ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues Feeling Stupid

gpowellpec,
An interesting study in contrasts, you and I. It illustrates the range of people who participate in this forum---

I have been at the same place for 21 years, have lots of formal technical training, and with the exception of 2 Carribean vacations('84 & '86) and 2 weeks instrumentation training in RTP, NC('86), have never been anywhere. I have accumulated a decent retirement package and lots of vacation time. However, your career/lifestyle seems rather appealing, and in fact, I have often wondered if I would have preferred something similar. I guess the grass is always greener...

My theory is that, with the exception of people whose situations never offerred them any opportunity to change the path their lives were taking, you generally live the life you prefer. If you never made doing something different a priority you were choosing to remain where you were. There may be reasons you can't even realize that entered into the decisions. I don't consider being contented and happy as settling for less. A persons life is his to live as he sees fit and I am not the one to judge or criticize. When I was younger it sometimes bothered me (and constantly bothered my mother)that I did not seem to be settling down into a secure career with one company with long term benefits. Now I see that I could not have stood that. Just my personal make-up and preferences.

Foca Se,

My Advice is to try and learn something new each day. Could be something very small or on any subject, but it makes you feel like you're getting somewhere and makes you realize that anywhere you care to go is only a series of steps away. It's that simple. Ask Questions.


Bill

I went through the whole nine yards. Two years of fulltime school, four year union apprenticeship program, and now 25 years in the trade. But I can honestly say that it wasn't until Minnesota started requiring continuing education a few years back, on top of my employer hiring an excellent instructor (the best in the industry in my opinion), that I became a true student of the NEC.

Reading anything I can get my hands on, including this website and others, as well as moderating another website gives me a good reason to keep my nose in the book.

Matt

[This message has been edited by Matt M (edited 08-30-2001).]

An NEC handbook, or illustrated guide to the NEC will help get you through the legal-eeze that the NEC book itself is written in. If you follow along the threads addressing a specific code topic or Article, have the handbook at hand to be able to find and read the paragraph yourself. It helps.

Always ask questions, or for clarification. The only dumb question is the one you didn't want to ask for feelng foolish

As somebody once said, "Asking dumb questions is easier than correcting dumb mistakes."

Seriously though, I truly believe that the most important thing for learning any subject is the desire to learn.

I learned (and am still learning) more about my chosen subjects by reading and sudying everything I can about them than I ever retained from years of schooling on subjects in which I had little interest.

We all had to start somewhere, and I'm sure most of us remember that only too well. I'm also pretty sure that most are only too happy to offer answers, advice, suggestions, etc. if it's clear than the person posing the questions is genuinely trying to absorb information & learn.

Hang in there!

having something blow up, especially in front of a customer is when one really feels stupid......

Gotta be right up there with trying to demonstrate a new appliance, getting nothing, and then remembering you forgot to close the breaker at the panel.

Better than forgetting to OPEN one, though!

for me when i started as an apprentice i wasith a large company 60 some guys didnt learn a thing was laid off hooked up with a small guy / the boss and me and man learned and learned and learned hands on .hook up with some one small if you WANT TO LEARN THE BUISNESS .