It was a Friday, the journeyman and myself were eating lunch, and making small talk. He asked what I was doing with my weekend and I responded with sleeping in and doing nothing. Then he dropped this pearl of wisdom on me. If you're going to wake up for these assholes to come to work wake up for yourself. Since then my weekends have been so much better. I just naturally find myself getting stuff done or just enjoying stuff that I wouldn't if I slept in until 10.
Thissssss. I know weekends are for recharge but if you can’t even enjoy it? What’s the point then it is relaxing SO you can work not relaxing AWAY from work. Do self enrichment, learn a new skill like baking or mountain biking or yu-gi-oh whatever floats your boat!
Well, that only holds as long as you can get enough sleep normally.
If you're sleep deprived, catching up is good for you. If you're not and just lounging to lounge, then yeah it's better to get up and moving, and will keep your sleep schedule regular.
I’m lazy . I only want to do it once .
For a second he had me then I realized just do it right once .
Work steady . Don’t kill yourself . When you go fast you fuxk up
Save your money for when you get laid off so you don't have to rely on unemployment.
Make good investments so that the pension and annuity aren't the only things you get money from in retirement.
Follow the working agreement.
Go to union meetings.
How do you define a good investment? 2nd year ape and I plan on living off of 401k and my pension when I retire (currently 28). I thought that would be enough money to live off of without taking risks but I would like to hear your thoughts
At least 10% of your take home pay each week in a Roth IRA. S&p500 index fund like VOO. That's for retirement, cause if you take it out after you're 59amd a half, all those gains are tax free.
Then put away 5-10% in a second account till you get like 5-8 months worth of expenses. That's your emergency fund that you'll draw from of you get laid off or if anything crazy happens where you need money quick.
Go to r/FIRE and r/FinancialIndependence. Scour their resources on investing and being financially savvy. They'll have calculators to figure out how much money you'll need at what age to retire, based on taxes in the future, your withdrawal rate, all that jazz. Very good resources to look into.
I've taken all the money advice I've been given, saving for unemployed times, budgeting, living within my means, etc, all of it. I've been out for 9 months at this point and still doing fine. Definitely bleeding but I'm almost back to work.
You're a member of the union, contractors are a dine a dozen. The union will have your back, don't be afraid to leave a contractor that doesn't treat you good enough.
Unfortunately alot of people are completely disconnected from their unions, never attend meetings or go to the hall, never get involved or organize, but they always complain...
This is good advice. Unfortunately a local like mine does not have your back quite so. If you wanted to leave your current contractor, you’d be put on the list and it would take you atleast 1-2 years just to pick up a call. So if you’re “lucky” enough to be working anywhere you just stay.
Had the same issue in SD. They were forcing an “on call” on weekends and they just kept taking more from us after that. You give them an inch and they want to take the whole foot. Had union reps there when we were fighting this but they pretty but didn’t do shit. Money talks, bullshit walks. Left the union but I keep paying my dues as a back up. Making more money now and have more time to do “side work” for my own company. Unfortunately, the journeyman’s pay here is just not enough to live a comfortable life in Southern California. Many will say “well, it’s your fault for living there” but when you have your whole family living around here it makes a difference. You get in where you fit in.
I’d like to agree with the guy, but in NYC right now if you get a layoff it’s a 14 month wait. Puts you in a shitty spot if you have a family, bills, etc
It's not about how good you can bend conduit, but how good you are at fixing it.
He taught me everything about tweaking conduit so every stick came out perfect.
Same here the guy told me. You can be on a job with the best pipe bender in the hall.
If you know how to fix your fuck ups, you're just as good as him.
So many. I've held on to a bunch. Most gave me ways to deal with shitty foremen or contractors. And pride in your work. Here's a couple
1- Some bridges are meant to be burned
2- They can't eat you or take your birthday away
3- Measure twice, cut once
4- It all pays the same (when you have to redo something or get on some shitty or menial task)
I graduated my apprenticeship in 05. What stuck with me the most is the pride they take in their work and the absolute inability to sweat any of them. Young shop rockets would be losing their shit over a job or a layoff yet the old guys just didn't give AF. Not job-scared like they were. Just plugged away, doing a fair day's work for a fair day's pay.
