# Should You Quit an Apprenticeship if You're Learning Nothing?



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.

Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.

These people don't pay for my school either. Should I start looking for something else? All the Union people I talked to agree that you're pretty much a bitc* your first year or two but said that they learned a TON in that time as well. I'm not learning a thing - they're just using me as a laborer.

Should I start looking?


----------



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

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


Keep up what you're doing and leaving won't be your choice.

When your caught up on your chores ask if you can be a goffer to a JW, or curl up with a Code book.


----------



## BostonSparky (Jan 12, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


Well you taking a 3 hour nap isn't helping your case. I understand it sucks but everyone does the s*^t work when they start. 
Have you talked to anyone about this or tried to watch/ learn what some of the journeyman were doing? 

With the attitude you have your not going to get very far and definitely not going to be a master at your craft. 





I've been in the electrical field for 15 years and have my masters license. I still learn something new everyday.


----------



## Bbsound (Dec 16, 2011)

Everybody has to pay their dues, and napping is not gonna get you anywhere. 

What do you expect to be running jobs and buying material after your first few weeks on the job?


----------



## FastFokker (Sep 18, 2012)

Sounds like you're learning to be a good diligent worker.


Keep at it though, seems like you're not getting it. You can and should learn something from the most menial tasks. It will all make you a better tradesman. 

There's only 500 steps to becoming a competent tradesman, and you're still stuck at step #1. Maybe you just don't respect this company or your superiors, and you probably should find a new employer.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

Semi-Ret Electrician said:


> Keep up what you're doing and leaving won't be your choice.
> 
> When your caught up on your chores ask if you can be a goffer to a JW, or curl up with a Code book.


Yeah I hear you. My whole thing is that if they don't notice someone's absence they either don't care or they're incompetent. I'm not sure I want to work for someone like that. I ask continually if I can help in some other way and all I ever get is "pick up this piece of cardboard" or "take this this empty spool to the trash" or some other Mickey Mouse task. I just feel like they're very disinterested in me. I try to mention how I'm taking correspondence courses to sort of give them a hint that I'm dedicated to learning on my free-time but get nothing in return. Nothing seems to be working.

I didn't sign any contract with them so I guess they're not obligated to do anything for me but I thought I'd be given a chance to do something by now. I don't know. I'm seriously considering the Union now...or just getting with another employer that can give me some kind of contractual guarantee.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

Bbsound said:


> Everybody has to pay their dues, and napping is not gonna get you anywhere.
> 
> What do you expect to be running jobs and buying material after your first few weeks on the job?


No. I expected all the grunt work but thought I'd be making baby steps by now at least. Trash and sweeping, sure. No problem there for me - I'm not above that. But aren't they supposed to show you some other stuff too?


----------



## DesignerMan (Jun 13, 2008)

LanceBass said:


> I'm seriously considering the Union now...or just getting with another employer that can give me some kind of contractual guarantee.


I've worked in several unions and never had a contractual guarantee. If your doing what your asked to do and showing initiative it will come around. But don't ever take naps! This will kill any chance you have with a company.


----------



## azgard (Nov 25, 2011)

You found time to nap on the clock instead of taking that opportunity to work with your jman and learn something, no surprise you can't figure out why you haven't learned anything. One way or another keep that up you wont be in the trade very long.


----------



## btharmy (Jan 17, 2009)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


You are lazy and worthless. Stealing time from your employer is a sure way to get fired. I you expect to be terminating panels and transformers and troubleshooting motor controls as an apprentice you are delusional. Do what you are told and do it well and you will be granted more responsibility as well as the training to go along with it. I would fire you if I had any say on the matter.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

DesignerMan said:


> I've worked in several unions and never had a contractual guarantee. If your doing what your asked to do and showing initiative it will come around. But don't ever take naps! This will kill any chance you have with a company.


Yeah I haven't quit yet but man it's getting close lol. Are there some other ways I can show initiative besides telling them about my schooling or asking them what I should be doing?


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

btharmy said:


> You are lazy and worthless. Stealing time from your employer is a sure way to get fired. I you expect to be terminating panels and transformers and troubleshooting motor controls as an apprentice you are delusional. Do what you are told and do it well and you will be granted more responsibility as well as the training to go along with it. I would fire you if I had any say on the matter.


What should an apprentice in the fourth month be doing? That's really what I'm asking here. I mean, nowhere did I say I should be doing complex, high-voltage work. But is there something you should be learning besides trash removal? Really I'm just curious of what others experiences were in their fourth month?


----------



## BostonSparky (Jan 12, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> Yeah I haven't quit yet but man it's getting close lol. Are there some other ways I can show initiative besides telling them about my schooling or asking them what I should be doing?


Not taking naps is a HUGE way to show you deserve a shot.


----------



## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Sometimes a man must make his own way.
There is always something you can do. Sleeping at work is not one of them.

Step back and take a look at the big picture. If you cannot find something positive to do, _without being told_, you are in the wrong business.


----------



## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

LanceBass said:


> All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this.


Maybe, and I don't know this but maybe you are just an idiot and they gave up on you? 

Just saying that anyone that decides taking a nap on the clock is fine may not be a someone I would bother training.


----------



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

BBQ said:


> Maybe, and I don't know this but maybe you are just an idiot and they gave up on you?
> 
> Just saying that anyone that decides taking a nap on the clock is fine may not be a someone I would bother training.


I just woke up from a nap, but you would still love to train me. I'd follow you into hell Buddy. Me and you would take over the electrical world.


----------



## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


Buy the Mike Holt training DVD's and study long and hard in your time off the job. Dilligently persue the learning on your own initiative. Don't worry about what is going on at the jobsite, it provides you with the hours and 1st year is always like that. Doctors have 12 yrs of college , and only get 4 year's worth of real real doctor training during that 12 years. A great way to weed out the slugs.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

John Valdes said:


> If you cannot find something positive to do, _without being told_, you are in the wrong business.


I think at some point an employer is obligated to train an employee though. That's why on-the-job training and hours are so valued. A person cannot enter a field and be expected to continually progress without some amount of help. That's true in any walk of life. Like, would you put a kid on a 900cc bike to start? Or would you give them some training wheels, some coaching, hold them while they learn to pedal first?


----------



## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> I think at some point an employer is obligated to train an employee though. That's why on-the-job training and hours are so valued. A person cannot enter a field and be expected to continually progress without some amount of help. That's true in any walk of life. Like, would you put a kid on a 900cc bike to start? Or would you give them some training wheels, some coaching, hold them while they learn to pedal first?


Why don't you try hovering around the J-men after you do whatever gofer tasks that have you do? Hustle and hurry back, watch and ask questions. It would probably get you a lot further if you show some initiative instead of just doing bitch work. Don't ask to do things, ask questions while watching while guys are doing things and they will be more likely to show/explain what they are doing and why.


----------



## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

HackWork said:


> I just woke up from a nap, but you would still love to train me. I'd follow you into hell Buddy. Me and you would take over the electrical world.


Get away from my ass you fruit. :laughing:


----------



## BostonSparky (Jan 12, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...




Watch what the guys are doing and get one step ahead of them. 


Are they pulling wire? You can help feed the wire off the reels or help walk it out at the other end. 


Are they installing light fixtures? You can make sure all the packages are open or hand the next one up the ladder. 

Do they need jack chain cut to certain lengths? Go cut them and have them ready. 



It might be the company but I really think you need to change your attitude and ask yourself if being an electrician is what you really want to do.


----------



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Lance Bass is a very good troll, IMO. Ponyboy could do well if he followed in Lance's footsteps.


We should setup some type of troll apprenticeship program here.


----------



## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


...what makes you think your so special? Each and every one of us on this site started by grabbing the 'lowest rung on the ladder' , and started climbing, yet you feel your entitled to special treatment. When you stated you took a three hour NAP, pretty much summed kids these days. Quit, this trade isn't for lazy people.


----------



## FastFokker (Sep 18, 2012)

HackWork said:


> Lance Bass is a very good troll, IMO. Ponyboy could do well if he followed in Lance's footsteps.
> 
> We should setup some type of troll apprenticeship program here.


Then we would just have lazy troll apprentices who think they know everything about trolling, but spend all day on their phone texting their girlfriend, or finding hiding places to take a nap... Yet demand you teach them about trolling.

We could even start a union... IBET (International Brotherhood of Electrical Trolls). They would get paid big bucks and nice benefit packages, but only work half the year.


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

LanceBass said:


> I think at some point an employer is obligated to train an employee though. That's why on-the-job training and hours are so valued. A person cannot enter a field and be expected to continually progress without some amount of help. That's true in any walk of life. Like, would you put a kid on a 900cc bike to start? Or would you give them some training wheels, some coaching, hold them while they learn to pedal first?


Your employer is not obligated to train you,he only owes you a days pay for a days work.

It is your job to learn the trade while on the job and at school,no one should have to hold your Hand , you've got to do it yourself .

Right now you are supposed to be learning what all the different stock items and hard wear is and what it is used for,how to keep a job site clean and safe for all the men,,If you're bored cleaning up the site you are on it's because you're not moving fast enough to keep up with the trash and such,do you think the j-man is going to do that when he should be doing the install work?,,,,,Hell no.,,you're the helper and the low man so you've got to do it.
Have you noticed new helpers coming in and moving right past you?,,,think about it because it's happening right in front of you,,,WAKE THE F-Ck UP!!!!!! You're taking naps when you could be learning and getting paid to do so?

If this is your first job then you need to go to a place like McDonalds and learn how to work as a team player at least there you will learn that much quicker than on a large construction job.

You've got to climb this ladder all by your self, there is no hand holding in this trade,if you do not show them that you are worthy of having on the job over other helpers then you will be the coffee boy and the trash man for the rest of your time on this job and when it's time to shed the deadwood you'll be on the layoff list because you're not taking the initiative to teach yourself the trade.

Do you have a work bench at home to teach yourself how all this chit goes together?

Right now you got the chance to learn the trade and your blowing it off wether you know it or not,finding places to hide and just walking around like you are uninterested will get you fired,,your boss has a stack of names of guys that want the job you have and the opportunity to learn the trade but you are in their way,so you better step it up big time right now and save your butt,,believe me they know you were missing for 3 hours,,don't kid yourself.

Now get up off your lazy ass and make yourself an electrician,,,,No one will make you one you've got to do it yourself.


WAKE UP!


----------



## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)

HackWork said:


> Lance Bass is a very good troll, IMO. Ponyboy could do well if he followed in Lance's footsteps.
> 
> 
> We should setup some type of *troll apprenticeship program* here.


...there is another site that spawns these trolls already :whistling2:


----------



## Big John (May 23, 2010)

360max said:


> ...what makes you think your so special? Each and every one of us on this site started by grabbing the 'lowest rung on the ladder'...


 Save your breath. He got told that by a dozen people in his last thread complaining about the exact same thing.

Lance, you wouldn't actually happen to live in Ohio, would you? :whistling2:


----------



## DesignerMan (Jun 13, 2008)

LanceBass said:


> Yeah I haven't quit yet but man it's getting close lol. Are there some other ways I can show initiative besides telling them about my schooling or asking them what I should be doing?


If your taking classes on your time, ask question about the homework or assignments. If your reading electrical trade books, ask questions of thing that are confusing. I'm sure there are plenty of electricians at your job that would be willing to help. Plus it shows initiative. :thumbsup:

I spent three years doing those crappy jobs before I ever got a chance to enter an apprenticeship program; but I was taking classes and learning the whole time. Made it much easier when I got a shot!


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

HARRY304E said:


> Your employer is not obligated to train you,he only owes you a days pay for a days work.
> 
> It is your job to learn the trade while on the job and at school,no one should have to hold your Hand , you've got to do it yourself .
> 
> ...


Lol, I see your points here. At the same time though keep in mind that I'm doing my correspondence courses on my off time as well (in addition to working another 30/hr a week job) - I'm not lazy. Really I'm not even complaining (though I do feel kind of confused). I just want to understand how this whole PROCESS works. Like, is it (1) do **** work for the first year while (1a) studying on your own time while (1b) handing them tools and then eventually (2) they give you the electrical plans and let you go to work?

Idk, I'm just asking because I want to make sure I'm in a good place.

Also, I didn't want to "walk around and look disinterested" - that's why I took a nap. That way they won't see that I'm discouraged!!!


----------



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

There have been times when I was involved in total concentration and didn't want anyone butting in. At the same time, I was grateful if somebody was standing by, if I need help.

Lance needs to be that guy.

Setting up work and material and answering a hundred questions from a newbie is a lot harder than just doing the work yourself.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

HARRY304E said:


> Your employer is not obligated to train you,he only owes you a days pay for a days work.
> 
> It is your job to learn the trade while on the job and at school,no one should have to hold your Hand , you've got to do it yourself .
> 
> ...


Lol, I see your points here. At the same time though keep in mind that I'm doing my correspondence courses on my off time as well (in addition to working another 30/hr a week job) - I'm not lazy. Really I'm not even complaining (though I do feel kind of confused). I just want to understand how this whole PROCESS works. Like, is it (1) do **** work for the first year while (1a) studying on your own time while (1b) handing them tools and then eventually (2) they give you the electrical plans and let you go to work?

Idk, I'm just asking because I want to make sure I'm in a good place.

Also, I didn't want to "walk around and look disinterested" - that's why I took a nap. That way they won't see that I'm discouraged!!!


----------



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Big John said:


> Lance, you wouldn't actually happen to live in Ohio, would you? :whistling2:


I think he lives in Canada, right around where Kaboler lives :whistling2:


----------



## chewy (May 9, 2010)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


Have you ever indulged in ******?


----------



## BostonSparky (Jan 12, 2012)

chewy said:


> Have you ever indulged in ******?


Is this a trick question?


----------



## chewy (May 9, 2010)

BostonSparky said:


> Is this a trick question?


$20 is $20.


----------



## BostonSparky (Jan 12, 2012)

chewy said:


> $20 is $20.


1 US dollar = 1.28 New Zealand dollars.


----------



## Ninjazx916r (Apr 1, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


I went thru the same thing but I didn't sleep though. I just keep looking at my time. I remember those days that 5 minutes feel like two hours. I was stuck sitting in the bin where all the parts, materials, tools are sitting. It was a night shift too so I was sitting in the dark trying not to fall asleep. I was told to organized the bin, 8 hours a day, I would just sit in the bid. Once in awhile I would see another apprentice or a Journeyman coming out to get parts, only saw the foreman the first 10 minute and the last 10 minute of the shift. After couple days, realizing I am not learning anything and thought about quitting too. But, I didn't, I figure if no one is teaching me, I can teach myself. So I start to bring a pen and a note pad. I wrote down everything int he bin. From wire nuts, ladders, coupling, connectors, zip ties, etc. It was a long list. Took 5 pieces of paper. Then I start reading every word on the Caddy Box and start noticing some has sizes 1/2", 3/4", and some has rating. I learn so much just reading the wirenut bag and it shows how many wire fits in one and what sizes. I ended up bringing an electrical book. I was stuck there for 3 months and the job was over. Next job I got to do electrical work but it sucks even more, I was digging. Now that I'm in my 2nd year, I just realized, all those are part of the apprenticeship. You have to learn your parts incase you are sent to get your coupling. How you going to help if you don't know what a coupling is? Don't waste your time sleeping, you can learn everyday, it's how you use those time you have because majority of the time they keep you so busy, you have no time to learn. During break and lunch, ask one question a day so they don't think your irritating. Today, I learn enough to build from ground up, but I got to keep doing more of it to be efficient at it, and there's always more than one way of doing it because NEC does not say you HAVE to do it this way. Work smarter not harder so if you come up an easier way, I will do it your way. I just quit my job because I want to go learn other stuff, but if you are stuck like that for more than 6 months. I say quit, but if it's only couple months then leave. You learn more from smaller jobs than big jobs. You get to see it over and over more than once in the same time period. If you spend one month in underground, one month pipe and then one month pulling wires and is only 3 months better than 3 months underground, 6 months pipe and 6 months pulling wire... you get to do it twice or even 3 times before that first job is overe.


----------



## Ninjazx916r (Apr 1, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> What should an apprentice in the fourth month be doing? That's really what I'm asking here. I mean, nowhere did I say I should be doing complex, high-voltage work. But is there something you should be learning besides trash removal? Really I'm just curious of what others experiences were in their fourth month?


You are going to do a lot of bringing material to a foreman/journeyman and cleaning up after them. Not because they hate you but because those guys make twice as much as you do. You are one of the cheaper labor guy so it make more sense to have a $5 an hour guy to do that than have a $30 guy doing it. You learn on your own, If they tell you get some electrical tape go get it, then take a mental note at what they are doing and why they are using electrical tape and wonder why they are not using glue or duct tape. That is the way to learn in this trade. If you want a direct learning then go pay $20k and ask question inside a classroom. I was upset like you too but then I slap myself back to reality, this is business. They need to make money and you are in the middle. You want to be compensate for the CHANCE to learn and a LOWER PAY. Once you learn your stuff it could take someone 3 years or 10 years, everyone is still going to be learning as code changes 3 years but once you are productive and learning less and doing more work you are going to start making money. Until now, just do the grunt work and try to learn as much as you can. Go to work everyday with an goal. That's what I do. I set myself a goal. I need to learn how to glue pvc in 3 months, how to make up a head in 3 months for pulling wires, how to pipe EMT in one year. If I don't meet the goal, then I might consider quitting. After 3 months, if everything is repetitive and I'm not learning, I ask for a raise, if not find another job. cuz if you're not learning as much then it pretty much mean you know enoough to get paid for the work u do. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!


----------



## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

LanceBass said:


> Should I start looking?




You should start looking inside yourself. 

The problem isn't your employer, it is all you. You have entitlement issues and feel that "they" should be taking care of you. When you grow up, hopefully you will realize that *you* need to take the initiative and be responsible for your own life.

If you want more challenging tasks, simply ask for them. Start accepting responsibility today.

And, they *are* "using you" for labor. That's how this thing works. *We are all laborers*. We achieve different titles as we progress but, make no mistake about it, labor is what we do. The more productive we are, the more opportunities we create for ourselves to earn more money but we are still out there, pulling the plow. 

Man up, quit crying and take responsibility.


----------



## Ninjazx916r (Apr 1, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


I don't blame you for thinking that way because this is proberly your first electrical job. It's going to be like this if you work for someone else. The longer you work for someone, the more opporunity they give you, if you're worth the chance. This is not a typical 9 - 5 job. Not a job like mcdonals or an office job. It's a labor job, only difference is electrician is the only trade consider professionals. You are an apprentice, so you are not a proffessional yet.


----------



## Turkey Steve (Jun 21, 2013)

chewy said:


> $20 is $20.


$20 used to be $20.:no:


----------



## Ninjazx916r (Apr 1, 2011)

I'm on my second year of apprentice and have done commercial work the past two years. I just quit my job and went to do low voltage, I will proberly quit later on too because I want to put some of my time on residential and industrial too.


----------



## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

HackWork said:


> Lance Bass is a very good troll, IMO.


Are you patting yourself on the back?


----------



## btharmy (Jan 17, 2009)

LanceBass said:


> What should an apprentice in the fourth month be doing? That's really what I'm asking here. I mean, nowhere did I say I should be doing complex, high-voltage work. But is there something you should be learning besides trash removal? Really I'm just curious of what others experiences were in their fourth month?


I spent my first week in the trade digging a trench for a generator. It was 30" deep, 24" wide and 74' long. I ran the material trailer for 6 months as a 2nd year apprentice. Not one bit of electrical work. I chased brickies for 4 months on a school remodel. I can't believe you are complaining about 4 months of grunt work. Just do what you are told, do it well and then ask "What's next". That kind of attitude is what employers are looking for. If you cant even do a good job on the easy stuff then why would anyone bother teaching you how to do anything more than grunt work? Attitude is HUGE with me. I can't stand a guy who thinks something is "below him". As a foreman, I have had apprentices tell me that they would rather be doing real work instead of this or that. My response is, "Who do you think was doing this or that yesterday, before you got here? Me, that's who, and I am the foreman."


----------



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Cletis is talking to himself in this thread. :laughing:


----------



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

BBQ said:


> Are you patting yourself on the back?


No, I never use two usernames at once, ever.

Harry's been the one doing that lately :whistling2:


----------



## Ninjazx916r (Apr 1, 2011)

By the way, on one job we had to add some emt in ceiling and my foreman told another apprentice to go up the scissor lift and paint the EMT, he said he dont' want to do it. I over heard it and I said I'll do it, I never paint before. After that week, I was still on the job, when it was time to cut the labor force on that jobsite I was still around til the end while those guys got sent to another jobsite.


----------



## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

HackWork said:


> No, I never use two usernames at once, ever.


I read it on the Internet so it must be true. :laughing:


----------



## christrician (Aug 6, 2011)

Patience man


----------



## Celtic (Nov 19, 2007)

LanceBass said:


> All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this.


Its called "house-keeping" and it is an important part of the job.

A piece of cardboard dropped on top of a 4" scrap of BX or EMT can be a "career ender".

If you need someone to tell you which end of a broom to use, you have zero mechanical ability.





LanceBass said:


> Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.


Just because "not a word was said" doesn't mean "nobody even noticed".


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

HackWork said:


> No, I never use two usernames at once, ever.
> 
> Harry's been the one doing that lately :whistling2:


What?:blink::laughing:


----------



## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> What should an apprentice in the fourth month be doing? That's really what I'm asking here.


stfu , observe, digest, reference it on your own if you can, come to work and ask an intelligent Q about it, pull your pants up , text you girlfriend later, & get rid of the 'effin earings

~CS~

~CS~


----------



## Big John (May 23, 2010)

For the record, I think _220_ was spot on with his post. I just think it's falling on ears that are either deaf, or else green and pointy.


----------



## Arc'n'Spark (Jul 21, 2011)

Everyone's replies have broken my "thanks" button. To the OP, you are a lazy bastard (at least when it comes to being an electrician's apprentice) and if you don't change your ways, nobody worth being taught by will want to teach you anything. If you can't find time to watch the other sparkies, think about what they're doing, and learn something, then you are cleaning way too slow. If you can't watch a task being performed a few times and at least get a clue about the procedure, then you do not possess the mechanical aptitude to be an electrician. 75% of what we do is critical thinking. Every job you are on will likely present you with new components (different brands, new technologies, etc.), new layouts, and new aspects of the electrical trade which you've never encountered before. It will be your job to figure out how to put all the parts and pieces together to make the system that does what your customer wants it to.

In short, if you can't figure out how to think for yourself, how could you ever expect to do anything by yourself?


----------



## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

HackWork said:


> Lance Bass is a very good troll, IMO. Ponyboy could do well if he followed in Lance's footsteps.
> 
> 
> We should setup some type of troll apprenticeship program here.


My trolling is epic hack. but I also back it up with some of the most kick ass electrical work in the world.

im awesome


----------



## walkerj (May 13, 2007)

Don't you guys just wish all you had to do is pick up trash all day every once in a while?


----------



## drspec (Sep 29, 2012)

walkerj said:


> Don't you guys just wish all you had to do is pick up trash all day every once in a while?


 and make what I make now? **** yes. I'd be the best damn trash picker upper that ever lived. :thumbup:


----------



## cal1947 (Nov 14, 2009)

*tofer1947*



LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


 i fire your lazy ass


----------



## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> Should I start looking?


Yes. 

For a different career. 

You come in here on occasion and complain that no one is teaching you - you get lots of great advice from some very experienced and knowledgeable folks and you promptly ignore all this good advice and repeat the process in a few weeks.

Get out and let someone who actually wants to learn take the opportunity you choose to squander.


----------



## chewy (May 9, 2010)

walkerj said:


> don't you guys just wish all you had to do is pick up trash all day every once in a while?


yes!


----------



## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

walkerj said:


> Don't you guys just wish all you had to do is pick up trash all day every once in a while?


Yeppers.

Made me think of one of my favorite quotes...

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” 

Martin Luther King Jr.


----------



## nolabama (Oct 3, 2007)

walkerj said:


> Don't you guys just wish all you had to do is pick up trash all day every once in a while?


I have to make time to clean my truck. Yeah trash day would be awesome.


----------



## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


If you are paying for school, it isn't the real thing.
Get outta there.


----------



## walkerj (May 13, 2007)

Lance,

This is from your boy Justin. 

http://youtu.be/DksSPZTZES0


----------



## Control Freak (Mar 8, 2008)

When you finish the work that was laid out to you then find your foreman/ supervising journeyman and ask for more work....

Btw...I can almost guarantee that the 3 hour map was noticed by someone. If not the nap then at least you missing for that long was noticed ,


As far as being on a huge job goes ...
My first job was a huge commercial high rise . Ira was a deck job coming out of the ground when I got there. My shop was responsible for "core and shell". I did so many deliveries on that site it wasn't even funny but you know why? That was my job and I did it. I also begged my foreman I let me work with my tools. I learned a lot on that job moving stuff around . It helped me to learn all the material and different parts and equipment we use. 

Guess what? 5 years after that I knew what I was doing when I finally got to work on my own...
My friend who just moved material around and went for coffee and deliveries had no clue what to do and constantly got laid off. Long story short its on you. Take your education in the trade in your own hands!


----------



## Hippie (May 12, 2011)

walkerj said:


> Don't you guys just wish all you had to do is pick up trash all day every once in a while?


I was just thinking this today.. I would thoroughly enjoy it!!


----------



## drspec (Sep 29, 2012)

I would have loved to be sweeping or picking up trash today than what I was doing.

I had to add 2 ceiling fans and 3 track lights on decorative wooden beams in a finished ceiling and little to no attic space without conduit or wiremold. Pulled it off and the homeowner was estatic.


----------



## Amish Electrician (Jan 2, 2010)

Reality check: Electrician work has darn little to do with electricity.

It's a *construction *trade. We *make *things. So, the trade is about digging trenches, bending pipe, pulling wires, and hanging transformers. It's about drilling and fastening and assembling.

*Anybody *can pass a code test. Heck, I can read the baseball rulebook - but that don't make me Mickey Mantle! There's a reason it's called a *skilled* trade.

Stick with it. In a few years you'll understand. Then you'll want to go back to High School and slap around those snooty teachers who so badly misled you.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

> You learn more from smaller jobs than big jobs.


This kind of gets into what I was going to say to some of the other posts. I was naive and made the mistake of thinking a big company was the way to go (it's BIG so I can learn more stuff!!!). Truth is people can get lost in these massive commercial projects. I mean, my boss is on the phone daily with Holiday Inn HQ - like he really has time to worry about what some little apprentice is learning on a project with hundreds of people.

I would TREASURE the chance to work intimately with a journeyman and anticipate their needs like Semi-Vet was saying earlier. Not so sure this is even possible though on the job I'm at. I would much rather be with a company that has 4-5 people than one that has 50. That I think is the biggest problem.


----------



## Celtic (Nov 19, 2007)

LanceBass said:


> This kind of gets into what I was going to say to some of the other posts. I was naive and made the mistake of thinking a big company was the way to go (it's BIG so I can learn more stuff!!!). Truth is people can get lost in these massive commercial projects. I mean, my boss is on the phone daily with Holiday Inn HQ - like he really has time to worry about what some little apprentice is learning on a project with hundreds of people.
> 
> I would TREASURE the chance to work intimately with a journeyman and anticipate their needs like Semi-Vet was saying earlier. Not so sure this is even possible though on the job I'm at. I would much rather be with a company that has 4-5 people than one that has 50. That I think is the biggest problem.


:no:

You don't see what this job has to offer you.

Maybe flippin' burgers is more your thing?\


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

jrannis said:


> If you are paying for school, it isn't the real thing.
> Get outta there.


Yeah this makes me wonder. Like 90% of the responses are just hate-filled diatribes meant to make me feel like an idiot for asking questions about where I need to be, or make me feel bad about being eager, or worried, or what have you. But then like 5% of the people that come in here calm, objective - in sum, none of the emotional nonsense - say find something else. Makes me wonder.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

Celtic said:


> :no:
> 
> You don't see what this job has to offer you.
> 
> Maybe flippin' burgers is more your thing?\


What does this job have to offer me?


----------



## theloop82 (Aug 18, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> What should an apprentice in the fourth month be doing? That's really what I'm asking here. I mean, nowhere did I say I should be doing complex, high-voltage work. But is there something you should be learning besides trash removal? Really I'm just curious of what others experiences were in their fourth month?


I was taking out trash, cutting nipples, running a chipping hammer and swabbing out job trailers for my first year and a half at least. In fact, expect to do all that crap and more for as many years as it takes for you to A: have an apprentice with less time than you on the job, and B: be worth more to your employer with your tools than without. 4 months is nothing. Suck it up, if you have to do crap work, do the crap work better and faster than everyone else. The good stuff comes later and in between now and then you might learn some humility and work ethic. That being said, Join a Union if you can.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

> I was taking out trash, cutting nipples, running a chipping hammer and swabbing out job trailers for my first year and a half at least.


I got no problem with that. My only question though is - did you do anything else besides those things?


----------



## drspec (Sep 29, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> I got no problem with that. My only question though is - did you do anything else besides those things?


 
Dude, you sound like a whiny little bitch that was breastfed until he was 10.

STFU and do the job you are told to do. When someone feels like you are ready for more responsibility then you will know.


----------



## chewy (May 9, 2010)

LanceBass said:


> What does this job have to offer me?


You would be a good fluffer.


----------



## Big John (May 23, 2010)

chewy said:


> You would be a good fluffer.


 Nah, he'd stop halfway through to go take a nap.


----------



## chewy (May 9, 2010)

Big John said:


> Nah, he'd stop halfway through to go take a nap.


Then he would wake up as the stunt ass. Hahahahaha


----------



## theloop82 (Aug 18, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> I got no problem with that. My only question though is - did you do anything else besides those things?


Not much, maybe around the 6 month mark I got to actually go out into the building and roll up extension cords and fetch tools. Maybe after 9 months I got to do very repetitive, assembly line type tasks like cutting holes in pan decking. I just kept my head down, did everything I was asked to do and when I wasn't being asked to do anything I took it upon myself to sort parts or stock job boxes. When you start being ahead of the curve on the easy stuff people around you notice and then (and only then) will they start wondering if you could be used to better effect by actually doing electrical work.

Just stick with it as long as they will have you and even if you learn nothing about electrical work you will have picked up important skills like identifying parts, learning the names of of tools, and more importantly how to deal with difficult people and hard, manual labor. Like more than one person has said here, Now that I don't do alot of the hard, repetitive manual stuff I wish there was a day every now and then when someone would point at me and tell me to do something dull and mindless for 8 hours. I still pick up a broom and swab out the tool crib when I don't have much to do even though I am surrounded by people who make less than I do. That kind of ethic is what you are learning even if the guy who is ordering you around doesn't know it. Your time to shine will come if you stick with it.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

> My first job was a huge commercial high rise . Ira was a deck job coming out of the ground when I got there. My shop was responsible for "core and shell". I did so many deliveries on that site it wasn't even funny but you know why? That was my job and I did it. I also begged my foreman I let me work with my tools. I learned a lot on that job moving stuff around . It helped me to learn all the material and different parts and equipment we use.


That's fine - but were you constantly busy? Did you have supervision? Was there someone there directing you?

I'm telling you, I can show up, punch in and take off for 8-hours, come back, and punch out. No one would know. Idk, call me crazy but that seems like a problem. For me it's a problem because I want to learn an honorable professsion. For them it's a problem (I would think) because they're spending $30,000 a year to give someone nap time.

I mean, would you really think this is legit?


----------



## daks (Jan 16, 2013)

SMACK! Wake Up!

You're in a great position, trash duty gets you to all the different areas of the jobsite. You can now observe electricians in all the different stages of an install. Pay attention to what they do and use. Now when you clean up waste and hit the trash bin. Hit the supply truck and bring some more supplies that they will need it before they send one of the other apprentices. Nothing gets you "IN" with a journeyman faster than to be holding out something he needs, the moment he needs it. If you save him time, he may spend some of it to show you something, otherwise... you're just in the way. 

Volunteer for the real crappy stuff, i.e. lubing up wire for a pull. Talk to the guy threading rigid nipples ( k, that last line made me pause.) and see if you can try doing some of them. Ask if any of the crews need stuff from the truck.... the day goes much faster when your doing stuff, and the career is much longer when your not sleeping in the car with the tunes on. :thumbsup:


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

theloop82 said:


> Not much, maybe around the 6 month mark I got to actually go out into the building and roll up extension cords and fetch tools. Maybe after 9 months I got to do very repetitive, assembly line type tasks like cutting holes in pan decking. I just kept my head down, did everything I was asked to do and when I wasn't being asked to do anything I took it upon myself to sort parts or stock job boxes. When you start being ahead of the curve on the easy stuff people around you notice and then (and only then) will they start wondering if you could be used to better effect by actually doing electrical work.
> 
> Just stick with it as long as they will have you and even if you learn nothing about electrical work you will have picked up important skills like identifying parts, learning the names of of tools, and more importantly how to deal with difficult people and hard, manual labor. Like more than one person has said here, Now that I don't do alot of the hard, repetitive manual stuff I wish there was a day every now and then when someone would point at me and tell me to do something dull and mindless for 8 hours. I still pick up a broom and swab out the tool crib when I don't have much to do even though I am surrounded by people who make less than I do. That kind of ethic is what you are learning even if the guy who is ordering you around doesn't know it. Your time to shine will come if you stick with it.


