Discouraged Apprentice

EAW

hello,

I have not been in the Plumbing, Heating, A/C, and Sprinkler trade long only about 7 months, but it seems everything is moving so slow. I dread going to work every morning. It seems Im not learning fast enough and I am getting discouraged. I know I would have to start at the bottom, but I thought by now I would be at least starting to climb up. If any of you guys know of any good schools or teaching companys in Mass. it would be very helpful. Also what would you have done differently when you were a apprentice to advance yourself. Knowing what you know now. I want to learn and be the best I can possibly be in this trade, but right now it seems im stuck not learning and not loving what I do.

Thanks
EAW

flange

any time you install/service something, save the paperwork. read it, then read it again. put it into a binder, which will eventually be full and remain with you in your truck. reread those papers during slow times. when you have everything in that binder in your head, put the binder in your office on a shelf. having info to look back on is great. no one out there can remember everything, but most of the good guys know where to go to find out. ask questions no matter how simple you think it may be, it will get you "in the game". take a night class that has nothing to do with your trade, expand your horizons. in ten years or so you will look back and wonder where the time has gone.

John@Reliable_9

What are you doing now?

ie: plumbing, heat, oil or gas etc. And what size of a company are you working for? As far as learning, after 12 years I still learn something new almost everyday. John@Reliable

ScottMP

I wish

The wall was around when I was an apprentice.

Stick around here and and learn.

Also remember that as an apprentice you are being payed for recieving an education. watch and pay attention at work. Ask if you can do some things by yourself. If your not asking for a chance maybe some one thinks your not interested. Show up early every day. Show enthusiasm.

If your not learning then go some where else. Just make sure you let your Boss know that you want to learn.

And believe me about the wall.

Scott

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lchmb

read

Talk with anyone who will talk back..look online for all the site's relevent to your trade. Read them, ask question's..As hard as it is to go to work, find something that spark's your emotion's to it. Order book's also, if you can't purchase them try the library. And above all else, smile...:) It's easier to smile then frown and it make's the day go faster..:)

FITTER-1

The best school there is the field.

Bill_14

Don't get discouraged...

This is a choice you are making and you don't have to fall into that unhappiness trap.

Read, read some more and ask lots of questions...always continue the learning process.

I don't know your background, your age, your past work experience or the size and type of company you are with now, but I recommend you find a company that allows you to learn by teaching you good habits and allowing you to work and make mistakes.

If you are the "go get some pop" guy or the "stand around and watch" guy, you need to find another shop. Some men will not work with apprentices like they should. However, some apprentices tend to have an attitude problem and this makes work miserable for everyone.

If you don't have a certified apprenticeship program in your area, there might be a vo-tech school that would help you out. We have young guys driving 40 to 60 miles after work two times a week for apprenticeship school.

You gotta' develop a positive attitude and realize that your efforts might make the difference. Try the advice you are getting here on the Wall for another 6 to 12 month's before you give up...it'll be worth it for you!

G'Luck to you.

Bill Russell

Paul Mitchell_2

Dude...7 mos is a spec of time in your career

The boys have the right idea....save the literature, listen, and pay attention. Don't learn the shanty quick habits only the good ones. Just an example and maybe it is just me. I started after two years of vocational school. Worked as a helper(apprentice) for two years. Was moved up to a mechanic...took me three more years before I felt confident enough to do some work on my own for a couple of family friends. Here..now..twenty years alter I still learn something every day. Some of it here. The whole trick is to try and learn from the best you can find. If you are learning then good, especially if you are learning right. If you don't feel that you are learning anything then move on to another shop. But please don,t be impatient. Take your time it will be worth it in the long run. It is hard but hang in there.
If you feel like you are doing the same thing every day...look at what you are doing and if you could do it all correctly, efficiently, and with no guidence...you are ready to gain more knowledge...if not learn it inside and out and that will show you boss you are ready.....ATTITUDE is alot.
Good Luck

tate

EAW APPRENTICE

Heed the advice posted here, keep an eye out for trade shows, check out any associations related to your field of interest. And read.

Glen

Keep at it -

I cleaned the shop, sorted fittings, cleaned the trucks, arranged pipe - that was the first 6 weeks. that was in 1973 and I'm still learning - this trade will take you as far as your imagination will allow - which after all this time - seems to be infinite. I learn every day on the job - and when you need a further intellectual boost - climb the wall!

jackchips_2

My first

six months were spent on a large apartment complex either carrying 10 foot sections of cast iron pipe, unloading cast iron tubs from trailers to be distributed into the units or cutting gas piping from measurements fed to me by an old timer.

