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I just finished a music degree and find myself lacking in job prospects. I've been thinking about picking up a trade. Becoming an electrician seems to have a few advantages - solid pay and reliable work, hopefully easy to find a job, potential for building one's own business, mostly consists of working independently or in a small team (I'm very sick of the general public due to working retail for years). Seems like it might be less of a dirty or physically demanding job than other trades, also. I can't say I have very much experience in working with electronics, but I don't mind doing hands on work and it seems simple enough to learn. A few questions for electricians out there - how are the job prospects? Is it worth choosing as a career if I'm looking for a steady 9-5 job with good job security? What sort of work does your average day consist of? I'm also a bit stumped as to the path to becoming an electrician. College programs seem varied. I live in Toronto and it seems that 9000 hours of experience are required to become certified, but beyond that I don't know what education is a requirement. Are longer college programs necessarily better? They seem to vary from 1-3 years. What colleges in Ontario are known for this field? Also a general question - can I use some of my electives from my completed BA to count towards my college diploma? For example, I have to take college level English for an electrician program, but I already took numerous humanities courses at university. Any way I can skip ahead? My other possible career option is to pursue a degree in computer science. It seems to have excellent job prospects and the promise of high paying, secure work. However, I'm not experienced in mathematics and it seems like a longer route/not sure if I could stand to go to university again. Any information would be highly appreciated.
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Jun 12, 2014 15:35
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Haha, "less dirty". Not that I would know, electrician was my backup plan for if I couldn't stand academia anymore, but apparently I love academia. You might also go read the wiring thread in DIY a little bit - there are some Actual Electricians who post in there and have probably talked about their jobs: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3090739
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Jun 12, 2014 15:39
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Go see if the local ibew had openings to apply for their apprentice program. If they do and you can get in, work your rear end off until you become a journeyman. You will get the sorriest and dirtiest work the first few years but it will be worth it. The job is like most construction trades, you are at the whim of the markets. A lot of my family are in the various trade unions in Michigan and from 08-11 was just terrible for work. If you knew what you were doing you could land a job in about 2 min in Denver right now. On my wife's jobs they are always short of electricians. It is fun work. If it is union work you will be doing 7-3:30 usually. Work for yourself and expect long hours. You could look at the college or school route but they are kind of a scam. They teach you everything but you still will have to go through an entire apprentice program usually afterwards. This could change some since you are in Canada but that is kind of the deal here.
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Jun 12, 2014 18:47
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Thanks for the info, I really do appreciate it. The colleges here seem to offer 1 year programs which teach the basics but do not provide work experience (seems useless/scamlike) but there are also longer programs that integrate apprenticeships. For example, a college here says that once you finish their course you will have 900 hours of in class training, and have completed the 9000 hours of real work experience required for certification. I'm not sure how much the schools help in finding these apprenticeships, though.
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Jun 12, 2014 19:12
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MoosetheMooche posted:Thanks for the info, I really do appreciate it. The colleges here seem to offer 1 year programs which teach the basics but do not provide work experience (seems useless/scamlike) but there are also longer programs that integrate apprenticeships. For example, a college here says that once you finish their course you will have 900 hours of in class training, and have completed the 9000 hours of real work experience required for certification. I'm not sure how much the schools help in finding these apprenticeships, though. How long is that program? 9000 hours is like 4 1/2 years of full time work..
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Jun 12, 2014 19:24
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GanjamonII posted:How long is that program? 9000 hours is like 4 1/2 years of full time work.. I could be wrong about the full apprenticeship, the websites for colleges are pretty unclear. Here's the program I am looking at - http://www.humber.ca/program/electrician-construction-and-maintenance-apprenticeship. It's not entirely clear how long the practical part of the course takes, it just says that in class is about 28 weeks long.
