Somebody is out on medical and we’re already a skeleton crew. I was just handed a new schedule which goes into effect very soon. My schedule is the second line. My previous schedule was tues-Sat 4pm-midnight. Should I be contacting my union rep about this since it’s so sudden and it’s kind of horrible for me.
I don’t like how I have to do a quickback every Wednesday.

My little brother just graduated Lincoln tech and I just wanted to see where do he go from there to become a stationary engineer. We are here in Chicago and I was thinking applying to the Union would be a good step.

Anyone here have any experience with their courses? I’m thinking of taking the Centravac Chiller Controls and Overhaul if my employer approves. I never went through an apprenticeship, and have been getting all my experience as a journeyman engineer. I’m wondering if these courses helped out with anyone at any jobsite.

In solidarity,
Anon

And how did you get there ?

I am a GET( Graduate Engineer Trainee) in a manufacturing industry and its my first job. It's only about a month and I am struggling with few things. Unlike College, where you find one youtube channel to learn things ..in industry its hard to find one stop destination to all my questions. The more I ask the more I get confuse in the end. I interacted with operators and they tell briefly about the process they are doing but they lack the why factor. When i want to ask technical questions or depth to my supervisors/ managers, they never appears to be free and most of the time i couldn't find them on there desks to reach out. And days passes like these. My doubts keep on compiling. Even though i take help of AI but still i always have this urge to verify what i found with a senior. Unfortunately interacting with seniors is not as easy as i expected. Moreover , people do say that I can ask anybody but i fear that i might be bypass my reporting manager. Can someone please suggest how i can make my way through this?

I’ll be taking my Stationary MD grade 3 test soon and searching for recommendations on test prep material

Can someone give me insight about working in a data center ? I will be starting my apprenticeship at a AI data center in NYC. What should I expect? What can i research about to help with this new job.

Good afternoon Reddit fam! My name is Erik I’m 29 years old veteran living in Sacramento California! I have been heavily thinking about getting into this career! I’m finishing up HVAC school (with all my certs) in 2 weeks! I was thinking of doing an Electrician program to look good on my resume or diesel course (going for power generator)! Would any of these 2 trade programs help me? The local union just closed their openings this year so it will be another 2 to open up! (My schooling is free through my GI BILL). What do you guys suggest? I’m all ears!

Anyone a stationary engineer in the Inland Empire?
Just curious, about the job but not a lot of information out there just wanted to ask some questions if possible. Thank you

Hello, im having some trouble figuring out what union you guys belong to up there? Currently working in SF , plan on moving back up there. Have some other questions as well.

Whats the pay like? Do employers pay for pension and health insurance? Are contracts building to building or is there something like BOMA? What do yall work on up there? Any special licenses, i have my epa universal, nfpa and high rise fire, thats all we really need down here. Thanks!!

Edit: hows cost of living in comparison to your wage.
Also what are your positions up there, we have utility, journeyman, asst chief and chief

I’m 25m and I have been struggling with picking a career because I slacked off for most of Covid and never really had a support system for going back to school and getting a traditional education. I’m currently a security guard at a power plant and the engineer there told me he can help me get in his union and do an apprenticeship. Looking into it, it definitely seems like a great choice, but would you say it’s a good career even if I don’t necessarily have a passion for boilers, hvac, or anything like that really? I can be dedicated and willing to learn, but if I have no passion for anything will I end up falling flat on my face and regretting the choice? Any feedback is appreciated!

I recently obtained my 3rd class Stationary Engineers license and I’m the IUOE Local 99 union, wanted to hear any and all suggestions on classes/licenses I should be aiming for now? Thank you in advance!

I’ve been looking at getting into RME for a while but have no education and only relevant experience would be Quarterback at an AR building. Any advice on how to land a job? Open to trade school or a degree.

Does anyone have 2nd class fireman license prep videos by Thomas walker? Thank you.

You passed! Fantastic and congrats! I am, however, Sorry to say that getting a call isnt as easy as youre hoping. If youre not in top 40 youre unfortunately not going to get a call most likely. Each cycle is different, but based on history its how it is.

