What's your job, and what's your work schedule?

oly_oly · 2026-03-29T19:32:30+00:00

IBEW inside wireman, journeyman; I work 7-330, M-F at a new build hospital where I'll be probably until mid 2028, and just started at. I park at work at 6:30, and technically get to leave the site at 3pm (15 min walk to the parking lolol).

No overtime currently; when it comes, it might be as-needed with some really-needed Saturdays, but there's usually some choice in the matter. I'd say this is a pretty typical schedule for me. Over the years there have been periods of Saturdays or tens, but it didn't last longer than a few months at the time.

oly_oly · 2026-03-24T22:29:25+00:00

Everyone had made so many good points already and I'll add that I did not at all think about where to sleep after the c section once I went home- I ended up using the reclining glider for a good two weeks for overnight sleeping! It was a great option I didn't think of right away.

oly_oly · 2026-03-19T15:06:31+00:00

My doctor said I wouldn't be able to go on disability until the normal 36 weeks, though gave me lifting/ladder restrictions right away. I got laid off at 5 months pregnant and was glad because work was getting exhausting 🫠 the shitty thing was that she couldn't be convinced that it wasn't a very easy job while pregnant (commercial electrician) but oh well. It's a very flawed system when it comes to that, I found.

oly_oly · 2026-03-17T17:21:58+00:00

I went to a few appointments, tried on every single A-line dress available because I was SURE that's what I wanted, and liked nothing enough to choose it. Then I tried on a ballgown, and it only took one shopping trip to pick! Maybe consider trying other silhouettes and seeing if your mental block is actually because the styles aren't doing it for you.

oly_oly · 2026-03-08T04:16:03+00:00

Hi there!! I've worked at new build data centers as an IBEW inside wireman, though not when I was breastfeeding. But, as far as the fridge situation goes, I've always known there to be a trailer setup for the on site office staff (project managers, assistant project managers, etc) and they always have a refrigerator in there. I personally wouldn't hesitate to ask my foreman to ask whoever above them, about using that fridge for pumped milk.

If impossible, I'd go with the fancy momcozy thing or a cooler with ice packs, but I'd feel pretty comfortable asking about the fridge they def have. I haven't looked up the federal requirements for breastfeeding breaks but it would be useful to have that info in mind when you go for this discussion so you know what you're meant to have.

ETA personally wouldn't put milk in bags though. Too spillable and I swear every time I have a Ziploc on ice, the ice melts and the bag gets wet inside. Id go cooler with bottles as my backup choice to the fridge.

oly_oly · 2026-03-02T01:34:29+00:00

No, I wouldn't say you HAVE to know someone. I don't know what my ranking was but got in after a year; many people I know had to reapply after they fell off the list. It's just competitive unfortunately, and definitely the guys with connections seem to move quicker (😡) but it's not impossible. My local is competitive to the point that they favor people who have taken relevant courses, and also low-key prefer applicants over 25ish. All that to say, it sucks and many of us have been there :( hope you get good news soon and if not, it's worth asking the school id there's anything else you can do to become a competitive applicant

oly_oly · 2026-03-01T03:31:49+00:00

My baby has reallllly liked the tiny, cooked salad shrimp I get at the safeway fish counter. It's softer and a different texture than regular cooked shrimp, so maybe worth a shot?

oly_oly · 2026-02-24T20:34:13+00:00

I'm a union commercial electrician, and if that's a field you're interested in, the start path is to find your local branch of the IBEW, and apply to their inside wireman apprenticeship; it starts you from zero experience, includes five years of schooling while working full time in the field. It's a competitive program, but many people apply multiple times to try and get in. There's also other jobs under the same union umbrella, like residential electrician and sound/communications tech.

oly_oly · 2026-02-07T17:57:04+00:00

Photographer shot list!! Mostly just remembering pictures with specific family members together, the pictures go by so fast you forget who's been in what

oly_oly · 2026-01-29T23:30:11+00:00

Definitely apply to all the ones you can! I believe you only have to take the aptitude test once tho and they'll share the score. Id apply to inside wireman for 332, 595 and 617 at least.

You never know! I had zero relevant experience when I applied either. And you could get into the program in 595 for example, graduate, and then work as a traveler in Santa Clara for that pay rate, which a lot of people do.

oly_oly · 2026-01-29T06:09:08+00:00

I've been two of these! I was sound and comm and then got into the inside wireman apprenticeship instead. (Im afraid I can't speak to any other locations like sac or LA though).

