# exiting the training program



## cattywampus (Apr 7, 2014)

I was accepted into my local and started working in April. I bought $300 or so in tools and I have been working 40+ hours every week. The paychecks are good, but there are a lot of things I don't like about this job and I think I would be much happier working elsewhere. Maybe I just need an attitude adjustment, but a career change would be terrific. I am 32 and have been applying to jobs non-stop, at least a dozen a week, for the past five years. despite having a bachelors in Journalism and a short career in writing and editing, the only jobs I have gotten are at bicycle shops where the crappy pay and hours are unsustainable, and this electrical gig, which makes me want to throw myself out of an 11th floor window of the sweat-box building I am working in.

(I can go into more detail about the things I don't like about this work, but that will result in a lot of melodramatic garbage that you probably don't want to read.)

here's the rub: I might be running out of time. I start the training program this September and tuition fees of $600 are due by August 1. have two options:

1. keep looking for job and risk wasting money on tuition and feeling like a quitter.

2. keep doing a job I hate and hope that I somehow grow to love it or end up with a divorce and a beer belly as a consolation prize.

so I ask you-
if you love your job, did you always love it?
if you hated it at first, what changed, about the job or your attitude, that allowed you to love it?
if I cannot reconcile myself with electrical work and manage to find a job in a more suitable career, but I have already started school, I understand that I will become "indentured" at some point. I have searched, but no one has defined exactly that that means, other than I have to attend class and work. that's fine, but if I find my Dream Job three months after starting school, what do I loose? I would expect to loose my tuition, that's fine, but do I owe the training program anything else?

also, I looked up "indentured electrician" and this image popped up right away:









so it can't be THAT bad.


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## Loose Neutral (Jun 3, 2009)

I would quit and make room for someone that wants the job.


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## cattywampus (Apr 7, 2014)

there is already plenty of room. I will not be missed. of the 12 applicants who were interviewed when I was, all 12 had work the next day. I showed up sober and able to speak in complete sentences and I had the job. the problem where I live is a lack of people willing to do the work, so my leaving will not help or hurt anyone but me.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Why are YOU paying for training if you are a member of your local?


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## cattywampus (Apr 7, 2014)

I think the $600 is for books. The first year books cost less than some of the other years but they average it out to $600 per year.


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

If your responsibilities are minimal (no kids) then keep searching for a job you will enjoy, IMO it is important to like what you are doing. 


I hear the homeless are looking for a few good men.:laughing:


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## kg7879 (Feb 3, 2014)

I liked being an electrician at first but it all went down from there. It will only be harder to get out once you are making JW scale because you will probably have to make less to start in a new direction. 

So my advice is to look for a job you like and has the potential and make the switch.


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

Our apprentices sign a contract when they accept the position. The contract says that after they complete the 4 year program and they will stay on as a journeyman with the company for at least another 2 years after obtaining their license. If they fail to hold up their end of the bargain, the contract states they will have to pay back the company for all of the their schooling expenses. However, this is _very_ clear when they sign the agreement.

What kind of work are you doing? Is it not what you thought it would be? Is it really the the work you hate, or is it actually someone you work with? Don't let one person change your mind. 

I always enjoyed the work, and there are many different niches with different types of work for electricians, and the job can also lead to other opportunities such as management or engineering. 

Do you have a family you are responsible for taking care of, or is it just you? If it's just you, do whatever makes you happy; if you are supporting a family then take care of business first and make darn sure you have another good solid opportunity lined up before giving this up.


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## Mshow1323 (Jun 9, 2012)

I would have no problem dealing with a job that I hate. There's always another one. I've hated working for a few of my past companies. It's rare for apprentices to love the job they're doing, they mostly get the garbage. Plus they rarely get a choice in what they're doing.

However, I would have a huge problem if I hated were the career was leading. If that was the case, I wouldn't hesitate to find another path. Finding the right calling in life is no easy task, but I wouldn't under any circumstances settle for one which made me unhappy.

One of my favorite things in life is watching somebody that's truly in their element. Be it a carpenter, a salesman, or even a bus driver, it's really awesome watching somebody rock it out. Far too many people are miserable. Far too many people settle on the wrong career, knowing full well, they weren't ready to make a choice in the first place.


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## EBFD6 (Aug 17, 2008)

kg7879 said:


> I liked being an electrician at first but it all went down from there. It will only be harder to get out once you are making JW scale because you will probably have to make less to start in a new direction.
> 
> So my advice is to look for a job you like and has the potential and make the switch.


