Electrician Apprenticeship

[mrhanky976]

I’m about to finish up my studies and obtain my Bachelor of Arts in the Social & Behavioral Sciences, and I have realized that I REALLY don’t see myself performing that sort of work for the rest of my life.

I’ve been looking around at various apprenticeships and the “Inside Lineman” (Electrician) apprenticeship caught my eye.

The problem is that while I have excellent grades, I’m good at math, computers and CAD,\; I really have NO experience in the construction/skilled laborer field.

So my questions are:

Is it a competitive field to get into (the apprenticeship)? If so, is there a long wait to get into an apprenticeship program?

Is there anything that I should/could do to improve my chances of obtaining an apprenticeship?

Thanks in advance!

[mr9iron]

I really don't know anything about the whole apprenticeship thingy but I can say that it is a job in high demand. My father and grandfather were both electricians and made good money at it. Dad also worked on the side and made quite a bit of cash doing that too.

[Minuteman]

You are just finishing your degree and looking for blue collar work? Why wouldn't you at least put that eductation to work for a while and THEN make an informed decision?

[Altpers0na-old]

i would think, and im no guidance counselor, that you could take a few more class's and alter your degree to something related to the electrical field..

im an electronics tech (ex ET1)... im no electrician.... from where i stand electrician *can* be a very productive / profitable job. but it seems (from seeing my uncle the electrician) that its very competitive, bidding jobs and such...

from what i understand, the labor part is well, labor... the other side is lots less electrical and more socio-economical (management / contact finding)

if electrical is the way you want to go... apprenticing is a very valid way to go... and unless im wrong... you can probably shop around for an apprenticeship , ask around your local electricians halls..

on a related note... i know 2 people , one went to school 'electrical technology' the other went to the electricians hall 'apprenticed' .

the school guy graduated with a certificate and a related associates degree, worked at grounds keeping till a job came along....

the apprenticed guy is working as an apprentice, making good money, learning the stuff on the job, with a set time frame for completing the training and moving to the next stage..

now for the flames from the electricians on here....

(sorry about the rambling...)

[shouldabenacowboy]

I have a controls apprenticeship that is US labor certified and I learned a lot doing it. I guess it depends on what you would like to get out of the apprenticeship and where you want your career to go. After completing the apprenticeship I followed the path of being a PLC programmer, which took me on the road across North America and was quite exciting. The next step I took was being a robot programmer...I did that for a couple years and when my job was cut I was "transferred" and made a production supervisor.


I depends on what you would like to do and where you want to go. Any education is a good education and you will not regret learning more.

SBC

[VoidRaven]

You want to get into blue collar work? There is a massive shortage of welders and good quality machinists out there. Perhaps look into one of those two areas. Hard work but you can stand to make some seriously good money.

Want really big $$$$??? Become an industrial underwater welder. Dive pay, welder pay, and hazard pay. Talk about big money...but it's also HUGE risk too.

[clavery]

Hubby's best friend is a licensed electrician, and he's bringing in about $100K a year. He was in construction previously, so he had a lot of his own contacts to start up his own business. It's hard work, but he loves it, and he "barters" his services with other tradesmen on the weekends to have things done on his house for free. Just totally remodelled his home and it only cost him for the materials.

[dkh0331]

Define "I’m about to finish up my studies" please. Does this mean you are graduating this semester or still have some time left before you get your degree?

[mrhanky976]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9851116#post9851116 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dkh0331
Define "I’m about to finish up my studies" please. Does this mean you are graduating this semester or still have some time left before you get your degree?

As far as my degree is concerned, I have to go back at the end of next semester to make a presentation (senior capstone/thesis). Aside from that, I'm done.

Thank you all for the input, it has helped tremendously.

[Coral Dilema]

I have an associates in electronic engineering (from 1993) and work experience in the field since then. All of that amounts to squat in todays market. Most decent paying jobs in the field require a bachelors degree minimun to even be considered, and apparantly an associates and 14 years of work experience just doesnt cut it. However, I notice that a lot of people today are able to get jobs that require a bachelors degree, when the degree they have isnt even remotely related to the job.

At my last job, we had a psychology major working as a manufacturing engineer, we had a chemist working software . . .

My point is, that 4 year degree you have opens up a world of opportunities for you that just are not available to some, so use it wisely. I see job openings every day in my area for electricians, but electronic tech/engineer is not even remotely the same as an electrician.

[Altpers0na-old]

My point is, that 4 year degree you have opens up a world of opportunities for you that just are not available to some, so use it wisely.


i agree 100%

a 4yr degree is its own world...

the one thing i disagree on, is about finding elect tech work...

i could be wrong but i think my resume ,that reads alot like coral delima's, is a ticket to anywhere... the only thing that i was concerned with was finding a decent job in the 'middle of nowhere' that i wanted to be in.... and that worked out well.... very well...

the downside to tech is that a cert will get you $12 - $18 / hour depending on location.... a dozen certs will probbly be about the same... (certain certs excluded of course...) so dont bother with a cert, unless its a biggie.. not something with a + at the end of it..

but most of that dont apply to electricans...