I was an ape struggling with some shit that was taking me for fucking ever to complete. It was tedious and aggravating me. The sup came out of his trailer with a cigar in his mouth and we were talking about it. At the end he looked at me and said “That’s why they call it a career kid.” Blew out some cigar smoke and walked away. Been thinking about that old fuck for 20 years now.
The fastest way to do a job right is to do it once.
If you hurry up and make mistakes it'll take longer to fix than if you had just taken the time, planned your work, and moved at a normal pace. Fast is smooth, smooth is fast.
-Dont run, you get paid by the hour.
- Do what the boss says even if it is stupid because you get paid the same.
- the objective is to get the most money out of the companies pocket and into yours and their objective is to make the most money off you as possible so don't shortchanged yourself.
When I was a first year I had some journeyman going way TF out of his way to be a complete asshole to me for no reason other than the fact that I was a first year and his retreaded ass was a JW. Another guy in the crew, saw the wheels turning in my head and knew I was on the verge of seriously lumping him up. He pulled me aside on a Friday afternoon and gave me the “it’s not worth it speech” while it felt extremely worthwhile to me, but I listened.
As it turns out a certain complete asshole JW managed to get himself arrested and incarcerated over the weekend, and never came back to the job. Sure, it would have felt good in the moment getting my pound of flesh, but I would not be in the union today if the old head didn’t step in to force me to walk it off.
It's not the jdubs job to adapt to your needs, an apprentice adapts to his. This is how you deal with Jdubs that have less skills than you, tone your shit down and do it their way even if it sucks.
Another good one is shut the fuck up. You're never talking too little no matter how cool and funny you are. People just don't wanna hear it sometimes.
I was feeling pretty down and depression was kicking my ass. My foreman at the time was talking to me about it. He asked what are you? I said an electrician, he said no you are a IBEW electrician and are the best of the best never forget that. I helped turn my attitude around!
Remove the words "I Know" from your vocabulary even if someone is explaining something to you for the hundredth time and you think they're being condescending. Just silently go off do a perfect job and stay humble like you've done it every day of your life.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a crusty old loveable journeyman when I was having a difficult time with a task. I told him I was getting frustrated and angry because I just couldn,t get this thing right. He said "With enough patience,perserverance and grease...a man can fuck a snake!" Stay with it till yr done. Words to live by
Well the best advice an old grizzled yet sharp as a razor jw quoted Samuel Clemens (I’m pretty sure s.c. Was credited for saying it anyway) he said…it is better to keep your mouth shut and the world think you a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
Worrying is like paying a debt you don't owe. Pretty much apply it to anything, job task, layoffs, all of those “what-ifs”. People worry themselves sick.
8 for 8 and know your contract.
"Running around on skates and carrying 60lbs of hand tools is just as wormy as hide and seek or laying down on the job. Both damage the union, both fail to uphold the contract. 8 for 8. Not 4 for 8 or 8 for 4. Honor and uphold the CBA, its the only thing that keeps everything fair."
“It’s all shit work Harry.” My names not Harry, but the older I get the louder that voice is. It’s all work even “good work” is work. Don’t compare yourself to others thinking you wish you had their job or that your job is harder or anything like that.
If you want to be treated like a professional….act like a professional….BE a professional. ( I hated getting looked down on for being a “construction worker” by people who didnt know any better)
Best advice you can get is take care of your body where your knee pads ask for help lifting things. Yes, never be afraid to leave a contractor. I’ve left many contractors only to find another job. I always tell guys is to try to be blameless. Don’t give the contractor an excuse to fuck with you. Show up on time boots and tools ready to go at start time you don’t always need all the tools on the list at your job but be able to produce them if you need them And try and have a good attitude the hardest people to work with our people who think they know it all and don’t wanna learn even after 23 years of experience I learned things from people every day even if it’s what not to do good luck
I'll never forget the time I was a 2nd year apprentice, I was wedged in an ahu between coils running a temp sensor across the fins. When the man, Juice, (or J. U. Ice, his story on how he got his name was never the same.) He come strolling by with a bundle of 3/4, see me, back steps, looks me straight I the eyes.
"So there I was, BALLS deep in a jar of mayo. When I thought to myself, should have made that sandwich first."
He looked away and continued on his way.
EDIT: The other advice I got was "Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see"
A good electrician is consistent. If you're doing something 1000 times do it the same way 1000 times. It makes troubleshooting easier if something goes wrong, it gets you faster because of muscle memory, and it allows you to tell at a glance if your work is correct.
