Thinking about doing a trade apprenticeship

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I don't mean to totally change the topic, but does anyone know how to get into exterior electrical work? Is it just looking for jobs with Power Companies or is there a schooling you can do or something to be more marketable with them? Can the union get you an in with that?

I'm kind of dumb to the situation, but I know my husband loves doing exterior work. I think he understood it better, and I think he enjoyed being outdoors. He even loved climbing poles. I want him to focus on work that he loves doing. So, as we set some long term goals, I'd like to have some more guidance with his career. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry to change the subject a little here.

Far and away, most (like 90%) of line workers are union. Unless he can get in the electrical union the only other way to do an apprenticeship would be in one of the few non-union electric companies. Linemen also routinely have more work available at any given time and make more money. With electricians, the union has a much smaller market share, (like 20%). Although a union aprenticeship is a very good thing, it is a bit of a weeding out process. Having a big mouth can get you kicked out in a hurry. Also an apprenticeship is 8000 hours, unless they take hours away from you as a disciplinary measure, in which case who knows how long it could take. I severly doubt if I would have gotten through the apprenticeship. Electricians generally think of themselves as being smarter than linemen, who we view as grunts, whereas linemen tend to think of us as whimps. Their slang for us is "narrowbacks", it's not a complimentary term.

As an electrician, if he could not either get into an apprenticeship or get through one with the union, he would still have 80% of the market open to get his hours for the exam. Most licencing exams are right out of the National Electrical Code so depending on your local laws he could study that by himself. Once he has a licence the union will accept him no problem.

Do it. Industrial pipe-fitting is great, as long as you can find the apprenticeship program.

I'm a structural engineer now, but I started out in the trades, and was a licensed plumber. I did all the pipe-fitting and wiring at a research lab, and it was fun and satisfying. The aesthetics of industrial piping is really cool. I loved getting all the mitred corners to line up just right.

It pays well, and you can control the amount of social interaction you have.

Good luck!

I have tried in the past for these but have always had difficulty with the psychometric testing before being excepted onto these type of schemes. I am not sure they are a fair way to test us with our way of thinking,

[[/quote]How did you get into structural engineering from pipe-fitting? Did you have to go to university or did you just go to tech school?[/quote]
Congrats!
I was lucky enough to get into Stanford (aspie heaven). I had to work half-time, and started out painting the AI lab. It was great, cuz I got to hang out with the researchers during breaks. Then I started working at the High Temperature Gas Dynamics lab as a lab technician, and it turned out I had skills. I'd taken a lot of Industrial Arts classes in high school (my counsellor didn't approve). One of my favorite tasks was to take experiment designs that graduate students had designed to be made from stainless steel and quartz windows, and make them out of plywood and plexiglass. I knew exactly when plywood would burst into flames <grin>. I ended up dropping out of school my senior year, but kept working at the lab for awhile. Then I moved to San Francisco and worked renovating old buildings, and became a contractor. I started having problems with my knees, and decided to finish up my degree. It's really good that I had all that practical experience. I've built everything I design.