starting in the industry?

[plumbingnewb]

Is this the right place to post this?
What is the best way to get started in this field?
Where am I going to get the most useful hands on training?
Start in service or rough in?
What do you journeymen need in an apprentice?
Anything else you can think that you wish you knew when you started?
Thanks in advance for the help and advice!
plumbingnewb

[majakdragon]

Getting into a recognized Apprenticeship program is the best thing to do. You work during the day and go to school a couple nights a week.

[plumbingnewb]

Thanks majic dragon, I appreciate the advice and have requested information from the local UA about their apprenticeship program.

[phishfood]

Ditto. Getting into the local apprenticeship program was the best single decision I made in regards to my plumbing career. Applying the theory in the field during the day that you learned the night before is in*valuable.

Service is less affected by down swings in construction than is new construction. A good service plumber is much better at diagnosis of plumbing problems than a construction plumber.

A construction plumber doesn't have to deal with other people's fecal matter. Or with the idiosyncrasies of a random selection of society in general. And doesn't generally get called out in the middle of the night. Did I mention that they don't have to deal with other people's poo? And they get to work on really cool piping systems.

To be the most salable, you want a mix of the two sides, though that can be tough to come by.

I want a helper to work hard, smart, and without complaining. Try to learn what I need you to do without me having to tell you.

I wish I had realized earlier on to never, ever, never, pass up a chance to learn something new. Be willing to stay late, work weekends, take on the toughest jobs. These are the times when you will fine tune your skills, and will be around the most dedicated pros. And the times when your boss will notice you.

[plumbingnewb]

Phishfood thanks for the reply I had considered the poo factor in service but have also been seeing companies advertising to train and have been trying to figure out where the door is (so to speak) to the industry and which entrance makes the most sense for steady progression and greater foundation to build on.
Thank you so much for the information and the advice on watching and getting a grasp of what the journeyman is considering vs being new and not focusing farther ahead.
I have requested information from the local UA for their apprenticeship - I also understand that some local (Prescott Az) companies will train at the time of hire.
Thanks for the guidance on this - I really appreciate it.

[majakdragon]

When i entered the trade, it was a 5 year apprenticeship. Later it lowered to 4 years. We studied Plumbing and Pipefitting for the first two years and then selected which we wanted to specialize in. As fate would have it (for me), when the last year was coming to an end, they decided we had to pass both tests. Worked out great for me. I did mostly commercial piping including welding. Worked in a refinery for 13 years as a Foreman. Also got to run a variety of Plumbing materials including a glass drainage system in a Medical College. I never regretted any of this.

[plumbingnewb]

Thanks for the reply majakdragon I appreciate the guidance and knowing a little about your career. I think my next step is to study for the entrance exam into the apprenticeship program and work on that. I think this is going to be such a great way to work in the trades and I like hearing that people take pride in what they do and want to do a good job. I have always come across people like that in the trade industry so it is nice to have a place to shoot the breeze and hear some real life stuff.
Thanks again.

[majakdragon]

Not sure what is on the tests now, but mine was a basic Mechanical Aptitude test. Lots of questions though.