That is true man. No matter how ****ty it is I'm still at least gaining HOURS towards a journeyman license even though I'm not learning much of anything. Plus, even if this particular company doesn't keep me I can at least put on a resume that I've worked for an actual electrical company - which will give me an advantage in the job market over someone who has school ONLY. Plus I'm doing my correspondence courses as well 

I try to see the positive because it is there. It's only natural to feel frustrated when you're doing mindless work or when you aren't learning. The people who don't get frustrated in those situations, well...they're the personality types that would've been happy working on a plantation in the Old South...

...or eagerly waiting the chance for their Captain to tell them to run into machine gun fire.

It's only natural I think to be frustrated and the Internet is a good place to express that.


----------



## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

Believe it or not, many of us learned a_ lot_ from jobs run badly , or by those who would not take any time with us Lance

~CS~


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

chicken steve said:


> Believe it or not, many of us learned a_ lot_ from jobs run badly , or by those who would not take any time with us Lance
> 
> ~CS~


That makes me feel better. I don't feel like I've learned much that would make me employable...but on the other hand I've learned a lot in comparison to what I used to know (which was nothing). So I guess I'm in a better position than I was but truthfully I know that the vast majority of the time OTJ I learn absolutely nothing at all which is depressing.


----------



## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

I'm not going to read all 83 replies but I'm just wondering how an apprentice who is screwing the pooch is rated as a Senior Member...


----------



## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

I wish I got to clean up more often during my apprenticeship. I spent the brunt of my 2nd 3rd and 4th years doing tasks by myself (boss man was somewhere else) having to figure out everything for myself. When it came time to clean up i was so excited because i didnt have to use my brain for a while that i would practically polish concrete floors with the broom. I went home with a headache most days. My old man (the boss man) wasn't very good at explaining things so I just watched what he did the best I could, looked at how other guys had done it, and tried to copy it. My old man would then look at what I did and either say "good job" or more often "that's not how I would have done it, but it works", And sometimes "what the f*ck were you thinking when you did that?" Thankfully he wasn't the yelling type, but man, it would have been so much easier if he had just explained things instead of me just flailing through it and then having to make it pretty. Then again, now I think nothing of going to a new job and figuring it out without asking him because of how I learned as an apprentice.


----------



## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

LanceBass said:


> What should an apprentice in the fourth month be doing? That's really what I'm asking here. I mean, nowhere did I say I should be doing complex, high-voltage work. But is there something you should be learning besides trash removal? Really I'm just curious of what others experiences were in their fourth month?


A forth month apprentice should be doing what they are told to do. 

Sweeping the floors gets you close to the work, but still out if the way.. Watch and see what's going on.

Taking out the trash lets you learn what is "trash" and what is not. A pile of 12" long wire might be trash or might be pig tails. Look and see what material is being used. 

Everyone starts at the bottom, the pay is the same no matter what you do. Unless you are caught sleeping, then the unemployment check wasn't worth the cat nap.


----------



## jbrookers (Dec 7, 2008)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


As is true in all of life...You get what you put in.


----------



## gunnut666 (Nov 24, 2011)

Are you sure that you are an apprentice ? 
Are you even sure that you are an official employee ? 
Large companies will have written policies for everything. 
Many companies will have a probationary period, often 90 days, before you are qualified for: uniforms, benefits, driving permissions, etc. 
You may also not have passed the minumum 1 year employment requirement to join their apprenticeship program.


----------



## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

99cents said:


> I'm not going to read all 83 replies but I'm just wondering how an apprentice who is screwing the pooch is rated as a Senior Member...


It only took me 2 posts to be rated a "Coffee Drinking Member".


----------



## Ninjazx916r (Apr 1, 2011)

You learn what to do, and you also learn what not to do. Electricians are not only labor guys, we are also designers. We design the run. The blueprint shows Point A to Point B but it is us that design the runs. Every one can build a different system and everyone going to get criticize on their design. We use our vision on the site and sometimes one person see a better route than others, some don't know how to derate and use smaller pipes. If you look at electricians like doctor and look at the trade as what NBA does it's very similar. Doctors fixes things inside/outside of people, we fixes the electrical inside/outside of a building. When you look at the NBA they have players, we have skill laborer, each team in an NBA wears different uniform, there are different electrical contractor, it's team work. You are not Kobe Bryant at the moment so you going to be passing the ball to him for the next few years! Let the Journeyman/Kobe do the important stuff before you get traded/fired.


----------



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

LanceBass said:


> That's fine - but were you constantly busy? Did you have supervision? Was there someone there directing you?
> 
> I'm telling you, I can show up, punch in and take off for 8-hours, come back, and punch out. No one would know. Idk, call me crazy but that seems like a problem. For me it's a problem because I want to learn an honorable professsion. For them it's a problem (I would think) because they're spending $30,000 a year to give someone nap time.
> 
> I mean, would you really think this is legit?


I had a job where I saw no one from my company except for my supervisor for a few hours every six months. I was given a checkbook to write checks for my expenses, could come and go whenever I wanted, as long as my equipment was up & running 99.7% of the time.

Best job I ever had.


----------



## Celtic (Nov 19, 2007)

LanceBass said:


> What does this job have to offer me?



Not a dam thing.

You should quit.


----------



## Ninjazx916r (Apr 1, 2011)

If you go to school, you pay them and they teach you. If you go to work, they pay you to work. Electrical job is for skilled workers. You are a worker, but you are not skilled, so you're compensation is 50% pay, 50% of a chance to watch and learn from skilled worker! If you're staring at conduit outside on the ground, that is a chance to learn. What color is the conduit wrappred with? Black, Red, Teal? Try to remember that size because EMT black is 1/2", Red is 3/4" and Teal is 1". If it's been sitting there while you're sleeping, you just cheating yourself.


----------



## halfamp (Jul 16, 2012)

You have a sh*tty attitude as hard as that is to hear. If it seems like you're doing mindless work, you are. Because you're the cheapest. Do the mindless work. Learn ways to do it more efficiently and effectively. Don't f*cking nap when you're done, keep asking for more things to do. If you can't even handle the responsibility of taking out the trash without it taking all day (they DO notice you're gone for 3 hours bud), why the hell do you expect them to teach you anything? 

Knock that chip off your shoulder and appear as if you want to learn and be useful, all day, every day.

If it seems like a lot of people are giving you a hard time for what you've said here, take the hint. They are all electricians like the ones you are working with. If they are all saying they would get rid of you, chances are, when the boss is asking the jmen and foremen on your job how YOU'RE working out, they're saying "He sucks, toss his ass on the street."


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

The ****ed up thing is today I asked a journeyman if I could just watch him for a bit and I learned a lot (well, more than I knew before anyways). Plus had fun just watching. I think everyone made really great suggestions - illl try to do even more asking and observing. 

I realize that there's a ton to lose with electrical (like your life) so things may move slow. Everyone needs some motivation and encouragement from time to time when they're learning. Either way my hours are going towards my journeyman license and maybe I can ask questions here from time to time.

Really, I'm not trying to be a kunt - more eager to learn more and more every day. I'll try to have a better attitude because even an opportunity that isn't the greatest is still a great opportunity.


----------



## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

You crawled off and took a 3 hour nap!? This demonstrates laziness, lack of initiative, poor work ethic and is straight up stealing from your employer. Where’s your integrity? As said before, I’m sure it was noticed and something probably was said, just not to you.

Whether or not you realize it, you are being tested. Is this helper worth keeping/training? Sounds like you might be failing that test… This can be a good opportunity _*if*_ you take advantage of it, but nobody’s going to hold your hand. You shouldn’t need someone constantly following you around making sure you do your job.

Be patient. Yes, you’re going to school and that’s a good thing, but it’s only what you’re supposed to do. You just started; you haven’t actually accomplished anything yet (lots of folks enroll in school only to later drop out). 

As far as being legitimate, did you get licensed as a helper?
http://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/professions/electricians/helper.htm

You have been given a TON of good advice on this site; listen to it. You should be busting your ass to keep up on the housekeeping duties so that you can watch/assist the journeyman. If you don’t show any interest in the job, don’t expect anyone to take any interest in teaching you.

In the meantime, be thankful for the opportunity you have, and that you have the GI Bill to cover your college expenses.


----------



## madrone48 (Aug 15, 2012)

If you can't learn something, regardless of the situation, you need to spend some time in serious reflection. 

I'm a third term apprentice, and i've been everything from trash monkey, to the jman's bitch, to mistaken for a journeyman. I've learned something everyday no matter what i did.

