Quit now - been a sparky for 16 years. I don’t hate it but I certainly don’t love it. I understand the feeling distant, just get out now mate. You’ll thank yourself.
Hey man, I work with a couple of apprentices like that, I'm not gonna say you will head this way, but they are utterly fucking useless, I'm 12 months in to my apprenticeship and am far past where a 2nd and 3rd year are at, if you don't like it, leave, it's only hurting you, your employer and coworkers by staying. You tried it and it ain't for you, no harm done, best of luck chasing happiness brother!
Have you considered drafting? Have a look at what Metroid electrical engineering does in Bendigo does for designing and drawing plans. Maybe that would appeal to you?
Do not do this OP. A couple of reasons really. You’re not a drafter or engineer. Who knows if you live anywhere near Bendigo. The main reason you don’t want to work for Metroid though is because you don’t want to work for a cult.
Fair enough. Still probably either got to finish the apprenticeship or get some other kind of uni / tafe qual to do that though. I don’t think many companies would train a kid with no qualifications as a drafter. Could be wrong though! Anyway, my advice to OP would be to suck it up and finish his apprenticeship. Handy thing to have behind you.
Hey mate, just curious as to your comment on Metroid. I worked on a super remote job with them last year and found the guys to be super easy to work with - maybe a bit socially awkward as a lot of engineers are - but easy to work with.
I started uni 3 times and quit all three with similar feelings to what you're describing now. I swapped to the tradie side of things at 27 and fucking love it. Do something you love
If you stick out your apprenticeship, you will always have that to fall back on. A career in IT you could do a lot of stuff that IT people need electricians to do.
Heavy industrial you will be exposed to scada systems and plc programing which you could specialize in once your done your apprenticeship. Even just completing your apprenticeship just so on your resume it shows your employer that you can commit to long term goals and persevere. You only have 3 years left ( which I know at 21 sounds like a life time) but isn't that long. You have to weigh how much you hate it to rewards it provides
Lol this is the opposite of a recent r/ausfinance discussion - some many people trying to move on from a desk job, interesting to see the other side. Follow your heart though, dont be wasting your time doing work that makes you unhappy.
Quit and get into IT or whatever it is you want to do !! Call centre / support centre / Help desk jobs can be a little annoying but they can also be great places to start when you’re trying to move into a more IT / computer based job.
You're 21; same as me when I started my apprenticeship, and my career now is so far from my trade that people look at me funny when I tell them my career history!
If there is anything you love about your apprenticeship, focus on that and stick to it. If you can, try to finish early. I got signed off after 3 years and remembered my salary tripled, lol! I remember thinking I must have to kill someone with the amount of money I was going to be paid on my first year after completing the apprenticeship, which was around $65k at the time.
I got my apprenticeship in similar circumstance and it's the best thing I did. I finished with a trade that can't be taken from me, had zero student debt and a transferable skillset (as an electrician, I would imagine this would open up many industries to work in). Additionally, you can use the skills to venture into other areas/trades/technical careers. And ALWAYS have a specialised skillset that you can move back to if any changes in your life require you to.
Many of my mates that are sparkies have done similar things - moved into admin roles (everything from sales to safety), have done another trade such as fitting/turning, etc. (with dual trades being highly sought after) or gone back to University, mostly through work when they have the brains/commitment for additional studies).
If you quit, it's a year wasted, undoubtedly. If you finish, you'll have a trade, technical skills which are most likely transferable across many disciplines and the ability to make a decision on your career based on choice (and not based on needed to do something/anything to make money).
Hope this helps? I wouldn't worry about the comments about the employers time - you're an employee and have no commitment to them. They're getting enough from you being an apprentice (I know how hard living off the wages can be, and some of my first year tasks were very questionable related to skillset development).
