Reluctantelectrician

I graduated from a technical school about a year ago with an associate's degree in "Maintenance Electricity". We covered residential, commercial, industrial, motors, PLC's, cost estimating, etc.. We learned a little at the school but overall it was a scam and a waste of time. Note: If you want to be an electrician DON'T go to a technical school. You'd be better off being a grunt for a contractor and picking things up as you go.

At this school I slept, read the newspaper, played with my cell phone, didn't study, and didn't care. Yet, I graduated second in the class (all A's and a few B's). Some of us got jobs and some didn't. Electrical jobs in my area are as follows: You work for a private company or contractor and you'll start off at $10 per hour and eventually top out at $15 per hour and you will never earn more than that. Or you go to the IBEW apprenticeship program (5 years long), get your journeyman's license, and you eventually earn $30 per hour.

I'll be honest...I have no interest in being an electrician. Bending conduit and running wire is mind-numbingly boring. But, this stuff is easy because all you have to do is remember a few simple formulas and a bunch of little stupid rules (this has to be within 5 feet of this or 1 foot away from this..blah blah). I could get some horribly monotonous panel layout job for $10-$11 per hour but that sucks. I could go to work for some small-time contractor working little **** residential or commercial jobs but that sucks too. So, I have been thinking about signing up for the local IBEW apprenticeship program to get my journeyman's license.

I'm torn. I seem to have no interest in the electrical field but I have a degree in it and it seems so mentally easy that I feel almost compelled to do it because the money can be decent. So, here are my questions:

1. Has anybody here ever gone through the IBEW apprenticeship program?

A. Is it hard?
B. Is it actually interesting or is it boring and repetitive?
C. Are the payoffs worth it?
D. Once you get your journeyman's license is it possible to work whenever you want to? For example, can I work and then take a couple of months off? The reason I ask is because there are many things I would rather be doing than working.
E. Does a journeyman's license qualify you for other things than doing inside electrical wiring? I'm wondering if it would qualify me for a career that I actually might find interesting.


Thanks

threewire

Sounds like you wasted a lot of time and money on going to school.
A: Extremely easy (like bagging potatoes)
B: Boring as hell (we electricians love being bored)
C: Payoffs? I have the best set of love handles you've ever seen
D: Who really needs a license, thats for successful people
E: Refer to answer "D"

threewire

o yeah

YOUR WELCOME

gilbequick

I'm not the smartest box in the bulb, that's what I'm en elektrishan.

Greg

Get out of the field!!! You are a punk, I have been an electrician for 20 years so what do I know. As far as formulas goes, I guess I don't know anything. After all the NEC is a joke, right. I might not have gone through the IBEW but I did get my training in the US Navy (Nuclear Power). So anytime you want to bring your dumbass self on, lets go.

Like I said get out of the filed now while you still know everything, punk.

__________________
If you're gonna be stupid, you better be tough.

Reluctantelectrician

Sarcasm and hostility duly noted.

I apologize if I came across as a know-it-all. I certainly don't know everything nor do I claim to. It's just that I cannot get inspired from what I've seen of "inside wiring". Installing a service, throwing some ground rods in the ground, running conduit, and installing all of the appropriate wiring just does not interest me in the least. It's boring. It may be profitable but it is boring as hell.

I could see myself getting into fixing machines in an industrial setting. If a machine went down and I had to examine the machine and the control wiring to it....that's a challenge and it is interesting. Fixing power lines may even be interesting. But, inside wiring makes my eyes glaze over.

Will a journeyman's license open up enough avenues that I could actually do some non-repetitive and interesting stuff?

LawnGuyLandSparky

You didn't come across as a know it all to me. You came across as someone who chose the wrong course. You remind me of someone whose parents told him "you're either going to school, or you're going to work, or you're out of the house" and still haven't made a career choice to your liking.

Possibly. There are many aspects of the electrical industry. I could do without fiber optic splicing and cat5 connectorizing or punchdowns. It's repetitive, brainless, mindless busywork. I'm glad I learned it, but I do anything I can to avoid it.

If what you consider interesting requires the base knowledge and experience required to get a Journeyman's license, then yes, it will open the door to more interesting options.

