[IndyJester]

Today was my first day as an electricians apprentice. I was incredibly nervous as I drove up to the jobsite, but learned within the first 5 minutes I had nothing to fear. It was awesome.

I can't say enough good things about the group of guys I was working with today. My journeyman seems like an excellent human being, and is excellent at teaching. He's patient, kind, and actually treated me with respect. (not what I expected, that's for sure) The other two apprentices were also stand up guys. They were very welcoming and kept giving me advice while asking if I had questions. Lunch was fun; we talked about our prior backgrounds, football, and hot women in yoga pants.

I feel like I learned a lot on my first day. I learned how to bend and ream EMT, and did some 90º bends and even some 5" offsets! (I'm sure that's lame for everyone else, but I loved it) I learned about the different kinds of MC. I learned about sliding brackets, P rings, 4" squares, and pig tails. I assembled and installed a few. I cut out drywall. Learned the difference between low and high voltage electricians. I learned what Home Run boxes are, and got the general idea of how circuits work.

I got a chance to put my new Knipex and Klein tools to work, and they are both flawless. The Knipex Cobras are the best "Channel Locks" I've ever used. My KEEN (Mt. Vernon) boots kept my feet dry, warm, and comfortable, and my Carhartt Sandstone Sierra, Sherpa lined jacket held up to the 20º weather.

My tool belt (required), was a bit heavy and I'm sure the leather will take a while to break in, but I had a spot for most of my tools by the end of the day.

So far, I love it. Love the work, the people are great, and the job is actually INTERESTING. I love learning how all this **** works!

That being said, I'm sure there'll be some really hard days coming up when I'll be doing nothing but digging trenches and pulling MC all day. :thumbsup: Bring it on.


Thank you to everyone on here who helped me prepare for day 1, with advice from what to expect to what tools to buy! I felt prepared going in, and that's why I joined this forum. :thumbup:


Judging by today, I'm gonna love this trade. I feel like I just started an epic adventure.

 

[JohnDeere]

It's good to read about positive first experiences, congrats. For so many of us it was a different tale haha. Work hard, learn from your peers, and be safe.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[wendon]

Congrats on surviving your first day. Here's wishing you many more, and wishing that Harry was here to tell you the same.

 

[CADPoint]

Congrats, Sounds exciting and fun!

Just a reminder, some times it's a "Show Me" situation on a installation,
and never just, "we've (I've) done it this way before.

Never be afraid to ask questions. You might review any install with others before you go off with your chores. After time your be highlighting the keys points of a install where known variables pronounce them self.

I still ask plenty of questions daily, I ask all about situations and all about what materials, and what requires there are from the specifications if any in additions to our Code.

Good Luck, Ode to young...

& Welcome

 

[degupita]

I'm kind of out of that loop. I don't like football, and I don't even know what hot women in yoga pants mean.
Maybe Richard Simmons?

 

[John Valdes]

Today was my first day as an electricians apprentice. I was incredibly nervous as I drove up to the jobsite, but learned within the first 5 minutes I had nothing to fear. It was awesome.

I can't say enough good things about the group of guys I was working with today. My journeyman seems like an excellent human being, and is excellent at teaching. He's patient, kind, and actually treated me with respect. (not what I expected, that's for sure) The other two apprentices were also stand up guys. They were very welcoming and kept giving me advice while asking if I had questions. Lunch was fun; we talked about our prior backgrounds, football, and hot women in yoga pants.

I feel like I learned a lot on my first day. I learned how to bend and ream EMT, and did some 90º bends and even some 5" offsets! (I'm sure that's lame for everyone else, but I loved it) I learned about the different kinds of MC. I learned about sliding brackets, P rings, 4" squares, and pig tails. I assembled and installed a few. I cut out drywall. Learned the difference between low and high voltage electricians. I learned what Home Run boxes are, and got the general idea of how circuits work.

I got a chance to put my new Knipex and Klein tools to work, and they are both flawless. The Knipex Cobras are the best "Channel Locks" I've ever used. My KEEN (Mt. Vernon) boots kept my feet dry, warm, and comfortable, and my Carhartt Sandstone Sierra, Sherpa lined jacket held up to the 20º weather.

My tool belt (required), was a bit heavy and I'm sure the leather will take a while to break in, but I had a spot for most of my tools by the end of the day.

So far, I love it. Love the work, the people are great, and the job is actually INTERESTING. I love learning how all this **** works!

That being said, I'm sure there'll be some really hard days coming up when I'll be doing nothing but digging trenches and pulling MC all day. :thumbsup: Bring it on.


Thank you to everyone on here who helped me prepare for day 1, with advice from what to expect to what tools to buy! I felt prepared going in, and that's why I joined this forum. :thumbup:


Judging by today, I'm gonna love this trade. I feel like I just started an epic adventure.

You should have had one of the guys snap a picture of you in all your new gear. I know i would have liked to see it.
Plus you could keep it as a "keep sake" to look back on as your career progresses.

Apprentices are not all created equal and your experience is very similar to my first day, except the equipment was different.
You will come across some guys (there are a few here) that take the apprentice for granted and basically treat them different. Comments like "meet my broom" and **** like that. Ignore them.
These are the idiots and not a sample of the whole picture. There are fewer assholes than most people think.

Good luck! :thumbsup: