That's the gravy work. Ain't gonna happen if you're brand new to an outfit.
If you're doing it on the side, there are many not so nice people out there who won't pay, if it's under the table.
I was in the Drywall and acoustic many years ago. We were walking through rooms where asbestos was being sprayed onto ceilings before they knew the health risk. Was on jobs where people fell, or were electrocuted, cut open, had stuff fall on them. There's a building downtown near the HHoF, and I know the spot where a young kid landed on a terrazzo machine. Stuff like that's, not going to happen in an office job. There were some dough-heads, and some stoners. Some first year apprentices are paid less than labourers, so guess which types of jobs they get from a General Contractor, sometimes even when the Union knows. There are journeymen that know less than some Apprentices, and this was one of the things that got me. Having the Foreman give me guff, because I should know better, and should tell them what to do. There weren't many women in the field, so it was pretty much only after work that you'd see them. Perhaps, that why some many workers engage in catcalls etc. It's great to be able to use both your hands and your brain together though. You also get to say "I built that". We used to get laid of pretty regularly around Christmas, and then it would pick up. Being in a Union then, you didn't have to fill out UIC, if you were on the list, and ready to work.
Commercial back then was very different from Residential, which was mostly piecework. We'd have people come in, who weren't taught properly. They'd kick a hole in the Drywall where the box was going and expect to have the Taper fix it. Another pair that were laminating Drywall onto concrete, pounded a conduit flat, instead of firing pout the Drywall. An electrician dumped florescent light cases with no safety chains, into an unfinished grid ceiling, that hadn't been levelled. It's always a pain when the Mechanicals forget stuff and come back to install something into finished work.
You out definitely need Math, fractions were a pain for some. Basic stuff like the 3,4,5 rule and being able to add fractions in your head. Transfer measurements etc.
I eventually got out into computers, which was a little bit steadier. I had to take a pay cut to get in.
Lots of people seem to be going into HVAC now. I'm wondering if there'll be a glut at some point.
I'm going to check back at the Electrician stuff posted, as my Nephew is trying to get into that in the GTA.