This. 



I too liked this job when I first started. Now, 15 years later, I absolutely hate it but I have too many life responsibilities and make too much money to quit and start over doing something else. If you don't like the job now, it won't get any better. Get out while you can before you become trapped also.


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

EBFD6 said:


> This.
> 
> 
> 
> I too liked this job when I first started. Now, 15 years later, I absolutely hate it but I have too many life responsibilities and make too much money to quit and start over doing something else. If you don't like the job now, it won't get any better. Get out while you can before you become trapped also.


44 years and I still love it.


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## SkinsNation (Oct 23, 2013)

There is nothing like working a career that you actually enjoy in my opinion. If i were you id look into getting out asap. Then again according to your post it seems like there are no jobs in your area, so take that into consideration. I took a job at the utility almost a year ago and love it. Just got a letter of acceptance into an apprenticeship i applied at prior to starting my current job but i ain't going anywhere! Sounds like you need to balance how much you enjoy a job and how capable that job is for supporting you family.


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## cabletie (Feb 12, 2011)

Personally I can't see myself doing anything else that I would like more. There has been a time or two I would have liked to quit. But that would have been the job not the career. 

From what I have read I don't think you have a love of the trade and should move on.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

It sucks being on a high rise. At least for me it was.
I look back on that experience an very valuable. One for having done it, second I knew that the construction side of our trade was not for me. Some guys love it.

There are almost an unlimited number of facets in our trade. Some are very physical but most are not. I suggest you ride it out a bit longer, get your yellow ticket and some experience under your belt.
Stay out of debt and don't make a house full of babies so that you can remain flexible.
You can always apply your degree into a BS when you get out. Some of your training time can be converted into hours in some schools.
If you have a trade, you will always have a bit of a cash cow in an emergency.


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## cattywampus (Apr 7, 2014)

to address some of your questions: I have been trying to nail down exactly what I dislike so much so that I can change it, or label it unchangeable.

I think what bugs me the most is the constant change. I have worked four places in three months. only one of those jobs was relatively close to home. the rest have been 30-90 minute commutes. I prefer stability. it sounds like it only gets worse later in my career. I have spoken with a lot of more experienced Journeymen who say they travel all around the state, country, or even the world for work. two of the guys on my last job spend a cumulative 4 years in the Middle East in recent years just to find work. that would be NOT good for my marriage! ideally, I would like to be able to ride my bicycle to the same job every day, and that won't happen on a 70-mile commute with a 40-pound tool box.

also, it is HOT where I live most of the year. call me a wimp, but I can handle sweating and this is absurd. spending 10 hours a day in a tall building with no windows, no fans, and no AC is brutal. I can wring my jeans out at the end of the day and leave a big puddle of sweat on the ground. then they give you warm water to drink. am I renovating a building or building a pyramid for Pharaoh? this makes me want to drink a beer and go straight to bed at the end of the day.

I think the thing is that this job is eating my whole life. I want to work to live, not the other way around. maybe the work will have to be less intense once school starts, but this summer has flown by in a blur of work, work, and more work. I am making decent money that way, but it feels like work takes 99% of my energy.

as for exit options, I bought a new car a few months ago, and a new house. my wife makes decent money, but not enough to support us both. if I spontaneously quit, we would probably lose the house in a few months. not worth it. i would rather be unhappy with my job than lose everything else.

thanks for the input. I find that about half of the Journeymen I meet love their jobs and the other half hate them. I don't want to end up like the latter.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Face it, you're not cut out for this. Sit down with your lady, maybe contact the bank and make arrangements for temporary payment relief, then hit the bricks and find something else.


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## SkinsNation (Oct 23, 2013)

Damn dude, that sucks. Did you buy your car and house when you got word that you got the job?! It'll be tough getting a job with the degree that you have from what i hear. The only "good" advice i can give you right now is to have a serious convo with your wife and let her know that this wasn't your year but things will get better. Since you have a little electrical experience your best bet might be to look for electrical work that is nothing like you described in your previous post and take it from there. Where do you live? P.S. I've been known to give horrible advice


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## cattywampus (Apr 7, 2014)

My wife hayes her job more than i hate mine, so i will stick it out as long as i have to. Hopefully my attitude will change or i will fond a way out. My main concern is what will happen if i quit after being "sworn in" and indentured. That sounds like serious business.

