I am a first year apprentice and I start my first day of work as an apprentice tomorrow and I am excited and less nervous after watching your video . Thank you!
Did you go thru a trades school first before becoming an apprentice? I’m looking into becoming an electrician but don’t know if I need the schooling first or what steps people take to getting into that field
@@mariobruhasmr817find your local electricians union hall, they will have applications, usually requires a transcript, a resume, and your application, also some have an application fee. But you’ll do a test to qualify and then you either get selected to interview or not at all and then you start your apprenticeship while also attending classes to learn the stuff you’re doing on the job site
@@mariobruhasmr817hey I’m starting my first day on September 3 and I didn’t go schooling I just went job fair and found companies with apprenticeships programs so I don’t have to go through school just start as an apprentice
The first tip is my #1 since I was a kid. I was always taught that on-time is late and 15 minutes early is on-time. To this day I’d rather arrive somewhere an hour early, sit in my car and watch RU-vid or read, then jump out when I got 20-25 minutes left until I start then I start heading into work. I feel like this type of work ethic has really set me apart since everyone knows that I will never be late and if I am late, something is really wrong.
You don’t get paid for sitting in the car doe. Don’t matter if the customer’s expectations - if there is 30 minutes of security checks, well…that’s time factored into the job.
Yeah I don’t work 15 minutes free every day and that’s actually illegal unless you yourself are a contractor. If you’re an employee and the require you to be there 15-30 minutes early then they legally have to pay you for that time. Anytime an employer pulled that shit I clocked that time. I don’t work for free.
One thing I didn't know is that while I was installing receptacles, my boss would be installing breakers and flipping them on. He said, "Well you should be able to work on stuff hot!" I yelled at him and said, "Well I can, but it's nice to KNOW that it's hot in the first place!"
I ask my apprentices to do things i know they can't, just to see if they are willing to ask questions. When they don't ask questions, i ask them questions about it.
I am sending this to all my previous apprentices over the last 20 years & they will agree with everything you have mentioned. They thought I was hard on them while they were fresh & green. Guess who are all qualified & are now great tradespeople with good work ethic. If you want to be a sheep, go work on a farm. If you want to be a good apprentice & learn your trade well, work hard, don't winge & lock in with a good tradesman/woman and learn your craft well. The people you work with will give their all if you give you're all.
@speakup why not? (Your thoughts?) I’m going/looking to be in this field now. I’m “green” and starting from the bottom. I like all perspectives… I you could, please?
Thanks for this. I'm totally new to the electrical field and I just started hands on practice in a program that I'm in. For the first time I started thinking about other trades and quitting because I felt I didn't do well enough and embarrassed cause I don't know what I'm doing, lol. But I have to remember I'm there to learn and be patient with myself.
How is it going so far ? I just got a job offer with very good pay doing outlets/lights and stuff in new building but i literally know nothing about electrical work , the guy said that it's ok that he'll teach me while we will work but i'm still kinda scared that i won't understand the plans or fuck up the wiring and start a fire or some shit but the money is extremely good for my country ... 26€/h compared to average of 8€/h in my country ... so i feel like i gotta at least try it .
@@i_maiko_i It's going well. I'm hoping to learn different areas of the field, I've been doing the same thing for the past few months. But I realized as long as you show up and show that you want to learn, most will work with you. I'm taking it day by day and feel a little better about the process. Good luck to you!
@@AAbba-zf8zr thanks for the encouraging words 😎 Now I'm in my first job I traveled to Berlin to do water pipes in construction second week here slowly learning but the money is good although I work 5x 12 hours and 1x 9hours in a week :D only one day off but 4x wage of my country so I'm motivated to keep going
most important thing. pay attention to what your guy is showing you or telling you. nothing is worse or makes you look worse than asking what to do when they just explained it to you with detail
Yes listen but ask questions on shit you don’t understand. A lot of older guys forget new guys don’t know anything and they just spout off stuff that doesn’t make sense unless you know everything they’re talking about. It’s better to ask than to do it twice.
This comment can lead to some shitty habits from more senior people, though. It's better to ask for a repeat in simpler terms and work on getting it right than to just stay silent because your mentor is so short fused and impatient that they don't want to explain.
I’m 30 minutes early sometimes even an hour early to any job I take as a jack of all trades. I always take the initiative to be more than prepared to satisfy customer needs. I recommend the new generation (my generation) do the same.
Went to trade school, graduated about a year ago. They told me that finding a job would be easy. I got played after applying to many companies and the union. I still can't find a dam job. 😐
@yovizx Yeah, I signed up and passed a course for High Voltage Test Tech. Got an associate is science as well as a cert for general electrician. Not to mention my trainee card and a 30-hour OSHA construction safety card. Even with all that can't find anybody who wants a beginner apprentice.
@@TheBottomG_1 damn sounds tough, I'm currently a truck driver but work is super slow around here and was considering being an electrician. Hopefully I can start as an apprentice some time soon. Good look to you!
