he is a skilled tradesman, not electrician...maybe a Freudian slip.

If someone is working for you and you constantly check his work, than I can see keeping them at his age as long as he has the trade skills.
 
sandsnow said:
If you do electrical work or any skilled trade and don't make the effort to know the codes and regulations of the work you install, then you are just a laborer.
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I think the words, we are looking for is a complete skill set, not just one segment of the skill required.

This is one of the reasons, our state has us taking 35 hours of CEU's and that is on top of the code knowladge we already have, or should have.
 
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I, myself, thought that it was a vocational choice on my part.
The responsibility that I have learned to respect, get to apply is
my own satisfaction...:rolleyes:
 
I learned long ago that there are all types of workers. My job as an employer is to match the skills (worker) and the job/customer. I am responsible for everything my people do wether it is driving the truck or wiring a house or whatever. Yes this man is deficient in code knowledge but he can really put things together and the quality of his work is excellent. He has a lot of practicle and mechanical knowledge that I wouldn't trade for a busfull of booksmart men.
 
I believe it's not what you know its who you know....

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