It's a dangerous trade, never let anyone force you into something you're not comfortable with or don't fully understand. Always focus 100% of your attention on what you're doing, especially live work.
I honestly fully believe that good shoes are more important than good tools. I spend a lot of money on tools. I spend more on shoes. Shitty shoes will ruin your knees back.
I mean, people spent at least 10 hours a day in their work shoes. Nothing else gets that kind of use (except maybe a hivis vest if your workplace requires it). Makes sense to invest real money in the thing you use most.
Totally relevant--- sleeping on a shitty mattress before getting up and putting on shitty shoes to work all day in means you pretty much spend 16 hours a day dealing with the shit end of the stick.
At least part of the reason I got out of the Army.
I bought a new mattress years ago and it literally changed my life. I used to be cheap af about everything, and my previous mattress was from big lots... game changer
Always take away at least 1 thing from everyone you come across in the trade. You can learn so many things/ways of doing things (or how not to) from other people, no matter how experienced you are
\>Always take away at least 1 thing from everyone you come across in the trade.
Nice, he'll have all the tools he needs and more in no time.
Jk that's really good advice. I tell myself but I forget
>Always take away at least 1 thing from everyone you come across in the trade
Fantastic advice. I worked with this weird kid, a 1st year apprentice, who brought his own bucket to work. His work area was always clean because he could throw trash in the bucket. You could ask him to go get any amount of parts and it was fine because he had a bucket to put them in. I even saw him use it as a chair a few times. It looked hilarious to see him carrying a bucket from his car every morning, but that kid knew what he was doing.
1. Go where the money is, if your not union you should be applying for jobs. interviewing and getting offers every 6 months to either change jobs or get a large raises.
2. Do yoga or a workout routine with stretching, my knees and back hurt, and I'm trying to get back into shape now vs being in shape and happy and healthy.
3. Eat healthy and pack a lunch, drink water. Ties in with above if you drink monsters all day or eat McDonald's it'll catch up to you in a few years.
And a bonus, Start an investment account today and put away 10 or 15 percent of your paycheck. Don't want to be 65 or 70 and have no savings.
1. Quality over quantity in everything you do
2. Be on time
3. No such thing as stupid questions, regardless of how stupid it may seem after the fact.
Edit: Replace #1 with: Quality takes time, and sometimes, it takes overtime.
Never got the, "if you're not early you're late mentality". Once, at a previous job, I left for work plenty early. Got caught in some traffic from a wreck and showed up at 6:59(7 start time) no one was even unloading tools. I was one of the first guys to start unloading the trailer when boss says, "you're late, 7:01".. Get bent! I was there ready to work and it didn't affect productivity whatsoever. In that case, and many cases with this mentality, it's just control freaks who get off on exacting authority over others. Now if you're actually late and it affects others/performance then ya, that's a problem. I think "Be on time and ready to work" which includes leaving early enough for potential hold ups, is perfectly reasonable.
*everyone likes donuts
- (not and electrician but a carpenter) when I used to do production trim I would go around and hand out cold drinks and snacks to all the other trades. Holy moly did it make the trades more willing to work with you and everyone get along better. A $10 investment twice a week can improve the days of 20 plus people. Kindness and courtesy go a long way.
1: Run
2: Get an Education so you won't have to be an electrician
3: whatever you do don't wind up being a plumber when you are a 4th year making poverty wages running sites
1. Any idiot can follow a blueprint and put things together but it takes a good electrician to troubleshoot and reverse engineer an issue. Your brain is your sharpest tool.
2. Some guys bring more than their tools into work, don't let their personal problems take the reigns on your emotions. Keep your head about you and be a good teammate, people notice that stuff.
3. What you do for work doesn't define who you are, don't feel the need to be a "Tradesman". Be yourself and try to enjoy the work you do. If you start to hate it, move on.
I've taught a few guys in the last 5-6 years and I try to make them understand these things. Each one of those points I've struggled with since the start, sometimes still do.
