# How did you fall into this niche?



## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

Good luck with that. Not sure how your hall handles calls, but. It's usually on a supply/demand basis. Meaning, the signatory demands man power, and the hall supplies it. You don't usually get much choice on who needs what. You either take the call, or don't.


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## JoeCool612 (May 22, 2016)

joebanana said:


> Good luck with that. Not sure how your hall handles calls, but. It's usually on a supply/demand basis. Meaning, the signatory demands man power, and the hall supplies it. You don't usually get much choice on who needs what. You either take the call, or don't.


Not 100% but I've seen calls with the description having preference for a journeyman with PLC or building automation skill set. Are you saying, you usually can't focus on just doing control work throughout your union career?


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

Go as far as you can with all that PLC and similar work. Many old timers are saying they're not going to invest the brain cells requisite to learn it all. That puts you in higher demand.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

I took an interest in controls and energy management early on and read everything I could get my hands on and became THE controls guy in a family business. When I left there I was well versed in the current systems available.

I've found being the controls guy in a company that does more than controls can be very advantageous. If you are one of several guys keep learning and up on new things and out shine the other guys the best you can.

You tend to get the better service calls when controls jobs are a tad slow and you can sometimes make your own schedule and get paid over scale and the opportunities to get paid to go to training classes is easier.

There were times on a small system I'd be the guy with a helper out there doing the conduit runs for a new install and that type thing then there were other times I went out after the conduit was installed and had to pull the wires and terminate and other times just terminate wires that were run for me and program the controllers then start up and commission the system.

As for getting calls from the hall, in my experience a contractor looking for a controls guy puts the call in with a preference for an experienced guy. Then there is also the times where a contractor has knowledge of a specific guy and asks for him directly. This all depends on the local I guess. Not all things are uniform in that aspect.

One final note, it became clear to me that large control companies like Trane or Honeywell will have fewer opportunities to make over scale and get more than the basic contract requirements, keep that in mind. Smaller companies can treat you more like an individual rather than a clock number.


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## esoul (Nov 12, 2021)

I started doing a year of electrical school, full time. As school progressed and we went through the different lessons. I gravitated towards “Motor Controls”, I have never looked back ever since 2014, and I love it!


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## Creatine (Nov 1, 2021)

I fell into it. Started out with maintenance and slowly progressed towards I&C, valves, PLC programming, etc. These days I do PLC programming and wire instrumentation on equipment we make, as well as commissioning the equipment. We sub out running the conduit and I handle the rest.


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