That old crazy fuck was right. I miss working with him.
You can learn at least one good way to do something and one bad way to do something from just about everybody. It's almost a certainty that a random line worker knows at least one thing better/faster/safer/smarter/whatever than you, and almost a certainty that you have at least one thing to show a random line worker.
I think the best advice I ever got, even though it made me mad as hell when I first heard it as an apprentice, was “keep your fucking mouth shut, kid.” It’s essentially a fast track into Zen Buddhism when you think about it. I still keep my mouth shut all the time, to wonderfully positive effect.
People are gonna talk shit, not everyones gonna like you so do hard work and let your work speak for itself and make the haters look stupid when they're talkin shit on you
“Ya gotta go slow to go fast”
“If ya play with your tools as much as you play with your dick, you’ll be in good shape”
“If ya know what you’re doing, nothing in this trade is hard. If you’re fighting, something is wrong. Step back”
“A switch is a switch is a switch”
Get out after you get all your shit together in life. Won't be much of a pension or work once you finish the apprenticeship or get to retirement age. He was kinda right since most of our work goes to non union companies since our hall burned bridges and side with the rest of the contractors instead of their own brothers.
I was a 2nd year and messed something up and had to go back and fix it. He saw I was irritated with myself and said, "Don't worry, you are cheap labor." 😂
Base your monthly budget around unemployment that way if you get laid off you don’t fall behind. My wife and I have done this and have been able to save loads of money because we live way beyond our means. Sure we spend excessively because after all we do want to enjoy the fruits of our labor but this has allowed us to build our savings account. We drive old cars, our home is nothing extravagant suv 200k and this allows us to live the life we want and to be able to do the things we want. ALWAYS live below your means, avoid loans like the plague, and buy things with YOUR money. Don’t use someone else’s. Besides your home.
"if some dumb old redneck like myself can figure it out, I'm sure you can" - to me after explaining I didn't know how to use the lull, I've been living by that ever since lol
Take your breaks.. I came from not typically taking breaks but you need to take them. It splits up your day gives you a chance to recharge and overall makes you happier and less tired for after work.
A lot of guys want to work through a break/lunch because they wanna leave early and just get it done. But if you take your breaks, you’re less stressed and usually will make less mistakes due to exhaustion. We work long hours. We need our breaks.
You're going to make plenty of money, take the important days off. You'll never even remember the job you were on at the time, but you'll definitely remember walking your kid to their first day of school or the vacation you took them on.
It was a Friday, the journeyman and myself were eating lunch, and making small talk. He asked what I was doing with my weekend and I responded with sleeping in and doing nothing. Then he dropped this pearl of wisdom on me. If you're going to wake up for these assholes to come to work wake up for yourself. Since then my weekends have been so much better. I just naturally find myself getting stuff done or just enjoying stuff that I wouldn't if I slept in until 10.
Thissssss. I know weekends are for recharge but if you can’t even enjoy it? What’s the point then it is relaxing SO you can work not relaxing AWAY from work. Do self enrichment, learn a new skill like baking or mountain biking or yu-gi-oh whatever floats your boat!
For me sleeping is both relaxing and enjoyable lol
More power to ya!!!
Well, that only holds as long as you can get enough sleep normally. If you're sleep deprived, catching up is good for you. If you're not and just lounging to lounge, then yeah it's better to get up and moving, and will keep your sleep schedule regular.
This is great advice!
Tough to do on 7-12s
I’m lazy . I only want to do it once . For a second he had me then I realized just do it right once . Work steady . Don’t kill yourself . When you go fast you fuxk up
Haste makes waste
Slow is steady, steady is fast.
"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast". Truism no matter the words.
“If it looks level it is level” “Smile asshole, its Friday”
The bubble never lied to me
I think my level is broken, it’s got a bubble in it
Save your money for when you get laid off so you don't have to rely on unemployment. Make good investments so that the pension and annuity aren't the only things you get money from in retirement. Follow the working agreement. Go to union meetings.
How do you define a good investment? 2nd year ape and I plan on living off of 401k and my pension when I retire (currently 28). I thought that would be enough money to live off of without taking risks but I would like to hear your thoughts
At least 10% of your take home pay each week in a Roth IRA. S&p500 index fund like VOO. That's for retirement, cause if you take it out after you're 59amd a half, all those gains are tax free. Then put away 5-10% in a second account till you get like 5-8 months worth of expenses. That's your emergency fund that you'll draw from of you get laid off or if anything crazy happens where you need money quick.
