Another “Plan B” approach if you meet repeated reluctance and the “need experience” excuse is to work in a wholesale supply house for a year or two. That way you come to the jobsite knowing the materials, terms and sizes, and it’s a lot easier to learn the trade if you can easily identify components. In the past, I was assigned two guys that had been experienced counter men, and they [very unexpectedly] had the completion beat hands down. Very simply—they were able to make their employers money from day one, and—at least as importantly—make the training process much easier for me as a leadman. With increasingly complex ‘new-tech’ systems, that can only be more valuable these days.
Like others have said here, your own initiative in “off the job” learning can make a big difference in your advancement on the job.
[This message has been edited by Bjarney (edited 08-29-2003).]