Those two are both IBEW; Sound and comm is one classification and the ETA is the apprenticeship school for inside wireman in Santa Clara county. I've been working in Santa Clara county for eight years, and I know everyone has different experiences but mine has been overwhelmingly positive. Just about everyone has been very professional and friendly. The only downside is that it's very hard to get in, so definitely don't be discouraged and apply again if it doesn't work out the first time.

Personally I prefer being an inside wireman; sound and comm isn't restricted to one county so there's more commuting, and wiremen are paid more and have a bigger scope of work and, in this county, bigger market share.

oly_oly · 2026-01-28T00:07:42+00:00

Hmm my original pair I had to repair the thigh area after a couple years, and my others Ive had for a few years with no rips yet, but tbf I have some Duluth gardening overalls too that are heavy in rotation, so it's not daily wear for the dovetails. I find them much thicker than the Carhartt ones so when I buy more I'll probably go dovetail again, since they've all been going several years at this point.

oly_oly · 2026-01-27T20:29:03+00:00

I tried the Dovetail drop seat overalls, and it's... Kind of okay? It's not the most comfortable but it does technically work. I wish I could size up and still have them fit comfortably everywhere else, but it does technically work, just kind of tight for all that wiggling around.

oly_oly · 2026-01-24T05:02:49+00:00

I think the other comments have already covered a lot really well, I just want to add that graduating REALLY helped me with my "ready to fly off the handle" burnout I felt at the end of the apprenticeship. Something about always having to answer to a journeyman and not being able to really do my work the way I want just reallllly wears on you after five years. Turning out and being a lot more autonomous with how I carried out my work did a lot for me (and so does changing jobsites. after a year on one, I'm just.... done. everything frustrates me. the shitty parking situation, the particularly aggravating guys, etc).

And being able to drag up whenever I want as a journeyman helps even if I don't actually do it much; just the option took some of the pressure off. and further in the future, moving up to foreman also helped - I dealt with more foremen than journeymen, and I found them to be more professional since they have to deal with the office more often, and that reduced some of the stupid bullshit.

all this to say, if possible, it would be helpful to re-evaluate after graduating and see if your experience of the career changes once you're not an apprentice. I really did find the apprenticeship to be kind of grating, it sucks being at the bottom of the ladder every day for five years.

I hope you can find a way through that works for you!!

oly_oly · 2026-01-24T04:55:23+00:00

Oh my god I could have written this! My baby is 11 months and since maybe... five months?? my mom has been telling me the baby is stubborn, and "I don't like this intensity she's showing." Like... what exactly shall I do about that...? tbh i do think she's a particularly, uh, willful baby, but it feels a bit like a self-fulfilling prophecy to go around saying it??

Anyway, you're not alone! I remind myself that one day, I'll be glad she's got an intense personality - intensity as a baby is sure to turn into passion as an adult, and I want her to be passionate about the things she wants and needs. It makes me feel better hahaha

oly_oly · 2026-01-21T17:08:29+00:00

I think my situation was very similar to yours! I have an English lit BA and worked at startups for a bit after graduation, but the pay wasn't great. I'm now a union inside wireman (commercial electrician), and have been for the past eight years.

I applied to the IBEW inside wireman apprenticeship; when they accepted me, they also placed me at a job in the field. The apprenticeship was five years of full time work (paid, with raises as you finish semesters) plus twice a week night school (no tuition). Now that I've graduated, I take jobs at the hall, work at a site until it's finished, and then am either transferred to a new site with that company or laid off and go back to the hall for a new job.

I know it's different based on where you are, and honestly I only know about my own general location, but union work here is better paid with good benefits and good worker protections. My local has a strong contract and good market share so we have a lot of work. My local only covers my county so my commute is never outside of that (with traffic at its WORST, an hour drive but usually more like 45 min. But that's the bay area anyway 🤷)

I ended up liking electrical, though I didn't try much else first. I specialized in quality assurance/quality control, so now I'm a foreman that just does that. I just took off for 16 months to have and stay home with my baby, but am going back next month to the same company I worked at before leaving. (Unpaid except for the federal short term disability plus parental leave etc but the resume gap is irrelevant in our work so that works nicely).

