# Advice Please



## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

RubyTuesday said:


> I am currently a 1st Year Union apprentice. I also held on to another job I had before I nabbed the apprenticeship doing maintenance work at a manufacturing plant. I enjoy both jobs, particularly maintenance because it's spontaneous, you never know what's next and I get to develop mechanical skills as well. The only con from that job is that there is nobody to learn very much from when it comes to motors and controls. Everything is fixed based on trial and error and most problems are just bandaged until something worse happens. I enjoy working in this sector and I want to get an associates in electrical engineering so that I can have a better understanding on how the machines at work function. Then again, I don't know if I could hold two jobs, the union apprenticeship, and try to get a degree. I understand that the union apprenticeship also provides a good foundation to get started but it takes 5 years to complete and I feel like it would be wrong to use them for the apprenticeship if I don't see myself working for them afterwards. Besides, most of their work is commercial. I've just been really stressed about this because class at my community college starts this 15th of January. I don't know what to make my next move.


TRy to keep both for now if possible so you can take that class, But the union apprenticeship will give you a well rounded education on how all this stuff works, so you should make that your first priority, Because, that manufacturing plant job could be gone at anytime and you will have a lot more trouble finding work if that happens, but if you have the 5 years apprenticeship under your belt you will be worth much more.


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## RubyTuesday (Oct 19, 2014)

I understand the union apprenticeship is a good start. Maybe I am just getting ahead of myself. It's just that one day I would like to work on plc's and drives. We won't cover motors and controls until 4th year. I'd be 28 when the apprenticeship is over and I don't know if that would be too old to try to dive into that subject area. I could try to take one class per semester at the community college during the apprenticeship. I will hold on to my other job just for the sake of having experience working in a plant.


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

RubyTuesday said:


> I understand the union apprenticeship is a good start. Maybe I am just getting ahead of myself. It's just that one day I would like to work on plc's and drives. We won't cover motors and controls until 4th year. I'd be 28 when the apprenticeship is over and I don't know if that would be too old to try to dive into that subject area. I could try to take one class per semester at the community college during the apprenticeship. I will hold on to my other job just for the sake of having experience working in a plant.


I'm 55 and still learning, If in 5 years you complete the apprenticeship you will be 28--WOW!!! that's OLD:laughing:

You sound like you have a good goal, however to get there you must do the work it takes to be the best electrician, it take a lot of time to become a seasoned Journeyman Electrician.

You have put yourself on a mission to get to the point of being a motors and controls man, you must learn more about the trade than just that.

So as you move along study the motors and controls part of the trade and get as far ahead as you can.

Remember you must do the time just like the rest of us did, there is no free ride.:thumbsup:


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## RubyTuesday (Oct 19, 2014)

Black Dog said:


> I'm 55 and still learning, If in 5 years you complete the apprenticeship you will be 28--WOW!!! that's OLD:laughing:


Buahuahua, Just like when I have talked to someone for advice and I told him I wasn't getting any younger and he just bursted out laughing. :laughing:



Black Dog said:


> You have put yourself on a mission to get to the point of being a motors and controls man, you must learn more about the trade than just that.


*Woman

I'll hold on to both then. I do feel like I am more useful around the plant since I have joined the apprenticeship. 

Well off to work...Au revoir!


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

28? gee, you could break a hip using a foot bender......~CS~:laughing:


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

If you like plant maintenance, I'd stick to that, and take your own apprenticeship classes. Nothing like hands on diving in and learning.


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## GuessLogical (Jan 17, 2015)

This is a great thread!! I am laughing sitting here. All you guys including you RubyTuesday are great. I like your salad bar by the way, it keeps my cholesterol down and makes my doc happy.

Seriously, you need to get that paper. Dont even ask me what I think you will learn while getting it, you will not learn as much at college as you will learn with the old guy wearing carhartts and griping about his old lady.

You are not going to get the knowledge you desire in the 4th year, educational institutions are made up of a few idiots with a few gems, they are about a decade behind technology so you are not going to get the latest innovation.

Stick with maintenance for a time but get that paper! You need it. But dont think for one second that you are going to learn the trade in a college, they do not know the trade!

I am anti union up to a point! The best union and most important union is IBEW, these guys are great and they have made our country great. They are folks in this group that can steer you in the right direction, they will help you, but I warn you, they are a tough lot.

They aint easy to deal with, they work hard, play hard, and if you want to be a member of their club, well you gotta do your due.

I am not a member of them but I admire them greatly.



GL


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## RubyTuesday (Oct 19, 2014)

Hehe thank you. 
From what I saw it looks like smooth sailing when you get a degree. I may be wrong, but there was a boy that was interning at my plant while he was finishing up his associates degree. He just got hired at another plant and he will be making close to the journeyman pay starting out. But it's not just about the money, I really enjoy working doing maintenance work. It's the only reason why I still kept my other job, I don't really need the money. I talked to the apprenticeship director and she told me that she is planning on speaking with the community colleges to see if the courses we take in school can be counted as credits towards a degree. I was thinking I could finish up my apprenticeship and go to school afterwards. We did a few projects at the plant installing equipment and looking back I understand that it's useful to know how the process works from start to finish, from tapping into the troughs to landing to the equipment. I feel like that would make me a more useful person to have around. If I finished my apprenticeship and then got a degree not only would I be able to troubleshoot (hopefully) I could be used when additions around the plant are to be made. I hope this is a good plan. The only thing that may worry me a little is if union workers have a negative rep for being lazy among plants in my area, the union doesn't work with plants in my local. I'm in the south, it's mostly commercial.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

RubyTuesday said:


> Hehe thank you.
> From what I saw it looks like smooth sailing when you get a degree. I may be wrong, but there was a boy that was interning at my plant while he was finishing up his associates degree. He just got hired at another plant and he will be making close to the journeyman pay starting out. But it's not just about the money, I really enjoy working doing maintenance work. It's the only reason why I still kept my other job, I don't really need the money. I talked to the apprenticeship director and she told me that she is planning on speaking with the community colleges to see if the courses we take in school can be counted as credits towards a degree. I was thinking I could finish up my apprenticeship and go to school afterwards. We did a few projects at the plant installing equipment and looking back I understand that it's useful to know how the process works from start to finish, from tapping into the troughs to landing to the equipment. I feel like that would make me a more useful person to have around. If I finished my apprenticeship and then got a degree not only would I be able to troubleshoot (hopefully) I could be used when additions around the plant are to be made. I hope this is a good plan. The only thing that may worry me a little is if union workers have a negative rep for being lazy among plants in my area, the union doesn't work with plants in my local. I'm in the south, it's mostly commercial.


I have only met one guy on this forum thats from the south that worked out of a local in Charlotte NC. William was his name.

If you want to work union, I doubt you are going to find much in the way of programs and or work down here.
They absolutely despise unions here.

I got an assignment for you. Ask someone why they don't like unions down here in the south.
I promise you will get an answer that leaves you scratching your head.
They have been programmed to hate unions. Its a way of life in the south.
Just like mill hills (factory owned houses for employees) and boss men.


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## RubyTuesday (Oct 19, 2014)

John Valdes said:


> I got an assignment for you. Ask someone why they don't like unions down here in the south.
> I promise you will get an answer that leaves you scratching your head.
> They have been programmed to hate unions. Its a way of life in the south.
> Just like mill hills (factory owned houses for employees) and boss men.


I already know what you are talking about! Everybody at the plant dreaded the idea of me leaving for the union. They were always trying to talk me out of it. I wasn't listening to them though, because I couldn't learn much about the trade there without any schooling and it seemed as if the union apprenticeship program was a good start.


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## DIRT27 (Aug 25, 2010)

You really have to make your own decision. We all end up taking a different path. You are young and if the union is strong and will keep you busy it might be a good way to build a good foundation. You will really learn a lot moving from project to project and seeing new things on every installation. 

I have worked union and non union and a few other electrical related jobs. I do industrial maintenance for a large company now and I really enjoy it. I plan on retiring from this company and I probably have another 25-30 years. With that being said I am glad I didn't get this job 10 years ago because everything else I have learned and seen has given me a good foundation and helped me in my current position.

I am keeping my State certification up to date even though my employer doesn't require me to have it. I always have that to fall back on along with other skills if the facility I work at shuts down for some reason.

You need to look at the long term as far as pay benefits and marketability. 

Don't overload yourself by taking on to much. I am don't know your situation but 2 jobs and 2 schools (college/ apprenticeship school) sounds like you may get burned out. Figure out what you want to do and be the best at it.


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