Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver

Attention Forum Users: On the 28th of December 2023 at 9:00am Central Time, we will be taking the forums down for maintenance while we prepare the new forums for your use. Please click here for more information.

Tool Talk Discussion Forum

help im having major problems

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register
Author 
youngster

06-26-2005 18:59:18




Report to Moderator

Hey guys i know this is deffinetly not tool related but here goes i need advice. im scheduled to start a maintence electricity course an hour from my house on tuesday the course in 16 months long. heres the problem i think this is the worst mistake of my life!! Im really into woodworking and really enjoy it. my only reason for doign the electrical course is that its something i know nothing about. but truth be told i know the basics. AM i just too young to know what i should do or should i be looking to get out and maybe live life for a bit then realize what i want to do?? please guys anything will help me.

In a BIG hole , sam

[Log in to Reply]   [No Email]
Coldiron

06-28-2005 16:36:58




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 18:59:18  
Sam, Dr.sportster as well as all of the other comments had great comments on a youngsters future. 8 bucks an hour isnt much but with room mates and other ways to cut cost it is very possible to survive on 8 an hour. What they don`t mention is pay advancement as you advance in the apprenticeship, cost of living raises, benefits that you can not see. If at the end of the apprenticeship you have a choice but you also have a life long way of making a good living. Electricians do everything from instrument controls (very good pay) down to wiring plugs on radios (still good pay). They have a very diverse profession that most people never see unless they are in a factory or heavy construction setting. A good electrician can also be a very succesful business man that has others working for him. Before you cut any ties consider all of your options and the direction that your new one may take you. Life is good, if you are prepared for it and continue to do so as you get older. Good Luck and what ever you decide on it will be the right thing. You are in the drivers seat on a nice long journey.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Hound

06-27-2005 15:41:06




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 18:59:18  
...don't know about your area, but generally more money in the electrical trades.... theirs no price on happiness though. Maybe you could look at it form the angle that the better wage will pay for more woodworking tools. Like others have said, knowing more then one trade will be better for you down the road. Hound



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
dr.sportster

06-27-2005 13:23:13




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 18:59:18  
If you are already all bummed out about it dont take it.The way its described is a course to become an electrician.If you dont want the end result of becoming an electrician dont waste your time.I will say electrical work is a great field in my opinion.Can you become an apprentice with the local IBEW where they pay for the school? Look up IBEW in your phonebook and ask about apprenticeship programs.Electrical math should not scare you away.It can be understood with some studying.You will have homework.Its your decision.Good Luck.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
youngster

06-27-2005 18:30:47




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to dr.sportster, 06-27-2005 13:23:13  
i was actually told about an apprentice ship but teh closest one is 2 hours away and 5 years long and only pays 8 bucks an hour. and i couldnt live closer and still survie on 8 bucks an hour



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Bill WI

06-28-2005 06:23:04




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-27-2005 18:30:47  
That 8 bucks increases every 6 mo til you are at scale at the end most likely or sometimes they have a small difference in the end. Also you have a steady job for 5 yrs unless the company gets in serious trouble and then there are others that will be happy to pick you up, but the company has to agree. Yes alot of times you feel like a slave for 5 yrs, but the card is well worth it. There are other trades with the apprentice progam too (carpenters, masons). Now this is where the REAL math comes in --- you don't fork out the 20 grand and you have a job when you are done. Go figure and best wishes.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
dr.sportster

06-28-2005 05:20:37




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-27-2005 18:30:47  
Sure the apprentices start at $8 per hr. but what do the jouneymen make at the end of your five years.Thats what you must base it on.Once you have a jouneymans card in the IBEW you can travel to other locals and make higher wages also.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Burnie

06-27-2005 02:16:36




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 18:59:18  

The first thing you need to do is CALM DOWN!! You may not believe this, but it may not be the drama you think it is. My two biggest mistakes were: (1) buying a Bently shotgun (the thing never worked) and (2) not kissing back when a girl named Kym kissed me (she was very pretty). That"s not bad for 41 years. Even if you do this electrical course and you find it is not for you, I"d doubt you will look back and say it was your biggest mistake. Now, have we calmed down? Good. Then read on.
It seems to me that if you love working with wood then you should stick with it. If you have a passion for something and you want to take it somewhere you have to bite the bullet and make some sacrifices. Don"t use the excuse that you don"t like/can"t do maths. You will need it for both woodworking and electrics. No profession is perfect. I hate some of the long hours involved in farming, but it comes with the job and you have to just get on with it. You may find math more interesting when you apply it to something you love.
If your vision is to run your own shop, you may view anything else you do as second best. The sooner you start the sooner you"ll get there. If you can"t afford the education you want now, get a job, any job that involves wood and go from there. Don"t wast time "finding yourself" If you find your passion then you have found yourself.
You did the right thing posting a message on this forum. The advice you are getting is wise and very sound, even the stuff which may seem opposite to what I am saying. Read it carefully, consider it calmly, make your descision, then get after it without fear. Make sure you post a message in about 6 months or so, I"m sure we"d all like to know how you are getting on.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
youngster

