I'm looking to possibly change trades. For my first 18 months of apprenticeship I was in a decent industrial shop surrounded by outstanding electricians. Probably way better than I'll ever be. We had very high quality pipe mechanics. A controls guru. People to program PLC's. There was just a lot of interesting stuff to do and to learn.
Unfortunately the IRS got after my boss and I ended up getting laid off. For the past year I've been doing strictly commercial work. To be honest, I'm kind of getting bored with it. I'm given a lot of responsibility for an apprentice which is good, but the actual work itself just isn't as engaging as the more controls and automated work at my last company. I'd say well over 90% of the works done in a day isn't even really electrical related stuff at all. Hanging lights, hanging cable trays, pulling MC...it just doesn't interest me all that much.
The problem is the industrial field is very small in my area. I'm guessing that a lot of huge utility and infrastructure industrial jobs that were around 30 years ago just aren't going to be there anymore. I've looked at pretty much everything in 80 mile radius and no industrial shops are hiring at this time.
So, I'm thinking about maybe changing trades. Industrial plumbing looks very interesting and so does HVAC. I have my education all paid for so schooling won't be an issue. Just wondering if any of you know another trade in addition to electrical, or have advice on which trades are the most challenging.
Not saying this for certain and I will get my electrical license for certain since it makes getting other jobs easier, but at the same time I don't think I can do commercial buildings for the rest of my life. Just want to know what's out there...
Thanks
Unfortunately the IRS got after my boss and I ended up getting laid off. For the past year I've been doing strictly commercial work. To be honest, I'm kind of getting bored with it. I'm given a lot of responsibility for an apprentice which is good, but the actual work itself just isn't as engaging as the more controls and automated work at my last company. I'd say well over 90% of the works done in a day isn't even really electrical related stuff at all. Hanging lights, hanging cable trays, pulling MC...it just doesn't interest me all that much.
The problem is the industrial field is very small in my area. I'm guessing that a lot of huge utility and infrastructure industrial jobs that were around 30 years ago just aren't going to be there anymore. I've looked at pretty much everything in 80 mile radius and no industrial shops are hiring at this time.
So, I'm thinking about maybe changing trades. Industrial plumbing looks very interesting and so does HVAC. I have my education all paid for so schooling won't be an issue. Just wondering if any of you know another trade in addition to electrical, or have advice on which trades are the most challenging.
Not saying this for certain and I will get my electrical license for certain since it makes getting other jobs easier, but at the same time I don't think I can do commercial buildings for the rest of my life. Just want to know what's out there...
Thanks
