# Apprenticeship or certificate program?



## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Welcome aboard @Jarelleanthony!

You will never look back and regret getting into a Union.

The same can't be said of being 20 years in and losing your job in a non-union environment.


----------



## Jarelleanthony (Oct 13, 2017)

MechanicalDVR said:


> Welcome aboard @Jarelleanthony!
> 
> You will never look back and regret getting into a Union.
> 
> The same can't be said of being 20 years in and losing your job in a non-union environment.


Do you mean I will regret joining the union? If so why is that?


----------



## DoctaPeppa (Oct 13, 2017)

If the reputation of a union company or joining a union is similar to my field (which is most likely) it's because they're usualy seen as lazy, "dog****ing" people that aren't actually enthusiastic or competitive about their trade. I see unions as a great way to build a solid secure career with great benefits, but personally I'm in it to learn, master and compete to the fullest so not for me.


----------



## BrettC (Apr 10, 2016)

Jarelleanthony said:


> Do you mean I will regret joining the union? If so why is that?


He means you will not regret joining the union but there are others who would disagree with that. Which local are you considering? Try to connect with someone who's already in if you haven't already. Best thing would be to talk to someone who is fairly new and then also someone who has been there for a while.


----------



## Easy (Oct 18, 2017)

Union vs Non-Union? I have worked in both settings. As an old guy I am not really up on how the apprenticeships differ. I'm sure unions are much more structured in their training methods. I really don't know. Hopefully someone will comment on that. The main differences to me are not so much the training but rather the paths they lead you on. I have worked with people in the union that were very good at what they did but were not as well rounded over all. Just my experience. Construction Unions tend to work on larger projects and everyone has specific assignments. If you belong to a maintenance local you might be in one plant throughout your entire career. One day you might be changing light bulbs and the next day you would be working on a laser or CNC machine. Believe it or not the plant I worked at had 41 electricians maintaining the infrastructure and machinery. Lots of proprietary equipment not seen in other settings. In that type of environment you can learn a lot. If you did not apply yourself you would probably be given the same task day in and day out. On the other hand if you applied yourself you would get all the challenging work. Same applies to non-union. I feel that a union environment is better in terms of safety and job security. Seniority has it's privileges. Even if you were a productive worker and more knowledgeable but had less seniority you would be the one to be let go. "It's in the Union contract." My reasoning for remaining in the Union was strictly wages and benefits. If I had to do it over again I may have stayed non-union and eventually opened my own shop. It all depends on your drive really. It probably worked out best for me because I am a terrible business man. It's more likely that the company you work for is more important thing. Union or non-union. Good Luck to you. And consider this. If you have a job in hand it might be best to stay there just to show you have experience when looking for your next job. To me the best teacher "for actually preforming the work" is on the job. If your in construction you would be installing all kinds of equipment and as time goes on you become very proficient. School probably wont help you as much. But if you wanted to specialize in something like A/V security or automation, school would be extremely valuable.


----------

