Quote:

Quote:

Anyhow I called an Electrical Contractor who steered me to the Union who said they didn't need Electricians, they needed Installer Techs.


I still remember all that shit. Cat. 3, Cat 5, splicing, IT networking. My favorite thing was demoing. Ripping cables out and breaking walls is a good release.

Quote:

I made about $22K last year and worked most the year. I've been off six weeks this time, longest was five months.


Have wages gone down? I was making 30k back in 99 as an installer. I kinda wish I stuck with it. Fiber optics was still new and certified techs were guaranted $48 an hr. School was 6k, which I didnt have at the time.




I'm in my fourth year of a three year apprenticeship, you need 4800 hours to be an Installer Tech, I have about 4400 hours. The economy in Michigan is SLOW, has been SLOW since 9/11. Gas prices go up, car sales go down, Michigan's Unemployment goes up, and the State turns into a Ghost Town. I can't throw a rock without hitting a house for sale that I can't afford to buy. When I grad out I'll move to over $22 an hour and go to the bottom of a list of 200 guys available to service the Detroit Metropolitian Area.

The thing now is to get your CISCO Certifications, I have a BICSI Level II Installers Certificate, mostly I get to pull the cables, then get laid off so the guys the company wants to keep can do the jacking.

We have jokes about "being in the closet" and "Jacking Offices."
_________________________
The only thing I have to look forward to is a terminal illness. Killer Rabbit