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Electrician apprenticeship - am I too old?

Artificial Emotion

Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
5,314
Location
UK (Kent)
I'm 25 & 1/2 yrs old and I was wondering if it'd be possible for me to do an apprenticeship to become an electrician at my age? If so, would I be so old compared to others doing the apprenticeship that I'd look out of place?

Edit: btw, I live in Kent, UK.
 
I'm not sure how it is in the UK but I can tell you what I know from an Australian perspective. Over here you would definitely be older than most people who get apprenticeships. As to whether you're "too old", that's impossible to say. I think you should still go for it. You have nothing to lose by trying and it's definitely a worthwhile thing to do if you can get the apprenticeship. The competition here is pretty fierce, I'm not sure how it is in the UK though.
 
Hey AE,

I did a bit of searching on the web for ya, and though a bit hard to decipher, I kind of make two inferences:

(1) At your age, it might be possible to do an apprenticeship, HOWEVER where you'll be set back is that you'll probably not get funding. Meaning a lot of the equipment and study materials will have to come out of your wallet. But you'd still be in something called an apprenticeship.

(2) There are adult training programs for electricians, which are probably similar to apprenticeships. You'll probably have to pay for similar stuff out-of-pocket, but it MIGHT be cheaper. And you wouldn't have to deal with the (irrational, IMO) fear of being labeled a paedo.

I'd probably look up some of each and email them about prices and such. Or even about age requirements. Here is one example of an adult program I found.

Good luck, as again it's never too late to start something new.
 
Don't worry about looking like a paedo, that's just ridiculous. Just focus on the fact that in about 3 years you'll be able to earn 30k upwards. I know a lot of sparks I've spoken to recently are moaning about new EU regulations being a pain in the arse, this is causing a lot of the old school guys to retire early which is creating a demand for more electricians. Red Leader gives good advice regarding the financial aspect of your training, it's worth looking into government grants.
 
Wow, you guys are great! Thanks for the great advice RL and yes, perhaps my fear is a tad irrational. I just worry I might feel like an adult sitting in pre-school in a chair that comes up to my knee (well that's the image that keeps popping into my mind's eye).

What I would really like to do is install whole grow rooms for cannabis enthusiasts, with my main expertise being the electrical systems. Is this possible or something similar or do is it just a pipe dream? I still can't figure out what I want to do in life. I know my other interest is in horticulture... If I end up in another boring dead end job I'd probably opt for cutting my head off with a guillotine instead!
 
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It's possible, but probably something that drug-rings look for from within the illicit world. Like how drug-rings have their own stand-by doctors, attorneys, etc. How you get in is your own business and not something to really be strategised on BL, but ya such roles definitely exist. Just be warned that it's a bit hazy legally, not just because you're participating in the making of an illegal substance, but you'll probably not be filing taxes, putting stuff on "paper," etc. If that is your desire I'd probably do some "front work" doing leigitimate electrician's work alongside the cannabis stuff to give yourself a cover, but that's all I'll say on that.

The medical marijuana community might need people like that, though, as it expands. To be honest, I don't smoke so I don't even know if medical MJ is out/indoor. And then you have those cheesy indoor hydroponic garden supply companies that are obviously not meant for growing pretty flowers in your basement, but I doubt those are used much by anyone with actual pull in the drug world. Probably just lone dim-wit stoners, so be careful there too.
 
The UK must be fundamentally different from the US.

Here, if you wanna be an electrician, you put a sign on your van that says "Bob's Electrical Service", and then you start wiring houses.

Generally speaking, the penalties for first offense of working without a license is about ~$500, which is roughly what it costs to grease a proctor into ensuring you pass your licensing exam. So it's really your call about how early or how late into your career you want to become licensed.
 
"What I would really like to do is install whole grow rooms for cannabis enthusiasts, with my main expertise being the electrical systems. "

why on earth would you think that you need a journeyman's card to pull wire for a grow room ?

That's ultra simple, single phase work . there are hardly any skills involved and what little knowledge of circuits and safe loads needs to be had, is the stuff of an afternoon's reading .

here in the US there is the NEC which is the governing body that establishes reasonable electrical codes . there are no 'secrets's of the trade, it is all publicly available and makes sense .

what sort of '' cannabis enthusiast" would conceivably hire out of a union hall ? If you had the chops to do the simple work, it would be for the 'counter culture' and not inspected residential, commercial or industrial work .

long ago i have seen apprentices that were middle age and i don't recall them getting shit for that fact .
 
It's possible, but probably something that drug-rings look for from within the illicit world. Like how drug-rings have their own stand-by doctors, attorneys, etc. How you get in is your own business and not something to really be strategised on BL, but ya such roles definitely exist. Just be warned that it's a bit hazy legally, not just because you're participating in the making of an illegal substance, but you'll probably not be filing taxes, putting stuff on "paper," etc. If that is your desire I'd probably do some "front work" doing leigitimate electrician's work alongside the cannabis stuff to give yourself a cover, but that's all I'll say on that.