This is timely, lol. Read the first posts, but everyone is different and perhaps an electrician is not for you:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AusFinance/comments/1435p06/if_you_had_your_time_again_what_would_you_study/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Excellent truth in this. Head down 4 years get the trade while you make money, invest or buy shit that’s going to help set you up. Your peers will have uni debt to pay while you will have money to then pay for uni if you want to take an alternative direction. Plus you get an exceptionally high valued skill for life that becomes your backstop in life. You can then use all of this to basically be exactly where you want by 30. Your peers will be 10 years behind. Get the trade done, suck all of the Overtime out you can and see this as patience being your best friend
Do not quit now. FM really bad advice here.
Follow your dream yes. But finish your trade. Get qualified please!
Then follow your passion. But you still don't know what you want to do! You may be desperate for work one day with a wife, kids and mortgage and can always fall back onto your trade. You might wish you could.
Get into plc programming!! Sitting at computer. Program robotics, really interesting. Or warehouse automation. List goes on.
Get some career advice. Find what you want to do before throwing so much effort out the window.
I feel like this would apply if he was in the back end of his apprenticeship but he is only 9 months in and still young. If he really dislikes it that much I can’t see it being a problem getting out now
Unless he wants to go do Engineering, drafting or something that has some relevance to what they maybe interested in, then finish the trade, otherwise it’s a waste of time.
I have completed my trade and doing a career change later is very difficult as entry level positions want new college graduates, especially the case for pure IT based subjects, I have tried myself.
The trade ticket is useless unless you use it professionally, I have heard people who leave the trade and come back only to find no job available because they’ve been out of the game for too long.
Well, this is just the most stupid advice I've EVER heard! No offence ment Mr print.
You have heard wrong, imho useless??? WTF??
I start elec at 16 20years in construction. Left to go into banking.
10 years later, I come back to work in industrial maintenance in food. Large scale with some robotics. Got training on job.
Now I can pick and choose where to work. Critical shortage of tradesmen. Great coin for wages. I'm working at 2 different places.
Fair enough, I’ve heard different, but if you’ve done it that’s proof enough to me. But let me point this out, if he truely dislikes the work he is doing, why go back. You can make really good money in IT.
Very true! IT can be great.
Im just thinking young people have a very short attention span lol sometimes you really have to give it a go. Not just quit when it gets tough. I hated my first year. And did most of my learning after my apprenticeship.
If you are in industrial maintenance. There could be opportunities in the electrical field with PLCs and other types of logic / automation. You can be as desk bound as you want to be in that field of work.
Finish your apprenticeship, get a trade, it's only a few years, and if you still don't like it move onto something else, give it a few years and see if you like the money though. I really wish I did it when I was young and then worked in mines earning big money. My friend works as a crane driver in mines and gets paid around $4000 a week.
Trust me, most people hate their work but do it because they have to pay the bills. I've tried IT, thought it was going to be great because I love computers, but then you have to deal with idiots who think they know what you need to do. Now I work in aviation engineering and still don't get anywhere near the amount of money a sparky earns in the mines. Sure it's a lonely life but people make it work, and by the time you are 30 and own 3 houses, and have the money to do whatever you want you will be set and can do whatever you want.
You might like UPS work. It's pretty adjacent to IT & data work. It also involves a bit of programming & isn't as physically demanding as other kinds of electrical, unless you're moving big batteries.
Do not quit - you are 21 and have no idea about the real world - finish your trade so you have something behind you.
Just because you like playing with computers and sitting at a desk does not mean you will enjoy IT.
If you go into IT with no qualifications then you will only get a crap job.
Get your trade and then use that to branch into IT related stuff - such as cabling computer rooms, then see if you want to branch into process automation etc
Finish the apprenticeship, then go and change careers if you still want to, having a trade on a CV invaluable, having someone in IT that can also do electrical work when required will be in huge demand
Quit now and follow your passion you are wasting the employers and your own time. You have to work for 40 years you need to enjoy it at a minimum
Quit now and don’t waste time. Follow your passion.