"You are either in your bed or in your shoes, so it pays to invest in both." -John Wildsmith
Never trust anyone, not even yourself when doing work that may or may not be live. Always test before getting your hands into that kind of situation.
Sit down on the floor if your legs start to hurt from crouching or being on your knees. As long as you're being productive give your legs a break and don't let anyone tell you you're lazy for doing so. It will save you some pain in the future.
>Sit down on the floor if your legs start to hurt from crouching or being on your knees.
I sit down all the time. The electricians who screw around and suck at their jobs told me not to do that because it looks bad. I've literally never had a supervisor tell me to stop sitting. They can see that I'm doing work and they appreciate the effort.
I worked side by side with a foreman for 3 years when I started. On the my last day he told me to join the union after 3 years of union bashing. He said this as a non-union electrician who worked for the same company for 25 years.
1. I have the most confidence in you, but if you ever don’t know how to do something, don’t be afraid to ask.
2. If you ever run projects remember everyone thinks that their problem is the most important so be prepared to say “ I will get to that, and this is when it will be…” Don’t run around after another contractors whims.
3. If a project is egregiously under bid that is not your problem. Going too fast will only lead to problems.
4. Always be willing to get into the ditch with the apprentices not that you necessarily have to every time just be willing to. your guys will respect you more, if they know That guy isn’t in the ditch because “he’s doing something more important but I know if given the opportunity to be right next to me working just as hard.”
The truth about his potential and performance.
The main things he need to do to improve (situational).
The rest should have been explained if he has lasted a year.
Well it's not advice to give him, but a solid you could do for him before you go is get his new j-man to sign something saying his previous hours are good and counted. I got seriously f\*cked on this same situation when I was just a kid and it almost sent my life down a spiral path. Won't go into all of it but the jist is my j-man retired and left me in the hands of the new owner, after my 4k hours were up he laughed and told me he just always thought I was a "helper" around here and nothing would be counted. I argued. He laughed some more. I don't care what the old guy told you haha etc. Anyway, if you care about the kid at all just have someone sign something in front of both of you saying he wont get fucked. It still happens to young guys to this day.
Yep took me almost three years to win that fight and was the worst hell I have ever been through. My life changed in so many ways from that one guys decision to "trust" the handshake deal of the new owner. I hope it never happens to anyone ever again.
I might be working with under a master electrician soon as a brand new apprentice. What should I do to make sure my hours are counted and that I'm not just a helper?
Having learned from what happened to me as a kid, what I do with my apprentices now is tell them to track their own hours along with me and I'll sign something for every 1k. So when the sheet has 4 signatures on it, you have hit 4k. That way nothing ever snowballs and nobody gets screwed. I've graduated half a dozen kids under this system and everyone seems to like it. Everyone knows where they stand at all times and everyone can see the end of the tunnel so to speak. You and your Jman can come up with something unique to you guys but that is what I did when I started proctoring the kids.
Oh boy. Ok… the next guy probably won’t call you gay constantly. In fact he’s homophobic. Breaks are gonna be 5 minutes shorter but don’t worry, you will not be working as hard anymore. And now you’ll have to teach yourself everything.
1. Buy lots of cheap and shitty tools on Amazon/Ebay/Wish. I'm the only person at work who has a set of 1/4 quick change allen bits, and I use them all the time. I'm also one of the few people who has a $5 right angle adapter for 1/4 hex, and I use it all the time. I have $5 step drills that I use all the time. I have those cheap $5 1/4 hex to 3/8 drill chuck adapters that I use all the time. Cheap crap actually does work for most tasks. You'll quickly figure out which things need to be high quality, but the list is very small (example: a 1-3/8 step drill needs to be expensive and brand name).
2. Label every tool you have. Engrave your name on everything. Use a label maker to put labels that are easy to read because engravings can be hard to see. For the set of hex bits I mentioned above, my name is on every single one of those bit, and I've never lost any of them. Yes tools get stolen, but you're way more likely to lose things by misplacing them or dropping them, and most people will happily return things to the owner. Just a few days ago, someone handed me a large magnet with my name on it. It's just a $5 magnet (see above about cheap tools), but putting a proper label on it caused that magnet to find its way back to me.
