Five Things Apprentices Should NEVER Do!!!

When it comes to being an apprentice in the skilled trades, there are many things one needs to know how to do. But there is one thing that, as an apprentice, you should NOT do; forget the wire stretcher!! Just kidding! In today's episode of Electrician U, Dustin explains the top 5 things apprentices should not be doing as they will most certainly earn the ire of your journeyman.

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#electrician #electrical #electricity

First, a shout out to Klein Tools for sponsoring today’s episode. As a definite top tier electrical tool manufacturer, Klein Tools makes some of the best tools available on the market today. Most of us know they make hand tools and meters, but they even manufacture knee pads to keep electricians safe and comfortable. They have several styles available ranging in price from $20-$60. With a large selection to choose from, one should certainly find something that will suit their needs.
In reviewing the top 5 things that an apprentice should NOT do; the first thing is to sit down on the job! Kneel or bend down to work, but don’t sit down. It just has an appearance of being lazy. Save the sitting down for when you get into construction management! Just kidding, us managers rarely have time to sit around and do nothing!! Learn to adjust your speed as the job dictates- some require you to move faster to install while others need us to slow down and be a bit more meticulous.
Another big no no is to stand around. As an apprentice (well, everyone in the skilled trades really) we should constantly be working. If you have finished the task you are currently working on and you cannot find your journeyman to see what is next, then you should find something to do. Pick up a broom, sort materials, or restock the van. But do not just stand there!
Constantly being on your phone is another way to get your crew leader riled up. There is a time and place to be looking at your phone at non-work-related items. Break time, lunch time, or before/after work. But your employer is paying you to WORK. Having said that, us managers are not monsters, so if there is a NEED to have your phone at the ready (if your wife is expecting any day or you have a loved one that is ill, or something like that) explain this to your crew lead and I am sure they will accommodate the temporary need.
As an apprentice, you don’t know everything. In the beginning, you don’t know much at all! So when asked to do something, if you don’t understand then convey that to the person telling you what to do. In other words, don’t pretend to know if you don’t; it will just wind up costing more time and money to fix what was screwed up! In the beginning, just be humble, do what is asked of you, and let them know if the task needs additional explaining.
The last item is fairly simple. If you need to use a tool (or whatever) that does NOT belong to you to do a task, ASK the person who owns it if you can use it! Then, when you are done, PUT IT BACK WHERE YOU GOT IT FROM! If you inadvertently take something home that you borrowed, good chance that the person who it belonged to will need that thing the next day, and if you still have the item, they will be unable to do what they need to. Simple concept that will keep your journeyman happier!

[chadchotia]

I agree with everything except for sitting in certain situations. In my first year the journyman I worked for would bring out a mini stool to sit on for days we would trim out a whole house ( 50+ receptacles)
it doesnt cut into time and saves your knees and lower back. working smarter not harder is never a bad thing.

[andrewsalazar]

New apprentices, put your ego away for the first few years. Even if a journeyman already taught you how to do something, don’t stop a different journeyman from teaching you how to do that same task because there’s probably a golden nugget of information that will add to your repertoire of skills. Also take advantage of downtime to ask a journeyman an off-topic question about theory, code, or electrical work.

[georgewarner]

Best advice I have for apprentices came from my first foreman. He said for the first year, maybe two, if someone asks you if you know how to do something, just say no, even if you've done it before, this is how you learn the tricks of the trade that make you a quicker and more effective electrician. Also, always be paying attention to what your JW is doing and how. You can pick up a lot by really paying close attention.

[SkippyGranolaSA]

Ah man I'm 6'4", if I gotta sit down to tie in a receptacle, I'm fuckin sitting.

[johnnysimes]

My dad (RIP) said he learned three things in his 42 year career. 1) Always make your boss look good in front of other people. If you have a problem with something or need to correct him/her, do it in private. 2) Never carry what you can drag. 3) Never be seen walking empty-handed. It looks like you're going for a leisurely stroll. Grab a tool or a drawing so that if you are going for a leisurely stroll, people will think you're doing work.

[Gunnerr]

Can we get a video of what not to do as a Journeyman, towards an apprentice?

This was a good one!

[OUTDOORS]

Im not an electrician but a GC. Some of the smartest, most experienced people I've worked with have no ego. They ask questions, are willing to learn from anyone, are good listeners, and aren't afraid to say they don't know something. Learning is a skill in itself, soak up everything, and don't be afraid to say I don't know. As a boss, communication is key. Treat people with respect, and communicate professionally. If your helpers/ apprentice isn't working out most likely it's your fault. Ive seen so many people in the trades complaining that they can't find any good help. And as an outsider, I understand why. Most of the people complaining are miserable to be around with a bad attitude. If you are working with more than one person you are essentially a team. Set goals as a TEAM, work as a team to complete them. If you want to know what not to do as an apprentice, work as an individual. If you want to know what not to do as a boss, work as an individual. Just my experience 🙂

[TheTubejunky]

He lost all logic when he said to grab a broom. Electricians don't use them we all know that.

[jfarley]

I sit on my butt when wiring receptacles. Tool belt is on floor and the 4 to 5 tools are laid out in a logical manner given what I am doing.
My 65 year old self will thank me.
I do take the time to trim wires accordingly so it isn't as exposed as it needs to be.
It doesn't take long to ensure you're not out-of-pocket on knee replacements.
With that said 3 minutes is about right once all the wires are prepared for connecting

[Funstead]

The no sitting rule is out-dated. As a 6'3 electrician I can't get into an outlet without getting on the floor.

No excuse to be slow though

[schnurrman]

As a 43 year old 5th year apprentice (C of Q here I come)I see value in keeping your mouth shut and ears open on every way to do a job. You may not like it but journeymen can be your greatest asset. Every day I spend time to ensure more time to learn by taking grunt work (even ordering and cleaning up meals) away from the ones willing to share their knowledge. As for tools, I’m fortunate enough to work for a company that buys what I need and when you need one it’s there if you ask, but you damn well better return it (clean and not broken)! Lastly, messed up?… take it like a man and find the lesson to move forward. Thank you to everyone out there making myself and the next generation better than they were yesterday!!

[jackcarraway]

I'm military and planning to go electrical when I get out. Some tips I'd add from what I learned from the military:

1. DON'T BE LATE. If you're gonna be late due to unforeseen circumstances (car wreck blowing up traffic, flat tire, etc.) give your boss a call and be straight up about the situation. Common sense, but younger apprentices have a tendency to underestimate time.

2. Ask questions, especially to confirm what your superior is tasking you with.

3. It's better to "overcommunicate" than undercommunicate.

4. Do regular inventories of your personal stuff.

[HCheatNcool]

Man I needed to hear this. I’m not an apprentice anymore and I’m in HVAC but I have been very complacent lately. I’m a young early journeyman service tech and I have noticed I have been way too apathetic and thinking too highly of myself lately. Thanks for this, we all have something to learn.

[bradb]

Typical rough in day.

Clock in, secure ladders on truck, empty water cooler, fill clean cooler. Grab shopping cart and fill van truck with wires and connection boxes, fan supports and tools. Get yelled at for standing around because your journeyman was late and didn't see you do any of that.

Crew goes to store grabs lunch and drinks for the day.

Arrives on job site. Empty van truck. Generator hooked up. Wires conduit boxes and tools empty truck. Laddere. Mini fridge and radio set up.

Lay out blueprint, Grab chalk and mark all locations on floor. Nail up switch and receptacle boxes. Get yelled at for taking a text message. Pull all romex wires

Lunch time. Break on site with no a/c pass out under a tree.

Afternoon Hang light brackets lose your supervisors favorite screw driver. Hang fan brackets. Run low voltage lines coaxial ethernet cat 5 cat 3 door bell garage lines. Get yelled at for drinking water out the cooler.

Drill holes in studs for more outlets around room. Inspect work all staples and wires secure and neat. Nail plates. Nail boards up for switches near door ways.

Put all tools supplies back in truck. Drive back to office while guys and supervisor smoke weed. In van. Get kicked off truck. Because while you did 90 percent of the work. The crew leader is a drug addict that somehow thinks he is your boss.

Steal his multimeter and just go work for a better company. The end.

[KingNimby]

I bust my ass and I 100% sit down to make up receptacle.

[Ephesians-tsze]

An older female journeyman on a job showed me a wire stretcher she made on the job…the same one she made when her journeyman sent her after it when she was an apprentice. She cut a couple pieces of bare, solid #10 wire about 6-8 inches long. She then cut a white cloth rag in a small rectangle about 4X6 inches. She stitched the cloth around the wire along the 2 long sides of the cloth to fashion it to look like a stretcher (the kind you would carry an injured or dead person with). After that no one ever messed with her again! That’s how you outsmart your journeyman when he’s clowning on you!!

[Matt-kres]

The things that you are talking about apply to ANY job. Humility in the workplace is one of the best skills a person can work on. Employees who look for things to do, ask questions that make the boss feel like the person is taking the job serious, and staying off their fricking phones are priceless.

[Deejonamoo]

My personal rule for apprentices on my crew: If you’re using my tools, put it back where you found it, not where it belongs. Where you found it is where I left it and that’s where I’m going to go looking for it. If I have to come find you to find my tools we’re have a different conversation first.

[CrossTimbersSon]

🍻 Here’s to those electricians who figured out that their labor actually benefits their fellow man. They have come to realized they have something of great value to offer others.

Reminded me of this quote
“You can buy a person’s hand, but you can’t buy his heart. His heart is where his enthusiasm, his loyalty is. You can buy his back, but you can’t buy his brain. That’s where his creativity is, his ingenuity, his resourcefulness. Treat employees as volunteers just as you treat customers as volunteers, because that’s what they are. They volunteer the best part—their hearts and minds.”
Stephen Covey

Good leaders help others to eventually become good leaders. No actors (hypocrites) necessary.

[captainhawkins]

I feel like most journeymen, don’t realize they set themselves, and their apprentice’s up for failure when they begin screaming at a frustrating situation. I refuse to work under any such journeyman. When someone come up to me, and can’t talk like an adult. All I say is “come back and talk to me when your ready to use your big boy words”