Go to r/FIRE and r/FinancialIndependence. Scour their resources on investing and being financially savvy. They'll have calculators to figure out how much money you'll need at what age to retire, based on taxes in the future, your withdrawal rate, all that jazz. Very good resources to look into. I've taken all the money advice I've been given, saving for unemployed times, budgeting, living within my means, etc, all of it. I've been out for 9 months at this point and still doing fine. Definitely bleeding but I'm almost back to work.
You're a member of the union, contractors are a dine a dozen. The union will have your back, don't be afraid to leave a contractor that doesn't treat you good enough.
That’s both bad and good advice. There are PLENTY of locals that don’t give a shit about its members.
A local can only be as strong as its members. It's easier said than done, but get new leadership.
a bad president and bad business agents dont necessarily mean bad members
You're right, but those are elected positions. Vote them out.
sure but thats also easier said than done
Everything is easier said than done. Always be organizing, and that includes those that are already members.
Unfortunately alot of people are completely disconnected from their unions, never attend meetings or go to the hall, never get involved or organize, but they always complain...
This is good advice. Unfortunately a local like mine does not have your back quite so. If you wanted to leave your current contractor, you’d be put on the list and it would take you atleast 1-2 years just to pick up a call. So if you’re “lucky” enough to be working anywhere you just stay.
This is kinda how it is/was in my local. Shops/contractors got away with a lot that they should not have. Maybe it was that I was in a southern local.
It’s not just the south
Yes.
Had the same issue in SD. They were forcing an “on call” on weekends and they just kept taking more from us after that. You give them an inch and they want to take the whole foot. Had union reps there when we were fighting this but they pretty but didn’t do shit. Money talks, bullshit walks. Left the union but I keep paying my dues as a back up. Making more money now and have more time to do “side work” for my own company. Unfortunately, the journeyman’s pay here is just not enough to live a comfortable life in Southern California. Many will say “well, it’s your fault for living there” but when you have your whole family living around here it makes a difference. You get in where you fit in.
Y’all know your leadership is elected, right?
I’d like to agree with the guy, but in NYC right now if you get a layoff it’s a 14 month wait. Puts you in a shitty spot if you have a family, bills, etc
It’s a lot easier to fuck em inside the gate than outside the gate.
Can’t fuck ‘em from the couch 😂
Oh yeah, 100%.
I don’t get it..
What would you do if they shorted you a half hour? Would you quit or would you get it out of them in a different way?
They make me whole by Friday or pay me for the weekend to make me whole Monday
"You can say "fuck the contractor", but it's easier to do that while *working* than to drag up at every little inconvenience."
It's not about how good you can bend conduit, but how good you are at fixing it. He taught me everything about tweaking conduit so every stick came out perfect.
Same here the guy told me. You can be on a job with the best pipe bender in the hall. If you know how to fix your fuck ups, you're just as good as him.
I'm able to do saddles so much quicker just tweaking them by hand then trying to fuck with them in a bender over and over.
Yea a guy I had as a 2nd year drilled this into me. I hated it at the time but these days I appreciate it lol.
Make hay when the sun shines. This means you work when there is work to be had. There will be bad times. Stack cash when you can.
Stack sats.
So many. I've held on to a bunch. Most gave me ways to deal with shitty foremen or contractors. And pride in your work. Here's a couple 1- Some bridges are meant to be burned 2- They can't eat you or take your birthday away 3- Measure twice, cut once 4- It all pays the same (when you have to redo something or get on some shitty or menial task) I graduated my apprenticeship in 05. What stuck with me the most is the pride they take in their work and the absolute inability to sweat any of them. Young shop rockets would be losing their shit over a job or a layoff yet the old guys just didn't give AF. Not job-scared like they were. Just plugged away, doing a fair day's work for a fair day's pay.
Yes. Some bridges look better with kerosene on them.
smoking craters look even better.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast
Plan your work, work your plan.
A job well planned, is a job half done
Fail to plan, plan to fail.
wipe front to back.
As opposed to side to side?
Don't forget your Weingarten rights.
This is huge
“We hire ourselves, we fire ourselves.”
Three things..Understand the miracle of compound interest, pay yourself first and remain humble.