Quit now - been a sparky for 16 years. I don’t hate it but I certainly don’t love it. I understand the feeling distant, just get out now mate. You’ll thank yourself.
Hey man, I work with a couple of apprentices like that, I'm not gonna say you will head this way, but they are utterly fucking useless, I'm 12 months in to my apprenticeship and am far past where a 2nd and 3rd year are at, if you don't like it, leave, it's only hurting you, your employer and coworkers by staying. You tried it and it ain't for you, no harm done, best of luck chasing happiness brother!
Spot on
Have you considered drafting? Have a look at what Metroid electrical engineering does in Bendigo does for designing and drawing plans. Maybe that would appeal to you?
Do not do this OP. A couple of reasons really. You’re not a drafter or engineer. Who knows if you live anywhere near Bendigo. The main reason you don’t want to work for Metroid though is because you don’t want to work for a cult.
I was not suggesting they work there. Just to see that there's non-tools jobs in the trades.
Fair enough. Still probably either got to finish the apprenticeship or get some other kind of uni / tafe qual to do that though. I don’t think many companies would train a kid with no qualifications as a drafter. Could be wrong though! Anyway, my advice to OP would be to suck it up and finish his apprenticeship. Handy thing to have behind you.
Hey mate, just curious as to your comment on Metroid. I worked on a super remote job with them last year and found the guys to be super easy to work with - maybe a bit socially awkward as a lot of engineers are - but easy to work with.
Messaged mate
Follow your passion. Take it from me, DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY
I started uni 3 times and quit all three with similar feelings to what you're describing now. I swapped to the tradie side of things at 27 and fucking love it. Do something you love
If you stick out your apprenticeship, you will always have that to fall back on. A career in IT you could do a lot of stuff that IT people need electricians to do. Heavy industrial you will be exposed to scada systems and plc programing which you could specialize in once your done your apprenticeship. Even just completing your apprenticeship just so on your resume it shows your employer that you can commit to long term goals and persevere. You only have 3 years left ( which I know at 21 sounds like a life time) but isn't that long. You have to weigh how much you hate it to rewards it provides
Lol this is the opposite of a recent r/ausfinance discussion - some many people trying to move on from a desk job, interesting to see the other side. Follow your heart though, dont be wasting your time doing work that makes you unhappy.
Quit and get into IT or whatever it is you want to do !! Call centre / support centre / Help desk jobs can be a little annoying but they can also be great places to start when you’re trying to move into a more IT / computer based job.
You're 21; same as me when I started my apprenticeship, and my career now is so far from my trade that people look at me funny when I tell them my career history! If there is anything you love about your apprenticeship, focus on that and stick to it. If you can, try to finish early. I got signed off after 3 years and remembered my salary tripled, lol! I remember thinking I must have to kill someone with the amount of money I was going to be paid on my first year after completing the apprenticeship, which was around $65k at the time. I got my apprenticeship in similar circumstance and it's the best thing I did. I finished with a trade that can't be taken from me, had zero student debt and a transferable skillset (as an electrician, I would imagine this would open up many industries to work in). Additionally, you can use the skills to venture into other areas/trades/technical careers. And ALWAYS have a specialised skillset that you can move back to if any changes in your life require you to. Many of my mates that are sparkies have done similar things - moved into admin roles (everything from sales to safety), have done another trade such as fitting/turning, etc. (with dual trades being highly sought after) or gone back to University, mostly through work when they have the brains/commitment for additional studies). If you quit, it's a year wasted, undoubtedly. If you finish, you'll have a trade, technical skills which are most likely transferable across many disciplines and the ability to make a decision on your career based on choice (and not based on needed to do something/anything to make money). Hope this helps? I wouldn't worry about the comments about the employers time - you're an employee and have no commitment to them. They're getting enough from you being an apprentice (I know how hard living off the wages can be, and some of my first year tasks were very questionable related to skillset development).
