Work in the Medford area is good right now, there is a lot of comm and res work.
Be aware that the cost of housing is not much different than the pricing in the Bay Area. Residential property value jumped about 40% in 2 years ($111/sqft to $190)
If you plan to come up here and have not completed a formal apprentice program, be aware that you need to use the state verification forms to submit your (notarized) proof of experience, it seems that they can't understand anything else. The hours worked for any single year cannot exceed 2000. If your hours for a company or a foreman (supervisor) were not continuous then they need to be specific and indicate the breaks, if periods of employment between one verifier and another verifier overlap they will reject your application. (if you work at job A and the leave for job B, then go back to job A again make sure it’s clear). If there is any flaw in the arithmetic, they will reject the application.
On the other hand, one person I met has had a CA contractor’s lic for 15 yrs got approval with no problem, and according to him, never showed any apprentice exp. He said just submitted letters from GC’s he worked with in CA.
I contacted the people that provided the documents that I submitted to the state and it seems that none of them were contacted.
While this does not mean that the state does not check when it decides to approve an application it does mean that they don't check when they decide to disapprove an app. But it might be that they don't really verify any of the information provided, which would mean that if you read OAR's (Oregon administrative rules) 918-282-0170 and have anyone you know fill out the verification form provided in the application so that it had a total of 24,000hrs of experience (real or not) the state might just let you take a supervisors exam. And when you pass, not so easy, and you get your Supervisors License you could take the Inspectors exam and be qualified to inspect (there are no additional requirements to sit for the Inspectors exam other than having a Supervisor’s License.) All this might be possible whether you were ever an electrician or not.
If someone knows a Notary that would be willing to be a bit dubious for the sake of a practical joke, it would be fun to see if you could get your dog approved to sit for a license exam.
By the strictest interpretation of Oregon laws ORS 497 and OAR 918, the requirements for a person who has not been in a formal apprentice program and is from out of state to apply for a General Supervising lic. are 24,000hrs total with 16,000hr verified apprentice experience, but by that same strict interpretation, only persons of the age of 17 can apply to the apprentice program and only those of the age of 18 can be indentured as an apprentice. If you are younger you can’t apply and by strict interpretation of the wording of the rule, if you are older you cannot apply.
This is a reprint of OAR 918-282-270
Apprentices
(1) An apprentice:
(a) Shall meet the following minimum requirements:
(A) General journeyman, limited residential, Class A limited energy technician and Class B limited energy technician:
(i) Be 17 years of age to apply, 18 years of age to indenture;
(ii) Have a high school diploma, GED, or international equivalency; and
(iii) Have one-year high school algebra, integrated math 2 or its equivalent, with a grade of "C" or better, or equivalent community college mathematics placement test results.
I need to be clear though, I respect the need to insure that only qualified people are allowed to hold a license and to require years of practice at one level before allowing advancement to a higher level. I believe that the intention of the state of Oregon is to accomplish that challenging goal. While I believe this whole heartedly I also believe that in the attempt to implement the plan, that the baby is lost somewhere in the bathwater.
Lastly, if the people evaluating the information I provided had done ANYTHING to verify that information other than a prima-facie inspection of the numbers on the paper I would not be grinding this ax with such zeal.
I don’t expect that I will ever be able to obtain any license in OR, especially since I have posted my grievance here, I do expect that Board and the fellow who makes the evaluations for he Supervisors lic reads or knows some one who reads this forum and will remember my name every time I apply or appeal. But then it doesn’t look like I would have stood a fair chance (without lying) anyway.