06-27-2005 13:10:38




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to Burnie, 06-27-2005 02:16:36  
a bentley shotgun eh?? where you asking for trouble?? lol I'd say i let my mind get the best of me last night and that i wasnt really thinking to clear. then i got to thinking I'm already in debt for the books at least so i might as well do it for a while to see how it goes. who knows i might like it, then again i might get kicked out ( they have rules against cussin and im worse than any marine ive ever talked to. and they also have rules dangerous weapons i found that out at orientation when i had a 3and a half inch blade on me) can anyone explain to me how they restrict dangerous weapons when they will be giving us weapons ( utility knife, screwdrivers, and random other things) to use?? lol whats the worst thing that will happen?? Ill waste 16 months of my life, be in the hole by about 20 grand, and still have no girl. At least ill still have my parents to help me out a bit i mean come on ill only be 19 at that age i might decide to go west and find a farm to work on i always get the job done i have one of those get'r done attitudes. thanks again to all you guys i knew id get soem good advice here even if its not exactly what i wanted to hear you guys are right. I think ill give it a go. In the end if i dotn like it i coudl alwqys join up lord knows the marines, army, reserves, navy all want me lol thanks sam

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Slowpoke

06-27-2005 00:40:09




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 18:59:18  
I'll play the devil's advocate here and say at 18 I think you will soon get tired of commuting more than two hours a day, 5 days a week for almost a year and a half. That's ten hours a week just driving, plus gas costs, etc. You'll have to be pretty dedicated to stick with it. And what about homework to do in the evening?

Why did you choose electrical studies? Were you urged to sign up? When I got out of High School, I had no idea how I was going to get along in the world. The day before graduation, I knew everything. The day after, I realized I knew nothing. I was urged to go into electronics, although I was more interested in mechanical things. So I joined the Navy and went to ET school at government expense. You know, "Earn While You Learn". Four years later I was much more prepared to face the world and I has some job experience. I'm not saying you should join the service, but perhaps you could find employment in something to do with woodworking a little closer to home and take a class or two at a junior college. They usually meet two or three times a week and you can choose courses that are to your liking or one to see what electricity is all about. It's probably three months per course and a lot less expensive than full time school. Whatever you do, you will be learning the rest of you life. By the way, you might look into civilian government jobs; there's lots of them in all fields. Go to your city, county or state employment office and see what job openings are posted. Even the Post Office uses carpenters/woodworkers.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
NC Wayne

06-26-2005 20:36:17




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 18:59:18  
In my opinion if your not sure wether you want to get into the electrical field of not then it's not worth spending all the time and money to take the course. Instead of wasting 16 months sitting in school, get a job with an electrical contractor where your making money, and give it a year or so to see how you like it. Your young enough that you have the advantage of having a little time to spend to make sure your getting into a field you like before you spend the rest of your life doing it. Not only will taking the time give you the opportunity to see if it's something you'll like doing in a real world environment, and it'll also give you alot better grasp of the "real world", outside of the classroom, as a whole. You'll learn the true "basics" of a trade in the field and I can guarantee you it'll be different than anything you'll learn in the classroom as well as more educational because you learn not just from the books but also from hands on. After that if you do decide to go to school you'll have a jump on everybody else and a better grasp of everything because of the experience. On the same note when you get done with school you'll have the experience to put on a resume/application along with the schooling and to most companies that experience will mean alot. Again I can about guarantee you you'll not come out of school and go to work for a contractor making that much more money because of the schooling than you'd be making going in fresh and learning on the job. That's something else to think about, is it worth spending all the money up front when it's not gonna bring you that much more, right off, on the other end til you get the actual work experience? Another thing to think about also is you might get on with an outfit that will be willing to foot part of the bill for the schooling....If the math is a sticking point for anything then your gonna be pretty well screwed any way you turn. Cabinet making is gonna require alot of math, wether it's figuring material for a job, actuallu building the cabinets, or doing all the other paperwork associated with having a business from invoices to taxes, to whatever. Basically wether we like it, or even realize it, math is a huge part of everyday life in just about any job thats in a "construction" related industry....Well that's my .02 as far as that goes. Beyond that .02 I agree with the other posts, it never hurts to learn everything you can. I'm 37 and I'm a heavy equipment mechanic by trade and by choice. I grew up working on equipment and after taking spending time doing other stuff it's what I've been doing for nearly 8 years now. I graduated high school in '86 and spent 6 years in the Navy working in shipboard engine rooms on steam turbines, boilers, and anything else associated with shipboard propulsion systems. I got out and spent several months working and learning the basics of residential and commercial heating and A/C systems as a helper, then about 3 years doing welding and fabrication, and then several more years doing industrial maintenance for several comapnies in totally different environments, before finally getting back to what I really love doing. In the process I got a well rounded education and even though I may not be an expert in any one field I learned what to look for, what to ask, and basically where to look to find out what I need to know when I tackle a project. As a result of my experience I've never had a problem finding a job, even in the years I was bouncing around chasing the almighty dollar. My employeers and supervisors always knew they could turn me loose on any job and I'd get it done. In the end that "git er done" (thanks to Larry the cable guy for that bit) attitude is what every employeer is gonna look for so the more well rounded you are the better off you'll be..... In the end though only you can decide what you want to do with the rest of your life and make the choices that lead you there. Just remember life in itself is hard and is gonna be alot of work, so find a job you enjoy. If you can do that you'll never regrett what your doing because though it'll always be a job it'll never be "work". Just another .02.... Take care and good luck !

