What would you do

[evilleace]

If I had it to do all over again I would have become a train engineer. Trains have always fascinated me. (Besides that its GREAT pay and benefits).

That's what my Father In Law does, you're right great pay but the schedule is horrible.

 

[Whither]

That's what my Father In Law does, you're right great pay but the schedule is horrible.

Was chatting with BNSF guys at a heavy pickup last week, and they halfway-jokingly said that engineers have at least 2 families.

 

[Staydryitsraining]

I’m 34. UPS won’t let me transfer so I’m basically chained here. I could take this trade anywhere I want. That’s the driving force behind this. I enjoy UPS, but not SF

You wont make that much money outside of California. Also trades, at least welding and plumbing in CA are sporadic with random layoffs at least with the friends i have.

 

[Zowert]

Man if you can get in do it. My buddy from high school has been working the lines for ten years now, he makes BANK!

 

[Yeet]

You'd have made a good floor sweeper.

Picking up all that money.

 

[rod]

That's what my Father In Law does, you're right great pay but the schedule is horrible.

That's what I've heard. A friend of mines Dad retired from Burlington Northern (before they merged with Santa Fe). He told me his Dad had 12 weeks of paid vacation a year + sick time + his birthday off. It's probably not like that anymore.

 

[Re-Raise]

That's what I've heard. A friend of mines Dad retired from Burlington Northern (before they merged with Santa Fe). He told me his Dad had 12 weeks of paid vacation a year + sick time + his birthday off. It's probably not like that anymore.

On the schedule board a lot, so it is hard to know if you will be called in or not

 

[browndevil]

I would go for certain skilled trades over UPS without thinking twice about it. My brother is a UAW Pipefitter in the Bowling Green Corvette Plant. He basically just sits around doing nothing all day, he is just there in case a plumbing problem pops up on the assembly line. The only time he is really busy is when they do a model change. If GM brings a contractor in to do plumbing work he gets paid to watch them do it. Stuff like that happens on weekends and holidays, so his overtime checks are unbelievable. He will get a $24k signing bonus with their new contract. There will always be a need for certain skills like electrician and plumbing. If you get the experience the sky is the limit if you can manage money and start a business on your own.

The Trades are certainly underrated. I wish more of our youth were interested in getting a trade than attending a 4 year college

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

The Trades are certainly underrated. I wish more of our youth were interested in getting a trade than attending a 4 year college

I would prefer that our youth use their brains, not their backs.

 

[Two Tokes]

Handed in an application for the NJATC apprenticeship. Got called in to take the altitude test. I guess I passed because they called me again to do the final step which is a formal interview.

it’s a 5 year program and at the end you become a Journeyman as an inside wireman that’s pays $70.00/hr. Just wondering if I should throw away 7 years of seniority here and start all over in a different field. What would you do?

Go for it
Your body will thank you
The way things have changed with UPS in the last 5 years, it would be a smart move

 

[Poop Head]

I would prefer that our youth use their brains, not their backs.

After the wall is finished, there won't be any backs left for all the brains!

 

[Wally]

Handed in an application for the NJATC apprenticeship. Got called in to take the altitude test. I guess I passed because they called me again to do the final step which is a formal interview.

it’s a 5 year program and at the end you become a Journeyman as an inside wireman that’s pays $70.00/hr. Just wondering if I should throw away 7 years of seniority here and start all over in a different field. What would you do?

What local is that? They get laid off a lot in the 102.

 

[Maple Grove MN Driver]

I would prefer that our youth use their brains, not their backs.

I bet you wish you wouldn't have spent so much time on your knees

 

[G.V. Rush]

My wife is a 2nd year inside wireman apprentice with the local IBEW. Long as the economy holds you can get work as a traveler if you don't mind being away from home. Obviously, in the long you could take your skills and start your own business (but look into the terms re: repaying the union for your training if you want to jump ship: at my wife's local, once you get the journeyman cert it's another 5 years til you're off the hook, otherwise you'll pay for some, if not all, the training).

Are you interviewing where you want to move? If not, it is possible to transfer locals but by no means easy. They call it 'jamming your ticket.' Wife says it's easiest to pull off during your apprenticeship, but process is very dependent on the local, e.g., it's nearly impossible to transfer into my wife's local.

Also: make sure they'll be starting you off as an apprentice. My wife went through 2 years as a 'pre-apprentice' (lower starting wage and her hours didn't count toward her cert) before she got into the apprenticeship. Also, be prepared to spend 1-2 nights a week after work at class, doing homework, studying for tests until you 'turn out.' Finally, as others have said, layoffs are a possibility.

It’s definitely an apprenticeship program. 8 hours on job site training two nights a week in the classroom. It honestly seems like a lot of work for something I have no experience in. The local 6 for the electricians here already seems not as strong as ours that works with UPS. But their union, seniority isn’t law of the land so wouldn’t have to be abused like the rookies at UPS are.

Also, I am on a transfer list to where I want to be, but the 10+ year wait to get it is soul crushing.

 

[G.V. Rush]

What local is that? They get laid off a lot in the 102.

Local 6

 

[G.V. Rush]

He passed the altitude test so he probably is good to go as a lineman also.
All jokes aside though it is a good move to go into the trades. Many UPS drivers are the wrong accident away from being a pizza delivery driver because they have nothing to fall back on. I know of no other company that pays these wages for this skill set.
One last thing that personal intervew is no guarantee of an offer. Don't burn that Brownbridge yet.

I don’t plan on burning any bridge. In all honesty, if my transfer would be granted within 2 years, I’d just stay at UPS.

 

[G.V. Rush]

The Trades are certainly underrated. I wish more of our youth were interested in getting a trade than attending a 4 year college

Pfff they don’t even do that anymore. They play fortnite and cast on twitch. SMH

 

[G.V. Rush]

What local is that? They get laid off a lot in the 102.

Local 6

 

[Whither]

It’s definitely an apprenticeship program. 8 hours on job site training two nights a week in the classroom. It honestly seems like a lot of work for something I have no experience in. The local 6 for the electricians here already seems not as strong as ours that works with UPS. But their union, seniority isn’t law of the land so wouldn’t have to be abused like the rookies at UPS are.

Also, I am on a transfer list to where I want to be, but the 10+ year wait to get it is soul crushing.

Gotcha. Re: seniority and rookie abuse, my wife has worked with several a-hole journeyman. Angry alcoholics, piss-poor 30 year veterans who expect you to be 100 percent efficient at a complex task the first time you try it, people who shine a spotlight on your mistakes but don't admit to their own, 'shop boys' who think work is a contest and are buddy-buddy with the contractor.

When I was debating between UPS and the trades, this was a significant factor for me. A bit apples to oranges, but imagine if you had to spend the better part of 5 years at UPS working under the immediate direction of other drivers. And then had to spend the rest of your career teaching rookies day in and out.

Obviously there are plenty of pros to offset those cons. It sounds like you'd be getting a big pay raise in a state where it's expensive to live. In my case, UPS top scale is only $2/hr less than the sparkies, and the living is still pretty cheap in our midwestern cowtown.

It's a tough call, and even tougher since it might be your ticket out of SF. I wish you the best.

 

[sailfish]

If I had it to do all over again I would have become a train engineer. Trains have always fascinated me. (Besides that its GREAT pay and benefits).

Back in your day that would've been a great option. I couldn't recommend that now. Getting in is all who you know and blow plus the companies keep trying to make the push to one-man crews, essentially eliminating conductor positions and to top it off I see train engineers as a job that's far from safe from future automation.