I'm finding it difficult to land a plumbing apprenticeship and need to know what the bottom line is. Do you actually have to go to school to do this shit?
I have done apartment maintenance for 6 months total on a variety of buildings+occasional installation working for myself and have not found any plumbing issue to be particularly difficult to fix once I know how what the issue is. I want a license and I'm fine with putting in the 5 years, but the idea of going to school for 2 years for this makes my skin crawl. On the other hand, the non-union companies willing to hire me are full on scam artists where 90% of it is sales.
If I have to go the union route, I will, but if there is any possible way to avoid wasting 2 years of my life learning righty-tighty lefty-loosey, I would like to know.
I never once shadowed a plumber and I can probably do half of what those guys can do. I just do general faucets, and drains, and pex etc. I worked as a handyman under another guy and learned a ton.
I swapped 2 faucets today. Took me 90 minutes and I charged the guy $200.
So I would not limit yourself to getting in with a plumber. Just walk into lots of places, plumbing and construction and ask for a job.
>handyman
Kys
Unless you live in the third world (including US states without plumbing license) you really really want to get on with a licensed plumber and be sure that you’re accruing hours towards your license. I’m sure most handymen can understand and execute plumbing concepts but there is no reason to place yourself at the bottom of the totem pole on purpose.
Contact the most professional plumber outfits in your area for interviews. Get your resume in order. Get some clean work clothes, tuck your shirt in, and go in for interviews. If no where will interview you, start going in to the office and ask for a job/to speak with boss.
I am already a handyman and can do pretty much everything having to do with fixtures, drain cleaning, soldering, pvc, etc. I want a license, I don't want to be just some dude.
I don't think the approach of going to the office and demanding an interview works like it did in your day. I emailed every nearby shop and got ignored/told they only hire union in every case.
I'll look into that. Yeah the minimum wage thing is really a kick in the balls. $18 is the bare minimum and even then I'd need to do a ton of work on the side.
Wow you can do the most basic parts of plumbing that I did as a 1st year apprentice. youre so smart and cool, I'm sure you produce great work as a handyman.
Come back when you plumb out a boiler room for an office building with welded steel pipes. Its like changing the oil in your car and saying you can do half of what a mechanic can do. Domestic maintenance plumbers are the bottom of the barrel and handymen or just scam artists.
Your analogy would be accurate if mechanics charged 600 dollars for an oil change the way plumbers do for putting in a faucet or toilet.
>Its like changing the oil in your car and saying you can do half of what a mechanic can do.
Someone who can properly change the oil on their car probably has the mechanical sophistication to do a brake job, swap an alternator, or do a timing belt with a little reading/youtubering.
Don't break your arm jerking yourself off there, chud
Idk man, even on the harder stuff in my experience it comes down to just having the right tools and knowing how hard to twist shit.
See, what people don't understand is that plumbing is almost something you have to be born for.
I've done maintenance and specifically pneumatics for around 10 years, but any time I do home plumbing work, it will invariably leak.
If you've got the gift of no leaks, good on you and go be a plumber
All excellent advice, last one too.
There are short trade schools that you can attend, that prove a few things:
Do you show up every day on time and pay attention? They will kick you out if you don't. That shows an employer that you'll show up.
There may be a drug test involved: that shows an employer you're not likely to be a stoner/methhead/alcoholic.
Basically it's a giant prescreening, that gives you rudimentary plumbing knowledge along the way, and it's usually free to you, no tuition.
I did check out the local union, but they paid $13.80 I think, on the check, and around that area, it was $20 minimum for expenses etc. I mean, at shrewd living, barest of situations. Before COVID/bideflation.
No - frick that: If you are a teenager at home, and mom and dad are covering your expenses, then OK. You have a couple of years to work to your journeyman or whatever the heck the first meaningful tier is, so that your income and networking is solid and you can handle living on your own. But not for any man with a house and such. No way. And my own particular situation was favorable: I could have technically done it if I really wanted to. But it would have meant encouraging a parasitic system of low pay, 'green lighting' that behavior. And was just too little. If they had started at $16, I might have been able to justify it, for me. Maybe.
Any plumbing gay know if my toilet hole is frick to the point I should pay out the ass to have it fixed?
Also there is this weird offset funnel to the shit pipe.
see if your city is hiring for sewer maintenance/utility techs. Work there while trying to get a job in other private plumbing (or any trade really, some of the people I'm working with are going to be sparkies and other stuff) companies. If your local gov isn't hiring, check the next city over. They're constantly hiring at places around me and tons of people jump ship to different trades to make more.
chillest job I've ever had and people constantly get poached
(Or do what I did and stay bc local gov gives ridiculous amounts of benefits)