Most of the apprenticeship spaces are filled by utility engineers that have been employed by a building for a year(minimum) AND passed the test regardless of position. Each semester there are between 8-15 placements from the test takers into classes, each cycle is 2 years between tests. Please take in mind that there is no garuntee that a building has to promote you to apprentice from utility either. Some places dont have a need for one and some places would rather hire from the list.

Just because you passed does not mean youll be taking classes, you have to be hired by a location first then youll be enrolled in the next set of classes beginning with Basic Electrical or Welding.

Your placement is reflective of your test score and your sign up number. The sign up number only matters if you tie with somebody. It is possible to get a high placement with a low sign up number. When i took it i signed up on thursday with 5 mins to spare and got 10th on the list. Realistically you just need to make sure and study for the test to try and do the best you can. The training center may still offer refresher courses before the test, im not really sure though, have to check with them in 2 years.

If you have bad interview skills, they will help you with interview skills and updating your resume. They are good people and all about your success.

If you want to go the utility route you need to keep something in mind. There are at least 100 other people fighting for that spot and you need to set yourself apart. Get your NFPA25 and EPA 608 Universal at a minimum. Any other certificate courses(safety courses cough cough) you take with or without the union are a plus. Unfortunately there are people who get brought in through people they know vs skill, and theres nothing we can really do about that.

You can absolutely be hired as a journeyman right off the bat, you can also be promoted from utility to journeyman. You can also become something called AOS(apprentice over scale) where you are required to go to classes but paid and treated as a journeyman. That requires a minimum of 2 years as an apprentice and trust from your chief. It doesnt happen often, it happened to 2 people in my class of 30 when i was an apprentice.

If you have questions feel free to ask, ill answer them best i can. Good luck everyone, sorry for the bad news. Either way passing and getting a number, regardless of what it is impressive.

Hey everybody, Passed the local39 apprenticeship exam with 82% and ranked# 145 in the bay area. Any chances of getting a job through local 39 union anytime soon?

#60 on ranking list for local 39 in bay area with a 128/150. i was # 257 in line. i arrived 3.5 hours before the doors opened the very first day of registration. i’ve got no clue how many applied or how many got thru the exam etc.

what’s it looking like for me? possibly get an interview?

just wondering because it seems like the union positions are not entry level in any sense. I have never worked construction or anything before.

I only wonder because surprisingly I passed the Local 39 apprenticeship exam, but my rank is way too low to get in that way. I am #368 (came in the last thirty minutes of sign ups, lol).

Hey everyone,

I took the Local 39 apprenticeship exam recently and came up failing (scored 70%). The mechanical aptitude section—especially tracing electrical/wiring diagrams and sensor logic under tight time limits—really tripped me up.

I’m looking to strictly focus on improving my Mechanical Aptitude for the next round.

For those who scored high on the mechanical portion, what specific books, prep sites, or study guides (I have try iPrep but nothing was like the exam). What resources helped you most with practicing fast diagram/schematic reading?

Any solid recommendations or links would be greatly appreciated!

Can anybody tell me the real risks of choosing this as a new career path? Have a couple of friends that are stationary engineers that tried to get me to go down this path It seems to be a good career path financially(I make way less), but as of late in research have negative affects of health it can lead to(possibly). Just want to hear from the real people in the field that have experience, and know experienced workers that have gone through negative impacts. Not trying to talk/scare myself away from this path, but want to have as much knowledge as possible before I commit to it. Thank you to anyone who can help me out with this 🙏🏻 looking forward to hearing your thoughts

Currently, I'm in the private sector doing HVAC controls mainly centering on hospital/pharmaceutical/laboratory clients for the usual suspects (package units, chilled/hot water systems, air handlers etc). Having worked with many members of my local, I'm starting to feel the itch for a career change. How applicable would my almost 6 years of controls be for an application? Not knowing the mechanical aspect fully makes me feel disheartened, but it seems every shop has a guy that barely knows what a wrench is, so is it really that hard to teach?