# Need some advice



## tomcatjohnson (Aug 7, 2017)

I applied for apprenticeship last April it was a long process. Took exam in June interview was in September. Just this last week I was accepted into the program. Now my problem. In the mean time I have received a promotion at my current job with some perks. I will be making 60k per year plus bonuses. I applied as an inside wireman at the Kansas City IBEW. I guess my real question is will I have an opportunity to work in different areas of the electrical field are there opportunity to move up, and what are the pros/cons. I am very much excited about a change BUT am wondering if it is totally worth leaving my current situation. Thanks for any advice in advance


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

You have a hard choice to make.

What is the work history of that IBEW local? How does the Jman rate compare to your current $60K job? Benefits?

Remember, that job is most likely not for life, but the IBEW is. You could get fired next month from the job. If you get fired from a contractor while in the IBEW, you go out to work for another one.

But $60K isn't pretty good compared to 1st year apprentice rate. You have a lot of thinking to do.


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## tomcatjohnson (Aug 7, 2017)

Plan on calling tomorrow and asking questions about the benefits etc. I am looking forward to it I am just “comfortable” in my current situation. But I’m almost positive that I have nowhere else to go within the company. Been here for 13 years family ran company. We are all close that’s what’s hard I think. Don’t mind a pay cut if it pays off in the end though.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

In local 124 the wage is over $38/hr which means you don't even have to work a full year to make $60K. You also have a pension and annuity. Training is important, there are many different avenues you can take.


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

Cannot speak for Kansas City , But I was a wireman 
for IBEW local out of Mentor Ohio and to be frank 
the *Wireman* rate is way lower than the J-man 
rate and there was no OT available either.

Wireman is residential and is NOT an apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship program is for commercial and 
leads to J man.

Note: All this info is about 19 -20 years ago.

I know the wireman rate *was *

$16.00 per hour
-$4.00 an hr Health & welfare
-$1.50 an hr holidays & vacation.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

In my old local you'd be at @twice that as a journeyman without a lot of OT.


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

another factor I would strongly suggest.

are you content or happy with what your doing
at the family run business?

Is this strictly a financial decision?

IMO , happiness equals lower stress equals better
health equals better Life/

I am certain I could make more money if I
went back to work for an EC , but I don't
care for politics in the workplace and other
baggage that can be a drag


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

MechanicalDVR said:


> In my old local you'd be at @twice that as a journeyman without a lot of OT.


Mac in your local , is there a seperate category for residential?

Here it is (or maybe was - it's been a while) called "Wireman"


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

lighterup said:


> Mac in your local , is there a seperate category for residential?
> 
> Here it is (or maybe was - it's been a while) called "Wireman"


Being honest, I'm not sure as I never paid attention but I'm sure there is.

Nit that there really is much residential work inside NYC.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

In my local the residential section was called B. But then they changed it to CW/CE.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

HackWork said:


> In my local the residential section was called B. But then they changed it to CW/CE.


Yeah I have seen that in literature they send out and never paid any attention.


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

HackWork said:


> In my local the residential section was called B. But then they changed it to CW/CE.


Op first said he was accepted in as an apprenticeship 
but later said he was going in as a Wireman. If this
holds true in Kansas local (which it may not) OP can
expect to make less than 60k a year for several years.

Again , he should ask his hall this. If he's going in as
a wireman to get into the apprenticeship , maybe it's
a package deal..Pays 60k ayear to start...in the mid west
economy...sounds like a good deal to me....actually it
sounds great.

In my experience , here it was the recommendation of 
the Union that you come in first as a Wireman and 
then once you start , immediately go up to your hall
and apply for the apprenticeship.

They were clearly two different animals.

Guys would stay a Wireman , working strictly residential,
indefinitely if they didn't get their butts up to the hall &
fill out paperwork for the apprenticeship.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

It definitely needs to be sure. But I think in general the A program members are called journeyman wireman.


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

I wouldn't say it's in the realm of impossibility
that there has been changes over the years , 
especially to compensate for a new need for more
apprentices and apprenticeship programs.


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## gnuuser (Jan 13, 2013)

lighterup said:


> another factor I would strongly suggest.
> 
> are you content or happy with what your doing
> at the family run business?
> ...


I can certainly echo that statement 
i retired from a stable but stressful job and as a result i have had 2 heart attacks (prior to retiring) due to the stress alone


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

gnuuser said:


> I can certainly echo that statement
> i retired from a stable but stressful job and as a result i have had 2 heart attacks (prior to retiring) due to the stress alone


Oh same here.

I was in a government job that paid decently with good bennies

The high volume of backstabbing , bull&*it , 
daily games, (their was way too many people 
with way too much time on their hands) and
I figured I'm way too young (at that time) to
be getting that pissed off accompanying a desire
to get violent...so I found something else to do.

To this day I have zero regrets for leaving that job.


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## tomcatjohnson (Aug 7, 2017)

Thanks for the help! To address some of the questions you all asked. Money is not the motivating factor but of course is important. I’m really wanting to learn new things and have the ability to advance in an industry that I know I will enjoy. I love a challenge and hard work comes natural for me. 