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Bill WI

06-27-2005 07:00:28




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to NC Wayne, 06-26-2005 20:36:17  
Have to agree with Wayne, and some things to think about too, try and work with a bigger company and they'll work with you on school. Look at apprenticeships (yeah, they're like hens teeth), but some tech colleges might be able to point you in that direction. Remember, you don't start at big bucks, but after 4-5 yrs you have something. You'll need math and when it's geared to what you need it'll work better. Technical school is nothing like you've been through when you see it's for a purpose. When you're working and in a program, you may have classes 1 day a week. I served a millwright and tool and die apprenticeship and now retired and still use it on projects. What you have in education, NOBODY can take from you. Best of luck

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
MarkB_MI

06-26-2005 19:31:59




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 18:59:18  
Stick with it. You'll exercise a part of your brain you might not be using now. You may think you know the basics, but you'll quickly find that there's a lot more to it. Electrical theory is ninety percent math.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
youngster

06-26-2005 19:35:42




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to MarkB_MI, 06-26-2005 19:31:59  
if theres a part of my brain that im not using then it probibly isnt in my head to begin with i think constantly. I hate math



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Davis In SC

06-26-2005 20:00:22




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 19:35:42  
I always hated math, also..... But at Tech School, we had a math teacher that made it all come together. That semester, I learned more math than I had in 12 years of school & 2 years of college...He put math into a practical sense, I will never forget what I learned from Mr. Alexander.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Van in AR

06-26-2005 23:26:40




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to Davis In SC, 06-26-2005 20:00:22  
I flunked 10th grade algebra and just didn't get it. Went in the AF for 4 years and came out. Went to a Tech college for building trades and drafting, the shop teacher also put it all together for me by showing me the practicallity of the formulas. tought me more in two years than I learned the last 16. Go to school, young man.
Van



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
T_Bone

06-27-2005 03:14:24




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to Van in AR, 06-26-2005 23:26:40  
Hi Youngster,

I got to agree with these guys. Without basic good math skills, you can't do anything in this world. The better you are at math the faster you'll get ahead.

I too flunked every math class since the 10th grade. Why? I wasn't ready to learn.

At 18 I wanted a family so thats what I did. We were married and 9mths latter our daughter was born. Me I'm working in a gas station bearly making enough to feed the family on then Vince came in to buy gas. Vince was a labor forman at Coors and got me hired on. It wasn't till 3yrs latter until Vince had told me, Willy the gas staion owner, had asked Vince to look at hiring me as I was a hard worker. My construction carrer was born.

My first year at Coors, I found out that Coors offered night courses in just about every thing related to construction, no cost to me. The first year I took a course in calculas and passed with flying colors. Why? I was ready and wanted to learn.

I spent the next 10yrs or so attending night courses for my trade, sheetmetal. The next ten years I self educated myself and taught some schooling at night as well as during the day when time would permit while working full time.

I too didn't get into exactly what I wanted to do for a living, electronics, but in away that was good. Now that I'm retired I can enjoy my first love, woodworking.

Had it not been that way, for me, I would have burned out on woodworking just like I did on Sheetmetal. I still do my own SM work but I don't like it and have to force myself.