Take notes, learn parts and part names, anticipate what supplies are needed, clean things that no one tells you to clean, ask a few questions, and if all else fails, carry something around and try to look busy while you peek over someone's shoulder. 

Also, join the union. Better training.


----------



## FastFokker (Sep 18, 2012)

madrone48 said:


> Also, join the union. Better training.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

FastFokker said:


>


Oh I get it - it's funny because she's black!


----------



## 10492 (Jan 4, 2010)

How many people here have seen guys like this come and go?

Next thing out of his mouth will be how every employer should pay people more first, if they expect anything out of them later.


----------



## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

Dnkldorf said:


> How many people here have seen guys like this come and go?
> 
> Next thing out of his mouth will be how every employer should pay people more first, if they expect anything out of them later.


It might be that I am just getting old, but a lot of the kids I see getting into the trades have this self entitled bs attitude. Not willing to work and learn they expect to be coddled and spoon fed and it is getting very very tiresome.

It is not all the young folks but there seems to be more and more of them everyday. I blame the 'must go to college' attitude and the way these 'precious snowflakes' are raised, but in reality, I am probably just getting too old to deal with children...:thumbsup:


----------



## Big John (May 23, 2010)

It always killed me working around the guys who get some mystery chip on their shoulder. They think they've been unfairly given chit work, so their solution is to do their job so badly that they absolutely guarantee that from now on, they will get nothing but chit work.


----------



## Acadian9 (Jun 6, 2009)

Your time will come eventually. One day you'll get to do electrical but you have to speak up! No sleeping on the job either.


----------



## chewy (May 9, 2010)

LanceBass said:


> Oh I get it - it's funny because she's black!


Are you a negrosexual?


----------



## cwsims84 (Jan 21, 2012)

I'm an apprentice and everyday I go to work I do everything with a good sense of motivation and urgency to get it done, whether its taking out the trash, vacuuming the job site trailer, getting my Jman's tools or swinging a pick(I did so for 12hrs wed)... But everytime there is OT, I get stay and anytime I have a question, all those senior to me are willing to take the time to answer... Your first year is your time to prove yourself capable of working hard and doing what you're told! Get on board with that and quit taking naps and the jw/foreman will start upgrading the tasks your given and start giving you a chance.. Continue the naps and you'll be finding a new job!


----------



## Surge03 (Sep 23, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and took a three hour nap. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to sit in my car with a radio on (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


If you take the time to learn and work hard they will notice as time goes on. First year is always rough but if your taking naps and not showing an interest in learning, trust me I have seen 4 year journeyman digging trenches and 2 year apprentices bending pipe. The path your taking now you might be doing the same crap in your fourth year, making 2, 3 year wages. Learn and be the best you can be and around your 3, 4 year ask for more money or go some where else


----------



## FastFokker (Sep 18, 2012)

Anyone who makes up a username LanceBass (the super gay guy from teen pop sensation group N'Sync) is an obvious troll.

He's probably Cletis.

Next thing he'll be saying is "no no it's my real name." Yeah right, if it was you wouldn't be making it your username on an electrician forum, Cletis! Lol


----------



## tim123 (Feb 15, 2009)

Its all about attitude. I have seen a few apprentices get stuck doing clean up and organization. The thing most of them dont realize is it was their own fault from the get go, then they get pissy about it and nobody wants to teach them because they act like a little bitch.. so you keep them down cleaning crap and digging ect. Usually they quit, but sometimes every now and again they get fired. Its probably too late. I think you should quit and find another company. Think of it as a way to start over. Soon you will be a 2nd year and no nothing.. then probably at another company, where you will be expected to know typical 2nd year things.. but you wont so you will be fired there too. So leave with good graces at the current company and go to the next one with the proper attitude... enough people have commented on what the basic guidelines are. Try to learn what you can off this site. Buy 2 bundles of 1/2" pipe and a bender and practice doing offsets and 90's and saddles. Good luck


----------



## Ninjazx916r (Apr 1, 2011)

eejack said:


> It might be that I am just getting old, but a lot of the kids I see getting into the trades have this self entitled bs attitude. Not willing to work and learn they expect to be coddled and spoon fed and it is getting very very tiresome.
> 
> It is not all the young folks but there seems to be more and more of them everyday. I blame the 'must go to college' attitude and the way these 'precious snowflakes' are raised, but in reality, I am probably just getting too old to deal with children...:thumbsup:


It's the mis-representation that misled us to want to be an apprentice in the first place. We thought were are hired to get low pay to have someone follow us and teach us how to install, but it don't seem to be the case in the first few months of working; it seem more like we are hired to be a slave. I have to admit the first couple months, it's the toughest part of the apprenticeship, it does get better once you realized the apprenticeship has a different meaning. It only means you are a cheap labor and you will be a cheap laborer until you learn and be able to demonstrate that you know how to install, understand conduits and how electrical works.


----------



## Ninjazx916r (Apr 1, 2011)

I forgot to mention, your reputation is really important in this trade. Just because you quit this company or that company, you will run into other electrician if you stay in the trade. Don't matter if you're an apprentice or a journeyman. Someone who do crappy work gets crappy reputation!


----------



## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

FastFokker said:


> Anyone who makes up a username LanceBass (the super gay guy from teen pop sensation group N'Sync) is an obvious troll.
> 
> He's probably Cletis.
> 
> Next thing he'll be saying is "no no it's my real name." Yeah right, if it was you wouldn't be making it your username on an electrician forum, Cletis! Lol


:thumbsup:


----------



## Elephante (Nov 16, 2011)

Lance don't listen to these guys.Sleeping is very important especially 3 hour power naps while your coworkers are inhaling asbestos and lead paint. Your smart if you ask me.Landing wires on terminals is very over rated.


----------



## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

FastFokker said:


> Anyone who makes up a username LanceBass (the super gay guy from teen pop sensation group N'Sync) is an obvious troll.
> 
> He's probably Cletis.
> 
> Next thing he'll be saying is "no no it's my real name." Yeah right, if it was you wouldn't be making it your username on an electrician forum, Cletis! Lol


I have a friend who's named Lance, but he drives a truck and has a wife with the largest pair of "Hooters" I've ever seen.


----------



## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

Ninjazx916r said:


> It's the mis-representation that misled us to want to be an apprentice in the first place. We thought were are hired to get low pay to have someone follow us and teach us how to install, but it don't seem to be the case in the first few months of working; it seem more like we are hired to be a slave.


You know, that is an excellent point. We really ought to do a better job of explaining the culling out process we use - ie. you are going to get all the crap work for this long or so and if you can take it and handle it with grace then you will be worthy of the time and effort.

I guess once you have been through it is just seems like it should be obvious to everyone, but if you have no experience in it, no friends or family having gone through it...how would you know?


----------



## Big John (May 23, 2010)

eejack said:


> ...But if you have no experience in it, no friends or family having gone through it...how would you know?


 You could start multiple threads asking about it on a board dedicated to electricians, and then have dozens of them tell you the exact same thing. But that only works if you don't ignore it.


----------



## christrician (Aug 6, 2011)

chewy said:


> Are you a negrosexual?


What about black people?


----------



## chewy (May 9, 2010)

christrician said:


> What about black people?


Theyre ******.


----------



## Hippie (May 12, 2011)

eejack said:


> You know, that is an excellent point. We really ought to do a better job of explaining the culling out process we use - ie. you are going to get all the crap work for this long or so and if you can take it and handle it with grace then you will be worthy of the time and effort.
> 
> I guess once you have been through it is just seems like it should be obvious to everyone, but if you have no experience in it, no friends or family having gone through it...how would you know?


Because it should be obvious...? The problem is the people with these problems are big winey babies... When I started no one explained the process to me.. Had no friends or family in the trades at the time but I picked up trash and moved material with a smile and showed initiative and interest and that led to me getting put with the best jmen on nearly every job, where I learned more and got to do better work than the slugs that would rather take naps and thought they should be running the job. 

I have no sympathy and make no excuses for these cry babies


----------



## Deep Cover (Dec 8, 2012)

Stop mentioning your "correspondence classes". You must have mentioned it 20 times in this thread alone, I can only imagine how many times it is brought up on the job site. Just because you take "classes" on your own doesn't make you special, most of us take classes outside of work. We have to to maintain our licenses. 

You are not special. You are doing what every green helper has done starting off in the trade for the last 50+ years. You have been in the trade for 4 months...4 MONTHS and you are already constantly bithcing and moaning. I will guarantee that someone has already noticed your lack of motivation, poopy work ethic, entitled attitude and because of this, they are NOT going to give you anything other than sweeping/cleaning duties.

