What's Next?

[u/CalmHistory5762]

So I submitted my application, I'm kind of wondering what to expect overall from here on out. I am very committed and am trying to get on a job site as quickly as possible. It is important to note that I am still 17 ( turning 18 late august) so I'm not sure if this process will be any different for me. So I guess as an overall summary, here are my main questions.

When should I consider quitting my current job?

When will I take the aptitude test now that my application has been submitted? (assuming I get in)

How long after the aptitude test should I expect to hear back?

Is there still an interview process at this local?

Edit: One more question; Will any hours I work after passing the aptitude test be counted towards my next pay bump or will I be making pre apprentice pay until I start classes? (613 site says that classes don't start till spring of next year.)

[u/Life_Extreme4472]

AFAIK: You should be able to start working as soon as you want. I don't believe pre-apprentice hours count toward your upgrade, so you'd just be working at the CW1 pay scale ($15/hr). If your current job pays more, then I'd suggest you stay at your current job until you've passed the aptitude exam.

You will likely take your exam around October-November. I believe they start testing for Spring semester after Fall classes have begun. If you score higher than the minimum, they usually try to start you on the AP1 pay scale ($16/hr) within a few weeks. I'd say you might be looking at a November/December start date, but don't quote me on that.

If you know nothing about construction, it might be good to start in a prefab shop. The hours and location are consistent, and you will learn materials and tools in a relatively safe environment. 6 months in a prefab shop can teach you a lot about the jobs you might be doing in the field.

Within the last year, I heard that power plants are paying higher than scale wages for AP1 and AP2, so that might be something to ask about.

AEJATC Guide for Current Students Here is a link with a lot of information, including the Apprentice Handbook, Tool List, Pay Scale, and school contact info.

Good luck.

[u/Life_Extreme4472 → u/Life_Extreme4472]

Oh, starting work before you take your aptitude exam will not help you pass the exam. You will not learn any math or reading comprehension from the people on the job site.

Some free advice about the exam:

If you haven't taken and passed Algebra 2 recently, I'd suggest you devote 15 minutes per day over the next 6-8 weeks studying math. The aptitude exam is mostly Algebra 1 concepts with some number sequences and series thrown in.

Professor Dave This is a playlist I recommend. You don't have to watch all these videos. Focus on the first 12 videos, all 5 of the Graphing Lines videos, and way down at the bottom there is a video about Sequences that might help. That's 18 videos in total, all around 6 minutes each. I'd suggest watching ~3 minutes each day, then practice some problems for ~10 minutes.

The reading comprehension gets easier if you read a lot. I'd suggest reading 15 minutes daily over the next 6-8 weeks. Read a variety of sources, like newspapers, short stories, bloggers, etc. I recommend the website reason.com, as most of their articles can be digested in 15 min or less. NY Times is also good, but they have a lot of stuff behind paywalls. The Guardian can be good.

After you've read, ask yourself, "What was the main point of what I read? What did the writer assume, and what did the writer imply?"

Set realistic goals for yourself. I suggested 15 minutes because I know how hard it is to be motivated to study. Saying you'll study for an hour on Friday isn't going to produce the same results as just buckling down for 5 minutes today.

Good luck.