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Posted By: togol Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/20/06 03:08 PM
I recently started working in an Iron Foundry,
....had to test
......there are two maintenance classes.
Maint Tech I.........mechanic
Maint. Tech II........electrician

the company, which is part of a national Metals group, will hire ANYONE who scores 50%......needless to say, everybody WANTS to be an electrician....cuz the pay is $2/ hr. more.

about three weeks after I hire in ......Mr. Doofy walks in, passes the Mech. test and of course boldly announces ...that he "is gonna take the Elec. test, after he reads up on it ."

he almost passed......except for his score........SInce his second day he has been doing elec. work....forget about breakdowns and things like that...he has lights to hang!! and 1-1/2 ridgid to run and no one or the 855 can stop him........until he tried to tag along with me


here is a snapshot

me: the fan on this dryer is hitting the shroud.
Doofy: (wearing his shiny new company issued Fluke T5 ) ..
.......ok, I will change this big switch, and that motor coil....., PBs, Sel. switches, and the Readout Temperature Controller........can you spot his words?

TWO DAYS LATER........

Doofy: the Temp Controller is NG...it has no input..!
I think..... U STOOPID A.......THE FAN IS HITTING THE HOUSING

me: did you check the Thermocouple??
Doofy: ???????......... ( I point to it ) he says.."No, I didn't twist the wires together

me: "note to self" start watching CSI and then SHOOT this Idiot

Doofy: and it only blows hot air.....no matter where I put this switch.....

me: did you match cams with the old SS ?
Doofy: pointing at the SqD switch........I ain't real familiar with Allen-Bradley

me: So now that you have screwed this unit up, did you remember to fix the original problem??
Doofy: ( you could almost hear the shattering glass in his skull )...............I don't think it has a problem, it sounds like something bent the blades, but I put a chunk of steel under a corner and it's only real noisy when you shut it off....:cool

I can't even look at this clown ........so I throw my hands in the air and say...."YOU ARE THE STUPIDEST #$^^%£®´Îφ©Ó ALIVE, AND youneedtostay thehellawayfromme,
you ß??©?¶•´®†ç moron,

he went and cried..... that I yelled at him and made him feel shame

.......there are more episodes


P.S. his test score.......................14
Posted By: mshaw Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/20/06 05:19 PM
Pride goes out befor a fall. Let some people have enough rope and they will hang themselves just do not let them kill anyone in the process.
Posted By: togol Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/20/06 07:15 PM
the neat thing ..... his supervisor and leadman both insist he is an electrician, regardless of the test results, because Doofy "told them he is ".......and is not getting the $ for it......

cheap, dirty, and NOT qualified
Posted By: wa2ise Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/21/06 03:08 AM
Quote
me: the fan on this dryer is hitting the shroud.
Doofy: (wearing his shiny new company issued Fluke T5 ) ..
.......ok, I will change this big switch, and that motor coil....

For some odd reason I would have thought to inspect the shroud and the blades on the fan and maybe the motor mounting to see what is out of physical position or bent. Then look for the power disconnect so I can shut it down before removing shroud and correcting the mechanical problem..... [Linked Image] I wouldn't have thought to mess with thermocouples or controllers to fix a fan blace hitting the shroud...
Posted By: e57 Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/21/06 03:48 AM
I started a new company about 8 months ago, and was given an Apprentice who started 9 months ago.

About 1 month ago, after reprimanding this guy (Sideshow Bob) for his lack of attention to detail in his make-up, and protection of finish, I get the I've been here longer than you diatribe.... Several new holes ripped in the proccess of letting him know I was his direct supervisor, (something he never quite got) and an education on how quick I can go from democratic to autocratic leadership, and the fact I have been in this trade 16 years longer than him just stopped that dead.

Last week he tells me he has learned so much from me.... I ask, like what? "Never question your judgement." He says. I say, "No, never not question my judgement - just never question my authority." Oh.....

Anyway, my point is that, even on equal standing rank to rank, etc, sometimes you need to draw a line in the sand, so to speak. The good news is that he wont come bragging about the garbage work he does until he's sure he can....
Posted By: togol Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/21/06 12:58 PM
wa2ise, ....I was going home, and he was just starting his shift, and I thought the clown was just being a clown

......but the next day proved me wrong !
Posted By: togol Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/21/06 01:02 PM
---------------------------------------------------------The good news is that he wont come bragging about the garbage work he does until he's sure he can....

-------------------------------------------------------

sorry, but he sure thinks his work is above average
Posted By: renosteinke Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/21/06 02:16 PM
Unfortunately, our schools these days are so full of "self esteem" and short on substance, completely uneducated kids are coming out, thinking they can 'figure anything out for themselves' and lacking any respect for the patience, and practice, required to master anything.