Look at it this way...you have come to a bunch of internet electrician to ask for advice, when the easiest most effective way to solve your problem has eluded you...ask your employer. It's simple. You sit down and ask what you should be expecting to do your first months in the trade. We already know the answer. You have been given the answer time and time again...but, but, but, but, but this, that and the other thing is all we get from you. It doesn't sink in and you don't take it to heart. That says alot about how teachable you are and how much you are willing to do to be granted the privilege of someone sharing their knowledge with you.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

Deep Cover said:


> Stop mentioning your "correspondence classes". You must have mentioned it 20 times in this thread alone, I can only imagine how many times it is brought up on the job site. Just because you take "classes" on your own doesn't make you special, most of us take classes outside of work. We have to to maintain our licenses.
> 
> You are not special. You are doing what every green helper has done starting off in the trade for the last 50+ years. You have been in the trade for 4 months...4 MONTHS and you are already constantly bithcing and moaning. I will guarantee that someone has already noticed your lack of motivation, poopy work ethic, entitled attitude and because of this, they are NOT going to give you anything other than sweeping/cleaning duties.
> 
> Look at it this way...you have come to a bunch of internet electrician to ask for advice, when the easiest most effective way to solve your problem has eluded you...ask your employer. It's simple. You sit down and ask what you should be expecting to do your first months in the trade. We already know the answer. You have been given the answer time and time again...but, but, but, but, but this, that and the other thing is all we get from you. It doesn't sink in and you don't take it to heart. That says alot about how teachable you are and how much you are willing to do to be granted the privilege of someone sharing their knowledge with you.


I think the problem is you think that everything that happens on these boards must happen in real life too - I express concern on these boards so I must be doing that at work too.

I'll give you a great example of how that assumptions flawed...

THE TONE YOU'RE SPEAKING IN NOW. You come off as this Clint-Eastwood-in-Gran-Torino "you're a ****ing ***** suck it up" kind of tough guy...but...BUT...I'd bet the house you don't take that tone in real life with anyone because people that talk out their face like that end up in (1) jail or (2) getting their head severed completely from their body.

Don't think that you've figured someone out by reading a few posts.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

Hippie said:


> Because it should be obvious...? The problem is the people with these problems are big winey babies... When I started no one explained the process to me.. Had no friends or family in the trades at the time but I picked up trash and moved material with a smile and showed initiative and interest and that led to me getting put with the best jmen on nearly every job, where I learned more and got to do better work than the slugs that would rather take naps and thought they should be running the job.
> 
> I have no sympathy and make no excuses for these cry babies


How long was it until you got to work with an actual journeyman? Should I wait one years? Two? Three years until the finally let me wire a standard outlet?


----------



## Deep Cover (Dec 8, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> Don't think that you've figured someone out by reading a few posts.


By my count...at least 161...and yes, I have told helpers the same thing. They usually listen the first time.


----------



## Hippie (May 12, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> How long was it until you got to work with an actual journeyman? Should I wait one years? Two? Three years until the finally let me wire a standard outlet?


I was working alone as a second year. The only thing holding you back is yourself the trade is full of people that suck if you show you don't then you'll have a job and plenty of good work


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

Hippie said:


> I was working alone as a second year. The only thing holding you back is yourself the trade is full of people that suck if you show you don't then you'll have a job and plenty of good work


I'm saying though - how long until they let you do something electrical? How long until you actually got to use your tools? If you could work on your own after a year I assume they must've been teaching you fairly early...

So how long should a person wait? 6 months? A year until they actually get to work with a journeyman?


----------



## halfamp (Jul 16, 2012)

For the millionth time, they haven't been letting you do any real work because you've failed at even the most basic tasks.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

halfamp said:


> For the millionth time, they haven't been letting you do any real work because you've failed at even the most basic tasks.


How could you possibly know that? Like, really how would you have any idea?


----------



## Deep Cover (Dec 8, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> How could you possibly know that? Like, really how would you have any idea?


You took a 3 hour nap...and you think that that is OK because nobody is holding your hand telling you what to do.


----------



## rewire (Jul 2, 2013)

LanceBass said:


> I've been with my employer for four months now and haven't learned anything even remotely electrical related. All I do all day is pick up electrical related trash (huge commercial site). I'm not even supervised when I do this. Yesterday I found a secluded place on-site and* took a three hour nap*. Nobody even noticed. Not a word said.
> 
> Is this normal as a first time Helper/Apprentice? Don't get me wrong, I'll collect paycheck after paycheck if they want to pay me to nap or to *sit in my car with a radio on* (lol), but long-term I want to be a tradesman and a master at my craft.
> 
> ...


 You have admitted stealing from your employer so why would they give you any responsibility beyond a broom.


----------



## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

Deep Cover said:


> You took a 3 hour nap...and you think that that is OK because nobody is holding your hand telling you what to do.


We had a guy called Pizza Charlie, he spent 25 years pushing a broom. He was easy to find as he liked to hide behind open doors. He never moved beyond being a laborer.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

rewire said:


> You have admitted stealing from your employer so why would they give you any responsibility beyond a broom.


Because they always tell me I'm reliable and doing a great job - but yet they keep giving me the same work. That's what I don't get. If I consistently ****ed up (idk how you can **** up sweeping and parts organization, but whatever) I'd understand. But why tell someone they're doing well but never let them advance?


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

I think what I need is like a night time electrical job as well. That way I could test the waters and maybe gain experience that would either allow me to excel or to quit my day job...


----------



## big2bird (Oct 1, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> Because they always tell me I'm reliable and doing a great job - but yet they keep giving me the same work. That's what I don't get. If I consistently ****ed up (idk how you can **** up sweeping and parts organization, but whatever) I'd understand. But why tell someone they're doing well but never let them advance?


Have you ever heard the saying, "Blow smoke up his azz?"


----------



## gold (Feb 15, 2008)

Lance you should just start kicking some ass. Seriously there out to get you man, you gotta set em straight!! They shouldn't be disrespecting you like this, you served your country, you put people in the ground!! They don't start teaching you punch em in the grill and demand your education!!


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

big2bird said:


> Have you ever heard the saying, "Blow smoke up his azz?"


Why would you tell someone that when you could just can them? Better yet, why tell them they're doing good - all the while concealing from them your true thoughts - but secretly expect that they'll improve as workers? Doesn't seem likely, doesn't seem like a very adult way to go about things...

I doubt this to be the case - I mean Jesus, they've bought me dinner before for God sakes. I seriously doubt they hate me.


----------



## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> Why would you tell someone that when you could just can them? Better yet, why tell them they're doing good - all the while concealing from them your true thoughts - but secretly expect that they'll improve as workers? Doesn't seem likely, doesn't seem like a very adult way to go about things...
> 
> I doubt this to be the case - I mean Jesus, they've bought me dinner before for God sakes. I seriously doubt they hate me.


It's probably your face


----------



## Hippie (May 12, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> Why would you tell someone that when you could just can them? Better yet, why tell them they're doing good - all the while concealing from them your true thoughts - but secretly expect that they'll improve as workers? Doesn't seem likely, doesn't seem like a very adult way to go about things...
> 
> I doubt this to be the case - I mean Jesus, they've bought me dinner before for God sakes. I seriously doubt they hate me.


I've bought lunch for helpers that I thought sucked. More smoke.


----------



## rewire (Jul 2, 2013)

LanceBass said:


> Because they always tell me I'm reliable and doing a great job - but yet they keep giving me the same work. That's what I don't get. If I consistently ****ed up (idk how you can **** up sweeping and parts organization, but whatever) I'd understand. But why tell someone they're doing well but never let them advance?


 you were never in the military were you.


----------



## rewire (Jul 2, 2013)

Hippie said:


> I've bought lunch for helpers that I thought sucked. More smoke.


 When I was young I had a girlfriend have sex with me then broke up with me. Just because you get something doesn't mean they want you around.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

rewire said:


> When I was young I had a girlfriend have sex with me then broke up with me. Just because you get something doesn't mean they want you around.


Pretty solid analogy right there. Must be another one of them there brain-surgeon-turned-electricians lol

I don't know, if someone is doing a bad job I'd tell them - they're losing me money after all. I also wouldn't pat them on the back, tell them "good work", or buy them meals. I think you guys are drastically overestimating the lengths these people will go to trick me...


