# Felt in a rut in regards to my apprenticeship



## gnuuser (Jan 13, 2013)

JoeCool612 said:


> Hey guys.
> I’m a union 4th year apprentice. I want to say that I came into the trade from an electrical engineering background. I had no mechanical background at all and come from a family of white collar professionals and I am not a white male. It almost sounds like the trades would be a nightmare for me. And it was for a bit lol. However, I just wanted to say that for the countless apprentices that are struggling to gain experience or struggling to be trained on the job that your situation is not unusual. I only started to succeed in this trade when I realized I have to take responsibility for my career. I had to advocate for MYSELF. I don’t say that to be callous but if you don’t these neatherthals definitely won’t. They are too worried about being laid off to train you. So I used my intellect. Take all the classs at the JATC that interest you. Learn PLCs. Motor controls. VFDs all that. All the stuff people are afraid of. I actually just got a paid trip to Washington DC for the international IBEW conference where I got to network. And now I do building automation and have a 6 figure job lined up working with automation and a truck. I guess it’s hard to see the big picture when you feel beat up in the apprenticeship. But take courage, don’t let the negativity get to you. Don’t let success get to your head and failure get to your heart. Peace!



exactly a highly skilled plc/slc programmer usually gets a lot of travel and other perks as well! including premium pay rates.
generally skilled programmers are in short supply so there is never a shortage of work for them!

quite often you can write template programs for various equipment and modify them to suit the given tasks 
these save you one hell of a lot of time.

my only regret was that i didn't get to take the classes when they first came out and had to do it on my own later.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

JoeCool612 said:


> I only started to succeed in this trade when I realized I have to take responsibility for my career. I had to advocate for MYSELF.


:thumbsup:


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

2nd being one's own advocate. 

Start a library , find resources , read the trade rags, follow the trade icons, attend classes, etc

Out my way there _is no other way_. Most sparks like myself had to pitch for it all, school, books, etc etc

Sad commentary, but one can rise above it....

:vs_cool:
~CS~


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## TokenFemale (Dec 18, 2016)

JoeCool612 said:


> I don’t say that to be callous but if you don’t these neatherthals definitely won’t. They are too worried about being laid off to train you.



No joke, a lot of this trade seems to be a head game. Stuff that happens on the jobsite doesn't bother me, but when my training director gets in my face about what a useless sack of **** I am I start to wonder if I'm in the right career.


I'm realizing now that it's just the culture; I tend to be fairly immune to stress, but the constant onslaught of criticism, abuse, etc is beginning to effect my mental health.


a significant minority of those in the electrical trade have beyond terrible people skills and make anyone within earshot miserable with their presence. it's useful for getting objective feedback if said asshole is reasonably intelligent; after a period of time becomes exhausting tho.


i'm curious why OP wanted to become a wireman after earning an EE degree, most people veer in the other direction.


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## Rora (Jan 31, 2017)

TokenFemale said:


> No joke, a lot of this trade seems to be a head game. Stuff that happens on the jobsite doesn't bother me, but when my training director gets in my face about what a useless sack of **** I am I start to wonder if I'm in the right career.
> 
> 
> I'm realizing now that it's just the culture; I tend to be fairly immune to stress, but the constant onslaught of criticism, abuse, etc is beginning to effect my mental health.
> ...


Couldn't have said it better... I've always wondered how much easier my job would be without the drama and work politics, it's gotten so old. At this point I've stopped caring completely and just do my best regardless of all the noise, and people act like I'm some kind of magical unicorn or that I must be blissfully ignorant of what people say behind each others backs.

I don't blame anyone at a personal level, somehow I think the only explanation for so much interpersonal dysfunction is that people become a product of an environment that is a self-fulfilling cycle. I wonder if they recognized the same problems until the environment deteriorates their state of mind to the point that they begin to perpetuate it. At the very least, it brings out the worst in everyone.


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

TokenFemale said:


> No joke, a lot of this trade seems to be a head game. Stuff that happens on the jobsite doesn't bother me,* but when my training director gets in my face about what a useless sack of **** I am I start to wonder if I'm in the right career.*
> 
> 
> I'm realizing now that it's just the culture; I tend to be fairly immune to stress, but the constant onslaught of criticism, abuse, etc is beginning to effect my mental health.
> ...


 Sounds like your "training director" is the useless sack of siht, and is in the wrong career.
Next time he pulls that crap, tell him, "I learned that from YOU".


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## Wiresmith (Feb 9, 2013)

rora are you an apprentice?


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## Wiresmith (Feb 9, 2013)

TokenFemale sorry to hear that, do you mind sharing your local #?

after you get past 3rd year it goes pretty quick and if you figure out how to you can run those pricks in the ground when you top out. remember this to look out for apprentices when you top out, i know the culture sucks for everyone apprentice and jman but apprentices barely have any rights and that makes it worse for them, can't drag a job,.....


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## gnuuser (Jan 13, 2013)

joebanana said:


> Sounds like your "training director" is the useless sack of siht, and is in the wrong career.
> Next time he pulls that crap, tell him, "I learned that from YOU".


exactly it sounds like the op's training director is a bit prejudiced and needs to be nailed to the wall.
granted Ive had a lot of male apprentices and they were good but the all had to learn they were not bullet proof!
the females ive had to train were all top notch, they learned fast, and were very methodical in proving circuits dead before working on conductors.

in this day and age with all the lawsuits being filed and and sensitivity & respect training going on there is no room for an abusive twit like that

having a thick skin to a little ribbing now and then is a requirement but putting up with outright verbal abuse is not and is subject to litigation.


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