# 1 Year Residential Apprentice Then Industrial?



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

It completely depends on your local. Every local is different as far as the rules, and also as far as what openings they have available at that time. 

FWIW, I learned resi by doing sidework while I was doing commercial and some industrial work fulltime as an IBEW apprentice. You really don't need to learn how to wire a house, that is like learning how to be a trash collector. Labors who know how to do 6 tasks and speak little English wire houses. Residential service and installation work is what you need to learn, and you can do so if you do sidework for other guys you meet on the jobs.


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## jarrydee (Aug 24, 2019)

I would like to join the union doing commercial. But I would feel like a dumbass because I have only had to bend 90s and offsets, and I know they do all pipe work.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

jarrydee said:


> I would like to join the union doing commercial. But I would feel like a dumbass because I have only had to bend 90s and offsets, and I know they do all pipe work.


There is far more than pipe bending in commercial work. You might work for years without ever touching a piece of pipe.


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## jarrydee (Aug 24, 2019)

HackWork said:


> There is far more than pipe bending in commercial work. You might work for years without ever touching a piece of pipe.


I know it is a dumb reason not to join. I just passed my Jman test in MI. and thought about union just for the benefits. We don't have insurance right now, my wife has MS, and needs her meds, but we can not afford them


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

jarrydee said:


> I know it is a dumb reason not to join. I just passed my Jman test in MI. and thought about union just for the benefits. We don't have insurance right now, my wife has MS, and needs her meds, but we can not afford them


If you can get in, go for it.

Many times a "new" non-union journeyman would be brought into the IBEW as a higher level apprentice, which means it would be ok that you don't know much about bending pipe, but you would still most likely make good money and full bennies.


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