We bought the car and the house before i got this job, knowing that we could scrape by with my old job and hoping that I could do better. I am doing better. And i like parts of my job, i just think i could do better.


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

Is it the job, or just work in general you two dislike?


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## thekid (Jun 2, 2014)

cattywampus said:


> My wife hayes her job more than i hate mine, so i will stick it out as long as i have to. Hopefully my attitude will change or i will fond a way out. My main concern is what will happen if i quit after being "sworn in" and indentured. That sounds like serious business.
> 
> We bought the car and the house before i got this job, knowing that we could scrape by with my old job and hoping that I could do better. I am doing better. And i like parts of my job, i just think i could do better.


Well usually after they swear you in you have a probationary period of 1,000 hours where they can nix you from the program for any reason (mostly its for guys not cut out for the job I guess). I knew a guy in my class who quit after our first year and nothing happened to him.


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## icdubois (Nov 16, 2013)

cattywampus said:


> to address some of your questions: I have been trying to nail down exactly what I dislike so much so that I can change it, or label it unchangeable.
> 
> I think what bugs me the most is the constant change. I have worked four places in three months. only one of those jobs was relatively close to home. *some people like doing something different every day. You are always learning new things hand new people. *the rest have been 30-90 minute commutes. I prefer stability. it sounds like it only gets worse later in my career. I have spoken with a lot of more experienced Journeymen who say they travel all around the state, country, or even the world for work. *are these guys traveling because they want to or are the contractor they work send them there. I'm pretty sure that if you we're to go over seas you would make hella bank and could take a few months even years off.*two of the guys on my last job spend a cumulative 4 years in the Middle East in recent years just to find work. that would be NOT good for my marriage! ideally, I would like to be able to ride my bicycle to the same job every day, and that won't happen on a 70-mile commute with a 40-pound tool box.
> 
> ...


I know it's not the same field but I was that way in the oil field at first and the working conditions were tons worse that being an electrician. I got used to the crap parts of the job and eventually endd up loving the job. I ended up getting laid off otherwise I'd prob still be there. 

Also to your being very tired at the end of the day, you will get over that. For some people it takes longer than others but you will get used to it. You will also find little ways to relax at work that will help you be less tired and keep your sanity. Hope this helps.


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

icdubois said:


> I know it's not the same field but I was that way in the oil field at first and the working conditions were tons worse that being an electrician. I got used to the crap parts of the job and eventually endd up loving the job. I ended up getting laid off otherwise I'd prob still be there.
> 
> Also to your being very tired at the end of the day, you will get over that. For some people it takes longer than others but you will get used to it. You will also find little ways to relax at work that will help you be less tired and keep your sanity. Hope this helps.


They are hiring oil workers in PA, so I am told


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## BSK3720 (Mar 29, 2014)

20 years in business for myself. Doing resi and commercial service work for local folks. Not all electrical work is a sweat shop. This field has a huge range of opportunity. I have always liked the work, but I haven't liked every job. 

A lot of my customers are doctors, lawyers, etc. I find that they are not as happy with their work as you might think. In fact, they seem envious of my situation.


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

cattywampus said:


> I was accepted into my local and started working in April. I bought $300 or so in tools and I have been working 40+ hours every week. The paychecks are good, but there are a lot of things I don't like about this job and I think I would be much happier working elsewhere. .....
> .



sell the house, get rid of the nice car and get an old gremlin, and find a job at an online newspaper making 5 bucks an hour and work your way up. that way you will be happy. It sounds like the construction trades are not your cup of tea, and you will never be happy working in them and doing physical labor for a living.


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## cattywampus (Apr 7, 2014)

If I have to choose between making decent money at a job that does not fulfill all of my hopes and dreams, an quitting so that I have to sell my new house and live in poverty so I can be "happy," I think I will choose the former. I am not an idiot- I would not quit my job for such a flimsy reason when so much is at stake. most people work jobs they don't like and work harder for less money. I think of all the places I have been in the world where people work much harder than I do and still live in poverty, then it does not feel so bad. most of us have parents and grandparents who worked in factories and agriculture with deplorable conditions and did it to survive. I can accept that part of it.

my question is not whether I should quit or not, it's "under what conditions would it be worthwhile to quit?" how long do I have that I can get out and stay ahead, and when is it "too late" such that I am better off sticking with it.

another consideration: most of the jobs I am considering in communications, journalism, etc seem to be pretty expendable in a fragile economy. I don't want to sound too paranoid, but world news this past week has got me wondering if some sort of major conflagration is coming, and what that will mean for my income if I am a "communications manager" for a e-commerce start-up, versus being an apprentice electrician. asking pragmatically- what is more likely to result in being laid off from work and without an income at all?


