Where Did You Learn The Trade?

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Where Did You Learn The Trade?

  • On the Job Training

    Votes: 54 55.7%
  • Organized Apprenticeship Program (IBEW, ABC, etc.)

    Votes: 22 22.7%
  • Attended Trade School In My Teens

    Votes: 17 17.5%
  • Night School As An Adult

    Votes: 4 4.1%

  • Total voters
    97
  • Poll closed .
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I was nineteen years old, living on Madeline Island in lake Superior during the winter, laid off from my summer fun jobs(bartending, housepainting, beach-lounging), just waiting for winter to end. One day in Feb. an electrician that I knew came knocking at my door asking if I wanted to make some money. (Of course I did). I got on the job training with him and eleven years later I'm licensed and on my own. Before that electrician knocked on my door I was going to go to school for art-I think I'm better off financially.
 
Ojt...

Ojt...

14 years OJT, study on my own, great help from sources such as this fine example right here. About ready to go out on my own-after a divorce, that is. LOOOOOONNNG Story.........:roll:
 
Started out by attending School of Hard Knocks. Also known as Frustration High School.

Upon graduation, I went to College of Conventional Wisdom, then two years later enrolled at Life University.

Completed my studies at the Iowa State Institute of Correctional Facilities.










Just kidding.;)

4yr ABC aprenticeship, OJT after that. Bi-annual code update clases since then.

Best teaching I ever had was years ago at an informal, non-required gathering at the shop after work on Thursday. One of the better JWs 'taught' the class. The subject was whatever needed to be discussed.... raceway fill, bending EMT, basic wiring methods, etc. No tests, quizzes, grades. But a lot of great learning.
 
Some of the best classes I had was when I was teaching, I never gave an answer I did not know and had back up for. My answer in cases where I was not sure of the answer. "I am not sure on this I will research it and have a response next class."

I have had instructors give wrong/incorrect answers to questions or give incorrect information. I assume this is for a variety of reasons, they just do not know or feel they have to have an answer on the spot as they are suppose to know all as an instructor.
 
From You Mostly....... Your A Good Teacher What Is That Saying How Many Wires Fit In A 1/2 Inch Pipe As Many As You Can Pull;) ;) ;)
 
USMC MOS 1141, OJT, School of Hard Knocks, More OJT, reading, reading, and more reading, teaching, now an EC, among other things...
32 years and still working...thinking retirement!!
 
Vocational technical high school for theory and minimal OJT. 4 years in the field and pass the journeymans exam. Then hold a journeymans licence for 2 years and then test for masters licence. The 3 weeks it took for those results took years off my life.
 
High school Vo-tech, four year electrical apprenticeship, two year control Tech apprenticeship, OJT 20 years industrial Electrician and still going to school.
 
tshea PM'ed me and reminded me of the school I went to - of which I beleive he taught at for a while a few years before I attended.

Courthouse Bay, NC USMC Engineer School
10 hours a day after PT (That's running in a formation for 4-7 miles or so at 6AM) Homework every night....
6 days a week, with occasional additional guard duty thrown in, uniform and barracks inspections for 6 months...
If you fell asleep in class you got a trash can of water dumped over your head, and had to do push ups until someone else was tired - while you learned.... :rolleyes:

After intensive theory, math, schematics reading, trouble-shooting labs, diesel mechanics, and theory of operation on all kinds of equipment from air conditioners to reverse osmosis machines, and pole climbing in combat gear. All of which you had to pass! You were then ready for the big day... Standing unaided except for a schematic - to describe every detail of the operation of a 60kw generator. Miss one detail - start over.... From the battery to start and run modes of the engine, through all of the voltage regulation, stator to main windings, to the final output. Fail this final test or the remedial later that afternoon, and odds were you became a COOK! (Not kidding!)

Also if you thought that in this day and age that you could not dig a hole, (By hand) and then plant a 40' pole, (BY HAND!) gaff up it, auger a hole (by hand) and place a cross-bar on it - also by hand - I know some people who will tell you that you are wrong...* :grin:

*It is this background that made me want to tear a new one in a guy I had working under me that whined that he couldn't do any work because his screw gun's battery died.... :mad:
 
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tshea said:
USMC MOS 1141, OJT, School of Hard Knocks, More OJT, reading, reading, and more reading, teaching, now an EC, among other things...
32 years and still working...thinking retirement!!


retirement you must need more to do..everyone I know that has retired says they are busier now than when they worked..
 
where did you learn the trade?

where did you learn the trade?

My granfather was an electrical engineer and both my uncles were electricians,so I got out of highschool and had a job.That was 21 years ago.still goin'strong
larry
 
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