What Do I Do Next? Very Lost.

[RhysW]

Hi just a quick introduction.

I finished my City & Guilds level 3 2330 a couple of years ago through full time college at the age of 18. After this I started working as an instrumentation engineer working away for week upon end in Quarry's. This mostly entailed installing 24 core swa cable, Wiring a panel, installing some probes and wiring them up (power and a switch) so all very basic really.

Anyway that's as far as my experience went, after a year I quit the company, as although I enjoyed it, I really wasn't learning at a rate I would like to, as I wasn't really earning and new qualifications, I was basically worried if I lost the job I would be stuck without a job. The pay also wasn't the best and it was very political but I won't get into that.

Since then I've done mediocre jobs such as pizza delivery, I'm also a part-time strength coach planning to open my own gym eventually but I'm kind of at a stand still now where my career is conceded. Anyway I'm just looking for advice on exactly what I should do? I feel a bit lost, and I've applied for an engineering apprenticeship which looks hopeful, but it means going to college again and starting from the very beginning! If that's what I have to do, then I will do it but it really depresses me thinking those years in college were wasted.

What are my options? Can I still become a 'proper' electrician without having to start from the beginning, as from talking to a close friend, he's had to do exactly that, and he is still not qualified at the age of 24.

Any advice is greatly appreciated,

Thank you

P.s. I'm based around Birmingham, northfield.

Sorry for the bad spelling, damn autocorrect!

 

[Essex1]

Welcome. To be honest this question probably comes up once a week and has been done to death on all electrical forums. Take a little time to search around the forums. Take it all in and decide if that is what tou want to do. Every new jobs requires starting from the bottom. Why you left your job as an electrical trrainee to become a pizza delivery boy because your learning was not quick enough puzzles me.

 

[Doc Hudson]

Every new jobs requires starting from the bottom. Why you left your job as an electrical trrainee to become a pizza delivery boy because your learning was not quick enough puzzles me.

Any prospective employer would be asking this as well, it gives the impression of someone who is not very committed to a project and would most likely get bored and leave again if you employed them. As Essex1 says, unless you have some very desirable skills that a new employer wants then 99.9% of the time you will be starting at the bottom again.

Doc H.

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

Welcome. To be honest this question probably comes up once a week and has been done to death on all electrical forums. Take a little time to search around the forums. Take it all in and decide if that is what tou want to do. Every new jobs requires starting from the bottom. Why you left your job as an electrical trrainee to become a pizza delivery boy because your learning was not quick enough puzzles me.

May be he wasn't getting a slice of the action.......................pizza................ slice. Ok. I will get  my coat.

 

[RhysW]

Just to clear things up, I didn't leave to become a 'pizza boy', I left because I wasn't being given the correct training, wasn't being paid a fair wage, and was working away for up to 4 weeks in a row away from home. Basically the job wasn't as described, and I got to the point where all I was working for was a minimal wage (quite literally - lower then national minimum wage) and I wasn't learning anything new or being promised any sort of progression.

The pizza job surprisingly paid better and allowed me to train clients after work (I'm a part time strength coach), as I wasn't working away. It also means I can go for interviews as I'm not away from home. Bare in mind I've only been unemployed from the quarry job for two months, it's certainly not permanent.

Outside of that, is the training I done at college wasted or not? What is required next to become employed as a properly qualified electrician. I obviously have no previous experience as quarry work is completely different. And no you don't start as an apprentice on an apprentice wage everytime you change job, you may start at the bottom, but at my level you wouldn't even be employed to begin with as a mate. That's what I'm trying to change. Thanks for those that have helpful advice.

 

[Essex1]

My first 2 years I was getting paid £35 a week and for the first 12 months never touched a cable.

 

[Sharpend]

But he was delivering newspapers. !!!

 

[Rob_the_rich]

My first 2 years I was getting paid £35 a week and for the first 12 months never touched a cable.

Were you paid out of the Float?

 

[Essex1]

Where is my tumbleweed button?

 

[Sidewinder]

My first 2 years I was getting paid £35 a week and for the first 12 months never touched a cable.

That explains a lot.

 

[eodneil]

Rhys if you want to become an Electrician then don't let gaining experience put you off, you got to keep trying for Electrician's mate jobs, cold call employers and send your CV even if its for future use. I left the army as a JIB Approved Electrician, but a lot of my work and training involved in the Army was on 50KW generators and field lighting and power installations, I wanted to be more involved in domestic, commercial and industrial installations so I knew I had to take a pay cut to gain competency. I started off on £8 an hour, but with a supervisor to call on if I needed and this is what I asked for, I gained confidence and great civilian electrical experience with not so much pressure a year later I was getting paid £17.50 an hour.

On the other hand if you only want to be an Electrician because you have some electrical qualifications and your heart isn't in it then I would follow another dream or you'll be back to square one in the near future.

Neil

 

[RhysW]

Thanks Neil. My heart is in it, I'm just lost on what route to take, I've searched the Internet but couldn't get a clear answer. I wish I done an apprenticeship straight away, but I've got bills to pay now, and at a wage of around £3/hour I physically couldn't survive. I worked for the last company under the condition that I was going to keep learning and be put on some sort of apprenticeship scheme.. That never happened. In fact the company went through about 5/6 employees in the time I was there, didn't hear a single positive about the place not even from managers, it was toxic and I felt like I was being used. For example working 12 hour days, not being payed travel, then being told in the morning to pack my things to work away for 2 weeks that night. I felt trapped and if I stayed there I would of become too dependant. There's more, I'm not one to moan or get involved with drama but it wasn't a nice place to work to be completely honest. Although I did enjoy the actual work I was doing, maybe not so much the conditions.

I'm surviving now working two jobs, funnily enough got an interview today which looks really promising, sounds perfect actually. Good pay too, so hopefully it falls through

 

[eodneil]

That's good mate just keep at it with the CVs and applications, you will get there eventually and those qualifications are not wort wasting, make sure you highlight your interest in taking the next step by doing the NVQ, hopefully that will show you are keen and motivated, once you complete the NVQ the world is you Oyster, you will be in a much better position.

 

[binky]

odd situatian, so as I read it you completed the theory side, but need to complete the portfolio work to get fully qualified?

Don't knock the panel/control work, it's a skill many electricans lack. You probably need to get work as a labourer / electrical improver. As an employer I would be concernded that you left a job, the moral there being get another position before you leave the one you are currently in. In any interview, be careful of slagging off your previous employer - bad move. Emphasise the positives, and lack of progression. If you understand BS7671 well, and can cope with annoying friends and family to do small works you can use, there is no reason you can't get registered, look at all the 5 week wonders, you don't necessairly need an employer, but you will have to work hard and endure low money.

Focus on the end position, then work backwards from that to work out what you need to do to get there.