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Jun 12, 2014 20:14
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Let me just preface this by saying I'm a licensed electrician with 8 years in the field, non-union. If you want to be an electrician, just go do it. Guys are always looking for laborers and all you really need to do in the beginning is show up on time and don't gently caress anything major up. If you can swing it, get in with a contractor who does residential/commercial at least, and preferably works in heavy commercial/industrial. Career options for an experience residential electrician range from starting your own business to working for someone else's business, and both are extremely stressful. As an experienced commercial electrician, I was able to get out of the contracting game with little effort after obtaining a license. Skip the fake college. If you get with a good enough contractor and express your interest in attaining a license, he should be willing to pay for your apprenticeship schooling. Night school sucks, but if you're booksmart it's extremely easy. Just show up and put your hours in (2 nights, 6 hours/week around here). The ultimate goal as an electrician is to obtain your license, since it will set you apart from any other applicants at your future job. The beginning will be lovely, and there are a LOT of lovely contractors out there who live under the rule that the job is never done fast enough or cheap enough. Try to steer clear from fly-by-night guys like this as they'll only hurt your learning process with their bullshit. Don't be afraid to move companies if your boss is a douche, there are a ton of guys in the field who shouldn't even be performing electrical installs but somehow think they can run an electrical business. Another thing to consider is that as the world becomes more connected and advanced, new markets are beginning to open up for data center electricians and fiber optic/communications installers. These jobs generally fit the bill of a "clean trade" moreso than a classic electrician. You could consider getting a job at a phone/alarm/security company (again look for commercial contractors) or try to find an electrical contractor who also does data installs. Around here, a fiber optics installer/splicer/tester subs out for ~$150/hour. That's nothing to scoff at. spwrozek posted:The job is like most construction trades, you are at the whim of the markets. A lot of my family are in the various trade unions in Michigan and from 08-11 was just terrible for work. If you knew what you were doing you could land a job in about 2 min in Denver right now. If you're in the union, this is wholly true. If you can find yourself a good private contractor who maintains decent contracts, it isn't. During the recession I worked 40 hours a week year round, with some overtime sprinkled in.
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Jun 14, 2014 15:09
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What a timely thread. I actually go in tomorrow to sign some papers and start my apprenticeship. I don't really know much about the colleges, but I see that there is an IBEW local in Toronto and that's what I applied to so I can talk about that for a bit. Here is the link to the Toronto local. I dug around a bit, but I didn't see the link for the apprenticeship application. Check it out, and the apprenticeship application should have like a FAQ, what area they serve, pay scale, things like that. Turn that in with an application fee, and the next committee meeting, they will have you come in for an interview. The guys who select applicants will ask you questions, and then you should hear back in a week or two if you got in. Things you should probably know are that you will have to provide your own tools and pay a tuition and registration fee. Also check what area your local covers. If it's a large area of land, you could potentially have to work some place 2+ hours away and still have to make it back to your local two nights a week for class and be at the job site by 7:00 AM the next day. From what I was told, jobs work on a "first in, first out" basis, and as an apprentice, you cannot refuse a job. Also you cannot switch if another job comes up that is more convenient to your location.
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Jun 17, 2014 20:30
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I've been taking classes at a community college at night for a bit working towards an industrial electrician and electronics certificates as a career change. I know a little about wiring, PLCs, robotics, programming, instrumentation, etc. I can't even get someone to call me back about a job in the electrical field. I've applied at my local IBEW twice now, which is apparently taking applicants for 3 different apprenticeships, gotten through the testing phase easily, and then never gotten a call back after the interviews. I have perfect grades, I'm willing to do or learn whatever they want, can provide glowing referrals from instructors, everything. I had an instructor that was part of the IBEW for 30 years and asked him what I was doing wrong, and he basically told me they don't take anyone over 25 for apprenticeships. I've applied and interviewed at a few places where friends that work there have referred me and still nothing. I'm not even sure what to do at this point other than finish my certificates but I'm sure they really don't mean anything. Feels like I'm wasting my time.
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Jun 17, 2014 22:07
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That's pretty crazy that you have applied twice and not gotten in. Of course I don't know what the situation is like in your area. I was accepted and I am over 25 and have no electrician experience. From what I've seen of the other guys who have been accepted, they are all relatively young and seem to have experience in the field already. Maybe there is just not a lot of work to go around in your area? And since you mentioned it and I forgot about it, there is an aptitude test you take before your interview OP. It's pretty basic though. If you know algebra, you got it. And if not, brush up on the basics, and you'll probably still be ok. From what I understand, you can just barely pass the test and impress at the interview and still get in. I guess it also depends on how many open spaces they have for the year and how many applicants they have.
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Jun 18, 2014 00:03
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It could be that they don't have enough work, but if that's the case, stop advertising for inside wireman, telecommunications, and residential wireman apprenticeships on the website when there are perfectly capable people applying for them. I'm also over 25 with no relevant experience, so same situation. Though I have run network and phones for an entire building before. As far as the aptitude test, OP, if you can do 7th grade algebra and basic reading comprehension, you're in. I think I finished the tests in 10 minutes, they're insanely easy.