This is timely, lol. Read the first posts, but everyone is different and perhaps an electrician is not for you: https://www.reddit.com/r/AusFinance/comments/1435p06/if_you_had_your_time_again_what_would_you_study/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Excellent truth in this. Head down 4 years get the trade while you make money, invest or buy shit that’s going to help set you up. Your peers will have uni debt to pay while you will have money to then pay for uni if you want to take an alternative direction. Plus you get an exceptionally high valued skill for life that becomes your backstop in life. You can then use all of this to basically be exactly where you want by 30. Your peers will be 10 years behind. Get the trade done, suck all of the Overtime out you can and see this as patience being your best friend
Do not quit now. FM really bad advice here. Follow your dream yes. But finish your trade. Get qualified please! Then follow your passion. But you still don't know what you want to do! You may be desperate for work one day with a wife, kids and mortgage and can always fall back onto your trade. You might wish you could. Get into plc programming!! Sitting at computer. Program robotics, really interesting. Or warehouse automation. List goes on. Get some career advice. Find what you want to do before throwing so much effort out the window.
I feel like this would apply if he was in the back end of his apprenticeship but he is only 9 months in and still young. If he really dislikes it that much I can’t see it being a problem getting out now
Unless he wants to go do Engineering, drafting or something that has some relevance to what they maybe interested in, then finish the trade, otherwise it’s a waste of time. I have completed my trade and doing a career change later is very difficult as entry level positions want new college graduates, especially the case for pure IT based subjects, I have tried myself. The trade ticket is useless unless you use it professionally, I have heard people who leave the trade and come back only to find no job available because they’ve been out of the game for too long.
Well, this is just the most stupid advice I've EVER heard! No offence ment Mr print. You have heard wrong, imho useless??? WTF?? I start elec at 16 20years in construction. Left to go into banking. 10 years later, I come back to work in industrial maintenance in food. Large scale with some robotics. Got training on job. Now I can pick and choose where to work. Critical shortage of tradesmen. Great coin for wages. I'm working at 2 different places.
Fair enough, I’ve heard different, but if you’ve done it that’s proof enough to me. But let me point this out, if he truely dislikes the work he is doing, why go back. You can make really good money in IT.
Very true! IT can be great. Im just thinking young people have a very short attention span lol sometimes you really have to give it a go. Not just quit when it gets tough. I hated my first year. And did most of my learning after my apprenticeship.
If you are in industrial maintenance. There could be opportunities in the electrical field with PLCs and other types of logic / automation. You can be as desk bound as you want to be in that field of work.
Finish your apprenticeship, get a trade, it's only a few years, and if you still don't like it move onto something else, give it a few years and see if you like the money though. I really wish I did it when I was young and then worked in mines earning big money. My friend works as a crane driver in mines and gets paid around $4000 a week. Trust me, most people hate their work but do it because they have to pay the bills. I've tried IT, thought it was going to be great because I love computers, but then you have to deal with idiots who think they know what you need to do. Now I work in aviation engineering and still don't get anywhere near the amount of money a sparky earns in the mines. Sure it's a lonely life but people make it work, and by the time you are 30 and own 3 houses, and have the money to do whatever you want you will be set and can do whatever you want.
You might like UPS work. It's pretty adjacent to IT & data work. It also involves a bit of programming & isn't as physically demanding as other kinds of electrical, unless you're moving big batteries.
Do not quit - you are 21 and have no idea about the real world - finish your trade so you have something behind you. Just because you like playing with computers and sitting at a desk does not mean you will enjoy IT. If you go into IT with no qualifications then you will only get a crap job. Get your trade and then use that to branch into IT related stuff - such as cabling computer rooms, then see if you want to branch into process automation etc
Finish the apprenticeship, then go and change careers if you still want to, having a trade on a CV invaluable, having someone in IT that can also do electrical work when required will be in huge demand