What is your education?

I have a Bachelor's Degree in English but I'm going back to school to study accounting.

 

Bachelor in civil engineering

 

I've been working on an associates in philosophy at a junior college but I'll be transferring to a university soon.

 

I'm officially a tradesman, but have spent a long time educating myself in a multitude of other fields that interest me.

 

I have more respect for tradesmen and hard workers. I respect you OST.

I’m a strong believer in level of education being irrelevant in a persons capabilities.

 

Still in high school

 

Instructive - why?

 

Self-educated, self-employed.

 

OK. Well, I left school at 15 with few qualifications. Although @Buzz Lightyear didn't believe I was poorly educated.

 

I have a Bachelors degree. I often think back on my education and think, "Was that really necessary?". I think that many people, who show aptitude, could do better to qualify by testing and simply learn on the job.

 

I am glad to have your respect, I know how valuable that is. I agree with you too, about how education and capability are two different things.

That said, my own views on the matter could be better explained. There is certainly something to be gained in working with your hands, a perspective that comes from having to sweat and bleed for your living. But I've also seen many tradesmen become bitter and cynical, jealous of those who have an easier time in life. I've come to have an admiration for those who remain kind and caring through all the vicious things that life can do to us. From what I've seen, no school or trade can teach a person that.

So, even that word of kindness you gave me is more valuable to me than anything I've learned from my studies or my years in the trades.

Heh, you remind me of one of the instructors I had in college. "This is the theory of how a car works. You won't ever need to use this in real life, but I have to teach it to you. So let's just get through this, shall we?"

I'm totally for qualification by testing. I think they've begun to do that with some business degrees.

 

I have a two associate's degrees, two Trade certifications with about a year of relevant experience(EMT-B and 911 operator). I am currently working towards a bachelors in psychology.

 

Most welcome

 

Right now I just started my first year as an electrician's apprentice so I'm going to a vocational school to get my school hours. It takes 4 years to get your journeyman's licence in Massachusetts; 8000 work hours and 600 school hours. How long does it take in Canada for a non-union apprentice, and are you a working in commercial or residential?

 

To be precise, I hold certification as a Red Seal Automotive Service Technician and am specialized in the area of electrical diagnosis and repair. To be candid, I'm the guy that people go to when they have no clue how to fix things... even other mechanics lol. My very last job was fixing a vehicle that an entire dealership of mechanics couldn't figure out (as well as every single one of my co-workers, the shop foreman and likely every single individual within X kilometers). As in, this vehicle was shipped to me from a dealership far far away because I was one of the few people in the province, perhaps even in the country, who could fix it. When a vehicle is worth the size of a small house, it's worth the shipping cost to get it working.

Needless to say, my skillset was highly regarded in my field and even earned me an international award.

For better or worse, I left the trade due to complications with my health. The trade is demanding in ways that few outside it can really understand. To put it metaphorically, there is a special kind of soap made for the hands of mechanics. It is needed for a reason. You can't wrestle with an engine without walking away dirty. It's not like we make a whole lot of money, it's an honest living... but you need to buy all your own tools (5 digits). So, you just roll up your sleeves and get into it.

My apprenticeship lasted about 6 years, not because I was slow or stupid but because I was too valuable of an employee to let go for 2 months of school. I was realistically done being an apprentice by the time I finished high school, if you count skills as a basis. I started my apprenticeship in high school, part of an official co-op program. I earned my elective high school credits while working as a professional mechanic for free lol. Win-win for the boss, and it got me finished up with high school and ahead in my field for my age.. so no complaints about that.

Still, the stress it put on my body caused a spinal herniation. L5-S1 disc rupture. Last year I could barely walk. Even though I've been out for nearly a decade, I'm still fighting to recover from the damage it did. And that's just one thing, lol. The list goes on and on... So, to answer your question: I'm not working in commercial or residential. My body is wrecked, it's why I've got enough time to lend moderating here. It's not something I'm proud of, but I'm on disability and am struggling everyday to find a way to live without the financial support of the government.

I'd go to university to learn something, but even just getting outside has been a real struggle sometimes. It's not that I'm depressed or beat, just in too much pain most days. I have extremely limited resources and need to be very careful with what I invest myself into. I can't just go to university if I have to quit partway through because the pain becomes unbearable to the point of needing to take narcotics, muscle relaxants, nerve blockers & NSAIDs just to be able to sleep at night.

Anyways, I digress... but let me say that because I know what toll the trades put on a man, I wish you the very best as you make your way as an electrician. No amount of money is worth ending up like me, take care of yourself out there.. okay? It's a dangerous occupation. You should get paid a lot more money than you do and receive a lot more thanks than you get. But it's an important job, someone needs to do it. For that, I salute you.



The world runs on our broken bodies
The gears of society are oiled by our blood

So, @Jewels, what's your story? You must have put some thought into becoming an electrician?


p.s.
to answer the technical parts of your inquiry, to get certified in a trade in Canada there are different requirements for each trade (naturally). It's been so long since I was an apprentice that I've forgotten the specific requirements, and they may have been updated since my time lol. I think we do it more based on skills than on time spent. I remember that I had a book about as thick as the bible with endless pages of various skills and tasks that I'd have to show complete competency in, all of which needed to be verified by a journeyman Red Seal Automotive Service technician. Along with that, I needed to attend 3 sessions of 2 months of college (6 months total) and pass that before I was allowed to write the exam to receive my certification.

The process for my trade takes on average 3-4 years (usually can only go to school once per year). That makes it pretty close to requiring 8k hours in trade and 600 in school.

p.p.s.
I apologize if I rambled, I'm full of stories that I do not often get to tell.

tl;dr - tradework can ruin your life, value the tradeworkers around you because they live and die so you can turn your lights on.

 

I have two Diplomas, two Bachelors, and a Master's, and have spent most of my working life as a lawyer. I am doing another Master's now and have retired from work, mostly for health issues. I left school at 13 and went back to school at 21. Have also worked on building sites, a security guard and as a train guard.

 

Hey man, thanks for replying to my post. First of all, I wish you the very best on your road to recovery.

I am very well aware that this trade and along with many other trades can put a toll on the body if you're not careful. I've heard countless stories of men losing their career in seconds, generally because of carelessness. I myself go above and beyond when it comes to safety when it comes to working, because I realized that when I don't, I'm a lot slower. I get a lot of laughs from coworkers about wearing knee pads.
<----(Nobody wears this by the way...)

Currently I'm working in residential which a good place to start for me, considering my lack of experience. My boss was in the electrician's union and he's good at what he does, so I know I'm learning from the some the finest electricians there are (and there aren't many lol). We do various jobs, such as receptacles, lighting, home studios, home theaters, tv installations, and wiring new homes.

The thought of becoming an electrician didn't occur to me until about a year ago. Two years ago I dropped out of high school and I wasn't too sure about what I wanted to be yet, but I thought that I had time to figure it out while saving my money from work. When I was in high school, I actually wanted to be an entrepreneur, but due to the lack of capital I had for a business as an 18 year old high school dropout, I had to settle down with a job as a cashier... xD hahaha!

During my job as a cashier, I got a chance to meet wide variety of people with different professions and different stories. I found myself more drawn towards tradesman though, because I admired their craft and they were always willing to teach me a couple of things about their work. Pretty soon I considered working in the trades and I decided to become an electrician because of the variety of work an the demand for electricians; it was worth doing entirely. The fact that I can own my own business some day is what really sold me.

Long story short, I quit my job after saving up my money for school and living expenses. I started my journey by applying for a hands on course for basic electricity. Three months later, I started cold calling every company until one day I got a job right over the phone.

 

PHD in suffering.

Official jack of all trades and master of none.

Currently working towards getting my A+ certifications and pursuing drone operator position.