5 Hardest Parts Of Your Plumbing Apprenticeship 

Peeps! What were some of the hardest parts of your plumbing apprenticeship? Discuss it down in the comments below!

having gotten my journeyman license back in January of 2021, you hit everything I more or less struggled with on the job. Something I had issues with and still do to some degree is having the confidence in my own abilities to complete the job when I'm on my own. That being said, when you're overwhelmed just take a breath. If you need help don't be afraid to call a journeyman for advice, if something takes you longer to do but its done right then no one will complain. With repetition comes speed.

1st one reminded of something my mom told me. When she tried to get a job in the corporate world everyone kept on telling her she needed experience. Finally she went to this office and they supervisor told her the same thing. She said to him no, I am not leaving, how am I suppose to get experience when know one will give me a chance. She ended up staying with the Company over 30 yrs until she retired. They didn’t want her to leave. Ask if she wanted to do a few more years. Basically don’t give up so quickly when you hear no. She heard many until she got fed up.

You hit the nail on the head with this one. I totally agree about customers watching over you constantly. Its definitely hard at first but you gotta zone them out and just do your work. Its tough but it'll get better over time. And the classroom part of it .. I'm a definite hands on kind of guy not a class room guy. Thanks again Kenny. Love your channel.

Just got accepted to a local Have orientation next week. Im ready for this 💪

Great video man, just subbed. I’m in my 3rd year in BC and loving it. Really is funny how different the skills are for school vs actually plumbing on a job. Both important but you will always learn more on the job under a good journey person. Still the theory from school goes a long way in actually understanding what your doing and troubleshoot stuff.

A big key in an apprenticeship is having patience with people, I am in carpentry and I know my stuff but the instructor/professor keep yelling at anyone else and it stops them to having confidence and making them to stop trying.

Hardest part for me was working from 7 to damn 10 o clock every night we are a 24/7 buisnezs im 22 and we work 12 days straight im working on getting my on truck and being alone apprenticeship for almost a year and planning to be a journey soon

I just got lucky and secured a position as a laborer with a good chance of starting an apprenticeship this summer. Thanks for this video!

Hey Kenny I just shared on FB thanks again for all the videos . :) And I find the hardest part of the apprenticeship is having a company who keeps you in the DARK AND KEEPING YOU UNINFORMED / Knowledge, working with you and keeping you up with teaching & I understand that the apprenticeship book is your responsibility but it also shows' you were your at and if they think its a waste of time and garbage they are wrong? or i Think it helps you on what you need to work on :) Thanks Kenny Cheers Cory. AKA Hollywood lol

Great video bud. Nail on the head. Im currently 3rd year apprentice and had the same hard things im going through

I'm an apprentice at another company instead and have so far glued a couple fittings but took in what all the plumbers are doing, I am also drilling holes in a building and it's helping me understand layout and what pipe is for what appliance or lav or whatever. It's those little things that go a long way. I'm completely doing everything from the lowest point and working on moving up as I keep learning, I don't start school until the beginning of September unfortunately so everything I'm learning is just what the others tell me, including the theory into practice. Definitely a great career.

I'm gonna apply for a plumbing apprenticeship through the local union here. I'm 26, I did the whole 4 year college route, waste of time tbh because I've been working jobs that don't require a degree. I recently have new passion for working with tools and my hands. Hope this works out for me.

Thanks for doing this video Kenny! I plan on starting in a plumbing cert program in Atlanta in the Fall. These videos help a lot as I try to learn more about the trade.

Can relate to all of these. Although some of these do not go away after your a jman. I was an installer for almost my whole apprenticeship, i started doing service an repair as a jman, and it felt like i started a whole new apprenticeship. It was incredibly humbling, i did not have the luxury of working with an experianced service plumber to guide me. I had to teach myself new tricks an methods through trial an error, and experiance customers over my shoulder and not having confidence. I had a rough idea what i was doing but in general id have to say service work is a whole different animal compared to new construction, developing people skills, time efficency, cost, and paperwork organization are all things i never had to be aware of. Iv been down almost every road in plumbing now, i still run into somthing new once in a while, but going through the growing pains of learning to become well rounded in everything is worth it. Fellow Ontario plumber.

Thanks for the tips, will be starting my apprenticeship soon with my local union.

