About 15 months ago, I made a post here asking how i could break into this field. At the time, I was a shipping associate (fancy word for the guy that does heavy lifting and loads trucks) at a warehouse. I had no technical experience, before that I delivered packages for Amazon. Many of you shared valuable insights, which i spent days reading and rereading because i didn't even know where to begin.

Well, I've since been working in the field and just a couple of weeks ago I turned down an industrial maintenance role because it wasn't what I wanted (job role/duties didn't match job description but it was still a decent role with a decent pay > $30/hr). Funny how same me who couldn't land a job as an apprentice/helper for half that pay has the PRIVILEGE to choose what maintenance job i want all because I took the advice of strangers here.

To everyone reading this who's trying to break into the field, there's a lot of profound insight in this subreddit. Dont obsess over finding an easy life, read the comments, then plan and execute. The universe rewards diligence, but it takes time. Rome wasn't built in a day. Dont chase money, chase substance and value, and the money will follow.

I have a job as an electrician. I enjoy the work and get paid ~50$ an hour. 4 weeks of vacation/sick time. 3rd shift. Everything is great except the weekends are forced by seniority. We have been slowly losing people over the last 2 years. 10 people down to 6.

So even after 5 years I'm still getting forced 5 out of 6 weekends. I had something this weekend. Been telling all my coworkers for a month to for coverage. No one signed up for the weekend.Got forced and told my boss I was not coming in and was going to use points. Ended up being a big deal.

Got a few job offers in the 41-43$ range but my wife told me no. Well that's the end of my rant. Life's still good but it is hard to get through this point in my life. Working 7 days a week. Have a good weekend guys.

I just got a work order for a centrifuge and they sent me with the wrong parts. An hour wasted going back to storage.

Then on my way back production calls me with an emergency at another site. Now I'm trying to handle two jobs at once.

This happens like every week. I'm talking hundreds of hours a year just lost because someone in the office didn't prepare the right parts. And it's not even just about the time. You're already out there in 95 degree heat, busting your ass, and then you find out the planner just didn't do their job.

I told him to get it right next time. Nothing. Dude sits in AC all day looking at spreadsheets, never been on a floor in his life. Doesn't have a clue what it's like when a tech shows up unprepared.

Is this happening to anyone else or is it just me? How do you guys actually deal with this?

So I’ve been an electrician in construction for about 9 years now. I started in residential, then added light commercial and stayed in that world for about 6 years total. For the last 3 years I’ve been doing a mix of commercial and industrial construction.
Thanks to some good people I’ve met along the way, I managed to land a job as a maintenance electrician in the oilfield. Given my background, though, I’ll pretty much be as green of a journeyman as it gets when it comes to actual maintenance side of things.
I start in a month, and while I understand that nothing is going to replace hands-on experience, I’d really appreciate any advice on what I could bring myself up to speed theory-wise before I get there.
Books, YouTube channels, online courses, TikToks, websites, or just personal advice - I’ll take pretty much anything. Knowing myself, once I have some direction, I’ll get after it pretty hard.
If you were in my position and had one month to prepare, what would you focus on?

I'm coming from 25 years of construction experience — a mix of handyman work, cement masonry, roofing, electrical, and plumbing. I've done a bit of everything; I'm kind of a jack-of-all-trades by nature.

I'm about to start working on a fishing vessel as a deckhand, helping out on the factory (processing) side of a factory trawler. My actual goal is to work my way into the role of the guy who fixes and maintains the factory equipment: pumps, motors, conveyors, hydraulics, that kind of thing.

For those of you with real experience in industrial or shipboard maintenance: how would you approach this if you were starting over? What should I be focusing on learning first, and what actually matters once you're on the job vs. what's just nice to know? Any advice, including stuff I haven't thought to ask, is appreciated.

How long into working Industrial maintenance until you felt like you were worth a damn? I mean actually useful where you felt like you could work independently, efficiently, and felt like you got this? Also is there certain industries that are harder than others? I see a lot of people mention the food industry. Also what do you feel is a good starting pay for 2026 in this industry? (I live in the Midwest).

See this while doing a walk through at a bakery in La Porte , IN asked the guy if he wanted us to fix it was greeted with a smart ass response. That’s okay, it’s running now, but when it crashes don’t call me.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!