About Plumbing: I'm thinking of becoming a plumber. Can I get some advice please?

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I'm thinking of taking up plumbing as a career. I've done a bit of research regarding the requirements (experience, license) but I wanted some insight on your experiences.

-How long did it take for you to find a job at a company?

-Was it difficult to complete your apprenticeship hours? How long did it take?

-Is it realistic to think about going independent right away?

Thank you for your time!
 

Terry

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-Was it difficult to complete your apprenticeship hours? How long did it take?

-Is it realistic to think about going independent right away?

Like any job, you make the calls and find out who needs help. For some that are very mechanical, it can be a blessing. It can be fun installing and fixing things. And hard work at times. But the pay makes up for that.

An apprenticeship is normally three years for residential and add a year to make it four on a commercial license. It takes a while for the knowledge to be beaten in. There are many things that seem right, but a much faster way to learn to have someone sharing their experience as to what works and why. I would sometimes pick a slow day to let my apprentice try out some of their own ideas. They got to botch it up and learn why we had our ways of doing things. They learned much quicker and with a smile after they got to try their thing.

If you're working for someone, the hours just happen. Self employment means you wear more hats, and don't have as much time for the hands on stuff.

Going independent when? After working three to four years for someone that can teach you enough? Maybe then I guess. Though there is still a lot to learn at that point.
There is an awful lot to learn if you're thinking of service.

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Craigpump

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Get a job working for a good plumber. Be his gopher, the guy who gets to do all the difficult, dirty work, if you still like the job get on the apprentice program and go from there.

I think the apprentice program for a P1 here in Ct is 6 yrs, you might learn how to do the work in that time, but you still have to learn people skills, how to sell, inventory management, business law........

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hj

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My experience was not typical. I got my first job days after graduating from high school. I started my apprenticeship as a second year apprentice so I finished the 5 year program in 4 years. During my third year I ran the company when the owner had a heart attack and that experience was enough to tell me that I NEVER wanted to "go independent" given the potential problems that can bring. It was only after moving to this area, and the plumber's union doing everything they could to convince me I should go back to Chicago, that I relented and "went independent". At times, my original opinion about not doing so have been correct, but I have persevered. There are many benefits to working for a good contractor, including the chance to receive good training in all aspects of plumbing, and a steady paycheck.
 

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My experience was not typical. I got my first job days after graduating from high school. I started my apprenticeship as a second year apprentice so I finished the 5 year program in 4 years. During my third year I ran the company when the owner had a heart attack and that experience was enough to tell me that I NEVER wanted to "go independent" given the potential problems that can bring. It was only after moving to this area, and the plumber's union doing everything they could to convince me I should go back to Chicago, that I relented and "went independent". At times, my original opinion about not doing so have been correct, but I have persevered. There are many benefits to working for a good contractor, including the chance to receive good training in all aspects of plumbing, and a steady paycheck.
Can you elaborate on why you thought it wasn't a good idea to go independent?
 

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If you're working for someone, the hours just happen.

Going independent when? After working three to four years for someone that can teach you enough? Maybe then I guess. Though there is still a lot to learn at that point.
There is an awful lot to learn if you're thinking of service.
Do you think there's any room to take on jobs independently (side jobs) while working for someone?
 

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Get a job working for a good plumber. Be his gopher, the guy who gets to do all the difficult, dirty work, if you still like the job get on the apprentice program and go from there.

I think the apprentice program for a P1 here in Ct is 6 yrs, you might learn how to do the work in that time, but you still have to learn people skills, how to sell, inventory management, business law........
Do you come to learn these things while working for someone? Or do they focus strictly on the work?
 

Craigpump

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For me, I love having my own business, I can't imagine trading an employer my skills, experience and knowledge for a steady paycheck. My great grandfather was a self employed plumber, my grandfather was also a self employed plumber, my father held a P1 & W1 and owned a drilling/pump business, so being self employed runs in the family. The down side is that I'm always on call. ALWAYS. We also have a lot of downtime in the winter, but it's cold here in Ct so that's vacation season. Another positive is that my son is my apprentice and hopefully I will pass this down to him, he gets the benefit of what I've learned from many different employers.

