# A decade in the Army. Time for a new career!



## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

Welcome to ET Eric :thumbsup:

We have a few members from your area, they should be able to help you out.

From what I hear, military training is 1st rate ... you should do well !


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Welcome aboard Eric! Enjoy your ride here. 

Have you checked out the Helmets to Hardhats Program?


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## Switched (Dec 23, 2012)

You are exactly what the trades need.. "I know it will be hard work"....

All of us business owners should really be looking into the "Helmets to Hardhats" program. Does anyone use it? 

What about your personal experience, have you tried the program?


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## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)

Helmets to Hardhats Program


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## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

360max said:


> Helmets to Hardhats Program


Echo

Echo

Echo

Echo


Echo


Echo






Howdy from Oklahoma! Good luck to ya!




.


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## Semi-Ret Electrician (Nov 10, 2011)

Welcome Eric. I know how you're feeling, I got out after 8 years myself.

Your experience as a Combat Medic will give you a tremendous advantage in any company. 

And, with your "can do" attitude you will do just fine.

Industry is well aware of what a Vet brings to the table!

Good Luck


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

360max said:


> Helmets to Hardhats Program


Wow you can agree with me on something! Amazing!


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## lightman (Oct 14, 2015)

Welcome Aboard, and Thanks for your Service! Your work ethics will serve you well in any field that you choose. Have you considered staying in the medical field? Don't get me wrong, the electrical industry has been good to me. But, our wages usually won't compare to the medical field.


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## Eric Dennis (Feb 10, 2017)

Well thank you everyone. I have checked out the Helmets to Hardhats program and found at least one job posting in my area but the VA has a website that shows you which companies work with them and authorize using the GI Bill for a housing allowance to offset losing so much in income while an apprentice. With that said I am sure single guys use helmets to hardhats as it seems like a great way to get recruited but for married guys like me I cant live on 13 an hour.. 

Im being trained to work as an Industrial Electrician. Would you all recommend I try to get into the Industrial side or move on to commercial or residential? 
I want an environment that I can learn the most from.


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## Eric Dennis (Feb 10, 2017)

lightman said:


> Welcome Aboard, and Thanks for your Service! Your work ethics will serve you well in any field that you choose. Have you considered staying in the medical field? Don't get me wrong, the electrical industry has been good to me. But, our wages usually won't compare to the medical field.


Two deployments as a Medic burnt me out. Just not worth seeing that crap anymore


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## Eric Dennis (Feb 10, 2017)

Switched said:


> You are exactly what the trades need.. "I know it will be hard work"....
> 
> All of us business owners should really be looking into the "Helmets to Hardhats" program. Does anyone use it?
> 
> What about your personal experience, have you tried the program?


https://www.helmetstohardhats.org/employers

Seems like a great opportunity as an Employer! The website says their database has over 100,000 Vets.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Eric Dennis said:


> Well thank you everyone. I have checked out the Helmets to Hardhats program and found at least one job posting in my area but the VA has a website that shows you which companies work with them and authorize using the GI Bill for a housing allowance to offset losing so much in income while an apprentice. With that said I am sure single guys use helmets to hardhats as it seems like a great way to get recruited but for married guys like me I cant live on 13 an hour..
> 
> Im being trained to work as an Industrial Electrician. Would you all recommend I try to get into the Industrial side or move on to commercial or residential?
> I want an environment that I can learn the most from.


Residential isn't going to be top of the food chain in the pay check.


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## lightman (Oct 14, 2015)

There could be a lot of opportunities in industrial. Dad retired as an industrial electrician at a large paper mill. The pay was good, the benefits started out good but gradually got reduced but the work was tough. Working on loud greasy machinery, on concrete all day, the same scenery every day. Woulda drove me nuts!


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

Eric Dennis said:


> Im being trained to work as an Industrial Electrician. Would you all recommend I try to get into the Industrial side or move on to commercial or residential?


I hope others chime in but the way I see it, residential is the simplest to learn, the lowest pay, but the easiest to get into if you want to become a contractor. A lot of people lose their shirt in residential contracting but a lot of people navigate the swamp successfully and make a lot of money. You don't have to be a real whiz kid as an electrician in residential but you do have to be a good businessman. 

Commercial is better pay, between residential and industrial for how much to learn, if you want to be a construction electrician in the union, commercial seems like the way to go most places. If you know commercial you can do a lot of what's involved in industrial or residential. But getting into commercial contracting is a bit of a hurdle. 

Industrial is the most to learn, fewer construction jobs, more maintenance jobs. IMO, it's not as hard to get industrial work as a small contractor as you'd think, there is a lot of service work out there with smaller companies that don't have their own in house maintenance, and fewer people are out there that able to do the work. 

Of course every area is different. If there's good government work or etc. in the area you want to settle in, the type of work you want to look for might be the determining factor between commercial and industrial. 

Someone else here said they noticed early on the higher the voltage the higher the pay, that's short and sweet and pretty much accurate.


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