Work is slowing down.

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Sea Nile

Sea Nile

Senior Member
Location
Georgia
Occupation
Electrician
The company I work for does mainly residential but also some commercial. Work has been slowing way down over the last month. The higher interest rate coupled with inflation are a factor, from my perspective.

The company has started sending people home in the morning, sorry not enough work etc.

I'm thinking, strongly, about finding a new place to work. The only issue is that I can only claim to have 1 year in the electrical trade. Doesn't matter that I actually know more than the "installers" here who have been doing this work for a number of years, and have never picked up a code book or even understand how electricity actually works.
 
Thanks, but moving to Texas is not in the cards. I love my house and location. I live just 15 minutes from Ft Gordon on a nice piece of property 1.5 acres. Neighbors are at least 500 feet away on either side. Pond in the back where no one can build, and some rich guys horses facing the front.
 
Sea Nile said:
Thanks, but moving to Texas is not in the cards. I love my house and location. I live just 15 minutes from Ft Gordon on a nice piece of property 1.5 acres. Neighbors are at least 500 feet away on either side. Pond in the back where no one can build, and some rich guys horses facing the front.
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I guess Tulsa is out of the question.
Don't blame you for not wanting to move. When you have a nice place it is hard to give up.
Surely there are more companies in your area. Ask around the supply house.
 
I will, I only decided I felt like this today.
It's not about the money, I just enjoy the work. I want to learn and expand my experience. I can only learn so much only doing residential new construction.
 
When I first started I spent some time in residential then moved on to Commercial work then into service then industrial.
Now I just do what ever.
I think residential is a good way to start in the trade. A well rounded electrician will always have work.
Then if you branch out on your own it will pay off big time. I was able to do track housing to multi family, commerical and industrial projects as well as service calls. Building association with engineers and architects along the way. This led to a Lot of design build projects
Who ever called I could serve.

There's a need for good well rounded electricians.

A thirst for knowledge is a good thing.
So I encourage you to challenge your self and aim high. Just make sure your family is taken care of along the way.

I like the way you call them installers. I don't waste my time with them all they care about is a check and there work is usually sub par.
Good luck on what ever path you choose.
 
What does the HVAC biz look like around you. It's a parallel trade in terms of skills, and getting the EPA cert(s) is not that difficult. Perhaps HVAC work can supplement the slow electrical work.
 
Being slow is ok, give me more time to study. What concerns me is not advancing in the trade because I'm doing the same thing day after day and not learning or experiencing anything new. It's not a bad idea, I know someone who bounces back and forth between being an electrical installer and doing HVAC, but I don't want to be just good at multiple trades, I want to be great in one trade.
 
Sea Nile said:
Being slow is ok, give me more time to study. What concerns me is not advancing in the trade because I'm doing the same thing day after day and not learning or experiencing anything new. It's not a bad idea, I know someone who bounces back and forth between being an electrical installer and doing HVAC, but I don't want to be just good at multiple trades, I want to be great in one trade.
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You can be a master of a couple trades it's when you try to be a jack of all trades that things start being neglected. HVAC involves fishing and instalation of flexible and semi flexible tubing just like electrical. Knowing both can set you up for making it on service calls too in the future.
 
I do see your point, and I'll keep it in mind if the job search doesn't pan out. It will be plan B, or maybe even plan C.
 
Engineering school? The course work is progressively more involved, although there's allot that's not useful. But the progression in learning is rewarding, and that might satisfy your need. I'm aged (64) but I like the work, and I'll never stop doing it because it's lucrative, and it's fun. I do Arc Flash Studies (Power Studies), and NFPA 70E training, and it's a branch of electrical that makes total sense and there's loads of work. It kills me when I see breakers that have "factory default" settings, because there's a way to optimize those settings, and there's a resultant arc flash level associated with it. And there could be millions spent on the electrical system, and somebody let the Power Study requirement pass and nobody has set the breakers.
There's also a maintenance element to it that's necessary, so there's opportunity there as well.
Good luck with whatever path you follow, and thanks for your service. My boy's Navy 👊
 
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