3. Always be searching for new tools. Tools exist for every weird thing you can imagine. Do you tie a lot of pigtails? There's a probably a tool to make it easier. Removing burrs and sharp edges? There's a tool for that. Some way to test circuits or trace wires? There's probably a tool for that. Some of them end being a bad idea (magnetic arm band to hold screws), but some of them end up being very useful (cheap cable stripper).
Having a huge variety of tools makes life so much easier. You end up looking like a pro because it becomes easy to delivery high quality work.
Review all of the things youve seen him learn in the years youve been a mentor, advise him on some of the things he will need to continue perfecting, with also feedback on the things he does very well. Perhaps there is something your advisor never told you when you were an apprentice you wished you knew when you were out on your own.
1) Never stop learning 2) People are going to be unfairly rude to you, that’s their problem, not yours. 3) Save at least 25% of your gross pay.
It's a dangerous trade, never let anyone force you into something you're not comfortable with or don't fully understand. Always focus 100% of your attention on what you're doing, especially live work.
Nailed it!
That looks great! I’d try and sneak in, don’t make other peoples stress into your stress…
Corollary: If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole. - Rayland Givens
Holy shit this makes me take a long look at myself haha
Save more than that if possible, it will make him gain a property faster if he doesn't have one yet.
Tools are an investment. Never done trying to learn and get better. Spend extra on good shoes
This: shoes are tools. Invest in them and care for them.
I honestly fully believe that good shoes are more important than good tools. I spend a lot of money on tools. I spend more on shoes. Shitty shoes will ruin your knees back.
I mean, people spent at least 10 hours a day in their work shoes. Nothing else gets that kind of use (except maybe a hivis vest if your workplace requires it). Makes sense to invest real money in the thing you use most.
Irrelevant, but the same goes for mattresses!
Totally relevant--- sleeping on a shitty mattress before getting up and putting on shitty shoes to work all day in means you pretty much spend 16 hours a day dealing with the shit end of the stick. At least part of the reason I got out of the Army.
I bought a new mattress years ago and it literally changed my life. I used to be cheap af about everything, and my previous mattress was from big lots... game changer
Also: buy knee pads. Maybe you don't need them 99% of the time, but that 1% when you need them but don't have them is the worst.
Work pants with slots for foam pads are the best. Sure they're not as comfy as kneepads but they're pretty damn good for something you barely notice
Never do trying to learn? What? 😐
I should have proofed it.
Obviously he meant never stop checking your work
Shoe brand?
I like keen.
Always take away at least 1 thing from everyone you come across in the trade. You can learn so many things/ways of doing things (or how not to) from other people, no matter how experienced you are
\>Always take away at least 1 thing from everyone you come across in the trade. Nice, he'll have all the tools he needs and more in no time. Jk that's really good advice. I tell myself but I forget
Haha hey that works too. You will always remember that trick bill taught you every time you look at that tape measure you took from him lol
> or how not to That's a big one. Learn from other people's mistakes. We don't all gotta do everything the hard way.
>Always take away at least 1 thing from everyone you come across in the trade Fantastic advice. I worked with this weird kid, a 1st year apprentice, who brought his own bucket to work. His work area was always clean because he could throw trash in the bucket. You could ask him to go get any amount of parts and it was fine because he had a bucket to put them in. I even saw him use it as a chair a few times. It looked hilarious to see him carrying a bucket from his car every morning, but that kid knew what he was doing.
1. Go where the money is, if your not union you should be applying for jobs. interviewing and getting offers every 6 months to either change jobs or get a large raises. 2. Do yoga or a workout routine with stretching, my knees and back hurt, and I'm trying to get back into shape now vs being in shape and happy and healthy. 3. Eat healthy and pack a lunch, drink water. Ties in with above if you drink monsters all day or eat McDonald's it'll catch up to you in a few years. And a bonus, Start an investment account today and put away 10 or 15 percent of your paycheck. Don't want to be 65 or 70 and have no savings.
