ECN Forum
Posted By: Nightcrawler What Do You Hate Most? - 01/13/04 01:30 PM
Hey guys. Well, I've been surfing this site for the past few weeks. I'm interested in becoming an Electrician. I've read about 30 pages worth of Threads and so far, this seems like a field that I could definitely get interested in. I'm already a electronics tech now, so Electrician wouldn't be a total stretch. I would like to know one thing though. I've read lots of good and interesting posts, and a few bad ones. Every career has it's ugly side. What I would like to know is what do you hate most about your job? or dislike at least. or Describe your average days? Just trying to get an idea of what it's like before I go jumping into the field. Thanx for any replies.

~Nightcrawler~
Posted By: Ryan_J Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/13/04 02:25 PM
Thats an easy one for me. When I was an electrician the thing I hated the most was hanging wall packs off of an extension ladder, especially if yo uhad to hammer drill off of the ladder.
Posted By: earlydean Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/13/04 04:59 PM
I always hated doing receptacle installation in office buildings. Backbreaking, stooped low, #&%$#@@@!!! work. Ten or twenty, no problem, but hundreds of them, ouch.
Other than that, maybe terminating 500 kcmil wire. Talk about heavy, stiff, knuckle-rapping work!
Posted By: SJT Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/13/04 07:42 PM
It's a great trade. You just need the mind set to learn, work hard, and hopefully you'll be hooked up with a good mechanic who is willing to teach. I guess you'll be starting as a helper. Don't get the coffee orders mixed up!
Good luck. Sounds like you got some of the theory, with the electronics.
Posted By: Nightcrawler Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/13/04 08:20 PM
Thanx for the replies guys. So far sounds like mostly work related hates and not personnel hates, which is good cause that seems to be the big dislike in most careers. I don't mind working hard at all. That's how I was brought up. I do think I have some of the theory with the electronics, although residental, commercial, etc. wiring have some different principals, so it's just a matter of learning those. I am 99.99% sure that I will be starting out as a helper (apprentice), don't really want to be the coffee b*t*h, but I guess I gotta put in my dues. Was that one sugar or two???
Posted By: sparky Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/13/04 08:22 PM
It's a great trade

but i dislike those whom supposively represent me and feel they are ruining it

so if anyone is game for a pitchfork & torch visit to batterymarch park, please gimme a shout

i'll bring the gasoline

~S~
Posted By: Bill Addiss Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/13/04 09:06 PM
Welcome to ECN,

(Sparky is the local Morale Officer ....)

[Linked Image]

Bill
Posted By: DougW Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/13/04 10:19 PM
Likes?
Working (generally) inside a sheathed structure - not like our poor nail banging cousins who have to be out in the sh*tty weather as a matter of course.

At the end of the day, being able to point to an area and say "I did this". [Linked Image]

Doing something that not everybody can (correctly - eliminating the handyman factor LOL).

Being in a trade where you need to have some creativity to get from point a to point b.

Being second only to plumbers in the "I'm gonna make a hole there...because I can" food chain. [Linked Image]

Dislikes?

Working in unheated frames without windows (or panels to block the gaping holes) when the high for the day is -10F, and the wind is out of the NNE @ 20-35MPH.

Lugging my Hammer drill

and my hole hawg

and my benders

and my ladder

and my sawzall

and my parts bucket

and my hand tools to the third floor of a bazillion $$ house - only to have to bring down my Hammer drill,

and my hole hawg

and my benders

and my ladder

and my sawzall

and my parts bucket

and my hand tools at the end of the day. [whew]

Forgetting where the spare key is when I get to the site early, and having to sit around doing nothing [Linked Image] (and catching glares from the GC) while waiting for my foreman to show up.

Naggy H.O.'s who change their minds after you've made the pipes pretty. (Remember, we're in conduit country)

The perpetual sheet metal cuts you get on your hands piping & wiring can lights.

Sawdust / drill chunks that sneak around your glasses.

Are the negatives enough to make me quit?

Nope. I studied too long and worked to hard to get here. Nowhere to go but up.

And besides, If I got out of the biz, I couldn't hang out here! [Linked Image]
Posted By: Scott35 Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/14/04 03:25 AM
What I like about the Trade?

So many things to list, so little time [Linked Image]

What I dislike about the Trade?

Repetitive work - like hundreds upon hundreds of Light Fixtures or Receptacles to install; or as Ryan mentions:

Quote

Thats an easy one for me. When I was an electrician the thing I hated the most was
hanging wall packs off of an extension ladder, especially if yo uhad to hammer drill
off of the ladder.

LOL!!!
That sucks too!!!

The key thing is to make it efficient and try newer + better methods. Just helps break up the Monotony!

What I hate about the Trade - is what all people here in this Forum hate the same; only one thing is the major problem plaguing everything from 100% blissful achievement:

Pettyness!

