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Well, as some of you may know, I am no longer a resident of Indianapolis Indiana. After 25 good years there, I have finally moved on to bigger and better things, like Chicago for instance.
I have recently started my apprenticeship with the IBEW Local 134, who make up the electrician workers of Cook County and Chicago in general. One of the best IBEW union locals in the nation, and with an apprenticeship second to none. I enrolled into the apprenticeship program back in June, filling out application after application till August, when I had my first orientation. Because I was a new person on the waiting list, my apprenticeship was to start towards the beginning of 2007. After another orientation at the end of November, I got a start date of January 2nd, 2007.
The apprenticeship is NOTHING like I would have thought it was. Because I had worked in a union before, I expected some similarities, and I was completely wrong. IBEW local 134 has a HARD apprenticeship program, with no guarantee's throughout. There is no margin for error, no time that can be missed, no work undone. You have to be on top all the time, with a positive attitude and a mindset of working yourself to the bone 8 hours a day and loving every minute of it. My expectations were greatly underminded.
Since my start last Tuesday, we start every morning at 7am, which for me requires waking up around 4:45 am everyday as to not be late, because being late is intolerable. I get there at 7 am, we have physical training, like a workout, every morning for a half hour, then 4 classes a day over what will be covered for us first year apprentices. The attitude isn't the typical union stereotype though. Most people think that because you are union, you have it easy, you don't have to do anything, which is very far from the truth. We have constant reminders from instructors and the director about the kind of work we are expected to do as union electricians, which is nothing more than the best, and they train well to make you the best.
So far, I miss being in Indy a little, my Firebird is still there waiting to be fixed, but there is much more opportunity here than there. I have the possibility of getting a Bachelors in Telecommunications, and a Masters degree down the road, and eventually become a contractor.
This is the first time in a LONG time that I have had a reason to get up, new doors open up for me. Feels pretty good right now, though the physical training outside in single digit temps is a little bit of a problem....lol:wavey:
I have recently started my apprenticeship with the IBEW Local 134, who make up the electrician workers of Cook County and Chicago in general. One of the best IBEW union locals in the nation, and with an apprenticeship second to none. I enrolled into the apprenticeship program back in June, filling out application after application till August, when I had my first orientation. Because I was a new person on the waiting list, my apprenticeship was to start towards the beginning of 2007. After another orientation at the end of November, I got a start date of January 2nd, 2007.
The apprenticeship is NOTHING like I would have thought it was. Because I had worked in a union before, I expected some similarities, and I was completely wrong. IBEW local 134 has a HARD apprenticeship program, with no guarantee's throughout. There is no margin for error, no time that can be missed, no work undone. You have to be on top all the time, with a positive attitude and a mindset of working yourself to the bone 8 hours a day and loving every minute of it. My expectations were greatly underminded.
Since my start last Tuesday, we start every morning at 7am, which for me requires waking up around 4:45 am everyday as to not be late, because being late is intolerable. I get there at 7 am, we have physical training, like a workout, every morning for a half hour, then 4 classes a day over what will be covered for us first year apprentices. The attitude isn't the typical union stereotype though. Most people think that because you are union, you have it easy, you don't have to do anything, which is very far from the truth. We have constant reminders from instructors and the director about the kind of work we are expected to do as union electricians, which is nothing more than the best, and they train well to make you the best.
So far, I miss being in Indy a little, my Firebird is still there waiting to be fixed, but there is much more opportunity here than there. I have the possibility of getting a Bachelors in Telecommunications, and a Masters degree down the road, and eventually become a contractor.
This is the first time in a LONG time that I have had a reason to get up, new doors open up for me. Feels pretty good right now, though the physical training outside in single digit temps is a little bit of a problem....lol:wavey:
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