ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area New Guy Starting Out. Advice, Tips, all help welc

I'm not going to judge you. Just because you came from behind a desk do not mean spit, your character does. I welcome you to the dark side. More then likely you will start off doing grunt work, digging, hauling light fixtures. My first day on the job was leaning on a shovel.

Constructions sites are inheritenly dangerous. Watch you step and balance, look up before go up, look down before going down, look before reaching grabbing, or stepping. Think before you do. Where good quality wook boots. They may cost you a few extra dollars but you can only go as far as your dogs will carry you. When required to were PPE (that is Personal Protection Equipment), wear it.

Be on time, listen, ask questions if you do not understand. Yours and other people lives may depend on it. There is no room for complacency in the electrical trade. Cardinal rule #1 working with electricity is always assume that it is hot. If you are going to work on something that was or could be hot, test it yourself. Takig someones word for it can be the last their you will ever hear besides your own screaming. Always put safety first, then quality then quanitity.

I agree with sparkyinak. You should definately add a voltage tester to your list of things to get, and always checking for voltage before working on a circuit is a great habit to get right from the start.

"I'm not going to judge you."
I am, And so wont half the crew.

"More then likely you will start off doing grunt work, digging, hauling light fixtures."
One must start some where. Don't be discouraged!

"My first day on the job was leaning on a shovel."
Mine, Useing it. (HEE,HEE,I know what you said (wink)).

--" Constructions sites are inheritenly dangerous. Watch you step and balance, look up before go up, look down before going down, look before reaching grabbing, or stepping. Think before you do. Where good quality wook boots. They may cost you a few extra dollars but you can only go as far as your dogs will carry you. When required to were PPE (that is Personal Protection Equipment), wear it. "--

The only thing to add here,(PPE) When required, OR!!!!! You FEEL it is needed!!! You first. Better to have and not need than to need and not have! Alot of unpredictable sh*t happens on a job, Be alert.

--"Be on time, listen, ask questions if you do not understand. Yours and other people lives may depend on it. There is no room for complacency in the electrical trade."==

The first two are very important. The third, remember, the only dumb question is the one "never asked".

Think for yourself, work it out, then confirm.
But now we're getting ahead of a 1st week apprentice.

Sincerly I will say.. WELCOME, to the trade. It is forever evolveing and an endless supply of chalenge, if you make it one.


SparkyinAK & aksparky,
Just a spoof on your posts. You both have awesome advice.

Kbrown: for the record, I stumbled into this feild at 22Yrs old (former truck driver). Best thing I have ever fell into.
Stick with it and be patiant. You won't(may not) regret it.

Hello, and welcome kbrown.

I just thought I would add my $0.02.


One thing I don't recall seeing anybody mention yet is to be prepared for the weather. I did residential work for a few years and let me tell you...work doesn't stop just because winter rolls into town. If the townhouses you'll be working in haven't got heat in 'em yet it will be cold inside, and you need to be dressed for it. And even if they do have heaters inside, you may be required to assist with outside work which could possibly last all day (or week) long.

If you do need to dress for the cold, the key idea is to have several layers of good insulating clothes. If I'm working outside here's what I put on: lower thermal underwear, upper tee-shirt,(if it's really cold I put on full body thermals at this point), pants, light full-sleeved shirt, sweater (fleece is a good choice), overalls, fleece vest, heavy cotton hoody. And I keep my insulated overalls and heavy duty cotton duck winter coat (with hood) nearby. If you are in the cold you need to keep your head covered.

It may sound like overkill, but I can work outside in -25 to -30 weather all day...and you may be required to at some point also.

Some other points:

-If you have something explained to you and you don't understand, for pete's sake, say so. Don't ever say that you understand something if you really don't...ever.

-Don't put every tool that you could possibly need into your pouch and wear it all day every day, it will wreck your back and hips.

-If you need help, ask for help.

-Don't assume anything...assumption is the mother of all @&#*-ups.

-When buying tools, buy the best you can afford. It's cheaper in the long run, and it makes for easier work.

-If you finish a task and don't have anything to do then you should be tidying up, i.e. organize the materials and tools, sweep, clean the truck, put garbage in the bin, etc.


