Experience

Well this week I have been learning a valuable lesson. I'd have to admit doing fire alarm can be pretty boring sometimes especially as an apprentice since we're not always delegated the most complex tasks. But the past few days I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to have my own long pipe runs. It's just some 3/4 pipe which it feels like I've ran thousands of times before, but I've usually been making bends and assisting in the thought process but never actually just my own run start to finish. These few days have made me realize that the little things that come with experience are sometimes the hardest. It felt like I wasted lots of times just having to run back and forth to forget some material that I probably should have thought about before hand. Another thing I had to work on was my soft touch. One of my runs was on a wall with slight angle changes neck to a plumbers pipe. So I felt it would only be craftman like to match all the kicks in the plumbers pipe and have everything match up perfect with the wall. Let me tell you this took quite the soft touch and mines needed a lot of work. At the end of the day I've been accomplishing everything and my journeyman thinks my pipe work looks pretty good, so I'm happy to be gaining experience and I definitely notice my own improvement.

The pain of not studying

I know I'm going to get a good lecturing for this one but here I go. So yesterday was the usually bi-weekly class session which of course comes with the usual test. I'll admit that I don't have the best studying habits but I'm a pretty quick learner and I usually go through the lessons and make sure I understand everything before it's testing time. Well this time around I kept pushing back studying til it was the last weekend before the test, but I also happen to be going to NY to visit my family at that weekend so I figured I just bring my books along and study in my downtime. Well I did glance at the books second and than once again pushed studying back figuring that I was pretty comfortable so Monday would be enough time to touch up on my weak spots, which probably would of worked if I didn't leave my books in NY at my mother's house along with the covenanted lesson packet :-|. The test ended up being extremely nerve racking for me just because I had recall stuff I learned 2 weeks ago. I ended up with a mediocre grade which was disappointing but I definitely learned a lesson. Procrastination is never a good thing.

So far so good

So I been with my new contract about 2 weeks now and it's been pretty cool thus far. I'm in the life safety department which means I just service and upgrade preexisting fire alarm systems. Fire alarm systems and service work are definitely different from what I'm used to. The environment is a lot more relaxed and the work load seems a lot litter but the system seems a lot more complex. Sometimes I miss the big construction field since it feels like I was starting to get pretty good and comfortable with everything, but on the bright side I definitely appreciate the opportunity to learn something new. I'm hoping by next year I'll have a new talent under my belt, still retain what I've learned the year before and be able to learn some more new things.

First day with new contract

So today was my first day of work with my new contractor, and I must say it already seems like this is going to be a very different experience. The company I am with is a lot bigger than the previous one and there are some noticeable differences. And the biggest difference I must say is the subdivision. In my previous company I was working doing just about everything except fire alarm. New company what do you know look who's a new fire alarm guy. I'm used to the seeing a bunch of different guys throwing up dry wall and drilling and bending and plugging with all types of dirt flying and now I'm working in nice occupied buildings in nice clean electric closets servicing and replacing fire alarm systems walking around with no hard hat and practically having clean hands at the end of the day. It's definitely a new experience, fortunately my new foreman is real cool and I can see myself enjoying my time with this company if today dictates how my future will go, but at the same time I kind of miss the diversity and manual dexterity required for the big commercial projects.

Last week with my contractor

Well guys this first year of my apprenticeship seems to be flying by and now I'm coming to that stage where I have to transfer contractors. I'm a little nervous after getting so used to the people around me and being unsure of where I'm going to next. The company I'm going to is much larger are here there are advantages and disadvantages with that but guess I'll find out first hand in 1 short week. I'm just hoping that I can learn new things and tune the skills I've already developed. Wish me the best folks!

May 22, 2009

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Mike and I am currently a first year apprentice of the JATC Local 26. This will be my first time blogging ever but it seems someone out feels I'm qualified for the job so it would be a pleasure to share my experiences.

Well guess I'll start from the beginning. Unlike most I came into the apprenticeship with no previous construction experience what so ever. I've worked continuously basically all of my teenage and adult life but I lacked direction and just floated between various typical and untypical jobs. I heard a little bug about apprenticeships through some casual conversation and it led me to do a little research. Initially I had my mind set on engineering but after a bit of researching different programs the JATC stood out to me the most. To make a long story short I had some job troubles put in an application and after a some interviews and testing I was a union electrician (crazy right).

So what can expect on actually stepping onto a job site? I was extremely worried about my what my first day would be like. I was afraid I'd go to work and be the only one that didn't know a thing and look foolish, but after my first day I realized the whole apprentice thing was a regular process for everyone that's been around and ever tho I was eager to learn I was given some beginner task until I someone got my feet wet. As time progressed I seen my scope of work and knowledge increasing and I'm at a point now where I feel pretty comfortable in the workplace, but of course there is still a world of things for me to learn.

Now onto the school aspect of things. School feels like a day off from work to me. You'll find that all the teachers are very down to earth and since they've pretty much experienced everything that you will in the apprenticeship and as journeymen it has made them very knowledgeable and aware of the tools you will need to succeed. In class the teachers and students speak and exchange thoughts very freely. This definitely helps me personalize information so that I understand it in my own way.

My overall experience in the JATC has been very positive. They've given me an education, career, opportunity and all they've asked in return is for me to succeed. I will keep everyone posted on my progress. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time out to share some of my experiences and hopefully my insight may offer you some of the guidance I wish had before joining.