[CW. Electric]

Hey guys, I'm currently in school for my 3rd block and hope to find a new job after school is done. I've started my apprenticeship with the company I am currently with, which is building oil and gas processing skids, now that I am going to be a 4th year apprentice I want different experience in residential and commercial to become more well rounded. What type of work do you think would be my best bang for my buck with experience. Residential? Commercial? Multi family? Etc!

 

[oldtimer]

Hey guys, I'm currently in school for my 3rd block and hope to find a new job after school is done. I've started my apprenticeship with the company I am currently with, which is building oil and gas processing skids, now that I am going to be a 4th year apprentice I want different experience in residential and commercial to become more well rounded. What type of work do you think would be my best bang for my buck with experience. Residential? Commercial? Multi family? Etc!

I M O , you will gain the most experience if you get hired on by a smaller contractor that does a variety of jobs , and service calls .

 

[Error]

Yah small service company is great for learning abit of everything. Expect a pay-cut and less company perks

 

[oldtimer]

Yah small service company is great for learning abit of everything. Expect a pay-cut and less company perks

I guess you are in the trade for the perks , Or , to learn !

 

[Error]

I guess you are in the trade for the perks , Or , to learn !

I took an 18 dollar pay cut and no benefits to learn residential. Forced to give up boats and hoes just saying it was not worth it .

 

[fistofbolts]

I took an 18 dollar pay cut and no benefits to learn residential. Forced to give up boats and hoes just saying it was not worth it .

ouch.

 

[fistofbolts]

Hey guys, I'm currently in school for my 3rd block and hope to find a new job after school is done. I've started my apprenticeship with the company I am currently with, which is building oil and gas processing skids, now that I am going to be a 4th year apprentice I want different experience in residential and commercial to become more well rounded. What type of work do you think would be my best bang for my buck with experience. Residential? Commercial? Multi family? Etc!

I would stick it out there, that could be a huge mistake later on.

 

[Error]

Wait until you are done your AP then move around . You don't want to delay your apprenticeship you are almost done

 

[fistofbolts]

Wait until you are done your AP then move around . You don't want to delay your apprenticeship you are almost done

I wish I had the opportunity the op has. industrial pay and experience? that is a great thing to have under your belt. maybe I am wrong but I consider industrial kind of as being towards the top of the electrical food chain.

 

[brian john]

Yah small service company is great for learning abit of everything. Expect a pay-cut and less company perks

I never saw that in my area.

 

[brian john]

I wish I had the opportunity the op has. industrial pay and experience? that is a great thing to have under your belt. maybe I am wrong but I consider industrial kind of as being towards the top of the electrical food chain.

What type of work have you been doing?

I always think the top of the trade is Controls, fire alarm, PLC's , electrical testing, just my opinion service over construction.

 

[Error]

I wish I had the opportunity the op has. industrial pay and experience? that is a great thing to have under your belt. maybe I am wrong but I consider industrial kind of as being towards the top of the electrical food chain.

Owning your own company or working for the government would be best I would say. Industrial is great if you get on there payroll but that's hard to do. but yah I'm sticking with industrial,genie booms are just to much fun

 

[Error]

I never saw that in my area.

I moved back to my home town in ontario that's probably why

 

[bobelectric]

I always think the top of the trade is Controls, fire alarm, PLC's , electrical testing, just my opinion service over construction.

I agree,but we usually run f/a and control conduits and pull their wire.

 

[fistofbolts]

What type of work have you been doing?

I always think the top of the trade is Controls, fire alarm, PLC's , electrical testing, just my opinion service over construction.

just commercial. in az controls people do not make that much. electrical testing is probaly a good one for the top spot though. I might have to check into that. I really enjoy troubleshooting and am fairly good at it in my electrical youth

 

[CW. Electric]

Thanks for the input boys, the reason I want to get experience in commercial/residential is because I'm hoping to move from Alberta back to Nova Scotia in a few years, where they don't have the type of work I'm doing now, so I should at least have some experience I'm the type of work I will find back home. I don't want to be "that" electrician who only bent pipe limited in knowledge. I hear multifamily would be good because there's residential and commercial work involved

 

[Error]

Thanks for the input boys, the reason I want to get experience in commercial/residential is because I'm hoping to move from Alberta back to Nova Scotia in a few years, where they don't have the type of work I'm doing now, so I should at least have some experience I'm the type of work I will find back home. I don't want to be "that" electrician who only bent pipe limited in knowledge. I hear multifamily would be good because there's residential and commercial work involved

100% Residential guys wish they could bend pipe.
If you went to SAIT 1 year school is all about residential
2nd yr you should been able to draw a proper schematic which would help you to get though 3way, 4ways .
You can bend pipe so you can anchor things to materials and are able to see if things are straight.
Sure there's more to resi and comm but you should be able to figure it out. and in Nova Scotia they probably do **** different then albertans would anyways

 

[Skblay]

My opinion is to stay in industrial work, If you can run industrial work, commercial work will be natural as commercial work is pretty much built into industrial and they pretty much teach you residential in school. If you do one house new constriction and one house rewire then you've done 100. Don't get caught up with the grass always being greener, it's greener where you are and there is more of a window to get into testing and FA in industrial then commercial or residential.

 

[rewire]

My opinion is to stay in industrial work, If you can run industrial work, commercial work will be natural as commercial work is pretty much built into industrial and they pretty much teach you residential in school. If you do one house new constriction and one house rewire then you've done 100. Don't get caught up with the grass always being greener, it's greener where you are and there is more of a window to get into testing and FA in industrial then commercial or residential.

What are you calling industrial?

 

[LanceBass]

The thing about residential is that it's based on speed. You're expected to crank out houses in a day or two - three tops. It might be a bit longer if they have a groto or something in the basement but even still if you're not fast the contractor doesn't make any money. It's more about building than it is about anything even remotely electrical.

I've done commercial jobs as well. WAAAAY more relaxed atmosphere. It takes more skill which is why you can take your time. Residential is more like being on a production line. I'm not a fan of it personally and would rather look at a beautiful run of conduit I installed than look at some romex I stapled to a floor joist. It just looks better.