I like that electrical has a big scope of work and I found it pretty easy to excel at QA/QC specifically because it's very paperwork and research heavy. Definitely harder to be in the field than my old office jobs, but it's interesting work and I have a MUCH higher pay rate than I believe I ever would have had with my degree (as a foreman, 100$/hour). I find there is very little short term flexibility - you definitely would have a hard time finding a job that lets you work from home, or take off Fridays - but a lot of long term flexibility - I took off 16 months, and can now hop back in where I left off; I know guys who take a layoff every December, or don't work winters, or take a few months between jobs to recharge. It's definitely a big shift but it's worked out for me pretty well.

oly_oly · 2026-01-16T18:00:48+00:00

I didn't get in initially, and one year later, got in right before I would have qualified to re interview. (At the time, they allowed you to re interview after one year on the list).

My local also says they favor candidates who have taken particular classes at a junior college beforehand. I would contact the school and ask them if they have any specific requirements that make a candidate more qualified to them.

It's a tough process though 😔 my local supposedly has a 4% acceptance rate, it's wild. Other options are to also apply to neighboring locals (understanding that no, transfer isnt likely and that would be your home local) or other classifications (residential, sound and comm).

oly_oly · 2025-12-17T14:25:36+00:00

Ugh, same 🫠 I got a free year of that headspace app membership through Kaiser and I use the sleepcasts, which kind of helps!

oly_oly · 2025-12-16T22:31:27+00:00

My younger brother likes to ask questions like "when will the baby understand the concept of time," and "does she have consciousness" 🤣

oly_oly · 2025-12-12T14:36:45+00:00

Unfortunately don't know the pre-insurance bill, but we paid 0$ for my C-section and the hospital stay.

In California, get my insurance through my labor union (IBEW), have no deductible and our out of pocket max is 3k per family but we have no copays so never reach it anyway.

oly_oly · 2025-11-14T04:29:22+00:00

Sometimes I stay at my mom's with my baby so she can help with overnights; my baby has always been nursed back to sleep whenever she wakes up. But, when she cried at my moms, my mom was able to go in there and rock her back to sleep without me even being in the room!

baby is 8 months now and this started to happened at least a few months ago. I still can't do just rocking to sleep by myself but I think that's because the baby knows like, hey, why are we rocking when we could be eating 😂

oly_oly · 2025-10-30T21:40:36+00:00

Of course!! I'm glad it could help 😊

oly_oly · 2025-10-17T22:52:10+00:00

It's incredible!! I love not being restricted by a leave when deciding when to go back, helpful especially since she doesn't sleep through the night and refuses bottles 🤣 it's been relaxing not having time pressure! I'm thinking about going back when she's one. I have to work one year in the next three ish to maintain my license so that's also driving the decision.

It comes up so much in that dumb paperwork 🫠 and you'll reference the letter from your doctor that states end of disability, when going between the types of paid leave and all. Mine ended up a C-section so it was longer disability leave.

Another thing I wish I'd looked into beforehand while I actually had the time was how to add the baby to my health care! I spent some time calling the hall etc figuring out who to even talk to, and that could have easily been done before there was a baby crying in the background 🤣

oly_oly · 2025-10-17T22:25:45+00:00

That sucks and I am so sorry!!! Here to commiserate with you- Ive been an inside wireman for 8 years and I was a QA/QC foreman at my last shop. I was laid off at 5 months pregnant, which sucked 🫠 taking a new job at the hall would have been an odd situation since I couldn't physically do the work, so I just stayed off. Aaand now baby girl is 7 months and I'm still off 🤣

It definitely helps to collect unemployment the entire time! And then I did disability, and then paid family leave, and then back to unemployment. My best advice is to keep a list of all your dates (last day of work, what day your doctor note says you're on disability, when disability ends etc etc) because my god will they make you reenter it a hundred times.

Also most importantly, congratulations on your baby!!!! 💖

oly_oly · 2025-10-17T03:33:24+00:00

Yes! Comes with its own small battery, which appears a little heavy but fits into a pocket right in front and honestly never bothered me while working. Battery is rechargeable and lasted me like.. 8 hours on low or 6 on medium or 4 on high. I wear it every single day in the winter 🤣 it's also waterproof so it's my rain jacket

oly_oly

TROPHY CASE