Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire who needs college, got a quote from an electrician

I got two degrees from the VoTech school. Got the Paramedic certificate and worked as a Paramedic for 14 years.
Then, I got a CDL and drove over the road for 8 years.

If I had it to do all over again, I would have gotten the electrician certificate. Lots of work and the pay is great.

This....

I appreciate the sentiment and the advice. I'm going to make some calls this morning.

I remember the first house I bought in the city, it had the water meter in the basement. Wife and I were home one day and a black meter reader just walks in the back door unannounced. It took me a few seconds to realize what was happening. He had a key and I guess he didn't realize we were new owners. That's a good way to have a bad day.

Electricity isn't rocket science. Around here we still don't need any inspections except for septic and drain field. Between YouTube and thinking for yourself a person can about do anything himself.

Yes I have wired entirely 4 log cabins and they are more difficult than framed structures. Three way light switches, 220 volt stoves and water heaters, I did it all and no problems. I did get an electrician to install the panel boxes but I did all the rest. Two, 20 gauge circuits for the kitchen countertop with GFI, the refrigerator is on its own circuit, I have learned the code.
In fact, just the other day I wired up the charging station for my brother's Tesla! Yeah baby I am in the modern age.

I like to do wiring I find it relaxing.

I’ve told my grandkids that are going to college. If everyone gets a degree, even the garbage man will have one.
I knew early on I wanted to be a craftsman. Completed the Boilermaker apprenticeship. I never had to worry about a job. Hasbeen

I'm pretty comfortable with house wiring, I finished out my basement, built a workshop and installed circuit breakers in my panel

but I'm not disconnecting house power from the line coming in and moving a meter. I don't even want to watch a youtube video on that. I want a guy that doesn't have a hook for a hand to do it.

Guys aluminum is used to feed your house (yeah that drop cable they call tri-plex)..

It’s the copper / aluminum connection that is a huge issue, and yes outlet wiring, and stove wiring should IMHO be changed out... you need special connectors & no-oxidation grease on the terminals.

I rip out alum wiring if I find it, unless it’s heavy gauge stuff (dryer, AC maybe)... but for stoves & outlets... I pull it.

Did you ever feel overpaid at your job?

I didn't think aluminum was allowed anymore in modern constrcution.

My father's house was built in 1967 with Aluminum wiring on the big cable, not the 12 gauge romex.
He died 9 years ago and I sold his house.
The people that bought the place ripped out the walls to remove the Aluminum wire.

That,s complete BS.
Back in the70's we were using Alum Romex now that was bad stuff.
Most of the larger wiring in home today is Alum i.e. subfeeds.
Utilitie company's use alum. almost every where underground for low voltage. 120/240 etc. High voltage is copper.

I tell my boys quite often to get a trade. So far, none are listening. Well, my oldest does have a trade he can use outside of the National Guard as he’s a helicopter mechanic, but he’s going to to school to be a pilot. I worked for the Civil Engineering Sq on the base here as my first Civil Service job. I had a degree doing what I did, and the guys across the hall all HVAC technicians had no degrees and all started at $6K a year minimum over what my boss and I as the highest two GS employees in the shop made. After a year or two on the job, they were pulling in $20K more than I’d ever make in my job there. I have all the respect in the world for tradesmen, and wish I knew more about the trades. My childhood friend is an electrician and does very well for him self. Another is a plumber doing well to.

With that being said, I’ve been replacing the light fixtures throughout our house the past few weeks. I have two chandeliers, that I have no way of even reaching. I’ve called handyman services, electricians, and finally found one that will even come give me a quote to remove the old ones and install the new ones.

Well Hudge during the cold last winter the pipes between the holding tank and the house burst. 8100.00 for two days work. I asked where to take the certified check and they told me the Spur which is the part of the two largest bars in Fairbanks. Turns out that the plumber owns both big bars and his wife who is the accountant makes sure that the staff is doing its job.

No permits required? Move it yourself. The only hard part about electrical is knowing the code. Service installation or modification is the easy part.

Moving the panel and modifying every circuit in the house is a different story.

ONe lesson we have learned from the "pandemic" is that some common folks who the elite thought were peons are pretty important. Truck drivers, janitors and electricians are just a few.
kwg

A kid today is a lot better off learning a trade rather than going to college.

True enough, but it must be done properly and yield a safe result. I have nothing against the folks "in the trade" who wear the labels, but have known and used several first-rate highly knowledgeable and safe electrical guys, none of whom were "registered" or "bonded" or "union". None of those labels insure quality or efficiency, and the labels may cost you a lot more $$ in some circumstances.

they were always important. way more important they any idiot running around on a field. they never got recognition. take a pick...try living without watching the NFL or without your garbage man

I have always been a big supporter (and, for a while. a leader) of Voc/Tech education - all sorts of programs ranging through auto mechanics, nursing, computer science, gunsmith, dental tech, various trade union supported apprenticeship programs, the entire gamut - and feel those studies may be even more valuable in today's world. But, never would I make or support the blanket statement noted above as "A kid today" - - . Some kids, very true. Any kid, never so.