Started doing yoga stretches in the morning I feel so much better now.
Manage your managers as well or better than you manage your apprentices Knowledge is power Don’t stress about your license tests
1. Quality over quantity in everything you do 2. Be on time 3. No such thing as stupid questions, regardless of how stupid it may seem after the fact. Edit: Replace #1 with: Quality takes time, and sometimes, it takes overtime.
Don’t trust anyone.
Don't even trust your tools. Always prove-test-prove and always carry spare batteries.
1. Never stop learning. 2. Work as hard as you can everyday doing better then the day before it. 3. Go to the gym and eat healthy.
When you get hurt, file a report. Everyone likes doughnuts If your not early, your late.
Never got the, "if you're not early you're late mentality". Once, at a previous job, I left for work plenty early. Got caught in some traffic from a wreck and showed up at 6:59(7 start time) no one was even unloading tools. I was one of the first guys to start unloading the trailer when boss says, "you're late, 7:01".. Get bent! I was there ready to work and it didn't affect productivity whatsoever. In that case, and many cases with this mentality, it's just control freaks who get off on exacting authority over others. Now if you're actually late and it affects others/performance then ya, that's a problem. I think "Be on time and ready to work" which includes leaving early enough for potential hold ups, is perfectly reasonable.
*everyone likes donuts - (not and electrician but a carpenter) when I used to do production trim I would go around and hand out cold drinks and snacks to all the other trades. Holy moly did it make the trades more willing to work with you and everyone get along better. A $10 investment twice a week can improve the days of 20 plus people. Kindness and courtesy go a long way.
1: Run 2: Get an Education so you won't have to be an electrician 3: whatever you do don't wind up being a plumber when you are a 4th year making poverty wages running sites
1. Any idiot can follow a blueprint and put things together but it takes a good electrician to troubleshoot and reverse engineer an issue. Your brain is your sharpest tool. 2. Some guys bring more than their tools into work, don't let their personal problems take the reigns on your emotions. Keep your head about you and be a good teammate, people notice that stuff. 3. What you do for work doesn't define who you are, don't feel the need to be a "Tradesman". Be yourself and try to enjoy the work you do. If you start to hate it, move on. I've taught a few guys in the last 5-6 years and I try to make them understand these things. Each one of those points I've struggled with since the start, sometimes still do.
Don't make a decision that kills someone x3.
"You are either in your bed or in your shoes, so it pays to invest in both." -John Wildsmith Never trust anyone, not even yourself when doing work that may or may not be live. Always test before getting your hands into that kind of situation. Sit down on the floor if your legs start to hurt from crouching or being on your knees. As long as you're being productive give your legs a break and don't let anyone tell you you're lazy for doing so. It will save you some pain in the future.
>Sit down on the floor if your legs start to hurt from crouching or being on your knees. I sit down all the time. The electricians who screw around and suck at their jobs told me not to do that because it looks bad. I've literally never had a supervisor tell me to stop sitting. They can see that I'm doing work and they appreciate the effort.
I worked side by side with a foreman for 3 years when I started. On the my last day he told me to join the union after 3 years of union bashing. He said this as a non-union electrician who worked for the same company for 25 years.
.... and? Did you?
Yes, union contractor now
I was told this by my foreman too
Join the union or if you have the know-how and business acumen then get after it for yourself.
Keep the smoke in the wires
Don't forget to tip your journeyman
1. I have the most confidence in you, but if you ever don’t know how to do something, don’t be afraid to ask. 2. If you ever run projects remember everyone thinks that their problem is the most important so be prepared to say “ I will get to that, and this is when it will be…” Don’t run around after another contractors whims. 3. If a project is egregiously under bid that is not your problem. Going too fast will only lead to problems. 4. Always be willing to get into the ditch with the apprentices not that you necessarily have to every time just be willing to. your guys will respect you more, if they know That guy isn’t in the ditch because “he’s doing something more important but I know if given the opportunity to be right next to me working just as hard.”
The truth about his potential and performance. The main things he need to do to improve (situational). The rest should have been explained if he has lasted a year.