Navy vets will tell you that "boot camp" was largely an advanced course in "Pay attention to detail!" We all know, from experience, that those little details will come back and bite you. (As in, how many GFI probs trace back to an un-used receptacle screw not being tightened down?)

It sounds like the company has some management / supervision issues. It almost looks like this clown is trying for a management position :-)

First of all, the boss has to get his butt out of the office, and see the shop floor once in a while. He also needs to know something about fixing things.

Secondly, the 'new guys' need to be trained- and know that they're supposed to be learning, and not be instant experts. The experienced guys need to realise that they have a duty to teach, as well.

An iron foundry is a place filled with big stuff that will hurt you BAD, in a heartbeat. There is a lot to learn in that setting. I don't care what place you worked at before... foundries have their own unique challenges. Junior needs to get some respect for this, or he will become a statistic.
Posted By: togol Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/21/06 09:00 PM
reno,
this guys scores a 14, his supervisor..who left
for greener pastures two weeks ago, insisted that Doofy was a good electrican.....how he determined that must have something to do with chicken bones, incense, & Rum [Linked Image]

I am bewildered that anybody would let this maniac near the gear ...
Doofy doesn't respond to breakdowns for a reason..........HE knows he is incompetent, but still, is enjoying being able to pretend to be a sparky, since it keeps him away from a grease gun, and the electrical shop is a bit nicer.!

the few times that he has had to ....troubleshoot.... he has left a bigger problem for someone else to straighten out.
Doofy had to changeout an I-Line breaker for some additional lights
( 6 X 1000W MH Hi-bay ) he had installed......seems he overloaded the existing circuit, !!!
so he somehow determined that a bigger breaker would do the trick,
first,
take out a warm 25
.......throw it away
........... then, install a 50

this will be another episode in
the "Saga of Doofy 14 "
Posted By: renosteinke Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/21/06 09:56 PM
Jeez, I hate telling others to stick their necks out, BUT....

If this guy is half as bad as you describe, I would approach somebody in charge. There has to be someone, somewhere! Failing that, I'd march down to Personnel (or "Human Resources," or whatever silly thing they call it) and raise the issue with them. If they can't, or won't help.... it's time to leave.

Doofy is going to get someone hurt. No point in that 'somebody' being you. Just watch your back, as Doofy is likely to see a 2x4 in the parking lot as a solution- rather than more education!
Posted By: skingusmc Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/22/06 04:42 AM
This may be a bit off topic, but it stays with the spirit of the topic.

I am still attending an electrician’s course at a local (70 miles) technical school to enhance my OJT and work experience with "book learning". The courses have been good to great, but we have the proverbial 10% of students that wouldn’t know their butts from a hole in the ground.

Most of these guys drop out, but a few have stayed on and are actually getting “passed” on (just like the California public schools). They are getting Ds and Cs, but the instructors are passing them just to avoid the BS that comes with tossing these idiots out.

The school is over all a good one, but I can’t help but think whether I want to be associated with it, especially if an outfit had the misfortune to hire one of these idiots that got “passed on” and I want to work for them as well.

Yes, I have made my thoughts known and have been given a load of BS in response.

Steve
Posted By: togol Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/22/06 12:27 PM
Steve,

I think your experiences are reflecting what is beginning to occur in the trades,

the JATC is quietly lowering their standards in order to satisfy the contractors need of replacements for the retiring "boomers" ........

and there are not enough young folks who want to work any harder than they have to.........and Doofy certainly exhibits those qualities, even though he is in his 40's

plus, supervision is encouraging his behavior by putting blinders on when he starts doing something and screws it up....they say..."oh well, he's learning."
Posted By: skingusmc Re: Wannabe.....( rant ! ) - 06/23/06 05:23 AM
Togol

“Steve,
I think your experiences are reflecting what is beginning to occur in the trades,
the JATC is quietly lowering their standards in order to satisfy the contractors need of replacements for the retiring "boomers" ........”

I also see it as a failure of the public school systems, as (from what I have seen and IMHO) those that don’t get it also don’t have even a “basic” (I do mean basic” understanding of math and set procedures.

I have had some of these kids (if you’re under 30 you’re a kid…grin) ask me what fractions are, could not understand that 2/8th is the same as ¼, could literally not read a tape, and could not understand why a particular formula could only be used in certain conditions, etc., etc. I was almost at a loss for words.

I have also noticed (again, IMHO) that there was a lot of “you owe me” attitude with some of the kids.

Steve
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