The medical marijuana community might need people like that, though, as it expands. To be honest, I don't smoke so I don't even know if medical MJ is out/indoor. And then you have those cheesy indoor hydroponic garden supply companies that are obviously not meant for growing pretty flowers in your basement, but I doubt those are used much by anyone with actual pull in the drug world. Probably just lone dim-wit stoners, so be careful there too.

Thanks for the advice RL and everyone else.

Just FYI, cannabis is both an indoor and an outdoor plant.

Hydroponics is clean, faster and in some circumstances yields more (fine tuned aeroponic systems, which I suppose aren't the same as normal hydro systems) along with other advantages I haven't mentioned. The cost can be minimal to thousands of pounds. So if someone wants all these advantages like a faster crop turnover and possibly a higher yield (which means more profit per annum) then hydro offers an advantage and many commercial growers use hydro (I know this at least from seinf raid photos). Some stick to compost and some plant outdoors (bigger yields but security risks and you need to get yourself and water to your crop) and I am currently making the switch to NFT from soil and I have to say I much prefer it.

Sorry about going off topic, I just love the opportunity to talk about cannabis cultivation.
 
yo OP im in the US so im not sure how the apprenticeship programs are ran over there, but i was an electrical apprentice, and at 18 i was the youngest by atleast 3 years. most apprentices i met were from 18-30, but i shit you not i met a 57 year old apprentice. so at 25, hell no you are not too old.
 
yes, perhaps my fear is a tad irrational.
No, no. You demonstrated good natural intuition by fearing you are to old for a electricians apprenticeship. The younger fellas will torment you once they find out your age.
You will face:
-snickering and laughter from the younger guys
-undue harassment and ridicule
-jokes about your sexuality
-your tools will be stolen

This type of shit happened to my............

JK. I remember a State Uni in my town had been featured in the paper. The story was about a 29yo soldier, now a student at Uni, who had served in Iraq. When he spoke of the visible age difference between him and the kids, he said that "yes, its noticable by himself and others". He was "easy to identify by his military issue backpack".

Do the electricians apprentiship if you can get in.

I understood, and can expand on everything that you spoke of about MJ.

About a blurb I read on Hightimes internet Magazine.
It spoke about how in Canada, the growers are demonstrating a grow-house technology theory. They seperate the plants from all the gear. The de-humidifiers, humidifiers, c02 generators, fans, air-conditioner units, heater units and light ballasts are all kept in a central location and away from the plants. They make duct-work to bring in all the critical environmental factors for the grow. It made mention that this tech design theory provides a better atmosphere for the plants when compared to other indoor grow ops. It explained that having a central engine room makes it easier to access and maintain the equipment too.

What I would really like to do is install whole grow rooms for cannabis enthusiasts, with my main expertise being the electrical systems. Is this possible or something similar or do is it just a pipe dream? I still can't figure out what I want to do in life. I know my other interest is in horticulture... If I end up in another boring dead end job I'd probably opt for cutting my head off with a guillotine instead!

Take my advice, its healthy to have a passion. You expressed that your passion is Mj. And you want to work inside the medical marj industry. There is going to be a market for technicians ie. a person with knowledge of and competent enough to provide a service to mj patients.

keep swinging

And stay the fuck away from illegal drug manufacturing etc etc.
You are young, have potential and should not ever feel that you have to fall into the hands of criminals to realize who you are.

heres a quick tutorial and a personal bubble bucket design
you need
-5 gal. bucket. preferably black. Paint the outside surface black to prevent light inside. $2.32 Walmart
-5 gal bucket lid $1 Walmart
-6 to 10 liter plastic plant pot that has a "lip" near the top $3.50 walmart
-at least a 100 gpm water pump $23.99 Lowes
-aquarium air pump $6.98 walmart
-air stone. It diffuses air from pump providing small bubbles to plant roots $2 walmart
-a sharp razor, sharpie marker $1.88, $.079


making it all work:
-Flip the plant pot upside down, trace a circle onto the bucket lid with the sharpie. Cut a circle w/ the knife on the bucket lid that is a little smaller than the actual plant pot. The plant pot needs to go into the hole, and the lip on plant pot will prevent it from falling in the bucket.

-Now drill 15 to 22 1/4 in. holes in the side and bottom of the plant pot.

-Put 2 holes into the bucket lid big enough to pass the cords of the air pump and water pump.

-The air pump stays outside the bucket. The included hose goes in the liquid inside the bucket providing oxygen to the plants roots.

-The water pump, if submersible, goes into the liquid inside the bucket circulating the nutrients in the liquid inside the bucket.

*You will need to choose a media like hydroton, coco coir, rockwool to place in the plant pot.
 
you are never too old to start something new. and 25? that's hella young man.

but I agree that wiring a grow room isn't rocket science. just pick up some books on electrical work and start reading. maybe you could find someone who know the ropes to follow around.
 
you are never too old to start something new. and 25? that's hella young man.

but I agree that wiring a grow room isn't rocket science. just pick up some books on electrical work and start reading. maybe you could find someone who know the ropes to follow around.
 
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