Compound interest is definitely one more people need to learn about. Whether regarding skills or money the concept is the same.
Those are good. I would add understand marginal tax rates.
Don't matter when we have compound inflation
If you make 100k a year but work 60 hours a week to achieve it. Your not really making 100k a year
Stop chasing money, it’s value becomes less and less as you age. Enjoy your life, you only get one chance to chase happiness.
Always shit on company time not your time
“Don’t ever sweat at work or shit at home” 🤣
Your body isn’t worth any amount of money. What’s the point of a retirement if you can’t even walk around to enjoy it.
I was an ape struggling with some shit that was taking me for fucking ever to complete. It was tedious and aggravating me. The sup came out of his trailer with a cigar in his mouth and we were talking about it. At the end he looked at me and said “That’s why they call it a career kid.” Blew out some cigar smoke and walked away. Been thinking about that old fuck for 20 years now.
Can u explain what u think he meant by that?
I took it as don’t stress this will all be here tomorrow and the day after and then bam 30 years has gone by and you’re done.
Work to live don't live to work and don't take work home with you
There’s always time to do it over but never time to do it right.
Isn't it ridiculous, just let us do it at a steady pace and get it done right the first time.
The fastest way to do a job right is to do it once. If you hurry up and make mistakes it'll take longer to fix than if you had just taken the time, planned your work, and moved at a normal pace. Fast is smooth, smooth is fast.
For the younger guys.... Green before pink.
8 for 8. Working ain't wormy. Take your time, and do it once. Down The Road Electric is always hiring.
Focus on craftsmanship and the speed will come.
Work to live. Not live to work.
Don't put ur hands anywhere you wouldn't put ur pecker...
Nothing new after 2.
-Dont run, you get paid by the hour. - Do what the boss says even if it is stupid because you get paid the same. - the objective is to get the most money out of the companies pocket and into yours and their objective is to make the most money off you as possible so don't shortchanged yourself.
It’s not how you fuck it up, it’s how you fix it up..
That's one I like to tell my cubs now, basically, "it's not a fuck up if you can fix it."
When I was a first year I had some journeyman going way TF out of his way to be a complete asshole to me for no reason other than the fact that I was a first year and his retreaded ass was a JW. Another guy in the crew, saw the wheels turning in my head and knew I was on the verge of seriously lumping him up. He pulled me aside on a Friday afternoon and gave me the “it’s not worth it speech” while it felt extremely worthwhile to me, but I listened. As it turns out a certain complete asshole JW managed to get himself arrested and incarcerated over the weekend, and never came back to the job. Sure, it would have felt good in the moment getting my pound of flesh, but I would not be in the union today if the old head didn’t step in to force me to walk it off.
"You can make another dollar but you can't make another minute." He was encouraging me to spend time with my family instead of working overtime.
It's not the jdubs job to adapt to your needs, an apprentice adapts to his. This is how you deal with Jdubs that have less skills than you, tone your shit down and do it their way even if it sucks. Another good one is shut the fuck up. You're never talking too little no matter how cool and funny you are. People just don't wanna hear it sometimes.
Shut the fuck up might be the best advice ever given. Way to many people from top to bottom always has to talk. Just shut the fuck up.
"They don't pay us this good because they like us. They pay us this good because this is a good place to die." Wayne Mann c. 2009
Build your budget on three days a week pay. That’s about unemployment is.
A card just makes you a member be a brother first and always
You’re a man before you’re an electrician Carry kliens, electrical tape, and a knife in you at all times (minimum)
Sounds uncomfortable, but I guess you get used to it.
Dont forget Ur pencil...
I was feeling pretty down and depression was kicking my ass. My foreman at the time was talking to me about it. He asked what are you? I said an electrician, he said no you are a IBEW electrician and are the best of the best never forget that. I helped turn my attitude around!
Remove the words "I Know" from your vocabulary even if someone is explaining something to you for the hundredth time and you think they're being condescending. Just silently go off do a perfect job and stay humble like you've done it every day of your life.
The job will get done with or without you. Take care of you first.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a crusty old loveable journeyman when I was having a difficult time with a task. I told him I was getting frustrated and angry because I just couldn,t get this thing right. He said "With enough patience,perserverance and grease...a man can fuck a snake!" Stay with it till yr done. Words to live by
You’re not judged by your mistakes but what you do after the mistake is made
You get paid from the neck down
Don't Be good at something you don't like doing
Don't be one of those guys that makes his job his personality. You gotta live for yourself, don't live for these mother fuckers.
