ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area What Do You Hate Most?

Hi Nightcrawler,

I'm also from a telecoms/electronics background. While there are some things in heavy-duty wiring which might be new to you, your grounding ('scuse the pun ) in basic theory will go a long way.

The physical aspect I dislike the most is probably the crawling through filthy old attics full of fiberglass insulation, a hundred years worth of accumulated dust and debris, and who-knows-what-else (there are a lot of very old houses here in England!).

Service calls on residential rentals.

The place is a pit...climbing over piles of dirty laundry to get through the house. And the tightwad landlord never wants to fix it right.

Fortunately, these are very rare.

GJ

I HATE SHOVELS!!!!

Days, real long. Summer, real hot. Winter, real cold.

What I like about being an electrician, having the abiltity of harnessing those electrons and make 'em work.

What I dont like about being an electrician is working behind these guys:

Concrete Finishiers who break stub ups and ride the trowel machines into the rack knocking it out of plumb.

Steel Stud guys who cant turn the studs the same ways so the KO's line up.

Sheet Rockers - what they dont cover up they cut up with the router

Cabinet Guys who cant measure

Wait this list could get real long.... so i'll close by saying I'd still be an electrician at the end of the day!

Collecting Money

Only one thing I *disliked* and 1 I hated really,

Disliked- Some work areas, be it a Filty attic with nice itchey fiberglass on domestic, or a pit filled with hydraulic oil and dust/crap in industrial. (Worse still is asbestos - Suit up!)

You can put up with that though, Grin and do it .. then a nice hot shower !!

Hate- Idiots. Hate to say it but I have come across a few idiots in the trade. Like the chap who wired up a 415/3ph isolator near me and managed to wire two of the incommers across the gear. Bang. Isolated mistake .. nope he blew up more stuff than I can recount. Needless to say I refused to work with him at all. Nothing worse than doing your job then having to check the job of the guy to your right becasue you dont trust him

Get a good buddy working alongside you, follow the lock-off rules and its a great trade. I'm no golden boy .. I've had a few shocks in my time ... but as long as you play safe and enjoy it, its all good.

I love the fact the job includes manual work (Pull in an 11KVA supply and tell me its not manual!) Theory/thinking (you cant fault find by randomly sticking meter probes on contacts) and people (Customers - Yer sometimes they a pain, most are good though!)

Great career, If you have half the good time I do on the job you'll be happy for life

Shaine~

..Love the job..in general..

..Hate haggling with the idiots, who have more money than the Vatican, and insist on chewing you down $50.00,to $100.00...just so they feel like they "got a deal"....So now I "feel" them out, and charge way more than I expect to actually get,so they can play their silly price games...then when they're done, I usually get what I really priced the job for...it's so stupid...I feel like telling them.." When you go to the doctor,do you haggle with him before and after he treats you??"...and then theres the inevitable,.."I can get you alot more work,through people in the neighborhood"....which almost NEVER happens...
Ok, I'm thru ranting!!!!
AR

Thanx for all the replys guys! Really helped out a lot. I'm definitely nervous, but sounds like it most definitely might be something I can get into. Something I know I will dread already will be the winters. Not much of a cold weather person(hence why I live in FL). But I guess it's one of those things that you just put up with.

Two words

Porta cans

Either not having enough or having enough and not cleaning them enough.

although the work has been gratifing to me over the years the worst points are: job security as soon as you hit the job your working towards a layoff. wire pulling it can be a bear. 4" rigid, ouch! Being a "newbe" and having to prove yourself yet again. getting shocked by 277v. travel time to and from jobs. low starting pay . what i do like is you can work anywhere in america and its basically the same. theres allways something new to learn. getting home at a reasonable hour. satisfaction of seeing your handywork run, lightup, look good etc.