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	Subject - Electrician Apprenticeship Elisa I am an Electronic Technician in the Kansas City area. I graduated in 2000 with an associates degree. After 3 years I have decided this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life. Being only 24, that is a LONG time to suffer at a job I dont enjoy. I make $37,000 a year and that is not a bad salary for my age, or so I am told. I like the money but it's not worth the money if I dont enjoy the work. I have been trying to think of careers I would like to pursue. I love to make or build things and work with my hands. I loved shop and advanced shop class in jr high and high school. I built my iguana a cage last summer and am currently planning a cage for my other iguana. Here are some pics of the cage I built: http://www.planetlong.com/iguanas/habitat/ As you can see I am somewhat skilled with my hands. I dont mean to brag but I think it is good for my first big project. I have started planning all the electrical part of the cage and luckily found a local hardware store that is closing down and had everything 60% off! I was like a kid in a candy store! I only bought what I needed for the cage though. I plan on going back to see what "toys" I can find. Ok I guess I should get to the point. I was thinking about going to electrician school and change my career. I had an appointment with Vatterott College today to see if it is something I would like to pursue. Any advice would be great! Pros and cons to being an electrician, anything you can think of to help me decide if this is something I want to do. I found out I should start an apprenticeship instead of paying the $26,000 that Vatterott College charges for tuition. I really dont know much about apprenticeships. Can anyone help me out? I am also concerned about the starting pay of an apprentice. I make $37,000 right now and live by myself. I want to either stay in Kansas City or move to the St Louis area where my boyfriend lives. Thanks and I look forward to any advice! Any advice on the electrical part of the cage I am planning would be cool too. Here is what I plan to do: http://www.planetlong.com/iguanas/images/elisa%20wiring.JPG Thanks! JimmyDee #1, you are going to start by taking a big hit in pay. I don't see any way around that. I don't know what the apprenticeship training is like there, but you shouldn't have to start by going to college to get that apprenticeship. You start by getting a job at an electrical contractor and they will direct you to the training needed. Most often will pay for the classes as well. Another route is to check with the local IBEW office and apply there. They have a good apprenticeship program and with the background you have, you would have a good chance at landing an apprenticeship. Another route is to apply at a large manufacturing plant into their maintenance department. I hope this gives you some options as to what to do. I wish you the best in the future. Jim Local 26 A-MEN Jimmy Dee Elisa the best thing you could do is join the UNION, Scott Vickrey I would agree with Jimmy about the pay cut. I would also like to add that there is allot of physical labor as an electrician's apprentice. You are always working on a ladder holding stuff over your head in awkward positions or digging muddy ditches. If you insist on doing electrical work I would recommend trying to go industrial. Work for a commercial electrical contractor for a year then when you are getting pretty good at that find a plant that is hiring for a shut down. They will hire almost anyone they believe can do a good job. If you are better than the people they normally keep around and they like you they will keep you after the shut down. Life is easier for an electrician working plant maintenance. If you really excel the plant will eventually hire you from the contractor pool and then you will have it made and will make really good money. There is much competition and many ifs in this plan I know but if you are talented and competitive you can do it. If you like designing stuff I would recommend going back to school and becoming an engineer. Get your current employer to help. I like your diagram. It alright to me. I know you can get fans with the thermostat built in. Look at a Grainger catalog. What ever you decide, Good Luck! veganfan I would look for union at a factory. I work at one and some of the industrial electricians are making around $65,000 a year plus school paid for, and time and half for hours at school. Some of us apprentices make as much as j man renosteinke I see a few more options. First of all, there are some of the larger, non-union contractors who, in addition to doing general electrical contracting, also do alarm, data, or cable work. This would allow you some use of your experience and education. Second, talk to your community college. Chances are, they offer/accredit classes for an electrical apprenticeship program. Since it's your school, you can take these courses on your own. Formal education might allow you to "test out" of part of an electrical apprenticeship. Your state labor board should be able to tell you about ALL of the apprenticeships in your area- both union and non-union. Finally, take what tests as you can. You won't be the first person to be certified as a "master" or "contractor" without having first gone through two years of ditch-digging! Though- don't underestimate the need for actual electrical contractor experience! There are a lot of things that either aren't covered in other trades, or that you can't get out of a book. If nothing else, actually digging that ditch highlights the difference six inches can make! DavidJI1956 All these guys have good replys to your needs. But let me tell you the truth. Electrician is very hard work. And an apprenticeship is even harder. And you do have to look at the pay cut.And you have to look at the area you live. Talk to the contractors in your area and see how business is. You may not find they are doing well, but they maybe doing very well. And yes talk to the local labor board on apprenticeships and see what it takes to become an Electrician. I was on the apprenticeship in Oregon and we had alot of people apply and only a few make it. And you have to look at pay in your area, what does a Journeyman make there. (in Oregon it's about 26.00 ph for a non-union and about 29.00 plus as a union journeyman), but you may not make that in your state. I'm in Washington now and the pay is not that great but I'm working now and that is really sometjing to look at.