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## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)

cattywampus said:


> I was accepted into my local and started working in April. I bought $300 or so in tools and I have been working 40+ hours every week. The paychecks are good, but there are a lot of things I don't like about this job and I think I would be much happier working elsewhere. Maybe I just need an attitude adjustment, but a career change would be terrific. I am 32 and have been applying to jobs non-stop, at least a dozen a week, for the past five years. despite having a bachelors in Journalism and a short career in writing and editing, the only jobs I have gotten are at bicycle shops where the crappy pay and hours are unsustainable, and this electrical gig, which makes me want to throw myself out of an 11th floor window of the sweat-box building I am working in.
> 
> (I can go into more detail about the things I don't like about this work, but that will result in a lot of melodramatic garbage that you probably don't want to read.)
> 
> ...


*3. *keep the job you have (because it pays the bills), start to look for a job you feel satisfies your career desires, than make the switch.


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## cattywampus (Apr 7, 2014)

That goes without saying. I am not dumb enough to quit a job without a plan B to fall back on. What kind if moron quits a job without something else lined up?


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## kg7879 (Feb 3, 2014)

I originally went to tech school for auto body collision repair. I got a job as a painters helper and I loved the job, the trade and the people I worked with. I only made $7 an hour but I would work 12 hour days and it seemed I only had been at work a couple hours. 

I got out of it because every week I always had someone telling me that it wasn't a career. I listened to these naysayers because I respected them and they seemed to have their crap together.

Fast forward and now I am a JW and do not care for this trade. 

If the job you would love to have has the potential then you have to find a way to do it.


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

cattywampus said:


> another consideration: most of the jobs I am considering in communications, journalism, etc seem to be pretty expendable in a fragile economy. I don't want to sound too paranoid, but world news this past week has got me wondering if some sort of major conflagration is coming, and what that will mean for my income if I am a "communications manager" for a e-commerce start-up, versus being an apprentice electrician. asking pragmatically- what is more likely to result in being laid off from work and without an income at all?


If you know what interests you, begin researching the salary, required education, and job outlook. 

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/


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## Pghwireman (Jul 26, 2014)

Cattywampus,

It is not easy being a brand new 1st year apprentice in our industry. I would bet your idea of being an electrician and what actually happens on the job is at opposite ends of the spectrum.
I started my apprenticeship when the steel industry was king in Pittsburgh. My very first job assignment was working at a coal mine that US Steel was building to provide raw materials to the mills in the area. The job was 60 miles from home mostly driving on 2 lane roads as the Interstate Highway system was mostly under construction in the mid 70's. I was 18 yrs old, fresh out of high school. I graduated 25th in my class but didn't want to go to college.
I didn't know what I got myself into! My starting wage was $3.10/hr. The first few weeks on the job was a bit nerve wracking with innuendo's of being a greener than snot apprentice whose place in life was lower than whale sh*t on the ocean floor. Looking back I would not trade that experience for anything. Throughout my electrical life I have got to see things other people never have nor will they. I have made a good living over the years, put 2 kids through college, have a modest house and enjoy the many friendships I have made with my brothers over the years.

As for you situation I offer the following advice.
You are in a trade or profession where you have to make your own conditions. Working in a high rise building in the middle of summer is no fun but nether is working next to an operational boiler at a coal fired power plant in mid July! We can work in deplorable environmental conditions, adverse weather conditions and excessive heights. Learn to live with it. Be smarter than the animal (job) you are dealing with...learn to make ur own conditions.
You complained of excessive heat. Gold Bond powder is man's 2nd best friend. :thumbup:

You complained of warm drinking water...talk with your steward. If you get no satisfaction, fill up a bag of ice cubes in a 1 gallon zip lock bag and throw in a wash cloth. You will be surprised how refreshing just wiping off ur face at break & lunch with a cool towel feels, Freeze a bottle or 2 of drinking water.....as it thaws you will have ur own cold water.

