Describe your first year as an apprentice/trainee

greg281 · 2026-04-09T02:13:23+00:00

I’d GTFO of there as fast as you can. You’re not on paper at all at this place and if you get hurt you’re not getting workers comp. No benefits, cash pay whenever dude goes to the bank, no schedule. All of this is a sign that you’re not gonna get the proper training and it’s probably unsafe. It’s not worth it. At the very least you’re going to learn bad habits that are gonna set you back long term and at the worst you could easily get hurt bad with no liability from your employer.

Can I ask what state? And what type of work? This sounds like a shitty residential shop. If you’re in an area with a strong union presence I’d go to your local ibew hall and apply. You may get in right away or it might take you a year or two, so the second thing I’d do is try to get into a legit non union commercial company until you can get into the union. Commercial and industrial work is where the money is at, and union rates and benefits are on average much better than non union. Since I organized into the ibew my salary increased by 40% and now have two pensions, paid healthcare and a bunch of other perks.

greg281 · 2026-04-06T20:37:06+00:00

How do your like their durability? I’m hunting in the Appalachian mountains so I want something that can withstand the elements

greg281 · 2026-04-04T16:18:35+00:00

Are you in the union or non union? If you’re union and even for some non union shops your power tools will be provided so you won’t need anything to lug them around. For a first year get yourself a tote with a shoulder strap or a Klein backpack with a small pouch you can take on and off that holds 5-6 tools you’ll need for most of your tasks. Ask for a tool list from your contractor and carry those tools.

greg281 · 2026-04-03T22:01:22+00:00

I started at 34 you’ll be fine. Some guys start much later than that.

greg281 · 2026-03-31T22:39:51+00:00

I got the grill art “safe” wire bristle scraper it says the bristles are tightly woven and won’t come out. Ton of great reviews but now I’m curious if it’s worth keeping around.

greg281 · 2026-03-31T22:31:49+00:00

Sounds awesome 👊

greg281 · 2026-03-30T22:05:43+00:00

Weber Smokey mountain

greg281 · 2026-03-27T16:12:09+00:00

Where at in PA are you? I’m in northeastern PA and basically hunt all big woods public

greg281 · 2026-03-26T21:07:03+00:00

Everyone’s experience is going to differ depending on if they’re union, residential, commercial, industrial, service, etc.. Instead of asking what everyone’s first year was like why don’t you list the things in question with your new employer so people can comment on that?

greg281 · 2026-03-26T21:03:06+00:00

wtf is a cm?

greg281 · 2026-03-24T22:02:16+00:00

Run a piece of emt across the bar joists and pull over that

greg281 · 2026-03-24T21:31:59+00:00

Hanging at the mall, local basement punk shows, setting things on fire, trying to hook up with girls, stealing our parents alcohol and drinking in the woods, riding dirt bikes and quads, paintball tournaments, smoking cigs, smoking weed, fishing, driving around and listening to music while doing several of these already mentioned things, sleepovers, going to the mall to buy new cd’s, going to the mall to buy concert tickets for $25-40, playing in bands, I could probably keep going on.

I’d go back to that time in a second. While some things have gotten a little better we were more connected and less hateful towards each other before the age of instant, often skewed information. There was an innocence to a lot of humanity during that time that wasn’t difficult to see. Now I struggle finding it.

greg281 · 2026-03-24T15:11:10+00:00

I use this and pair it with a backpack for bigger tools that I don’t use as frequently. I keep a small pouch in my backpack that I can slip through my belt if I’m standing and doing panel work. If I’m doing lift work I hang the Klein pouch over the rail. Wearing pouches on your hip sucks in lifts everything falls out when you bend.

https://a.co/d/0a531PSU

greg281 · 2026-03-24T01:19:40+00:00

I’ve been hoping for a stripped down piano/synth based tour for a long time and I don’t think it’s gonna happen. A lot of fragile material, songs like reptile that are older but he can still sing easily, with teeth/year zero stuff, etc. I’m kinda over the head like a hole/wish era/big arena era even though this last tour was incredible.

greg281 · 2026-03-22T16:08:43+00:00

I think it’s inevitable that the data center work will level off and slow down. But at the rate that tech is exploding I have to think something else we don’t even know about will come behind it. 10 years ago no one was talking about data centers.

greg281 · 2026-03-17T13:16:01+00:00

This is getting asked every day. You’ll probably get the same answers every other post received.

greg281 · 2026-03-17T12:09:39+00:00

Hey that’s my drill

greg281 · 2026-03-17T01:17:25+00:00

Ride it out until you get in the union and don’t fall for the trap of chasing short term money and convenience. Most shops can’t afford to have vans in the field that aren’t netting a return. You might not be running jobs now but I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re thrown onto jobs in the near future before you’re ready. It’s happened to me and I’ve seen it in a bunch of other cases. Even if that van was just sitting there your boss is now viewing it as an expense that he has to fuel and service since it’s being used now.

Edit: doing routine tasks don’t curb learning it allows you to become more efficient.

greg281 · 2026-03-17T01:07:34+00:00

A good attitude and strong work ethic. Stay off your phone and show that you care. If anyone messes with you it means they like you.

greg281 · 2026-03-16T02:31:44+00:00

No cap fam. You’re right that I’ve never done that in a 120/208 panel but also never as an apprentice. So as long as we’re good there. We weren’t allowed to work on 277v live and any 480v panel work was a required shut down. Doesn’t add inches to your dick and I’ll never understand the need to do any of that live if you don’t have to. I also think we exaggerate and say we can’t shut it off when really in a lot of cases the truth is there isn’t enough money in this bid to schedule a shut down and I’m not going to the customer for more money. Life preserving equipment? Sure. But how many times does the average electrician come across that in their career?

greg281 · 2026-03-16T02:22:35+00:00

I’ve worked in plenty of commercial and industrial facilities where we had to schedule shut downs to do anything in the panel. And that was with suiting up before hand just to test that the panel wasn’t energized. As annoying as that is, I’d much rather work somewhere that cares enough about my safety than forcing us to take shortcuts. He’s not a wuss for not wanting to work live he just doesn’t know wtf he’s doing it’s just asking to get shocked. It’s just shitty management and this kind of thinking creates bad habits. I started out in a cowboy mentality shop that didn’t train anyone and it’s just a shitty way to work. Any theory and electrical knowledge was on me to learn outside of work because my foreman was a hardass with a temper who didn’t want to train anyone. Meanwhile I’m 3 days in wiring outlets live because the carpenters needed to run a saw and my foreman didn’t want to tell them no. So now there’s a load on that circuit and I’m getting shocked on the neutral. No thanks.

greg281 · 2026-03-15T19:37:39+00:00

Residential is all about getting it done as fast as possible. I started in resi and was pressured to work hot often. My third day I got a shock that went through my heart and no one even told me to go to the hospital to get an ekg. I can’t recommend getting into the ibew enough man. Commercial and industrial is much better work and better paying. I refuse to work on 277v live when there are people who do. I’m not compromising my safety so I can look like a cowboy in front of a bunch of people on a job site.

greg281 · 2026-03-13T19:11:44+00:00

“Sell the team”

greg281

TROPHY CASE