A few points I've seen that I agree with:
-Get a good pair of knee pads, your knees will thank you later
-Watch out for sharp objects, especially a knife with replaceable snap-type blades. These knives can be extremely dangerous, especially when equipped with a fresh blade. You do NOT want to slip with one of these bad boys.
-Construction sites are inherently dangerous places. You need to remain aware of your surroundings at all times, and this includes the other people working around you.

I think the best thing you can do to ensure success in this (or any other) field of work is quite simply to keep at it. If somebody tells you that you won't make it, just smile and keep at it. When you're digging a trench and you feel like you can't do it any more, just grin and bear it and dig another shovel full. If you do get all the dirty, hard "grunt" work, just do it and move on. In five years it will all be behind you and you'll be glad you stuck it out. Trust me, I know. I got into the trade six years ago when I was 28.

Good Luck!


Shawn.

I started to put down the weather but I for forgot how to work in good, dry weather. Typically here the weather is crap with a 100% of chance of crap tommorow with the extended outlook being crappy. If it is not snowing, it is raining then it freezes I have to change out two solar arrays and move a ton of batteries.

Great! Thanks for the replies and advice (even the harsher sounding stuff). This is all EXTREMELY helpful.

I'm pretty nervous about the whole thing, but I have a good boss by all accounts.

I'll look into the Red Wings. There used to be a dealer not far from me. All my other tools will be provided by the company and taken out of my pay.

Other than that I'll try not to kill myself the first day, be 'Johnny-on-the-spot' and take it from there.

I'll definitely be reading the forums from time to time. I'm excited as hell to be getting this opportunity and feel pretty lucky.

cheers

With any job you start at there will be hazing and there are dues to pay.

I started out 15 years ago in the Air Force. Today I'm a licensed Master with a contractors license and own my company. Since it's just me and my wife working the company there are times I'm a master electrician and there are times I'm digging a ditch.

This is a SKILLED trade. Mistakes can lead to anything from nuisance problems to death.

Spend the money on good knee pads. Mine cost $30 at Lowes but I can kneel on ceiling joists all day and am not sore at the end of the day, this advice after having 4 knee surgeries. Get a good padded tool belt, not just a leather strap with a pouch on it, it makes a world of difference when you have to wear it for 8-12 hrs a day.

I dont think I saw in anyones post, SAFETY glasses. Get a comfortable pair that you will wear from the time you step out of the truck till you get back in!! Get use to wearing them, and pay people no mind who give you crap for it!

You should NEVER be allowed in a panel either as entry level! You should NEVER work hot! A good way to judge whom you work for is to observe his work habits. Being new this wont be easy for you. Does he use hot gloves, and safety equip when working in panel?

So many of us get complacent. And as someone stated in this post you cannot be in this field. But you will see, people are. The attitude, "I know what I am doing so I work hot is BS!" I dont care who the electrician is!

This trade can KILL you and or HARM/BURN you fast!

I am not trying to scare you either. If someone makes you work hot, especially at your level. QUIT and go somewhere else.

It is actually illegal to work hot unless shutting down the equipment is a Life Safety issue. Also two people minimum are required to be right there in case of accident.

You should get yourself a NFPA 70E book and read it. More than once!!! And keep it with you. Employer should provide code book.

Observe your employer and lead men. Do they ever look in a code book? If your employer seems to use half ass practice, go somewhere else to work. Learning bad habits are hard to get rid of. And above all,USE COMMON SENSE!

Keep your head on a swivel and always be aware of where you are.
Never walk on the plywood until you know that you can. It may just be a piece of 1/2" covering a floor penetration.
Help out where and when you can; and stay out of the way when you need to.
Remember that the right of way should go to whoever has the hardest time maneuvering. If you've got a box of 1900 box covers and the plumber has a 10' length of 2" cast iron...let him go first.
Play nice with the other kids and you'll get along well and get respect from everyone else on the site.


Stay safe...

Welcome to the trade, kbrown. Everyone here has some great advice for you. Listen to the "old-timers" on the job - they've been there/done that and will give you great tips if you listen. It's up to you to determine what kind of tradesman you will be. You will eventually pick the best styles and qualities of the different people you work with over the years to create your own "identity" in the trade.

Don't let the knowledge you gain go to your head - too many apprentices think they know it all. When you become a journeyman, that's when all the things you learned during your apprenticeship come together, and THEN the learning begins. The great thing about this trade is that you will always be learning, and will continue to do so until you retire.

Good luck!