Thread: Dual Trade

I have 2 adult refrig lads going thru trade school at the moment, they have log books and need them signed off, some of the work they are required to do we dont do so they are sent off to another company for a few weeks to get the relevent experience this seems to work, they also do work for other companies in their hollidays just for the experience. I have had 2 other lads that have done the same and are now tradesmen. these are all mature age students and go to the trade school with the younger lads, does not seem to be to big a problem for them. the new licencing regulations was the catalist for this.

Hey everyone,

Just after some advice. Im currently in the 3rd year of my electrical apprenticeship, and am considering doing the refrigeration and air conditioning course once i complete the electrical. My boss has the dual trade and we do both kinds of work. However doing the course would mean i would have to sacrifice holidays, money, or work weekends to make up the time i spend at tafe.

Anyone been in a similar situation or have some thoughts/advice?

Thanks,

Cross.




Haha, Ive heard similar things from a few people.



I am happy being a sparky, but has i said, our company does both which means im required to do both weather i like it or not. So if i have to do it i thought it made sense to get qualified. But at this point that is proving to be a fairly difficult option.[/QUOTE]

My Boss is considering paying for the course, so i just have to make up the time or forfeit pay for the days im away.

I still am not sure if its the best option for me considering it will give me another certificate at the same level that i will be getting from electrical, so it isnt necessarily a progression upwards from my original training.

As far as I can see you've got three choices: -

1. Do the course and hope that it may give you some benefit in the future when there's no electrical work to be had, yet everyone wants an air conditioner.

2. Don't do the course, but do overtime instead, and invest the money you make in an air conditioning company as a nest egg for the future when everyone wants air conditioners and there's no electrical work to be had.

3. Don't do the course, and don't do any overtime, but spend your time with your mates or your girlfriend and enjoy life as much as you can because you only live once.

They're all valid choices and only you can decide what you want to do.

I still do all three. I'm still at work, I renovate and I'm still a uni student by corro. I have always tired to consider them all as hobbies, which isn't always easy ... but they all teach you a lot, you meet a lot of cool people and get heaps of life experience. The money side of things comes in to all these items too but I don't think it should be the focus. Chose your best option and then enjoy it ... the rest will come. Any of the options has to be better than vegging in front of the TV.

Originally Posted by cross

I'm not sure how that would work, considering I will be 21 when I finish electrical?

I was 24 when I started my Apprenticeship;
Can't see any real issues.
Electrical F/M
Now Doing Instruments and Chemicals at a Power Station Water Treatment Plant

Originally Posted by pawnhead

As far as I can see you've got three choices: -

1. Do the course and hope that it may give you some benefit in the future when there's no electrical work to be had, yet everyone wants an air conditioner.

2. Don't do the course, but do overtime instead, and invest the money you make in an air conditioning company as a nest egg for the future when everyone wants air conditioners and there's no electrical work to be had.

3. Don't do the course, and don't do any overtime, but spend your time with your mates or your girlfriend and enjoy life as much as you can because you only live once.

They're all valid choices and only you can decide what you want to do.

That lays it out fairly nicely pawnhead. Im still considering all 3 points and havnt ruled any of them out just yet. I will do some more thinking and time will tell i suppose.

Originally Posted by cross

That lays it out fairly nicely pawnhead. Im still considering all 3 points and havnt ruled any of them out just yet. I will do some more thinking and time will tell i suppose.

You might have missed it, but there's also this option. Of course it depends on how happy you are with your life at the moment.

Originally Posted by pawnhead

You might have missed it, but there's also this option. Of course it depends on how happy you are with your life at the moment.

Thanks, these are all things i have to consider. I am very happy with my life at this point. I would be happy just doing electrical, but my boss has made it clear that i will be required to do electrical and airconditioning from day to day. He also said that he will be able to teach me most of what i need to know so i can do the job without formal qualifications in refrigeration. The reason i want to do the course is because if im going to be required to do that kind of work, i feel i should be appropriately qualified.

Im a Plumber and accidently a builder, when i went to do my master plumbing i heard that you needed a building liscence to co-ordinate trades during reno's etc, so i payed the money and spent 4 years after hours doing the course.

Turns out you dont have to be a fully qualified builder to co-ordinate trades but without getting long winded, it has helped me a great deal.

Do the extra, it is worth it, but maybe your boss should help out a bit more, he cant expect you to do training that helps him if he doesnt pay you to do it, thats what apprenticships are about.

Originally Posted by bricks

Do the extra, it is worth it, but maybe your boss should help out a bit more, he cant expect you to do training that helps him if he doesnt pay you to do it, thats what apprenticships are about.

The way he sees it is that the less training he has to provide the better. Electrical is the minimum that i need, which he is paying for.

Originally Posted by cross

The reason i want to do the course is because if im going to be required to do that kind of work, i feel i should be appropriately qualified.

Do you need a license to do air conditioniong? Can you get one without doing a course? If you don't, and you can, then the answer would be simple for me.
I don't mean to blow my own horn, but all the builders that I've worked for consider me one of the best chippies they've had, but I've never done a formal aprenticeship. You don't have to to get a carpenter's license. You just need experience and references, so I didn't bother. I just took a short cut to my builder's license by doing a four year part time course at tech, but I'd been working as a chippie for quite some years before I tackled it. Otherwise it would have meant another three years in tech learning a lot of BS, a lot of which would be irrelevant to what goes on on site.

Originally Posted by pawnhead

Do you need a license to do air conditioniong? Can you get one without doing a course? If you don't, and you can, then the answer would be simple for me.

To the best of my knowledge, if i wanted to work for myself and do air conditioning un-supervised, then i would need a licence. For now its perfectly fine for me to work under my boss' licence. And the only way i know to get a licence is the course, or wait until ive done a few more years work and apply for a licence based on my experience. However i would probably be forced to attend at least some tafe(if not all the modules) to do part of the course.

Cross,

Do the extra and get the qualification. The study is for your current job, therefore it should be tax-deductible - of course, check this info with your accountant at tax time.

GET THE QUALIFICATION!!!!!!!! I reckon you'll kick yourself later if you don't. You aren't always going to be working for this man, which means you aren't always going to be able to use his licence.

Good Luck!!!

Cheers
Wendy

Thanks everyone for the replies, thanks to those who are giving me a gentle push towards doing the extra course and thanks to pawnhead for a slightly different perspective on the situation.

I am still going to do everything i can to do the extra course once i finish electrical. I have a number of options when it comes to making up for the time i spend at tafe, i just need to work out which one is best for me. Also recently my boss has agreed to pay for the course, just has long as i make up the time i spend at tafe somehow.

One of the main things i took from this thread (3 threads) was something barrywhite said "If you are content to just work on wages don't worry about it. You will have a JOB and that stands for "Just Over Broke". To get any where in life you need to work for yourself."

I realise life isnt all about money, but i would like to work for myself at some stage and having both trades will give me the most options when it comes to that time.

Thanks again,

Cross.