----------



## Hippie (May 12, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> Pretty solid analogy right there. Must be another one of them there brain-surgeon-turned-electricians lol
> 
> I don't know, if someone is doing a bad job I'd tell them - they're losing me money after all. I also wouldn't pat them on the back, tell them "good work", or buy them meals. I think you guys are drastically overestimating the lengths these people will go to trick me...


No what people are trying to tell you is that a meal means nothing and maybe you are doing a good job sweeping but that doesn't mean they think you would do a good job at anything else.


----------



## rewire (Jul 2, 2013)

LanceBass said:


> Pretty solid analogy right there. Must be another one of them there brain-surgeon-turned-electricians lol
> 
> I don't know, if someone is doing a bad job I'd tell them - they're losing me money after all. I also wouldn't pat them on the back, tell them "good work", or buy them meals. I think you guys are drastically overestimating the lengths these people will go to trick me...


 Your cheap labor. Somebody has to take out the trash. You are not worth any investment. You are kept on trash duty. When its time you will be let go.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

Hippie said:


> No what people are trying to tell you is that a meal means nothing and maybe you are doing a good job sweeping but that doesn't mean they think you would do a good job at anything else.


...but you clowns just spent 8 pages telling me you have to excel at the menial tasks before they'll let you do something better.

So which is it? Or did you just come into this thread to spew your vitriol?


----------



## Hippie (May 12, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> ...but you clowns just spent 8 pages telling me you have to excel at the menial tasks before they'll let you do something better.
> 
> So which is it? Or did you just come into this thread to spew your vitriol?


Apparently you are very dense. No wonder youre on trash. What were saying is that if you tried and had potential you would already be on something else but 4 months in your fate has already been decided


----------



## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> ...but you clowns just spent 8 pages telling me you have to excel at the menial tasks before they'll let you do something better.
> 
> So which is it? Or did you just come into this thread to spew your vitriol?


I think everyone originally meant you well in your earlier posts but now it's obviously you're a whiny **** and not worth the trouble


----------



## rewire (Jul 2, 2013)

LanceBass said:


> ...but you clowns just spent 8 pages telling me you have to excel at the menial tasks before they'll let you do something better.
> 
> So which is it? Or did you just come into this thread to spew your vitriol?


 You must excel at the menial tasks . Excelling at the menial tasks does not by itself mean you will be given better tasks. Even if you are not given better tasks you should continue to excel at the menial tasks.


----------



## rewire (Jul 2, 2013)

Hippie said:


> Apparently you are very dense. No wonder youre on trash. What were saying is that if you tried and had potential you would already be on something else but 4 months in your fate has already been decided


 They went to find him so they could show him how to run conduit but could not find him because he was hiding taking a three hour nap.


----------



## Rollie73 (Sep 19, 2010)

Screw it guys......its a lost cause.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

Rollie73 said:


> Screw it guys......its a lost cause.


Awww, don't be mad just because my cool, crisp logic destroyed any semblance of a point you guys may have had

Me: I'm doing menial tasks
You guys: You need to do menial tasks well before you're trusted
Me: they told me I'm excelling at menial tasks
You guys: Well, they're just lying to you


Yep, solid.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

rewire said:


> You must excel at the menial tasks . Excelling at the menial tasks does not by itself mean you will be given better tasks. Even if you are not given better tasks you should continue to excel at the menial tasks.


Why? So I can have a cool nick-name like "Pizza Dave" and push brooms for the next 25 years?


----------



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

LanceBass said:


> Awww, don't be mad just because my cool, crisp logic destroyed any semblance of a point you guys may have had
> 
> Me: I'm doing menial tasks
> You guys: You need to do menial tasks well before you're trusted
> ...


You may think you've won an internet argument, but in the end you're still just an apprentice who is at Summer helper level :thumbup:


----------



## rewire (Jul 2, 2013)

LanceBass said:


> Why? So I can have a cool nick-name like "Pizza Dave" and push brooms for the next 25 years?


 Nappy or Snoozy would be more like it.


----------



## Rollie73 (Sep 19, 2010)

LanceBass said:


> Awww, don't be mad just because my cool, crisp logic destroyed any semblance of a point you guys may have had
> 
> Me: I'm doing menial tasks
> You guys: You need to do menial tasks well before you're trusted
> ...


If you knew me...........you'd know I don't get mad. I just walk away from a lost cause. 
Anything and everything that has been said to you has fallen on deaf ears and will continue to do so. 
You have been told time and time again that your attitude and your attitude alone will determine when you advance in the trade but all you can do is blame someone else regardless of how many times you've been told.

I would have to say that this is the perfect definition of a *lost cause,* therefore........enjoy your little world. 
I wish you all the best in your career as a labourer.


----------



## big2bird (Oct 1, 2012)

LanceBass said:


> Awww, don't be mad just because my cool, crisp logic destroyed any semblance of a point you guys may have had
> 
> Me: I'm doing menial tasks
> You guys: You need to do menial tasks well before you're trusted
> ...


Yes. Your a rocket scientist. That's why you are pushing a broom.:laughing::laughing:
We are jsut dumb azz old men that were never young, or had the same thoughts as you.
However, since a few of your posts don't make sense, I'm begenning to suspect a ruse.
Your either incredibly stubborn, or incredibly stupid. 
Either way, you have a l o n g road ahead.


----------



## Rollie73 (Sep 19, 2010)

LanceBass said:


> Why? So I can have a cool nick-name like "Pizza Dave" and _*push brooms for the next 25 years*_?


 
With your attitude...............its where you're headed


----------



## big2bird (Oct 1, 2012)

Rollie73 said:


> With your attitude...............its where you're headed


No one will put up with him that long without some changes made.


----------



## LanceBass (Mar 22, 2013)

Rollie73 said:


> If you knew me...........you'd know I don't get mad. I just walk away from a lost cause.
> Anything and everything that has been said to you has fallen on deaf ears and will continue to do so.
> You have been told time and time again that your attitude and your attitude alone will determine when you advance in the trade but all you can do is blame someone else regardless of how many times you've been told.
> 
> ...


I think my attitude is amazing. I come to work every single day, do all the **** work, keep my mouth shut, and ask for new tasks when I'm done. Plus I pay out my own pocket for my education - pretty good considering many employer pay FOR an employees schooling...

I'd say my attitude is incredible especially since I outlasted all the other apprentices by like three months. I don't know what else I can do besides personally "servicing" my superiors after every lunch break. I mean, I just want more responsibility. Not an absurd wish at all...


----------



## Ninjazx916r (Apr 1, 2011)

Lance don't worry bout it. Some of these experience guys always think they are the shiet. Just remember it's a creative trade, think outside the box and you be fine.


----------



## Ninjazx916r (Apr 1, 2011)

LanceBass said:


> I think my attitude is amazing. I come to work every single day, do all the **** work, keep my mouth shut, and ask for new tasks when I'm done. Plus I pay out my own pocket for my education - pretty good considering many employer pay FOR an employees schooling...
> 
> I'd say my attitude is incredible especially since I outlasted all the other apprentices by like three months. I don't know what else I can do besides personally "servicing" my superiors after every lunch break. I mean, I just want more responsibility. Not an absurd wish at all...


You are doing everything right but be patient. If you're lucky you will do different things on different jobs, if you are not lucky you are doing the same over and over for couple jobs. Just keep doing what you're doing. This is a trust-no-job career so no matter how much work they give you no on is trusted 100%, they will come back and check on your work at the time you least expected it.


----------



## stuiec (Sep 25, 2010)

Hey Lance, where else do you troll? I'm interested to know if you're a one trick pony or the real deal....


----------



## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

If you are for real and not a troll I THINK I can give you some insight to your predicament.

From you post you seem to be a PIA arrogant helper, therefore you become the brunt of jokes and are stuck with menial jobs.

Unfortunately you can not change you attitude because you see yourself as the most righteous and the others as missing your greatness.


----------



## D Y N A M O (Oct 17, 2012)

Your answer gentlemen.:thumbsup:

I'm surprised the New Zealand perv didn't come up with this.


----------



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

brian john said:


> If you are for real and not a troll I THINK I can give you some insight to your predicament.
> 
> From you post you seem to be a PIA arrogant helper, therefore you become the brunt of jokes and are stuck with menial jobs.
> 
> Unfortunately you can not change you attitude because you see yourself as the most righteous and the others as missing your greatness.


This is the absolute truth.

Over the years I have come across helpers who were pretty good as far as work but they had such big heads and wouldn't listen to anyone else, so I would keep them stocking material and digging holes.


----------



## Celtic (Nov 19, 2007)

LanceBass said:


> Should I wait one years?





Celtic said:


> You should quit.



....


----------