I started a carpentry apprentice at a residential design-build remodeling company. We’re a big enough company that our plumbers and electricians are hired to the company and not subcontracted. Hence, I got to work with the master plumber and the other same plumbers all the time. The master plumber got to know me better and see my work ethic first hand on the jobs I saw him at, so he actually offered me the opportunity to transition over to plumbing. By the following week I was working full time in plumbing 👍🏻

Awesome insights. Ty.

I finally secured an apprenticeship yesterday and I’m so excited!! Thanks for this channel!

very well explained loved it

I struggled but only for a month finding an apprenticeship using the Indeed method. I instead went old school, I called up a bunch of places. Only one in my city was hiring which is also close to home so thats nice. They weren't officially looking until I was speaking with them and I start in two weeks!

Houston TX local 68 union has a good program. Work while you learn . I'm a 4th year apprentice studying auto cad this semester . We will be learning back flow and med gas before we graduate with those certs .

Great content! Love your energy! You seem like a very intelligent dude.. it’s kinda discouraging hearing you say you found pluming school difficult. Im an older male looking for a new career and I’m very interested in what you have to say about plumbing school. Can you please make a video on plumbing school. What someone would expect. How it all works...did you go to school once a year and how long is it each time you go to school ...what to expect from plumbing school in Ontario..is there anything you would recommend to study prior to going to school? Your time is greatly appreciated. Thank you

great video you should make more videos

I worked as a plumber for about a year about 8 years ago. I’ve been back at it for the past 4 months. I haven’t had any schooling or taken any plumbing classes. I keep getting sent on solo jobs and it sucks ass, because I don’t know shit. I had a rough one the other day at a commercial building and people kept asking me questions and I had to say I don’t know about 40 times.

I love that the union had a personality test. Found out we don't think the same. What a blessing.

Part of the UA in Ontario and have been on the tools since day 1 (Four months in). Beginning of the shift my journeyman tells me what lines to run (size, valves, drains, vents, balancing valves and control valves ). I spend the better portion of my night working alone and will only grab him if there's something I'm stuck on. measuring and calculating the length of pipe, fitting allowances, etc. It blows my mind to hear about these second and third year apprentices who have never been on the tools. I do agree with you about having differing opinions as to how your journeyman would have done it. It's a difficult subject to broach. Basically, I use the old phrase "Do first and ask for forgiveness later". If I think my way is better I'll just go ahead and do it. 9/10 times its fine.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Loved your video. I'm also in Ontario (Midland area) and in my 6th week of plumbing techniques at Georgian. I have my mid terms next week, and doing amazing (probably deans list) with the online (covid) school portion. I'm having such a hard time with my physical strength during my shop classes, for example: pulling apart like a 1/2" pvc pipe from a fitting (had a lot of other already glued fitting in place, so there was more friction) after sticking it in the elbow and making my marks before gluing. I think I may have not reamed it enough, which also has to do with me trying to be as fast as all these guys and being weaker and not being able to do it as well as them in that time. Any tips for a 5'1 girl in a class room full of guys? I'll begin my apprenticeship in May, as long as I find one.

I had the solder sweat thing happen to the guy who was teaching me. he couldnt solder the joints because the main in the house wasnt holding completely. It toook forever to get it soldered, he got pretty frustrated. I got frustrated, after that plumbing experience.. Everytime i solder even R19 shut offs for toilets, i take a little stinger vacuum to the water line after the main shut off, makes soldering easier for me, when you vacuum it still gets quite a bit in the line, even if you bleed out taps in a basement, Some old school plumbers use the bread, which is still kinda cool

Thanks man

3:52 I'm right here with my photography. I can take beautifully lit portraits but i've never done it as a business.

I just started my apprenticeship 4 months ago as a service and repair plumber. There’s so much to learn all at once. Any tips on how I can learn fast ?

Thanks for your information i am 44 yrs old a bit hesitant on the plumbing trade should I go to a school for 12 months or look for a apprenticeship program

Good stuff

Gonna start applying for apprenticeships

I'm gonna go for one through the union next year. Wish me luck man. Great video.

I’m 33 planing to move to Tx, looking to start a career in plumbing, any advice?

Hey did you guys have prior training before finding a job or did you just go somewhere and fill out an app out for Plumbing somewhere? Please respond.

