Can I skip the school?

Again I believe it varies upon state but yes your school degree he is applicable towards a certain portion of the requirements. It should go towards the schooling portion of it

@dog0fwar just know that the goal should be electrical contractor

I got 10k in savings and a college degree, should I get on someone else's crew or do my own gog

I would suggest working for someone else for a while before striking out on your own. There is a lot to be learned from guys that have been out there for a while. To start with one service truck, ladders and tools plus throw in start-up costs insurance licenses Etc you could put a dent it your money quick. You can go residential commercial or Industrial working for someone else would kind of give you an idea of what the different types of work you'll like

Tbh $10k won't be enough at all. And it wont help if you only have theory on paper, you have to know how to install to start a company.

Your best bet is to work for someone for a a few years. Learn residential, commercial and industrial. Once you learn the methods of each, you'll know how to manage a crew worth their salt

Also being good at sales is a bonus

More of an AV thing, but anyone here going to CEDIA?

No sir.

Great posts in this topic @Lebens and @Deleted User. Very active and great coverage

Ty

Thanks!

Hey @Deleted User I have a question for you, in that picture of your tool layout, between your scissors and drywall saw, what is that thing with the gray wire nut on one end? I can't make it out in that picture.

is it a rat tail file?

It's a small triangular file that I used to dress screws and things that I have cut or deburr an edge

I used to carry a rat tail file to ream the inside of conduits when I cut it. I now use one end of my channel locks that's why they are skinned to go inside the end of a piece of conduit

oh ok. I couldn't make it out. I thought you had some new tool I hadn't seen yet ahah

@Lebens Did you dingo that trench?

No. Igave the customer the option for an additional $2k. He chose in his words to find some lesser mexicans to dig it. I spray painted the run last week. However my apprentice and i back filled it

Noob, here. My water heater stopped working. Saw that the circuit breaker was switched to the off position for the water heater at the breaker box. Should I replace the breaker or The element on the water heater?

The breaker is in the tripped position. Turn it to the off position and then try to turn it back on. If the breaker trips immediately then a heating element is shorted out and needs to be replaced. Depending on the age of the water heater you may want to consider replacing it. @Havamal

It does trip immediately when turned back on.

You have a short brother

Lol. For want of a comma.

You have a short, brother.

@Havamal Did you do any work recently at your house? Did you hang any pictures?

@Deleted User Haha, he is pretty tall.

@John O - No, I haven't.

Everything else in the house seems to be working just fine. I put an inquiry in on the AO Smith website because the element is 208 volts and 3500 watts, which apparently is rare, even on their website, Lowe's, and Home Depot websites.

It probably wasn't that, it's just a personal paranoia.

Hmmm

If you have a multimeter, and you want to spend a little while in the init, you can always try to diagnose it yourself.

I might try that. I need to get a multimeter. I also have a discounted service plan with plumbers and electricians through a package when I bought my house.

My dad suggested the element going bad. He is prone to paranioa, but knows a lot more than me when it comes to this stuff. Thanks, guys.

@Deleted User I'm about to qualify to take my Journeyman's test. I have two options for the next few years:

1) Stay with the company that I started with, who have told me numerous times that I am foreman material, but are the lowest paying electrical contractor in the state

Or 2) Move to a rich, liberal city, save some money, find a state that I want to live in permanently, buy some property, and start working towards my Master's

Obviously, becoming Master is the next step, but would it be too bad to put it off until I'm 30?

@Havamal sorry I've been at work. If you go to the water heater and disconnect the two wires that go into the water heater and feed it and cap them off and turn the breaker on if it holds and does not trip then your heating element is bad. I don't recall exactly how much they are but you drain the water out take a big wrench or socket remove the heating element and then reverse the process and turn it back on

I've taken the POS and neg off the element and tried to flip the breaker and it still is tripped.

I didn't cap them, though

@John O - a lot of contractors will continue to blow smoke up your ass as long as you let them. If you pass your journeyman's test I would ask for a little bit more on the hour maybe a dollar. I do not know how busy you are or how much work is in your area. Any experience is good experience. If you're in an area where work is ample sometimes you will benefit by making a move to another contractor. I was 31 before I got my Master's license but you did not really have to have one at that time. Now you're supposed to have a master electrician on each job here in my state.