Hey is there any other online course recommended to help get that first job??? All the beginners jobs ask for an apprentice who is already at the end of their apprenticeship. Thank you
You wouldn’t expect to be compensated if the job was an extra 20 minutes away from your house. People will drive 2 hours away and it’s part of the job but not sign in to a facility 20 minutes prior that’s in town
Personally I have done most stuff. I am a commercial and industrial service electrician and that’s where most of my time has been spent. I have never done residential work professionally but I have done a number of projects in residential. I have done large scale commercial and industrial new construction for about a year.
@@americanelectrician yeah , I’m having a difficult time finding a companies that takes people who are wanting to start out. A lot of places are asking for people who already have schooling experiences.
Yeah I’m 26 currently making well over 100k at my operator job i hate and I’m willing to take a pay cut to pursue this cause I want a day job that still pays well and has a better work life balance. My shift work and nights are killing me slowly
Yes this is something worth taking serious. It's a life skill that you will have with you for the rest of your life. It's definitely worth it if you like to work hands on.
I’ve been in dirt crews, mining, tree work, carpentry and farm work and I’ll say electrical is a very smart thing to go into. You won’t kill yourself in 15 years down the line from labor and you’ll get great pay and benefits. But, while you’re able to, try to go into different fields before going into a skilled position to really see what you like and don’t like. I
@@seemycashI can totally agree with this! I had a good paying job but the hours sucked and it was rotating shifts. Had no time to really do anything so I just finally got tired of it and took the jump. I start on Monday with a local electric company! Super excited to be straight days.
Hi, I’m about to be apprentice electrician in a few weeks but I’m hesitant with my math skills like I’m literally bad at math. Can anyone confirm do you have to be extremely good at math?
You can take a couple of semesters of math at the college Archie. I’m currently in college right now studying electrical engineering and I’ve already gone through college algebra and trigonometry. Next semester I’ll be in calculus. If you ever need help with math, you have my contact here. I would be more than happy to help you. Once you get the hang of it, math is not that hard at all. You got this! God bless you, brother.
I’ve been an apprentice for two months. Been doing overtime lately and feels good man. There’s not a lot of math involve of what I’m doing right now but so far so good. I hope you guys are doing well.
For most places you dont need any college education for an apprenticeship or previous experience, that’s the whole point of an apprenticeship. Just look at the requirements for wherever you’re applying. Most times it’s just a high school diploma or GED level education.
@americanelectrician Hi American Electrician, I was thinking of joining IBEW Union Local 730 (South Florida). My Dad is an electrician. However, he is 65 and doesn't work as much. It's been a while since I touched any electrical work, and dine any wiring. So you recommend to go straight to a self contractor right away?
There not a such thing as good journeyman. Besides they choose the younger ones and leave us 50 yrs old behind. That's why is better to choose trade school since there's no pick and choose age type of discrimination.
If anyone could give me advice would be appreciated I’m an installation electrician but I really want to get into …. Systems protection engineering is that a good choice ?
I used to be an apprentice and this guy seems fairly friendly. Idk if that's just for the vid or this is really him. Either way the guys I worked with were not this friendly.
Certainly! Here's a revised version of your sentence: "Can you explain in a video how foreign qualification certificate holders can find an apprenticeship in Ireland?"
@@americanelectricianthanks for the video man. Quick question for you, I was a very average Bs and Cs student in high school and I have zero experience with electrical work, so how hard is it going to be for me to learn all of this stuff? Am I going to be able to handle this? I'm not an idiot but I'm not super book smart either, just average
@@americanelectricianone more quick question then I'll shut up I promise, I'm an Illinois resident for reference and I have a couple marijuana and marijuana pipe charges from 2009 and 2012. No felonies, no other criminal charges whatsoever and I don't even do that stupid crap anymore and haven't for over 7 years. Will those marijuana misdemeanors keep me from becoming an electrician?
If you’re paid to start work at 7am and you arrive at 7. You are being paid for not working. Nobody is earning any money until you actually start running cable or whatever you’re supposed to be doing.
So disrespecting your father is acceptable. My son is going to be an electrician because I recommended it to him. He believes in me, and he loves me and wouldn't disrespect me. Us fathers do know more than you younger people. Your father is older than you and has learned a lot about life and from life. You don't know as much as your father, but you are on RU-vid telling people what they should do. You have a lot to learn. I don't know you, but I can hear what you're saying. You should try and listen to your father.
I think you missed everything I said completely. My father is great and we have a great relationship. When I was 19 or whatever I didn’t want to listen to him about it but eventually decided to do it and admitted he was right. I don’t get your beef with what I said
You don’t know if he knows more than his father or not, this guys could read regularly on who knows what, and the dad could be a workaholic, respect to the dad ofc but that doesn’t give him authority, its all about respect, his dad gonna guide him but he still has his own wishes as his own person that he deserves to seek out, not saying he should disrespect his pops but I think you misinterpreted what he was saying. Being older doesn’t immediately make you smarter than us “younger people”, i’ve seen some bonehead, and ignorant oldheads, and smart and insightful young people, all respects to you because your a father and that takes dedication and bravery, but that don’t make you better than anyone. congratulations on your son, we need more fathers with healthy relationships with their sons🙏🏽🙏🏽