WAC/RCW Administrator question

[westernexplorer]

Exactly.... my point. I was a Journeyman Electrician for 5 years before testing for my Master Electrician License in Washington State.

Charles, with your Engineering Background, I'm sure you would do just fine running an Electrical Contracting Business. However, many Administrator's without actually being a Journeyman Electrician or Engineer.... are terrible at supervising a company. I know this because, for the last 6 years, I have worked as an Electrical Inspector and had to deal with the (shops without a brain). In Oregon we have some of the same. Although, we require a journeyman to have 4 years experience prior to taking the Supervising Electrician Exam, there are many shops with No REAL supervisor. A guy who lives in Minnesota and he signs a stack of permits.... and a Journeyman Electrician owns the shop and runs it from day to day. (shop without a brain). The quality of the work is sub-standard in many cases and almost never complys with the code....... And it makes my job, a heck of alot harder....

 

[brother]

Exactly.... my point. I was a Journeyman Electrician for 5 years before testing for my Master Electrician License in Washington State.

Charles, with your Engineering Background, I'm sure you would do just fine running an Electrical Contracting Business. However, many Administrator's without actually being a Journeyman Electrician or Engineer.... are terrible at supervising a company. I know this because, for the last 6 years, I have worked as an Electrical Inspector and had to deal with the (shops without a brain). In Oregon we have some of the same. Although, we require a journeyman to have 4 years experience prior to taking the Supervising Electrician Exam, there are many shops with No REAL supervisor. A guy who lives in Minnesota and he signs a stack of permits.... and a Journeyman Electrician owns the shop and runs it from day to day. (shop without a brain). The quality of the work is sub-standard in many cases and almost never complys with the code....... And it makes my job, a heck of alot harder....

Shops without a brain! Ive got use that one day. LOL Another thing I find funny is that you can have your journeyman's license, and then test for the Admin License, but they would not convert that to a Master license, because you have to take the Master's test to do that. Even though Legally you can do all and everything that a Master electrician can do when you have both the Admin and Journeyman's license.

Nothing really gained in taking a 'Master' test except a pretty cerificate. I'm told there are more questions on that test.

 

[resistance]

Shops without a brain! Ive got use that one day. LOL Another thing I find funny is that you can have your journeyman's license, and then test for the Admin License, but they would not convert that to a Master license, because you have to take the Master's test to do that. Even though Legally you can do all and everything that a Master electrician can do when you have both the Admin and Journeyman's license.

Nothing really gained in taking a 'Master' test except a pretty cerificate. I'm told there are more questions on that test.

It's all about the money!!! Just think, I have to renew on three different licenses.

 

[charlie b]

Another thing I find funny is that you can have your journeyman's license, and then test for the Admin License, but they would not convert that to a Master license, because you have to take the Master's test to do that.

Are you certain about that? :-? My understanding was that, in Washington at least, if you have both the Journeyman and Administrator licences, you can simply trade them in for a Masters license, with the advantage being that you only have to pay one periodic renewal fee. I didn't think we had a master's exam here.

 

[charlie b]

Charles, with your Engineering Background, I'm sure you would do just fine running an Electrical Contracting Business.

Thanks for the confidence, but I think it wouldn't work that easily. I agree with what several of you have said, regarding the need for the supervisor to have enough field experience to be able to tell the workers what to do, how to do it, and whether they are doing it right. That is why I am unlikely to ever apply my Administrator's license to a contracting company. I took the test as a way of giving prospective clients, in the design engineering world, additional confidence that I know how to perform electrical design that is in keeping with codes.

And please call me Charlie.

 

[westernexplorer]

Charles,

The "Grandfathering" period for merging both license's into one is over. If you have a Journeyman Electrician License and an Administrator's License you now have to take the Master Electrician exam to get one license. It has 10 more questions then the Administrator's exam. Even though, in reality with a J-License and Admin, you can do anything a Master Electrician can do... The last time I talk to Ron Fuller, the Chief Electrical Inspector in Washington State, he said they wanted to phase out the Administrator's license. This would make Washington State more in line with other States with Journeyman and Master Licenses, and would prevent an apprentice from operating an Electrical Contracting Business.

 

[charlie b]

Thanks for clearing that up for me, Western. And please call me Charlie.

 

[resistance]

Charles,

The "Grandfathering" period for merging both license's into one is over. If you have a Journeyman Electrician License and an Administrator's License you now have to take the Master Electrician exam to get one license. It has 10 more questions then the Administrator's exam. Even though, in reality with a J-License and Admin, you can do anything a Master Electrician can do... The last time I talk to Ron Fuller, the Chief Electrical Inspector in Washington State, he said they wanted to phase out the Administrator's license. This would make Washington State more in line with other States with Journeyman and Master Licenses, and would prevent an apprentice from operating an Electrical Contracting Business.

Exactly!!!!