Tuesday i sign the papers to become an electrician apprentice.

I'm not in apprenticeship but my cousin is and he was telling me this story of this kid in his class who's fingers got smushed underneath something heavy and it broke his fingers, then he pulled them out which degloved them, he could have kept them if they broke but there is nothing that can be done once the limb is devolved they have to amputate so if you hand or something gets stuck under something heavy do not pull it out wait for it to be lifted off, they can fix broken fingers not degloved ones

Yeah, watch everything like a hawk so some dumbass doesn't injure you. Get more familiar with safety and health standards and the reasons they exist without being obvious at work. You can do that online. I've run HazMat and OSHA programs at a basic level and passed inspections that way. It's also a comfy job later in your career.

Learn your job on the job, but remember most workers are only satisfied with a paycheck and don't think "career" in everything they do. Be an information sponge and get smart about union hiring and pension plans.

Collective bargaining is the only way to not get assraped in the trades besides running your own small contracting business and there are plenty of those that fail.

Get all the certs you can. Many electricians in the US work on the side making fat bank. I had to install replacement weatherhead and meter box when a tree took my wire down and did nearly all the work myself (I've plenty of industrial maintenance experience) but the electrician who finished it and signed it off still got 400 bucks because the power company needed an inspection to turn the juice back on.

You can gradually accumulate all the personal tools you'd need as a contractor over the years in a very painless manner.

>>1191734
only bullshit if you can work while bullshiting
apprentices fist through third year do all the grunt work from water duty to big wire pull but if you get past third year everything gets a little easier and you get more respect

>>1191780
Thanks this has all been fairly helpful so far. I have my OSHA10 already and it sounds like down the road I'll pick up the 30.

Any particular certs i should keep an eye on?

>>1191811
>only bullshit if you can work while bullshiting

Golden advice. If your lips are moving you aren't thinking.

How much can you expect to get if you're a good worker who pursues the career for 3, 5, 10, and 20 years? Thinking I might do electrical work, but what's the pay scale like?

>>1192029
$50/hr

>>1192029
Depends on where you live. City makes more than rural. North East, Midwest, and West make more than Mountain or South. Union generally makes more than non-union.

>>1192063
>>1192033
Cool, thanks. Currently I'm getting into wastewater cause my dad's got contacts from doing it for 30 years, and it seems like there's more room for climbing the ladder in that field, so I'm leaning towards that for now. Can anyone redpill me on becoming an electrician?

>>1191734
dont make assumptions on ground and neutral
also neutral is not fucking ground

>>1191734
>>1191734
How long did the process take?
I'm currently waiting for info to take my entrance exam local 11 Los Angeles

>>1192711
From what I'm gathering, my trek through the application process was absurdly fast. I'm signing the papers about 3 months after I made my first initial contact with the union.

I did the initial application, was giving a time to come in for the aptitude tests (seriously, brush up on your algebra and how to solve equations for other variables), and after passing that they gave me a date for an interview a month later.

The interview is scored, and is adjusted with your test scores to put your name on the apprenticeship applicant list. Since i got called up a week after the interview, I imagine I killed everything. Most people have told me they were on the list for a few months.

>>1192392
Wastewater has an advantage because even in an economic crash people need to shit.

There's no reason you can't learn both.

Fun fact, my USAF Turd Herder bro left after one enlistment and showed me his job offers. He wanted to go back to rural MI and was able to make decent bucks because no one trains turd herders so there's very little competition.

>>1192029
By 10 years you should be getting a second ticket or specializing in something unless you have your own outfit already.

>>1192464
>also neutral is not fucking ground

True, but the code around here (NC) says they are tied together at the main panel on a house.

>>1192866
If I tied you together with a tree, does that make you green and leafy?

>>1191739
Punctuation is your friend.

>>1192853
Local 11 test is a little different, I went in having studied the quadratic formula, algebra, some geometry, factorization most of the math was just rates and proportions word problems which just completely blind sided me so now I'm waiting for the retest

>>1192876

you got me, pops.

>>1191734
If you don't know what it does, don't stick your finger in it.

There are two kinds of electricians, bold electricians and old electricians.

Source: not an electrician.

>>1192866

Yes, because how else are you going to reference neutral to earth?

The difference is, neutral carries current in normal operation. Ground is only there for safety and equipment grounding. It only carries more than a trace amount of current when something's gone wrong.

union electrician here. is this thread still alive?

>>1191734
Way to join a great union

>>1193235
OP here. I'd say so. I'm with local 153. What local are you all with?

>>1192981
Don't stick your finger in anything you wouldn't stick your dick in.

>>1193331

I am an electrician who started in a general labor closed shop industrial union.

Over time I will end up being a licensed electrician but in reality I'm more something between a maintenance tech, project engineer, and a trained monkey. I also have never done construction except to expand ancient setups.

is there anyway to get into a more traditional electrician career path without going to lower than whale shit apprentice again?

Would it really be worth it? contractors always tell me I would make a great electrician, then they climb up in a lift and sweat and pull 500kcmil cable while I go poke my head in a control panel to wiggle 16 gauge wires and arrange symbols on my laptop.

I obviously have the cushier work but the politics make it almost feel like a salary job without the benefits and they make a few bucks more and don't have to work full time every week (I always have a 40 hour week, usually more like 50)

don't touch anything you're not sure about, an acquaintance got electrified and passed away after he wanted to remove some cloth, unaware that there was something underneath it which zapped him.

>>1193440

If were going that route....well, fuck me.

>>1193690
In my shop senior man gets to pickup overtime if he wants it. If he doesn't it can trickle down. Your boss is probably giving you ot either because it's more productive, eg you already know the specifics of the work order you are on, or its just better for your work day. Ask to work 4 tens if you want, someone else would love to pickup the ot I'm sure.

>>1193690
It depends. I know with the IBEW local I'm in there is a test for outside trained people. I don't know the exact, but a guy i worked with got in that way and was pretty close to a Journeyman in the pay scale.