New England B.S. Thread

Wow. My father ran his own Electrical business for years - it was sometimes hard to find good help, but nothing on that scale. The way you’re describing this, it sounds like a regular occurrence for you? Unreal.

 

I absolutely can't stand drywalling, but for $45 an hour with perks it might be worth a career change

 

It's fucking insane the horrific quality of people I am getting at 45 DOLLARS AN HOUR! And a foreman doesn't have to drywall at all, you need to know is how to read plans, do layout, frame walls, ceilings and soffits out of steel studs and manage a crew. Oh, and show up on time. When it comes time to sheetrock and tape, we have subs come in and bang it out that don't speak much English if you get my drift. Americans don't hang board and tape anymore! It's beneath them! Really the most important thing a foreman needs to do is make the GC feel comfortable that someone competent is running my crew.

 

FTFY

 

Yes, I figured being sober at work was a given but you are correct, apparently it's NOT

Why can't these guys just get shithouse drunk on Friday and Saturday nights like the rest of us?

 

I was just thinking the same thing!

Oh oh oh,,, pick me! pick me!

 

3 words. Because their dumbasses!

 

Why limit yourself when you've got the potential for so much more, though?

 

Guys tell me they drink because they are depressed and their relationships and lives are a mess... well if you stop drinking and make me more money I will pay you more money and your life will improve dramatically... you are right, these guys are just too dumb to see much further than their nose.

 

Pipe welder / pipe fitter because the pipe fitter sound like your men and suck.

I'm way too young to be saying this. But good help is hard to find these days. And when you find them it's like signing an all-star rookie quarter back. You've got about a few years before they really know what they're doing and then you need to decide if you're going to pay them, because if not another company will.

 

Apparently, I’m in the wrong line of work...

 

45 AN HOUR, SIGN ME UP! Train me damnit

 

The trades in general are a good choice. I went to school and was going for Accounting and finally said eff this on going back to what I know. Best choice of my life.

I still make more than my college buddies except the ones who work construction mgt. And I don't have 100k worth of loans.

 

That's a common wage for foremen in commercial construction, at least in drywall. These guys can easily make over six figures with some 6 day weeks.

 

Hindsight is 20/20; if I could go back the 16-17 years and do it all over again, I’d join the military out of HS, learn a trade through their training and be 4 years away from collecting a retirement and starting a civilian career.

 

That's what I'm trying to tell my kid. He hates school so I'm trying to get him to go into a trade. They train you, it's good pay and job security because they can't move your job overseas!

 

If I could do it over I would be a commercial electrician no doubt. Or a plumber. Anything that has service work, unlike my trade.

 

Depending on what you do for a trade they can't move it overseas or out of the country. I will say now that I'm over my 4 years in shop experience, I'm starting to see actual money come in doing 55 hours a week. It all takes time but it can definitely pay off in the end if you stick with it

 

And if it keeps going the way it is, tradesmen are going to make what doctors make because of the labor shortage. The only thing that you have to be worried about is when/if the economy tanks or even dips. Then the trades can be a problem, but if you are good you are always going to be in demand.

 

Yup, happened to a total of 10 guys I worked with at my current shop in a year span. We are now starting to hire more people though