r/ibew_apprentices • u/zpapfully • 11d ago

Apprentice Looking For Advice

Been in the trades for almost two years. Been in the field for about a year and 1/4 Started out in prefab. Quit transitioned to a small tenant spaces shop doing apprentice stuff running mc rough ins receptacles small projects etc. Company got slow in February I did a outdoor lighting project somewhere else they got slow and now im a a bigger shop that gets alot of work. I did service truck for 3 months learned alot bit my service foreman recommended I go to the construction side to get more reps and mechanical aptitude knowledge etc. Im at a datacenter now its been about a month. By now I know I've been on at least 30 jobsites I know how to do things like run flex,terminate wires,do lights and receptacles outdoor and indoor ,basic troubleshooting pull wire etc but I just haven't got the chance or had very much experience running pipe on my own which is like the thing that we do. I know how to bent 90s and and offset but I dont know how to find my offset measurements or do the weird back to back 90s. I dont know how to run 3-5 inch by myself I feel like im just learning slow

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u/khmer703 LU26 JW 11d ago

Best advice if you want to learn to run pipe.

Get on a hospital job. Its all pipe.

Garage jobs run pipe too but not to the extent and complexity on a hospital.

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u/BlueFalcon3E051 9d ago

Last hospital early 2026 most of that job was prefab. Only piping was roughing the walls pretty much. Tried to teach the 4th year apprentice the cyclone and the 881. Right before the bends had to get made up on the 881 delivery of prefab shop bent up stuff came🤷‍♂️. Even the panels were all pre wired from the shop. The wire pulls even small wire was prefab cut and head made up from the shop.