All this in the middle of my first winter as an apprentice. I don't remember having your feelings but they were probably not to far from what I thought as a 23 year old making $2.10 per hour.

The funny part is 35 years have gone by and it's a trade that I have loved and would not trade a day of it, except maybe those first few months.

Think back and you may realize that you have learned more than you think. But also, the trades are not for everyone. If you dislike it so much that you despise going to work, look for something else.

The comment to speak to your boss is the best start and looking in the mirror and asking yourself if you are really trying and making it known that you want to learn.

Best of luck. It's a great trade and you will never stop learning.

Josh M.

Knowledge is power. Study hard! There are lots of good books here at heatinghelp.com. Find out what those letters on the side of valves mean or anything else that you don't know. That is what I did and I pass up guys twice my age for jobs all of the time.

Scott25

good people

It may be the place you work or the people you work with! If you are on the wall then it is obvious to me that you want to learn. Surround yourself with good people and the world is your oyster and it has a giant pearl.

Trust me, having a job you hate is some of the "hardest" time you can do.

I just had a change in my place of employment and I havent stopped smiling since!

Scott

Unknown

Discouraged Apprentice-Help is nearby

I have a Training Center in Rhode Island. Get in touch with me by e-mail or call at 401-437-0557 I am sure we can get you started with some education.

John R. Hall

It's a trap

EAW is falling into the same trap as many kids today. Our world is all instant everything -- instant gratitude, instant access to info (Web), instant oatmeal (oh, sorry about that).

I don't want to beat up on you, young man, but the mechanical trades are a daily learning experience, as these guys have told you. The career is demanding but very rewarding because you have the autonomy to make your own decisions and to work on different systems in different environments every day. Soak it all in -- learn all you can -- and be patient. You will succeed.

Weezbo

i used to study and live Karate and akido...

after 5 years the instructor actually thinks that you are interested,after 10 years they actually notice you are there and may be Worth Teaching:) meditate on that for a while...:)

Jack_23

Absolutley go to school

There is no substitute for field experience but if you are not working with the right guys your learning is slower. Some journeymen like to teach, some see it as training their replacement. I did a 5 yr apprenticeship with the UA and that was my experience. You are in MA so check out the New England Fuel Institute In Watertown for oil systems. Also Petersen Schools. Tim runs a good program. Don't limit yourself to heat classes only. Get electrical and refrigeration too. Getting through these classes shows desire and initiative. It also helps you negotiate a better wage. You also have to ask yourself if this is really the kind of work you want to be doing. It can be a great career and there is always work for good guys. BUT, you have to enjoy the work and the industry. Life is entirely to short to screw it up by doing something you do not enjoy. Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress!

Mad Dog

You need to become a voracious reader

of everthing involved in your trade, come here every night and we will teach you. Also, think about requestong overtime or working some nights or weekends for another shop - preferably one that focuses on the opposite of what your day job is doing. Even think of supply house work on the weekends. I entered the trade with very little mechanical experience, in fact was chided by a few as "not mechanically inclined." Within a year I was blowing away EVERY apprentice in the shop and even some mechanics. I would even take vacation days -unpaid- to take heating seminars as an apprentice. I did'nt even tell the boss because it was frowned upon because we did plumbing primarily. Feel free to call for advice or guidance anytime. This trade is what you make of it son, now get in there and go!!!!!!!!! Mad Dog

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Mad Dog

Right on John!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that could be part of the problem too. I had a helper one timewho said the reason he wanted to be a plumber is that "plummas make mo den doctas..." He quit after 6 months because it was "too hard." Alot of this current crop of American kids have spent too much time on computers - I see way too many who are really soft. The immigrant workers are cleaning their clocks and they don't even realize it. In ten years, some of these kids are still going to be working in a record store while the immigrants are buying their second homes. Wake up!!!!!! Kids! The trades are very rewarding. Mad Dog

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Mad Dog

That may be so, but it is up to the pupil to

draw the teacher out and drain him of his knowledge. I laid cement in Brooklyn the summer I was 18. It was hotter than heck, and we worked from dawn till dusk. Santo, the Crusty, old Italian cement mason saw that i was working hard, but wondered why I didn't pick his brain more. I Was probably thinking about girls and how much beer I would drink that night. One day, in broken English, he puts down his trowel and says: "When I was you age, I used to bug my bossa alla the tima...how you do this...why you do that....YOU GOTTA STEALA HIS TRADA!" I got the point, and never turned back. Mad Dog

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Darin Cook_2

Many Options!!!!