I think if you give the trade a chance you will come to appreciate learning to become a skilled tradesman. Yes it is tough now but at the end of the journey you will have a trade that you can take anywhere in the country for a job. You will be paid to learn not pay to learn meaning you will not have $100K in college loans to pay back.

There are so many facets of the industry you can master...take it all in but most importantly LEARN!! The dumbest question is the one you don't ask. Learn in school, learn from the journeymen you are working with. Nobody is perfect, you can also learn how not to do something, how not to act. Like it or not you will see people at their best and their worst.

This is your first job in the electrical industry. Give it a chance. Yes it is a different time today from when I started my time in 1974 but the end result will still be the same. I am proud to say I am a Union Electrician. I hope in 5 years you can say the same.
Put your Big Boy underwear on! Take it as it comes. You won't be stuck on the 11th floor of a high rise all of your electrical life!! This too will pass.....just sayin.
Good luck.:thumbsup:


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

I wanted to work with electricity since I was six years old- and have been doing it all my life. I can't immagine doing anything else.

But it hasn't been easy- at times I went throught the same things you're going through. Half way around the world, riding subs for 70 days without even a ray of sunshine. At first my pay was $70/month.

But some of my buddys were getting shot at- lots worse.

My brother became a very succesful journalist, but worked many years for very low wages.

Do what you love- if you can aford it, nobody said life was fair.


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## danhasenauer (Jun 10, 2009)

I love this Trade. It has many more sides to it than you are seeing right now. There are many niche areas in our biz to learn about and explore. It is the BEST of all the Skilled Trades. Our Planet runs on Electricity, one of the very few recession-proof occupations out there. Do what's best for you and yours.


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## Phatstax (Feb 16, 2014)

Um.... I would not say the electrical trade is recession proof from what I've seen the past 5 years.


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

Phatstax said:


> Um.... I would not say the electrical trade is recession proof from what I've seen the past 5 years.


Construction is not recession proof, but there's many more opportunities for electrical work than just construction.


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## nwsparky76 (Jul 29, 2014)

cattywampus said:


> I was accepted into my local and started working in April. I bought $300 or so in tools and I have been working 40+ hours every week. The paychecks are good, but there are a lot of things I don't like about this job and I think I would be much happier working elsewhere. Maybe I just need an attitude adjustment, but a career change would be terrific. I am 32 and have been applying to jobs non-stop, at least a dozen a week, for the past five years. despite having a bachelors in Journalism and a short career in writing and editing, the only jobs I have gotten are at bicycle shops where the crappy pay and hours are unsustainable, and this electrical gig, which makes me want to throw myself out of an 11th floor window of the sweat-box building I am working in.
> 
> (I can go into more detail about the things I don't like about this work, but that will result in a lot of melodramatic garbage that you probably don't want to read.)
> 
> ...


I joined the apprenticeship back in '07 and when I did there was more than enough work. Then by my 3rd year it was impossible to get work (LU 401). I came from soldering circuit boards all day under a microscope and hated it. When I got in I was a dumb 20 yr. Old kid and didn't know what to expect. I kind of hated it at first mostly because I always got picked for digging and hauling material but I refused to quit. Eventually I got used to it and began to enjoy the work I was doing (when I got to do real electrical work). It seemed like it would never end but once you get to 3rd or 4th yr pay, you realize it's not that bad in general and you don't get messed with as much either by the JW's. There is PLENTY of hard work in our trade but it builds appreciation for the easy money when you get it. 
However, if you're not really intrigued by the scope of work I would "get out now while you still can". There will be a lot of time on unemployment, that's just the nature of the trade. How often you will be out of work, well depend on your particular experience. I knew some people while I was going through that had solid work the whole time, sometimes it's just luck. It can be more rewarding. 

If you don't want to be torn down in 10-15 years because it's very physically demanding work, don't get to far into it. Coming from Journalism you may be in the wrong place but you may ALSO find unexpectedly that you really enjoy working with your tools and really like the comradery of the union brothers after you put your bones in. 

Just know this, the end game is all that matters. Learning a trade can be a difficult time but once taught, it can provide a comfortable living. Once you get a taste of that is hard to go back. What really does it for me, is working a commercial building and seeing the finished product, knowing when it was just open ground full of 1000's of ft of PVC. Looking at a conduit rack after two weeks of 10's and saying "l did that". Or a whole warehouse with 5k lights in the air and you did all of the layout and installation over months time. 
It can change your life, it did for me!


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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