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Author Topic: Matthew's new career  (Read 871 times)

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Re: Matthew's new career
« Reply #5 on: Yesterday at 04:05:03 PM »
I am finishing up a 4-week Pre-Apprentice Electrician course. It is free (for me) and I learned a lot of useful material (book learning as well as hands-on) that will make me much more useful as an Electrician Apprentice.

The program in question is also VERY concerned with getting all their students placed in paying jobs afterwards.

Becoming a Journeyman Electrician is going to be a lot of study and work, but I'm hoping to build a career that is more durable, transferable, and objective as opposed to relying completely on luck, people skills, connections, geographical location, resume wizardry and tactics, etc. And also a career that isn't notoriously ageist. People don't blink, or even think twice when a man with grey hair shows up to do electrical work. You can't say the same for software development.

It takes 4 years (8,000 hours) working as an Electrician Apprentice to qualify to take the Journeyman test. There is also a lot of book knowledge, which can be gained in various ways.
Generally, you get a raise every 6 months (1000 hours) as you become more skilled, knowledgeable, and generally useful.

I have been hired by a local Electrical contractor, and my first day is the Monday after my "graduation" from this 4-week program.

Here's the thing: 100% of Electrical Apprentices need to have their own tools. It's not just nice to have, common, or anything like that. No, it's literally 100%. Apprentices are expected to provide their own tools.

So I have added a bunch of the recommended Electrician tools to my Amazon wishlist, in case anyone on CathInfo would like to support me in that way.

I'm a bit nervous about the huge pay cut, but other than that I'm optimistic and look forward to building up and getting out of the career hole I'm currently in. I look forward to being employed again.  For the last 25 months, I was only employed for 4 of them.


I haven't taken a single selfie or picture of my training (showing me doing electrician stuff), but A) I intend to remedy this sometime this week, and B) the organization has been taking pictures, and maybe I can get some of those after they post them.
My class is the first one for my specific area.
So... pictures forthcoming!
Wishing you well in your new career. Electricians will always be in demand.

Re: Matthew's new career
« Reply #6 on: Yesterday at 04:31:23 PM »
Sounds like a very good choice, Matthew!  Electricians are always in demand, and not cheap.
Prayers for you and the family. God Bless you.
:pray:

You're telling me I had to have an electrician come out the other day to diagnose the loss of power in one room.  Rusted-out GFI box on the side of the house.  Total damage: $425! (That was not only for replacing the box, but troubleshooting, my son had already done the latter using a voltmeter.)

It's nothing I could do myself, and it had to be done.  I told my son that this is a line of work he should consider.  He'd definitely make the money, it doesn't rely upon people skills, office politics, or connections (no pun intended), and it presents no moral dilemmas (unless you're called upon to work at an abortion clinic or something). 

As to the people skills, one of the plumbers I've had come out a couple of times has a very flat personality, no chit-chat, "just show me where the problem is", and you couldn't ask for a better plumber.  His work is absolutely perfect and not all that expensive.


Offline Ladislaus

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Re: Matthew's new career
« Reply #7 on: Yesterday at 04:45:38 PM »
That's what my younger son is doing.  He had been accepted into University, but then changed his mind, took the JACT test and went through the interview.

Electrician has to be one of the safest jobs out there (outside the medical field).  While they can bring illegal labor in for a lot of other works, nobody's going to let someone touch anything electrical without the appropriate certification and testing.

I have to say that I'm surprised that they take older men.

Offline AnthonyPadua

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Re: Matthew's new career
« Reply #8 on: Yesterday at 06:56:55 PM »
Congratulations. I hope find go well for you.

Offline MaterDominici

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Re: Matthew's new career
« Reply #9 on: Yesterday at 11:46:12 PM »
JATC
That's union right? Matthew isn't interested in anything union. Why did he decide to go that route?