Watch out for Petty people! They will be the most difficult thing to encounter EVER!
This is true in all fields! Kind of redundant for me to list it in this thread [Linked Image]

Scott35
Posted By: elecbob Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/14/04 06:26 AM
Even more than the big bucks I like the customers. My wife tells me all my friends in life are my customers. Major dislikes are inhospitable working spaces like attics and crawl spaces. Ugly housewives and gay guys have been a problem lately. Espicially around the holidays.
Thee ya around big fella
bob
Posted By: pauluk Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/14/04 11:34 AM
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 [Linked Image]) 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!).
Posted By: golf junkie Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/14/04 11:06 PM
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
Posted By: elektrikguy Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/15/04 12:02 AM
I HATE SHOVELS!!!! [Linked Image]
Posted By: arseegee Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/15/04 12:26 AM
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!
Posted By: electure Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/15/04 02:22 AM
Collecting Money [Linked Image]
Posted By: Watty Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/15/04 02:26 AM
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 [Linked Image]

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 [Linked Image]

Shaine~
Posted By: Attic Rat Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/15/04 03:06 AM
..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!!!! [Linked Image] [Linked Image] [Linked Image] [Linked Image] [Linked Image] [Linked Image]
AR
Posted By: Nightcrawler Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/23/04 03:30 PM
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.
Posted By: drillman Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/23/04 05:09 PM
Two words

Porta cans

Either not having enough or having enough and not cleaning them enough.
Posted By: rizer Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/23/04 10:48 PM
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.
Posted By: Spark Master Flash Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/28/04 06:05 PM
Every job has aspects I don't like, but electrical work is better than most. I've met some good people in electrical work. Here's a list of what I don't like.

Pulling heavy wire through long runs of conduit - you'll strain at the limit of your strength, feeling a lot like an ox pulling a plow.

Underground work - working on your knees all day in small boxes underground.

Dusty, hot ceilings - you'll catch old diseases that settled in the dust years ago. Crawling around is physically demanding and you'll sneeze from the dust - sometimes getting a cold with runny nose that lasts for days.

Working on your knees in floors with dead baby rats in the box and in raceways, slimy grunge squeegeed into the box from mopping floors for years.

People - construction, including electrical, invites criminals and other undesirables. You'd swear some of them were hired straight out of prison. You'll work with bullies. You'll work with lazy people who will stand there and let you do all the work, then the boss will come and ask why it's going so slow. That will drive you nuts. You'll work with petty, jealous people. Other trades, such as sheetrock, plumbers, painters will get in your way, damage your work and delay you.

Cigarette smokers will fill your air space with smoke, especially when there's no ventilation. Attics, new construction, no matter what, they will make sure you smell their smoke. They're the worst.

People will borrow your tools, such as your DeWalt hammer drill, Sawzall, tape measure and everything else, but will not buy their own tools. Journeymen are especially guilty about not bringing their own tools to the job. The people who borrow your tools will never bring enough to do their own work, will never pay for your tools when they damage them and will never buy any of the tools they need for their own work. Not only that, but all of their tools will be worn out pieces of junk you wouldn't want to use.

Working with a dummy who decides to do things the hard way is a real pain.

Working with people who do shoddy work with no pride of workmanship makes you wish you were somewhere else. People who expect you to violate code to save money are all over the place.

Not getting paid to drive from one job to another seems unfair. Sometimes you have to go to more than one job in a day.

Other than these things, electrical isn't so bad.

If it was just a matter of doing electrical work, it would be great!
Posted By: chi spark Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/29/04 11:03 PM
Likes:
The physics of it all- I don't think I'll ever be bored, and I always lose track of time when troubleshooting.
commercial/industrial work
MTW
Helping people
Customers who recognize professionalism and expect no more from me than they expect from themselves
Old accounts-it's nice when a buyer retires and makes sure that everyone knows that you're a preferred vendor.
Good referrals from customers-I haven't needed to advertise yet-thank God.
The pride in my craft, which used to be standard, but now is not.
The ability to control my schedule and the realization that I could move anywhere and have a trade.

Dislikes-
Customers that are too busy to give you the information or resources you need for diagnostics, but not too busy to tear apart the labor bills for your footwork.
Rooftops in -10°F
Rooftops in 98°F/95% humidity
People who expect more from you than they expect from themselves.
Those Relatives!! Am I the only person whose entire family cannot seem to buy a house with decent electrical? I love 'em but wow-

AND-present company excluded- AHJ's that have their pet methods that are irrelevant to code, but enforced nonetheless.

I must say that I wouldn't rather be doing anything else. I regularly donate time on saturday and sunday to schools and churches and people with troubles. The part that really got me was the troubleshooting of control panels- I was hooked after two calls. Now that is 50% to 80% of business. If I had a worthy opinion, it would be to encourage you to learn how to read schematics well and practice troubleshooting machine tool wiring. It's amazing to me how many times I've been the 3rd or 4th person that was called,and the last. Good Luck - more are always welcome!
Posted By: Jps1006 Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 01/31/04 04:23 AM
Chi Sparky,

"Customers that are too busy to give you the information or resources you need for diagnostics, but not too busy to tear apart the labor bills for your footwork."

Ain't that the truth!!

I also have known the satisfaction of troubleshooting those machines. Unfortunately I don't get enough of them to keep up with it and get a little intimidated by the time the next one comes in. You're lucky to have that type of work 50-80% of the time.

Even though it might not sound like much, sometimes the part I enjoy the most is flipping the switch.
Posted By: slumlordworker Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 02/05/04 03:58 PM
I hate slumlords and specially the ones that own so many dumps that they have their own jacka44 of all trades that always mess up electrical repairs and try to blame some one else. I once saw 14 guage wire hooked up to an 70 amp breaker feeding an 240/120 dryer recept that was on a back porch out side in the elements needless to say after the small fire I fixed it right,I also hate houses with rats and roaches today I got attacked by those ganster roaches you know the ones that go in to your bag and stay and when u try to get them out they just won't go
Posted By: wa2ise Re: What Do You Hate Most? - 02/05/04 10:17 PM
Quote
Those Relatives!! Am I the only person whose entire family cannot seem to buy a house with decent electrical? I love 'em but wow-

They probably don't worry about it, as they know someone who will put it right [Linked Image]
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