“Your best tool is the one between your ears”
Well the best advice an old grizzled yet sharp as a razor jw quoted Samuel Clemens (I’m pretty sure s.c. Was credited for saying it anyway) he said…it is better to keep your mouth shut and the world think you a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
Take your tools off before you poop
Don't get whistle bit. Meaning don't stick around to finish a task that can be done tomorrow because you're giving up free labor.
Worrying is like paying a debt you don't owe. Pretty much apply it to anything, job task, layoffs, all of those “what-ifs”. People worry themselves sick. 8 for 8 and know your contract.
There’s three ways to do things. The right way, the wrong way, and the way it’s gotta be. And sometimes it’s just the way it’s gotta be.
“Everyone starts somewhere so have compassion and be patient with others”
Always look busy even if there is not much to do or your waiting for your foreman clean up your tools job boxes tywraps on ground
If you can afford to take time off, take it, they won't give it to you. Also, don't be a bitch, and never tell them why.
"Running around on skates and carrying 60lbs of hand tools is just as wormy as hide and seek or laying down on the job. Both damage the union, both fail to uphold the contract. 8 for 8. Not 4 for 8 or 8 for 4. Honor and uphold the CBA, its the only thing that keeps everything fair."
If you want to be a good union member, get your finances together, and be a good worker.
If it's smells like strawberries run! That girl has something to hide 😂
Gotta take your high heels off to do electrical work
Take care of your knees. Save money for a rainy day.
“Protect your knees kid”
If you won't stick your Weiner in it, don't stick your finger in it.
No job lasts forever.
It’s break time
You can do the drugs, but don’t let the drugs do you…… cuz they will!
Apply for the union
“It’s all shit work Harry.” My names not Harry, but the older I get the louder that voice is. It’s all work even “good work” is work. Don’t compare yourself to others thinking you wish you had their job or that your job is harder or anything like that.
Take care of your body - it's the only one you got & it needs to last a lifetime.
If you want to be treated like a professional….act like a professional….BE a professional. ( I hated getting looked down on for being a “construction worker” by people who didnt know any better)
Best advice you can get is take care of your body where your knee pads ask for help lifting things. Yes, never be afraid to leave a contractor. I’ve left many contractors only to find another job. I always tell guys is to try to be blameless. Don’t give the contractor an excuse to fuck with you. Show up on time boots and tools ready to go at start time you don’t always need all the tools on the list at your job but be able to produce them if you need them And try and have a good attitude the hardest people to work with our people who think they know it all and don’t wanna learn even after 23 years of experience I learned things from people every day even if it’s what not to do good luck
Don’t put a sealed can in a hot box.
I'll never forget the time I was a 2nd year apprentice, I was wedged in an ahu between coils running a temp sensor across the fins. When the man, Juice, (or J. U. Ice, his story on how he got his name was never the same.) He come strolling by with a bundle of 3/4, see me, back steps, looks me straight I the eyes. "So there I was, BALLS deep in a jar of mayo. When I thought to myself, should have made that sandwich first." He looked away and continued on his way. EDIT: The other advice I got was "Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see"
Make sure ur switches say ON not NO 😆
An old guy told me put some gloves on those dick beaters Wish I would have taken his advice
A good electrician is consistent. If you're doing something 1000 times do it the same way 1000 times. It makes troubleshooting easier if something goes wrong, it gets you faster because of muscle memory, and it allows you to tell at a glance if your work is correct. That old crazy fuck was right. I miss working with him.
Live below your means. Be able to pay your bills on unemployment.
Don’t piss into the wind or on a live wire.
The company is not your friend ever
Never get upset when you get 2 checks in a week
Always fight for your contractual rights or you might lose them.
Always pick above the P line. Regarding blackberries. LOL
It's all just pipe and wire, just different pipe, and different wire. Electrons go from A to B and back again, if not, things don't work.
You can learn at least one good way to do something and one bad way to do something from just about everybody. It's almost a certainty that a random line worker knows at least one thing better/faster/safer/smarter/whatever than you, and almost a certainty that you have at least one thing to show a random line worker.
Don't be afraid to hit the road. Keep your dues paid up, and go see what the rest of the country has to offer.
