# First Electrician Job?



## wy2ak (Apr 28, 2011)

One of my first was a huge man camp being built for the oilfield. Working 12-14 hours a day 7 days a week for 5 months to get it done on time. Once the job was complete and the ink was signed they asked us for a bid to tear it all down. Thus begun my oilfield electrical career. As far as I know the only people to ever stay in that man camp was the guys building it.


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## Chrisibew440 (Sep 13, 2013)

I was a shop guy, running material, cleaning off sites, loading sites, running pay checks, getting into accidents in the company rig,speeding down the freeway, riding people's asses, you know? All for $8 an hour. Winning!!!!!!!!


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Pulling TW wire that was packed in square cardboard boxes that you cut a circle out of in the box center and the wire spooled out from the center of the coil . That was in highrise condo's along the shore at Fort Myers Beach where I grew up. TW is why we have to ream conduit. It's a holdover code from those days. The smallest burr and you could strip it bare the whole pull...


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

I can recall asking a lot of questions.....


~CS~


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

I dropped out of college and stumbled into this by accident. My father tried teaching me how to build things and use tools when I was a kid but I had zero interest. The only reason I got into the trade was because it paid more money and I could learn something without going back to college. I didn't want to be a starving student, I wanted to buy a fast car, drink beer and get ####ed. Can't do that without money.

My father was amazed that I became a tradesman.


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

I started in high school wiring houses for an old timer, the romex was black sheath back then but they changed it to white just a few years later.


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

chicken steve said:


> I can recall asking a lot of questions.....
> 
> 
> ~CS~


How does this shovel work?:blink:


:laughing:


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## AK_sparky (Aug 13, 2013)

I was fairly lucky. I grew up in my dad's electrical business. I was pulling wire in crawlspaces he was to big to fit in when I was about 6 yrs old. He got a contract a few years later building/refurbing a water pollution control plant, so at 12 yrs old I was running pipe and pulling wire in service tunnels smelling poo! Left a pretty big impression at that age!

My first job as an actual, legal apprentice was a lot more boring, and included a lot more coffee runs.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

arminkeller said:


> I was fairly lucky. I grew up in my dad's electrical business. I was pulling wire in crawlspaces he was to big to fit in when I was about 6 yrs old. He got a contract a few years later building/refurbing a water pollution control plant, so at 12 yrs old I was running pipe and pulling wire in service tunnels smelling poo! Left a pretty big impression at that age!
> 
> My first job as an actual, legal apprentice was a lot more boring, and included a lot more coffee runs.



This one I WILL get fired upon with 24 guns, but I think your dad , while doing you a favor, was actually just doing himself a big favor and exploiting his children. Mikey no likey.


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## AK_sparky (Aug 13, 2013)

macmikeman said:


> This one I WILL get fired upon with 24 guns, but I think your dad , while doing you a favor, was actually just doing himself a big favor and exploiting his children. Mikey no likey.


The crawlspace....ya did himself a huge favor for sure!

The other stuff, I think by the time you factor in how long he took to explain to me what I was doing, time he took to check I did it properly, and the few hours I actually worked, I don't think he really benefitted himself. I never felt exploited.


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

macmikeman said:


> This one I WILL get fired upon with 24 guns, but I think your dad , while doing you a favor, was actually just doing himself a big favor and exploiting his children. Mikey no likey.


That's how family business are run and if anything his son is probably a better man for this experience, in lieu of sitting home playing video games or doing bong hits or just jacking with his friends.

When you ask my kids about some of the "FUN" times they had when younger it would include going to work with dad.


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## blueheels2 (Apr 22, 2009)

Worked for a small residential company in Tarboro NC. Spent pretty much the entire year wiring flood houses from Hurricane Floyd.


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