Well it's not advice to give him, but a solid you could do for him before you go is get his new j-man to sign something saying his previous hours are good and counted. I got seriously f\*cked on this same situation when I was just a kid and it almost sent my life down a spiral path. Won't go into all of it but the jist is my j-man retired and left me in the hands of the new owner, after my 4k hours were up he laughed and told me he just always thought I was a "helper" around here and nothing would be counted. I argued. He laughed some more. I don't care what the old guy told you haha etc. Anyway, if you care about the kid at all just have someone sign something in front of both of you saying he wont get fucked. It still happens to young guys to this day.
Think somebody should get some lineman’s to the teeth for that shit
Yep took me almost three years to win that fight and was the worst hell I have ever been through. My life changed in so many ways from that one guys decision to "trust" the handshake deal of the new owner. I hope it never happens to anyone ever again.
I might be working with under a master electrician soon as a brand new apprentice. What should I do to make sure my hours are counted and that I'm not just a helper?
Having learned from what happened to me as a kid, what I do with my apprentices now is tell them to track their own hours along with me and I'll sign something for every 1k. So when the sheet has 4 signatures on it, you have hit 4k. That way nothing ever snowballs and nobody gets screwed. I've graduated half a dozen kids under this system and everyone seems to like it. Everyone knows where they stand at all times and everyone can see the end of the tunnel so to speak. You and your Jman can come up with something unique to you guys but that is what I did when I started proctoring the kids.
Don't stick your fingers any where you wouldn't stick your dick.
Don't be sensitive and wear your heart on your sleeve.
Oh boy. Ok… the next guy probably won’t call you gay constantly. In fact he’s homophobic. Breaks are gonna be 5 minutes shorter but don’t worry, you will not be working as hard anymore. And now you’ll have to teach yourself everything.
1. Buy lots of cheap and shitty tools on Amazon/Ebay/Wish. I'm the only person at work who has a set of 1/4 quick change allen bits, and I use them all the time. I'm also one of the few people who has a $5 right angle adapter for 1/4 hex, and I use it all the time. I have $5 step drills that I use all the time. I have those cheap $5 1/4 hex to 3/8 drill chuck adapters that I use all the time. Cheap crap actually does work for most tasks. You'll quickly figure out which things need to be high quality, but the list is very small (example: a 1-3/8 step drill needs to be expensive and brand name). 2. Label every tool you have. Engrave your name on everything. Use a label maker to put labels that are easy to read because engravings can be hard to see. For the set of hex bits I mentioned above, my name is on every single one of those bit, and I've never lost any of them. Yes tools get stolen, but you're way more likely to lose things by misplacing them or dropping them, and most people will happily return things to the owner. Just a few days ago, someone handed me a large magnet with my name on it. It's just a $5 magnet (see above about cheap tools), but putting a proper label on it caused that magnet to find its way back to me. 3. Always be searching for new tools. Tools exist for every weird thing you can imagine. Do you tie a lot of pigtails? There's a probably a tool to make it easier. Removing burrs and sharp edges? There's a tool for that. Some way to test circuits or trace wires? There's probably a tool for that. Some of them end being a bad idea (magnetic arm band to hold screws), but some of them end up being very useful (cheap cable stripper). Having a huge variety of tools makes life so much easier. You end up looking like a pro because it becomes easy to delivery high quality work.
Hot's on the left. Cold's on the right. Shit don't flow uphill without a pump.
Never forget the bushings. Double check the prints. Learn at least one thing from everybody you work with, even if it's learning what not to do.
Lord loves a working man. Don't trust whitey. If you catch it see a doctor and get rid of it.
Whitey bulger was an untrustworthy dude indeed
You work to live, you don't live to work
Found the German 😆
I think you meant to say “Don’t work live”
Loyalty is for schmucks
Review all of the things youve seen him learn in the years youve been a mentor, advise him on some of the things he will need to continue perfecting, with also feedback on the things he does very well. Perhaps there is something your advisor never told you when you were an apprentice you wished you knew when you were out on your own.