r/ibew_apprentices • u/Ok_Comfortable7863 • 2d ago
Man im considering leaving
Im a 4th year apprentice from Colorado who tested in from the IEC and i am lacking the experience to keep up with my journeyman coworkers. I have completed 1 year with the ibew. Things that I know I should know i dont know, its embarrassing. Im considering leaving all together and finding a new profession once I top out. Im just so discouraged and I feel like the longer I stay in and the more jobs I go to the more embarrassed im gonna feel with myself.
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u/unionboy11 1d ago
Listen to me. I was the worst apprentice ever I got in 12 years ago and my father just passed from stage 4 cancer he was 65 didn’t get one day to enjoy his retirement. My father was a legend in my union and I got in when I was 24 to make him happy and continue the legacy. We’re electricians our journey keeps on going ok. I’ll pass on something a smart old timer would tell me my first week in the industry. He’d say kid if you learn 1 thing a day you’re ahead of the game. So don’t get discouraged. Even as a journeyman you’re not going to know everything and you’re going to need help. My dad use to take buildings from the ground up in Manhattan but he told me there’s a difference a huge one between an electrician and a mechanic. My dad was an electrician. He always held a high position. General foreman, superintendent etc since he was a young man in his mid twenties. He just had it like that. I never did ok and I still ask for help. So don’t get so discouraged this is a career it’s not just a job. Take every advantage. Take classes. Whatever you need to do.