You should drop a freestyle sometime bro that intro got me hyped ✌🏻😂

I just finished my first year of my apprenticeship and I'm just now getting my own tasks on jobs.

I started my apprenticeship almost 2 months ago, after 2 weeks my boss had me doing repair work and driving around in my own vehicle. Nothing seems that hard, and if I don’t know what to do my boss shows up and shows me. He’s the best plumbing boss on the west coast I think.

Wow this really helped.

is being a plumber worth it and why/? hows pay for journey man, and is it hard

WELL COME TO C N R PLUMBING SERVICES BON ACCORD VILLAGE TOBAGO .

do you think it would help more if you go to a trade school and then try and apply to a plumbing company.

What’s an apprenticeship and also what do you do in an apprenticeship, please and thank you . Great video by the way !

So i just started an apprenticeship in plumbing in Vancouver and it took me less then a week for 3 plumbing job offers as a pre ap/1s yr.

Don't forget that a lot of these shops won't start you higher than like min wage +1/hr. if you have no prior experience. The rest I can take all in stride really...

Are you familiar with roto roofer? If so are they a good company? I have an interview with them for an apprenticeship

I couldn't get anyone to sign me on as an apprentice so I'm going to conestoga for a pre apprenticeship 8 month course for more experience. I start in September. It costs 4 grand plus living expanses.

One of the hardest parts of my UA plumbing apprenticeship was being young. No matter how smart, fast, and efficient i was i always got talked down to and overlooked for “being a kid”

Theres different types of plumbing. Big commercial medical facilities is what I do. I grew up doing service. Usually pretty simple.

been apprentcing a mam for 6 months, he could be a journeyman tomorrow. Mechanical background, just not schooled U.S. He's Jordanian, U.S. Citizen

I can't find a plumbing apprentice ship it's honestly getting hard especially since I was one but economy went to shit and got fired idk what am gonna do

I'm about 2 months into my apprenticeship. I work with 2 other people doing new construction. My issue is that the other two who are both journeymen mostly speak Spanish when they're trying to figure out a problem. Or when the senior journeymen is telling the other how he wants something done and why, it's always in Spanish. I feel like i'm missing a lot of information sometimes. I generally can figure out what's going on while watching it being done but sometimes I feel like i'm missing the little stuff because I don't speak the language. I'm always asking him if he could tell me in English but I can tell it's getting annoying. What should I do?

I've been an apprentice for over a year and a half now and all I have to say is pay attention to what your plumber tells you, my plumbers I worked under were not afraid to let me fuck something up to teach me a lesson. When you are installing stops, always ask if there is a recirculating pump on the line....

I dunno if anyone else has ever felt this way But i i just want to say I'm really grateful for my apprenticeship and i have a really good boss who i work really hard for he takes the time out of his day to teach me and he is really patient yet, stern i really like his teaching style, but some days he overwhelms me i try my best to take it all in i write down as much as i can remember and try to ask questions but i just feel drained mentally by the end of day and sometimes it carries onto the next day. Is this just a one of the mental walls within my apprenticeship that will help me grow? Or I'm i just taking in too much information in and thinking to hard about?

Is it technically hard/ 53 now so too old tbf I was in the RAFand at the time I was really upset at this ,but I get a decent pension so it turned out ok

Plumber had his apprentice in. I asked if the job got checked and he was aggrieved about it 🤷‍♂️

Hey bud, thanks for the tips! I'm starting a 4 week program in Nashville here in a few weeks and am wondering once I get my foot in the door with a company, can I expect to have a shorter apprenticeship, assuming I'm fully engaged and do well with the program? I could have researched this before committing to school, but frankly I just want the skills and am very much ready for a career change. I do so much plumbing work as a farm/ranch hand for $20/hr it's getting old lol I figured I'll just stop pretending and be a real plumber! I noticed you said your school was an 8 week program, which school did you go to? Mahalo.