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Jun 18, 2014 00:56
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If you don't have a friend or relative that is connected to the IBEW it can be tough to get in, especially if the work in your area is slow. In that situation the easiest way would be to go directly to the IBEW contractors in your area and ask about working as a helper. If you get hired as a helper with a union contractor, it's much easier to get into the apprenticeship program or the CE/CW program.
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Jun 18, 2014 16:22
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Thanks for the information everyone. It sounds like the general consensus is that college programs are unnecessary and the right move is to just apply to the union and get an apprenticeship/classes through that route. Would this be the case even for someone with no electrical experience?
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Jun 18, 2014 17:26
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I have no experience going in either. From what I've talked about with people, besides the aptitude test, they're looking for the willingness to deal with travel and that you can finish a five year program. Also if your local has a student loan agreement, they want to know if you are ok with that. The way the student loan works is that each apprentice year costs around thirty five hundred dollars. For each year you're in the program, you pay some percentage of that out of pocket. The local covers the rest. This covers tuition, books, etc. When you become a journeyman after five years, they take money out of your paycheck until you've paid it all back. But there's no interest. If you quit or are terminated from the program, you owe that money back. So if you quit in the first year, you owe three. Second year, six. And so forth. This only applies if your local has a student loan agreement. From what I hear, most do, but some don't.
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Jun 18, 2014 21:56
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I've been an electrician for about 7 years now. I'm currently working in the Fort Mcmurray area as a foreman, with 13 men on my crew doing industrial construction. From what I know, the union cannot indenture a new apprentice into the program, but that's in Alberta. Things might be different in Ontario. Try going into your local union hall and ask them a few questions about how to get started. When I started, they were able to point me towards a few companies that were willing to take on new apprentices. Usually with these you start as a labourer for about three months before you get your papers. After that, you're free to go anywhere. To be able to pass the schooling you will need to be decently proficient in math, especially geometry and trig. Part of first year was remedial math, so if it has been a while, don't worry too much. I'd recommend getting at least one or two years in doing commercial and residential before looking at industrial, since you learn far more doing those. Industrial construction is great for money (as long as you can handle isolation), but you don't learn poo poo. Basically as long as you can get along with your coworkers and are willing to learn, you'll be fine. One worker on my crew was a green first year, and he was a great worker because he asked the right questions, stayed working, and got along with most of the other guys. Two major points for anyone looking to be an electrician: First is to have decent tools. If you have craftsman pieces of poo poo for linesmans, sidecutters or strippers, you will hate your life. Drivers you can generally go cheaper on, but for those three you will want Klein or Greenlee. Second is get a good pair of boots. Seriously, don't cheap out on boots, or your life will suck.
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Jul 1, 2014 00:34
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Unstable Pants posted:I've been an electrician for about 7 years now. I'm currently working in the Fort Mcmurray area as a foreman, with 13 men on my crew doing industrial construction. From what I know, the union cannot indenture a new apprentice into the program, but that's in Alberta. Things might be different in Ontario. Try going into your local union hall and ask them a few questions about how to get started. When I started, they were able to point me towards a few companies that were willing to take on new apprentices. Usually with these you start as a labourer for about three months before you get your papers. After that, you're free to go anywhere. ^ What he says is true, never cheap out on your strippers, linesmen, boots, or sidecutters, but also, don't cheap out on drill bits (if you use an impact, you should use an impact) <-- I'm also from the fort mcmurray area. The company I work with, we hired a new guy that had " "7 years of experience" " Day one he showed up with brand new dollar store tools, new walmart boots etc. I've been an apprentice for just over a year now, and the fact I was teaching him made me upset lol. When it came to splicing I really learned to hate him, as his linesmen would bend the wires before cutting them, making striping the wires a nightmare. If you're looking to become an electrician in Alberta Canada, Day ONE go apply for the registered apprentice training program. I got ID'd on one of the Jobsites we were working at, and I got to talking with the ID inspector? and he said that waiting the three months is a complete myth, and that if you do any electrical work, don't have a Registered Apprentice ID, and something goes wrong, the insurance company wont cover you, or the company you work for. 
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Jul 5, 2014 08:56
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Seems I've seen this thread at just about the right time, as I have been heavily considering going towards an Electrician Apprenticeship. I guess the main issues I have is I'm just about clueless as to what I'll need beforehand, just how much math I'll need to brush up on for the aptitude test(it saying you cannot retest for up to six months if you fail did not help with me being uneasy about this) and it seems from what you all have been talking about you're also expected to bring your own tools. Personally I'm in Kentucky, the Louisville area to be specific. The idea of getting on as a helper for a contractor first is promising, but most listed for my local IBEW 369 are rather far away. It kind of feels like I'll need to find something more reliable for long distances than a bike before I even try for an apprenticeship.