Have you ever thought about the Air Force or Air National Guard? The AF has excellent schools for HVAC or Plumbing(utilities). You get paid to learn and you will go places and see things that you never could by working on a construction site or being a cellar dwellar. If you hang around on this site, you will always see the talk about european hydronics. Thanks to the service I have worked on systems in Germany and England. Plus, I have gotten to see a huge amount of Europe because of that service. When you leave tech school (Sheppard AFB, Texas), you will have your CFC certification. You will make friends that will last a lifetime. As I near my 20 mark with the NY ANG, I know I will have a nice retirement check to count on in life's later years. Just realize you are not stuck where you are. If where you are working just does not seem right to you, move on. If you are doing mostly commercial work try residential, you are always on the go and constantly changing scenery. Keep one thing in mind, this is a trade where you get dirty,cut,burned,sweat,freeze,and work long hours. But every time I step back and take a look at my masterpieces and know they will be there for many, many years to come. It is worth it.

Bryan_5

EAW,
I am not in your trade but I have to to agree with the other guys. It is your responsibility to learn as much as you can. Read everything you can. And Mad Dog hit it on the head about going to seminars. In my opinion if you pay for seminars and books out of your own pocket you are controlling your own destiny. You will own your education and nobody can ever take that away from you. There is a saying that is used around this site frequently "In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king". Hang in there you will probably want to quit ten times but dont do it just keep sucking up the knowledge and hang in there.
Bryan

Mad Dog

Outstanding idea

for the young man. Mad Dog

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jbplumber

"I would even take vacation days -unpaid- to take heating seminars as an apprentice. I did'nt even tell the boss because it was frowned upon because we did plumbing primarily." Wow, I thought I was the only one....

Bill_14

EAW

Tell us what you are going to do with all this advice? Did it help or are you still discouraged? Be honest with yourself because there are lots of guys here that really care about you success.

Keep us posted...we are interested.

Bill

Mad Dog

I think we overwhemled the poor boy

Mad Dog

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keith

ownership

Take ownership of your success. This business is not any different than any other. Your success will be equal to the amount of effort you put into it.
If you havn't already done so sit down with your boss at the end of the day and ask for an evaluation of your 1st 7 months. That will give you some insight on where he thinks you are in development. Take that opening dialog and run with it.
If your company does emergency service offer to ride along at no charge for a day here and there to pick the brain of the tech. The experience will pay for itself.
I also was told " You have to steal this Trade". I would like to think that is a thing of the past but maybe not.
Probably some of the best hands on training I ever got was being teamed up with mechanics that took a liking to me because of my attitude. Find someone that you nhave a great deal of respect for and make him your mentor.
Good Luck, Rememeber your in it for the long haul, Keith

Paul Mitchell

Hope he responds

Hope he responds better at work or maybe we know why he is "bored" ...Nothing worth getting is easy....lots look for easy today.

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Darin Cook_2

I agree Keith,

Typically no one volunteers to much information on the job, unless you ask for it. I would be willing to bet that a common trait among the people who have excelled here, were a pain in the a** when it came to wanting to know why and how. No one gives you motivation, you have to bring it to the table.

Mad Dog

Are you some sorta wiseguy?????????

Mad Dog

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Jeremy_2

When I was at Shepard, all I thought about was beer and women

freddie g

looking for a chalange?????
look in to thehigh pressure steam aera im sure u can find a stationary engineer uion near u
try the i.u.o.e web site

Weezbo

heat ,sid harvey ,jag office...

A buddy wet haead has a new son in law of a couple years and he is getting out of the military,he is into work and looking or some small shop or one man many hat shop....i would like to farm the ladd out to some one ...in the colorado springs area he is moto vated and he is into spending his own $ on education so he will definite ly be "there"....Thing is he is a buddys new ish son in law so i would like to say that should anyone wish to hire him on soon i would appreciate it if they make everything they can think of twice as much hassel as it needs to be... Thank you . by buddy wanted to try to get him to go stay and study up in Germany for three years ..The young guy is chomping at the bits to get up here to practise plumbing and heating with us:))))

jbplumber

No, I'm not making fun of you, I'm serious. You just made me feel that I'm not alone. Great web site btw.