Taking on side jobs is frowned upon big time. That's work your employer could have, so you're now cheaper, unlicensed competition with lower overhead... In most areas getting caught without a trade license will get your fined and hauled before the licensing board.... In Ct, if your customer discovers you aren't licensed they don't have to pay you! If you're not licensed, how do you expect to get a general liability insurance policy to cover you in case something goes wrong?

Most employers I know don't teach everything they know to an employee, why educate a potential competitor?
 

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There's a lot of good information in this thread. None of it applies to everyone everywhere, but it's good nevertheless. As much as I would like to write a short novel about my plumbing career, I'll keep it anecdotal in the interest of eliminating the fluff and passing on useful information.

My first job as a plumber began with my boss's father in law and mentor telling me to get the hell out of plumbing.

My second job as a plumber was under a fellow who didn't want a future potential competitor. See post above.

All three plumbers I worked under were grandfathered in. They wanted to offer the services, but didn't give a hoot about doing the work themselves.

My income quadrupled when I became self-employed. I also quit smoking, drinking beer, and playing the guitar at the same time, but that didn't have anything to do with it.

There's not enough time in the day to run a business and do the work too. I married the person who now runs my business. It works out.

Training and a few years of experience is just a start. I learn new stuff every time I leave the house; which is every day. It's an on-going thing.

Self-employment is totally different from a regular job. It's a lot of hours and a lot to worry about. Forget 9-5. I like being responsible for the quality of my own work, and I get a lot of repeats and referrals as a result, I think. I can drop it and go on vacation whenever I want, finances permitting, and I can refuse to work for the occasional bad customer when that happens.

Side jobs are not a problem in my experience under other tradesmen, just don't work for their customers.

They have a lot of rules up North that don't apply here. I'll leave it at that.
 

hj

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quote; Do you think there's any room to take on jobs independently (side jobs) while working for someone?

Only if you want to get fired. You would be competing with your employer, and possible undercutting his prices while using his equipment. If I found out you were doing it, you would not even get a warning. IF you are a contractor, you have to worry about getting paid for the work you do, and in many cases, it doesn't happen because the contractor goes bankrupt and leaves all his subcontractors holding the bad. WE once received a check for $125,000.000 as payment, (this was in the 60s when that was a LOT of money). One day the Federal Reserve called us to inform us it was rejected for NSF and was coming back. They knew it was going to be serious so they did not wait for our back to notify us. I know too many contractors who have gone bankrupt because they overextended contractors. And that is just one of the downsides. As my wife says, "When a plumber goes bankrupt, the next week all his employees are driving around with magnetic signs on the doors advertising plumbing services". They see what their former boss charged and they say to themselves, "I can charge half that and still make a good living". And then they go bankrupt also. If you call all the plumbers in the phone book, half of the numbers have been disconnected.
 
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hj

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quote; crap runs downhill payday is on Friday

If that is too much to remember, become a steamfitter. They use pumps or pressure to move their "stuff" so they only have to remember when payday is.
 

Tom Sawyer

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Hots on the left, colds on the right, don't chew your fingernails.

The single hardest part of entering the trade is finding full time employment.
 

sajesak

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I'm thinking of taking up plumbing as a career. I've done a bit of research regarding the requirements (experience, license) but I wanted some insight on your experiences.

-How long did it take for you to find a job at a company?

-Was it difficult to complete your apprenticeship hours? How long did it take?

-Is it realistic to think about going independent right away of Plumbers Winnipeg?

Thank you for your time!
walked into a plumbers office with hair half way down my back and a beard

he said he was not hiring...went back a week later with a hair cut and a shave

he said he had been looking for somsone. LOL

never did tell the SOB who i was!!!!! worked there 3 years
 
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