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Jul 7, 2014 09:30
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Arthil posted:Seems I've seen this thread at just about the right time, as I have been heavily considering going towards an Electrician Apprenticeship. I guess the main issues I have is I'm just about clueless as to what I'll need beforehand, just how much math I'll need to brush up on for the aptitude test(it saying you cannot retest for up to six months if you fail did not help with me being uneasy about this) I just took the test in San Diego and all you need to get an interview is to get a 2 (from a 1-9 scale) on each test. They grade it on a bell curve so getting more than a 2 is pretty easy. The test itself is basic algebra; understanding how equations work, reading line graphs, and being able to determine number patterns.
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Jul 7, 2014 17:43
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Took my IBEW Apprenticeship test in March, had the interview in April, was supposed to know if I was in or not by the end of May. Some big delay happened where they weren't able to gather for a meeting. Called again the other day to find out that I am on the bubble position and it all depends on how many job bids they successfully get to determine if I am in or not. I am supposed to get a letter in the mail "soon" with a yes/no.
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Jul 8, 2014 04:14
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dms666 posted:Took my IBEW Apprenticeship test in March, had the interview in April, was supposed to know if I was in or not by the end of May. Some big delay happened where they weren't able to gather for a meeting. Called again the other day to find out that I am on the bubble position and it all depends on how many job bids they successfully get to determine if I am in or not. I am supposed to get a letter in the mail "soon" with a yes/no. My experience joining the IBEW was the aptitude test (scored7/8) and then the interview (49%). I thought for sure I was out, but after a few months, I got a call telling me they had work for me. I feel like passing the assessment is the real challenge, and the interview score determines how far down the list you go.
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Sep 20, 2014 07:11
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Royal W posted:My experience joining the IBEW was the aptitude test (scored7/8) and then the interview (49%). I thought for sure I was out, but after a few months, I got a call telling me they had work for me. I feel like passing the assessment is the real challenge, and the interview score determines how far down the list you go. I received my letter a few days ago saying I wasn't accepted into the apprenticeship program. I think it said I'd have to complete 1000 hours of work experience before applying again.
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Sep 24, 2014 18:12
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Another Fort McMurray electrician here, currently taking my Masters correspondence through NAIT. I had my own company for a bit, but it was nearly impossible to operate without being able to pull my own permits. I'm curious to hear from anyone who got their masters and where your career went went after getting it vs just having your red seal/IP. For the record, I'm currently working as a QA/QC subforeman, I used to be a construction foreman, and I've worked as both an electrical estimator and a PLC programmer. That's easily the best reason to take up an electrical apprenticeship vs any other trade - there's a crazy variety of positions you can branch off into once you have your ticket.
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Sep 29, 2014 22:23
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phantum posted:If you're looking to become an electrician in Alberta Canada, Day ONE go apply for the registered apprentice training program. I got ID'd on one of the Jobsites we were working at, and I got to talking with the ID inspector? and he said that waiting the three months is a complete myth, and that if you do any electrical work, don't have a Registered Apprentice ID, and something goes wrong, the insurance company wont cover you, or the company you work for. I figure 9 months of school and then I'd probably start off making roughly what I do now but if I can get out west to Alberta then maybe the salary is better or at least I can enjoy OT. My cousin-in-law recently made the switch from retail manager to electrician and he's in his mid 40s and works north of Fort Mac, thankfully I'm only 30 but would like to make a decision soon.
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Sep 30, 2014 14:36
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About 12 years in the trade here. Mostly Commercial and Industrial with some Residential later on. Had my own business for about a year and a half. I did mostly service work but also some fit ups and industrial installs. Got tired of wearing all the drat hats that it takes to run a small outfit by yourself. It's a great trade, I'm pretty bored with it at this point. Now I do project management, controls, boiler systems work and whatever the hell else they'll pay us to do. You union nerds can suck it! Jihad Me At Hello fucked around with this message at 03:27 on Oct 5, 2014 |
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Oct 5, 2014 03:23
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I got a job in the field finally, somewhat. I'm a field repair tech for a company that works on biomed equipment. Not exactly what I want to do but it barely feels like work so far. Learning tons of poo poo every day.
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Oct 9, 2014 00:38
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