Tiger

One of the many jobs my Dad did in his career was to train the ones out of college looking for a career in the insurance business. He told them if you don't love it, get out now. You don't want to spend your life in a career you don't love.

Forget about the money kid. What do you want to do with your life? What gets you excited?

Dave

Thomp

Your in the wrong field. I have seen many young guys whose eyes get blazed over and blame it on a boring job. Either it interest you or it doesn't.

gilbequick

No. I say that because you've got to put in a few years of time before you're even eligible to take the journeyman's test. From the way you talk you'll never make it that long.

If you're not interested in the work now you won't be then either. There's nothing wrong with that, you've just got to find a field of work that interests you.

As far as electrical work goes, for me me the actual -how to do the work- isn't the interesting part, it's -how and why it works and why it's done that way- that really interests me. But, if you don't like doing the work in the first place you won't be interested in that either.

Find something that you like doing!!

jrclen

It sounds to me like maybe you would fit better in industrial electronics technician maintenance type work. There are many electronic controlled machines and processes out there. Or just go for the big one and go to a real school and become an engineer. Whatever it is, do something you like. Bored electricians become dead electricians. Don't take an apprentice slot away from some guy who really wants to be an electrician.

p_logix

A real school and become an engineer?

In my experience in the industrial field most engineers can't find their ass with 2 hands.

This kid would never make it as an industrial electrician. In order to be good you have to know theory and have a passion for doing electrical work. Something this guy lacks, perhaps he went to the wrong trade school but still that is no excuse. Maybe he should consider taking underwater basket weaving, or fashion design.

You will never make it.

__________________
p_logix
"Meggers Don't Lie, Electricians Lie". Go LAKERS!!!!

waco

Realistically, there's a real good chance there won't be an IBEW for very much longer and that $15.00 an hour will be top drawer, no matter how high the cost of living goes. If you know the right people, you could one day become a small business owner who might do okay. If you don't know the right people, forget it. It isn't your skills -- it is your network. Learn to play Bridge and golf. In other words, learn that game, not the trade. The money is in the game, not the work.

Tangible

have you actually worked in the field?

school isn't a good barometer of how it actually is in the field, certain job/situations can be much more challengng and interesting than anything you'll do in class.

BryanMD

Oh man! This is gonna be good

__________________
March 2010: On the road with my RV. California is first primary destination then it is off to Eastern OR, Northern ID and Western MT for drycamping and fly fishing until Labor Day.

GeneralElectric

Why don't you try electrical apprenticeship programs?
I've seen this article:
http://electricianfaqs.com/Electrici...arted.2711.htm
It has information that you need. I think its a good article.

swedex

I'm also a State Certified General Journeyman Electrician. I went to National Institute of Technology(NIT) in 2003, about $15000 out of my own pocket. I loved every minute of it and it was very interesting. And I noticed that people that got school paid for them by grants or parents etc. didn't pay attention and either didn't graduate or got bad grades. When you have to pay for it your self...You make sure that you get your moneys worth. I stayed very focused and graduated with a perfect score of 4.0 GPA. only 5 of the 24 in my class graduated. Now I got my own business. The secret and the phrase of the day is: You got to love it to be good. There does not pass one day, without I learning something new. You learn as long as you live. And it will almost never be boring because you will always keep your brain busy trying to figure out how to do the work more efficient and better. And what guy in his own mind...doesn't love tool's. I love going to Electrical conventions to buy hard to find new innovative tools that makes my job more accurate and efficient etc. I love my trade.

jrclen

Now that's more like it. Well said. I agree with you and feel the same way. And I've been at this a while. I still love my trade after 40 some years.

RUSSIAN

Care to elaborate? At the rate my local is taking in apprentices I find this statement interesting. I'm sure the members of local 6 would get a kick out of this also, seeing as they have 95% market share in a big city, I doubt they fear losing their charter anytime soon. I'm quite interested in how the IBEW would fall? Would the union fitters, sheet metal guys, plumbers and carpenters allow non-union guys on the there jobs? I highly doubt it. I know it wouldn't happen on the hi-rise I'm working on. The industry needs large union contractors, period.

jrclen

I don't see the IBEW going away. And I don't see any qualified electrician, union or not, working for $15 per hour.