Posted: 4/14/2005 10:32:03 PM EDT
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My brother is thinking of learning a trade, either heating and AC or electrician. What are the pros and cons of each...which should he do? |
HVAC= Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning |
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Take it from someone in the field... Refrigeration and Appliance Repair. We have a MAJOR shortage of good techs. We need good HONEST and QUALITY techs right now. Especially in the high end trade. This is a country wide problem. You should see all the asshats I follow up all the time. I shit you not, I just had a call on Monday where the technician put the part in BACKWARDS!!! And wonders why the fucker isnt working right. 1. Go to a good trade school 2. Pay ATTENTION to theory 3. Go work at Sears for NO MORE than 1 year. Some stay there as a career choice and that sucks!!! 4. Call up a HIGH END manufacturer (I.e. sub Zero, viking, Bosch, Fisher & Paykel) ask them who they recommend as the best servicer in the area... then go knocking on their door for a job. |
| Let me recommend INDUSTRIAL electrician. More specifically, INSTRUMENT TECHNICIAN. Good instrument techs are damned hard to find and the job pays pretty good. But you need to be halfway decent at math, and you REALLY need to be able to think logically. There's a lot more to it than sizing wire and pulling Romex. |
as I said I did 600 hours and that was 6 months time. Not too bad. |
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Neither... Take it from an Industrial Electrician. The pay sucks, the hours are ridiculous, and one injury to your hands or feet will put you out of work. You sweat all summer, freeze all winter, catering to those with money, while yer buddies who went to college make twice your pay sitting in front of a desk. There is little in the way of retirement plans unless you're good enough (and willing to relocate, and know someone....) to get on with someone like Carrier or GE, zero appreciation, and your body will be used up by the time you're 50. Tell him trade school is OK, but we don't hire out of trade school except as an apprentice - here in AZ, that's about 9 bucks an hour to bust yer ass in 120 degree heat. After 14 years I barely clear 27, and that's WITH benefits - I make twice that much working for myself in property management. Both trades are in high demand, but I don't know a sparky out there who isn't burned out after 7 or 8 years, and then you're stuck. If he wants to go that route, he should be working as either while getting his degree in management sciences: HRM, etc. No degree = getting screwed by every pimply-faced 22 Y/O whose mommy sent him for his BSM. |
Listen to this man. If I HAD to pick a trade, I'd go industrial electrician. I sure am glad I didn't have to. Go to college, get a degree. |
I.B.E.W.  edit, who knew there was an ibel.org? 
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