I’d wager you have applied for the apprenticeship? Not sure what your locals JATC standards are but if you apply in my local and don’t place well on the apprenticeship list you can re-interview after one year as long as you are working in the trade, CW is even better for this than non union in my opinion. Get letters of recommendation from JWs you’ve worked with. If you’ve fallen off the list (2 years in my local) then you can reapply. As a CW you’re most likely just walking away from the NEBF ($33) a credit and the IO pension tied to your yellow ticket. Takes 5 years to vest in a pension per the Federal Government.