Job opportunity for Electrician apprentices

[Poke78]

Aye, and you've made it clear you'll argue with me over anything, even when I agree with what you're saying.

I'm guess you don't really understand what I'm saying or you're being obtuse. Naturally, you can go work for someone as you will likely have to in the beginning. IF you want to move out of state, fine, great..... more power to you.... god bless as they say. Want to move to California? Bless your heart. Don't care how much money is in it but that is just me. Now, I think, or hope we all agree you can't go work for someone and make some decent money. What I am referring to is, down the road, hopefully some guys think bigger. They can go for these bigger jobs, make more money, get better equipment/trucks etc. All I'm saying is that on top of a general shortage of journeymen, you have a shortage of small OK electric businesses that can qualify for the larger jobs, be it for a large corporation, or municipality. We need more local, young, and aggressive guys that want their own company is what I'm saying. That OSU maintenance project I spoke of? They are being billed $180-190 an hour by a Tulsa company because I guess nobody locally has the equipment, bonding and insurance they require. I can go on for days with larger and smaller examples.

Finally, to be fair the threshold of 300,000 I spoke of is an entry point. At 2-3% premium ($6-9K) most guys, or sometimes even small companies don't have the bonding capacity or financials to qualify, or they have to put up an ILOC. THAT'S what I'm talking about, total project size has nothing to do with what I'm talking about because whatever the electrical requires will be bonded out, and their wok doesn't reflect the total contract price. So given again... the minimum they usually require you to bond out is 300K, now think of the 1,000,000+ contracts in terms of cost for the "little guys." If you learn navigate this process well and put yourself in a good financial position, you'll have contracts for the foreseeable future in Oklahoma. That's all I'm saying.

QFT - the gap between working for wages world and subcontracting world is very wide (and deep), as you have illustrated. Unless and until you have BTDT, very few people can wrap their mind around those differences. Several years ago, I worked with a manufacturing client to secure some financing for a capital expenditure to purchase machinery. They had never taken that kind of step previously and the concept of the personal guaranty of the loan with personal assets was a big hurdle. They did get the loan, purchased the equipment, put it to immediate use that made a big difference in their work output, and paid the loan off early. This same type of thinking is what has to be overcome to bond large jobs with a balance sheet and P&L that backs up the ability to perform the contract.

 

[CHenry]

Aye, and you've made it clear you'll argue with me over anything, even when I agree with what you're saying.

I'm guess you don't really understand what I'm saying or you're being obtuse.

I wasnt arguing. I first stated Im not saying your wrong. I understand all of what your saying. I went to school for construction management and we learned quite a bit about bonding and such, to a point I didnt want any part of it myself. Not those kinda of headaches.
And Im not talking about moving anywhere. If your single and want to see the country, you can live in a nice RV in CA or WY and your there for ...i dont know, 6 months? A year? then you move on when the job is finished. My buddies pickd CA because thats where the big money was. Hot desert areas and those paid a lot more and they didnt mind 125 degrees. Not for me thank you but... Same with Phoenix I think. a one big job in WY that was in winter and it paid higher because of the weather. Billy didnt mind that, he was lving in Red Lodge MT for years also.
Theres killer money without the headaches is my point.

 

[sleeperx4]

CHenry and JD8, there is good info to be gleaned from you both. Thanks. I've told my son what you guys are saying and it's eye opening stuff for a 18yr old kid. To see that he can go one of many different directions within one trade. Then change direction if he chooses, and still do well. He told me early on that college wasn't going to be for him. So I told him you better learn a trade then. He seems to really enjoy it so far.

 

[CHenry]

CHenry and JD8, there is good info to be gleaned from you both. Thanks. I've told my son what you guys are saying and it's eye opening stuff for a 18yr old kid. To see that he can go one of many different directions within one trade. Then change direction if he chooses, and still do well. He told me early on that college wasn't going to be for him. So I told him you better learn a trade then. He seems to really enjoy it so far.

It'll take him far. Be sure to teach him how to handle wealth properly and stay out of debt. He'll be better than "normal" with the income he's going to see if he invest in his future rather than Chase Manhattan bank cards and loans lol