Hi plumbers. I just have a few questions about moving to another state as a plumber and pursuing journeyman’s licenses. Here’s some background on me first, then the Q’s. I’m 23 years old, currently living in Florida with my parents and really want to move to New Hampshire... really want to move to New Hampshire, like I want to be there yesterday. I’m only just getting started in plumbing and NEVER want to own my own business. I was going to college for, it doesn’t matter but it wasn’t for me so I dropped out to do plumbing and I’m not going back. I also need to get it out there that I passionately HATE Florida and I want to get outta here as soon as possible and never return. I just got a job at an open shop as a helper. It’s not an actual apprenticeship program. So, since I have next to no experience in plumbing and have no money to move right now, should I stay with this company for about 4 to 5 years, gain experience, save a pile of money in the meantime, move up to NH and then pursue my NH journeyman’s license? Or, should I pursue my FL journeyman’s license now and then move up to NH after I get my FL journeyman’s license? Or does anyone have a different plan that could work? Here are a few more questions I have as someone who is very new at plumbing. I know some questions are redundant, I’m just being thorough. Thank you I’m advance for your advice. 1. Will you make more money if you have a journeyman’s license? 2. Bare in mind I want to move to New Hampshire as soon as possible. Should I pursue getting my license now, in Florida or wait ‘til after I move up north? 3. Is it easier to move with or without a license? 4. Can the Florida union keep me stuck here after I get my license? 5. Does it make any sense to just work for 5 years, get the experience, move up north and then pursue my license? 6. If I got my license here and then moved up north, do you know the process of transferring a license to another state?

Hey Kenny. Im 3 years into my apprenticeship. I work for a small business where its just my boss and I. I tend to have good months and some bad weeks. Any advice on how to push through when you start getting down on yourself? I feel like i lack speed and confidence yet my boss was running his own van at 3 years. Thanks

I’m an electrician and have mad respect for you waterboys. Could never imagine getting sprayed with shit.

Plumbing trade is endless bcz a plumber never done learning not matter what's bcz every building and job are different end day isn't a easy trade I'm know what's I talking about bcz I start doing Plumbing around 1998 in Chicago Illinois cast iron wasted stack with galvanized venting and galvanized water lines heavy work not for kids after 20 years I still learning 😀😄

I wasn't expecting to be working with much younger apprentices and journeymen when I got into plumbing ( I'm 30 and work with guys aged 21 to 24 ), although green in the trade I am very much capable of learning and doing the job, had to swallow my pride and take instruction from these younger journeymen, there's been a few occasions of disrespect towards me and I basically threatened to beat 2 of them up , they smartened up quick and since then have watched how they talked to me, long story but basically the only problem iv had to deal with in my apprenticeship other then that everything else has been a learning experience this trade covers a hell of alot of stuff

im nervous about the math aspect, growing up ive not been the best at math..

How much does an apprentice make usually starting out??

New build domestic apprentice plumber from Leicester in uk. I would say the hardest part is retaining information as I am doing a wide variety of jobs day in day out. It’s very tiring as my mentor is on price work so we’re always working fast.

Kenny- thanks for video. I also have a degree-Public Health. Man I haven’t been able to land a job using that degree. I’m looking into a construction trade, get a good valuable skill. Just curious why you went into plumbing after a college degree?

You think they will take me in as an apprentice no experience in this field at all?

Did this dude really just say journey person 😂😂😂

How long is the apprenticeship in Canada?

I am now preparing to go into the apprenticeship next month

Was the Math test very hard

You did an apprenticeship and plumbing school?? I thought it was one or the other

Can you finish plumber apprenticeship in a year

Hey Kenny, why do some companies want you to start out as a laborer..?

pro press best things since running water

My interview for a sponsor is in 2 days. Wish me luck

The pay is absolutely horrendous, and a journeyman pay isn’t good either. I came from 17 years of bartending, and after 8 months I’m calling my apprenticeship over. I love the work, but the pay is terrible.

currently a helper at a small plumbing company having a less than ideal time getting the skills and knowlege i need aswell as conduct

How do I get started

Can I talk to you ?

Can you talk about the plumbing red seal

GOOD morning plumber INADIA to Canada joB center school COURSES LICENSES help

I had a customer break several ribs trying to follow me up in an attic before.

Bring your j man coffe every morning you’ll be fine .

and the music is bouncy

Plumbing companies will take apprentices on if they can drive, nothing to do with second or third year, Problem is, from my experience young people want to be on tik tok all day and don’t want to get dirty and listen to simple instructions

Are you a master plumber?

#6 cleaning up after everyone.