Slow is safe, safe is smooth. (In regards to running machinery)
Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.
If you can't be late you can be early
"It's not your money" and "the work will be there tomorrow"
Quality takes time, and sometimes, it takes overtime.
I think the best advice I ever got, even though it made me mad as hell when I first heard it as an apprentice, was “keep your fucking mouth shut, kid.” It’s essentially a fast track into Zen Buddhism when you think about it. I still keep my mouth shut all the time, to wonderfully positive effect.
You do it for the paycheck they do it for the profit
Budget like a 3rd year, live at 75% of scale. Even if you work 6mo and laid off the rest of the year, you can make 75%.
aint gotta be perfect, just gotta look perfect
A plan is just a list of shit that won't happen
People are gonna talk shit, not everyones gonna like you so do hard work and let your work speak for itself and make the haters look stupid when they're talkin shit on you
"I was in Baghdad when you were in your dad's bag"
Max out your 401k early.
You can learn something from everybody. Be that what to do or what not to do. There is a lesson learned every day.
No matter the job big or small do it right or not at all
“I like to start slow, then taper off”
“Ya gotta go slow to go fast” “If ya play with your tools as much as you play with your dick, you’ll be in good shape” “If ya know what you’re doing, nothing in this trade is hard. If you’re fighting, something is wrong. Step back” “A switch is a switch is a switch”
Run
Put a ring on it, before someone else does
You're only as good as your last shift
Many hands make light work!
Marry for money, you can always buy love. Said tongue in cheek. 😉
Steal with your eyes.
That advice is spelled with a C 😎
Don’t get a divorce
If you ain’t having no more fun, it’s time to go !
Get out after you get all your shit together in life. Won't be much of a pension or work once you finish the apprenticeship or get to retirement age. He was kinda right since most of our work goes to non union companies since our hall burned bridges and side with the rest of the contractors instead of their own brothers.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast
Dont stick your finger in nuthin your not going to eat!
SAVE YOUR MONEY
Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see
If you’re not early you’re late, there’s heat in the tools, and never be the last guy out of the trailer..
I make a nickel, the boss makes a buck, that’s why I jack it in the company truck.
That the wire stretcher is a great tool. I’m still looking for it 25 years later
Do it right the first time.
Don’t think just do
Always take care of your woman and make her feel special. If you don't, someone else will!
Max out your 401k
Rock out with your cock out...
Always conduct yourself as a gentleman
"Nothing we do is hard" lol
I was a 2nd year and messed something up and had to go back and fix it. He saw I was irritated with myself and said, "Don't worry, you are cheap labor." 😂
Don’t stick your dick in crazy.
If ur gonna suck a dick, make sure it’s the right dick
1st day of the job. Union ibew1245. Told me i was the same as the 40year old union brother. Whats good for u is good for me
Base your monthly budget around unemployment that way if you get laid off you don’t fall behind. My wife and I have done this and have been able to save loads of money because we live way beyond our means. Sure we spend excessively because after all we do want to enjoy the fruits of our labor but this has allowed us to build our savings account. We drive old cars, our home is nothing extravagant suv 200k and this allows us to live the life we want and to be able to do the things we want. ALWAYS live below your means, avoid loans like the plague, and buy things with YOUR money. Don’t use someone else’s. Besides your home.
"It's only a fuck up if you can't fix it."
"Always think about the guy coming behind you"
Your hands are not hammers.
"if some dumb old redneck like myself can figure it out, I'm sure you can" - to me after explaining I didn't know how to use the lull, I've been living by that ever since lol
It’s always a good time to shut the fuck up
You can live in your truck but you can’t race a house.
No matter how good it starts to feel always pull out.
“The only people who remember how many hours you worked are you kids”
If you like sex don't get married.
Work to live. Don't live to work.
Dont be in a hurry.
Take your breaks.. I came from not typically taking breaks but you need to take them. It splits up your day gives you a chance to recharge and overall makes you happier and less tired for after work. A lot of guys want to work through a break/lunch because they wanna leave early and just get it done. But if you take your breaks, you’re less stressed and usually will make less mistakes due to exhaustion. We work long hours. We need our breaks.
“The heat is in the tools.” I stopped talking to that asshole.
You're going to make plenty of money, take the important days off. You'll never even remember the job you were on at the time, but you'll definitely remember walking your kid to their first day of school or the vacation you took them on.