Just another thought! Keep your woodworking as a hobbie and a way to relax from the everyday grind of working.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

T_Bone

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
old

06-26-2005 19:18:02




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 18:59:18  
Never hurts to learn something you may or may not use. I believe I've had a good day if I can learn something new on that day. Also its something you live with day in day out so why not know more about it then you do now, never know when it will be needed.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
youngster

06-26-2005 19:28:11




Report to Moderator
 dont mind learnin in reply to old, 06-26-2005 19:18:02  
Old, thanks for the time you took to reply. i dont have a problem with learning things but i knwo if i dont understnad it it will tick me off and make me really stressed out and irritable. plus im 18 im trying to find out what to do with my life. Ive already been talking about just doing this electrical work till i can get on my feet and start a custom wood shop

Do yall think id be better off gettin outa the electrical thing and going to a carpentry school?? school is like 25 grand plus like 4 to get there and yes i have to commute daily for an hour each way what the devil would you guys do

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
old

06-26-2005 19:52:13




Report to Moderator
 Re: dont mind learnin in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 19:28:11  
Believe me you will need the eletical in a wood shop almost every thing you will have will use it. Plus now days every thing is going more and more in to CNC type machines which mean you will need to know all you can about ZAP-U-TRONs. By the way I have been an E.T. in the navy, a welder a maintance man at a big factory, truck drive and a few other things and I have used almost every thing I learned doing those jobs to better my self and others. I even use a lot of it right here every time I post an answer to some ones question. I have evn taken college courses just because I could not because I would use the knowllege. But I never have been good at spelling.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
fixerupper

06-26-2005 19:35:56




Report to Moderator
 Re: dont mind learnin in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 19:28:11  
You will never regret getting more education even if you don"t think you will use it. You will gain A sort of professionalisim about the way you act that you will not have if you are not college educated. I would think knowing electricity would benefit you if you do go into carpentry someday. By all means go for it. Jim



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
lucasss

06-26-2005 19:24:11




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to old, 06-26-2005 19:18:02  
every school i ever went to benifited me the rest of my life.16 weeks aint that long.i know 3 trades quite well and am glad i do. . lucas



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
youngster

06-26-2005 19:31:58




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to lucasss, 06-26-2005 19:24:11  
its 16 months not weeks. see i got myself so worked up about this i cant even think its not just yoru basic electric course its an imdepth residential, commercial, and industrial course.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Fixerupper

06-26-2005 19:44:41




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to youngster, 06-26-2005 19:31:58  
The longer you wait to get a higher education, the harder it will be to buckle down to get one. A wife comes along, then the kids, then the mortgage, then all of a sudden you are 40 or 50 and it is too late. The interest rate on student loans is at an all time low right now.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
big jt

06-26-2005 22:26:10




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to Fixerupper, 06-26-2005 19:44:41  
Jim

40 or 50 isn't to late to further your ed. When I was in college the curve breakers were almost always the non traditional (geezers lol) students.

I would say to Youngster though. Carry through with that education. You won't regret it. Your 18 now and hopefully have all the options of the world open to you. Take full advantage of this. In ten years your interests may change.

You may decide you want to do the electrical work to pay the bills and do woodworking for personal enjoyment. One way to really strip the enjoyment out of something is to add deadlines, bookkeeping and having to deal with dificult people.

JM2CW

jt

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
rustyj14

07-01-2005 17:59:50




Report to Moderator
 Re: help im having major problems in reply to big jt, 06-26-2005 22:26:10  
Yeah, Kid, go ahead and quit!! Just think--you can borrow money from Dad or Mother for the next few years, until they toss you out on yer ear! Then you can go to the big city, and sit on the curb with a plastic cup of Coke half drank, and folks will toss money into it, thinking you're homeless, which you probably will be, sooner or later, what with no skills of any kind! Then, some cretin will come along, offer you a job that requires no menial or hard work, just delivering packages to some old house in the inner city, where a knock on the door will result in a hand reaching out, grabbing the package, and tossing you the money in a bag! If you live very long doing drug deliveries, or even sampling the stuff, in your euphoria, you will be on cloud nine! Of course, then you'll have to roll folks to get more money to support yer habit, and it'll be all down-hill from there! Wouldn't it be much better to get that education now, so you can avoid the scenario I wrote previously? And, there are other jobs that require little formal training, such as garbage man, sewer plant flunky, junk man, lawn maintainer (the guy who pushes the mower for the lawn maintenance company owner!) Yeah, kid, go ahead and quit--some tax-payer will be called upon to support you later on in life! by: Rustyj p.s.: I don't mean to look down on garbage pickup men, but i don't think i'd want that job, even if i didn't study in school!

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
[Options]  [Printer Friendly]  [Posting Help]  [Return to Forum]   [Log in to Reply]

Hop to:


TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy