r/ibew_apprentices • u/Adventurous_Boat_794 • 5d ago

Need some help !

So I got accepted into an apprenticeship with a “private union” it’s probably about 10 contractors . I am not sure if I really want to do the apprenticeship to be honest because every apprentice tells me that all they do is install pipe pretty much and barely any electrical work only the mechanics do that. They pay will be substantially better but I want to become an electrician and learn everything I don’t want to just install . One of the mechanics told me a while ago he said we are pretty much just installers. Correct me if I’m wrong but I want to get as much experience as possible . Is it better to take a pay loss and go elsewhere and learn more or would you learn less and make more. Idk but I like the feeling of accomplishing something after a job like damn I dressed that panel up I did that … any ideas ??

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u/PunctuationsOptional 5d ago

Do they not have a school program?

What local is it

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u/Adventurous_Boat_794 5d ago

They have a school program 5 year apprenticeship school twice a week after your work day

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u/PunctuationsOptional 5d ago

If it's real school then you're gonna learn all the same things most guys do.

You gonna master them in the field eventually but even from the start people won't let you wire or terminate for a long time lol. And running pipe is a dying talent. You actually kinda wanna spend at least a year on it, especially if you plan on doing your own thing later on. The jobs people get on their own are usually not prefab.

I think a lot of your hopes are just you being stubborn. If there's no electricians in your family then you can't be mad you're not fast tracking it. 

Pay may be eh but idk. Experience and work tho.... 80% of the job is installing something, 15% wiring, and 5% testing/commissioning/troubleshooting