I am wondering about benefits, how the scale breaks down by the years. Is there steady work going through the apprenticeship etc. This is honestly the first time in a long time I’ve had options in my career life! So I just want to have knowledge anything I possibly can! Thanks again!


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

In 1988 , after i was finished w/ military obligation
I got into an apprenticeship with carpenters local.

It did not work out for me due to mainly not enough
work...very unstable...if it rained , stay in the trailer
until foreman makes the call to either go back up
onto the building or go home. 

There was too much "go home" . It paid $6.50 an
hour and no bennies for first year. I couldn't continue
like that so I moved on.

Keep in mind , I don't think construction market was
very strong here back then


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## kg7879 (Feb 3, 2014)

Happiness is the biggest metric but unfortunately you do not know if going IBEW will make you happier or not. If your decision is based entirely on money then you will eventually become unfulfilled. 

Personally, I think construction is too volatile and if I had a mulligan I would have chose a different career path entirely but there are people whose DNA is just made for this stuff and you can't fight that.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

HackWork said:


> It definitely needs to be sure. But I think in general the A program members are called journeyman wireman.


'A' inside wireman


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

lighterup said:


> Oh same here.
> 
> I was in a government job that paid decently with good bennies
> 
> ...


At least you didn't go 'postal'.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

lighterup said:


> In 1988 , after i was finished w/ military obligation
> I got into an apprenticeship with carpenters local.
> 
> It did not work out for me due to mainly not enough
> ...


After the military I went to work for a large government contractor.

Was in an office in an underground facility and transferred to the field service department ASAP to keep my sanity.


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

MechanicalDVR said:


> At least you didn't go 'postal'.


:vs_laugh::vs_laugh:It was the U.S. Postal service!:vs_laugh:


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

I just looked at my dues receipt, which is the official membership card that we are supposed to have on us at all times. 

My "Member Type" is "A" and my "Trade Classification" is "Journeyman Wireman".


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

At the risk of changing the subject..I was working at the
Cleveland General Mail Facility....reverse racism at its
most obvious was in full swing and probably still is.

They used to put up Louis Farakan s**t plastered all
over my work station ( in a flash too) go to lunch
or the bathroom come back and walla...thereit is.

I was brought into the Tour Administrators office
on charges for being a "white supremacist" ...

All black folks in the room vs me (about 8 people)

when the tour admin fella asked them why they
thought I was a white supremacist they resaponded
"look at his hair cut" ...I had a high & tight ...reason was
a) i was a recent Army full time and was used to it
b) after (1) year out of Army I joined Ohio National Guard
as a weekend warrier cause I missed the camaraderie 
as well as could use the extra money monthly

Yes I was active duty in the Guard and they thought I was
a Nazi!:vs_laugh:

This isn't even the half of it either.

Yep , no wonder there's an occasional "incident" in these 
places.

Actually , there was a shooting there when I worked there
Post office drama over a chick


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

lighterup said:


> :vs_laugh::vs_laugh:It was the U.S. Postal service!:vs_laugh:


I know!


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

MechanicalDVR said:


> 'A' inside wireman


We use the term J/W's.


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## catsparky1 (Sep 24, 2013)

!3 years ago almost to this day I was doing PW work as a non tool wearing foreman . Really good money . This guy that I work for now made me an offer . I had to take a pay cut but as the shop grew and if a ran it right I would end up making more than I was over time . 

Things were going real good shop growing , Jobs getting bigger and bigger and I was getting a percentage of profit . Then the economy tanked . What I was working for just all slipped away . I struggled for years and almost got to the point of giving up . 

Today shop is booming . I have freedom I did not have doing PW work . 
the choice I made to leave my cushy PW job and run this dudes show was hard but it worked out . PW work had lots of politics and game playing . I was stuck on multi million dollar jobs for years at a time . Stress and headaches was not worth it .

You never know what the future hold in it's cards for you . Being happy at work is the most important thing for me . 

As for you you have to make a choice and what you choose I hope works for you in the long run . Money is not all it's cracked up to be .


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## gnuuser (Jan 13, 2013)

MechanicalDVR said:


> At least you didn't go 'postal'.


funny you should mention that!
when i first got back to work after the heart attack my niece was having an issue with workplace bullying and when i messaged her on face book about the long term affects the one question i asked was
would you bullies like it if one of your co workers went postal?

some narking little f***tard ran straight to the plant manager with it.
and the result was a big mess and i was forced to see a counselor and get cleared to return to work
lost 3 months work wages! ( i think they were hoping the shrink would declare me unstable so they could fire me and screw me out of retirement pension)

and they wonder why some people get a bit disgruntled 
I also hate workplace politics! once you get those s***birds in positions you might as well close the place up


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## tomcatjohnson (Aug 7, 2017)

I still find myself so much on the fence. I currently have so much freedom in what I do and where I am. As an inside wireman what are the day to day work days like. In what I do now I am all over the city meeting new customers solving problems and troubleshooting. Is there any of that with inside wireman, or is there an opportunity for that in this field. I currently flag hours so I rarely have to work 8 to get paid 8. Any advice is awesome I appreciate the help in advance.


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