What's your line of work and do you enjoy it?

[appspark]

So my thinking for this post is that hopefully I will be time served at the end of the year and wondering where I want to take my career. I'd like to hear from everyone; house bashers, industrial, commercial, offshore, maintenance sparks(shout if I forgot you) and what a typical day is for you and how much you enjoy your job.
I'm a mix of industrial/commercial currently and thinking about getting into maintenance work when my time's up.

 

[Besoeker]

Variable speed drives for me.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Public Lighting now. Depends if the sun is shining and if I get lumped with the lazy gangs. Miss the commercial installation.

 

[shanky887614]

bms,door access usually with a bit of power thrown in every now and then.

usually its anoying because we don't usually get any information etc.

 

[LankyWill]

Mainly work in the domestic sector for large builders. I enjoy it when the prices are fair and im home by 5 but this is rare sadly. The works very mind numbing now and looking to head on out either self-employed or try and gain some experience in the commercial sector to broaden my skill set.

 

[moby1991]

smoke ventilation, i do car park extract,natural ventilation, pneumatic systems, variable speed drives units big fan units, 24v actuators etc, remedial some new install, mainly servicing and call outs, too much to write if i mention everything

 

[Dave OCD]

I went self employed just over a year ago having spent 24+ years in an inspector role overseeing street lighting maintenance/renewals and loads of other Highway electrical equipment for the local Council.
Got totally fed up with the ridiculous red tape,paperwork and'office politics' [not to mention Cretinous managers] and luckily got out with a bit of redundancy.
I mainly do domestic work, probably about 70% of it is fairly small works such as extensions/new kitchen electrics/ consumer unit upgrades/ additional sockets/external lighting/outbuilding supplies/showers/alarms, testing and fault finding etc. I also do a fair few electrical installs for system boilers [gas and oil] for a very good plumbing and heating engineer.
In that 1st year I have never had a lull yet and it's all recommendation, if you do things properly with pride in your work and don't take the ---- with your prices you'll always have plenty of work. :smile5:

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Special projects only for theatres, historic buildings & control gear i.e. stuff I like. Will pick up tools to dress bare copper 7L1.5 round ornamental columns, troubleshoot 1950's machine drives or chuck 200kW of light at dancing girls. Otherwise prefer to stick to arm waving and keyboard bashing. Occasionally get the Hilmor out for old times sake, prefer not to have to actually bend anything in it. Love every minute.

 

[ImpededLoop]

Currently enjoying plenty of commercial work. Mainly controls based stuff; boiler rooms, variable speed drives, steel trunking etc. Have also been having a go at building control panels recently which is a new skill for me.

Other than that, I don't mind domestic boiler systems, but I'm otherwise a bit bored with domestic works.

 

[Brightspark2]

Mixture of commercial and industrial. Installation, testing, maintenance and call outs.

Spend quite a bit of time on waste water and oil recycling plants. Very messy, absolutely stink but I like it...

 

[Aindowsimon]

Commercial , domestic , industrial in that order I would say , I mostly instal heating controls across the board but I can end up doing absolutely anything .
My job suites me Wel ,
I love working with my hands and learning something new and taking pride in something and looking at work I'd want my name put to, in whatever aspect of my industry I'm working in

 

[tigerpaul]

Mon-fri I work for a contractor on a large MOD site. It gets me my regular money, but I doubt I'll go anywhere with this lot, so weekends and evenings I do my own work which is primarily commercial shop refits and light industrial units and a bit of house bashing, though domestic is not my first choice really.
hopefully my own business will pick up and I'll get to the point where I can go for it full time.

 

[overskilled]

If I'd had the chance to get the experience would have went industrial. ..did 2 3/4 years of house bashing...not bad at first...by the end though just a pain. ..everyone wanting it done yesterday for nothing.....and lately have been getting calls about rewires etc (now I'm no longer se )
Went and did a retraining course in welding this past year and next year doing a course on machining and looking to see if I can get my foot in somewhere as an industrial mechanic / millwright (bit of everything ) or maybe maintenance

 

[Paul651975]

Done my apprenticeship in a factory in Devon, ended up staying for 13 years doing everything from install to maintaining cnc machinery, then left and worked for a large facilities company in the Midlands working at a large hospital for 5 years which was very interesting work, everything from bms, medical gases, fire alarms to small install and repairs and testing. Now back in Devon again working for another facilities company looking after two community hospitals which involves doing everything plumbing, electrical, carpentry. This has got to be the best job of the lot as it is varied work and because they are small sites the workload is fairly laid back (nothing needs doing yesterday very often):teeth_smile:

 

[jeremy]

Recently mostly been doing Highways communications upgrades, (very dull), but on "paperwork" days I've been getting a bit of domestic stuff; outbuildings, rewires, outside lights, which has been enjoyable as a change.

 

[malcolmsanford]

My advice get out of it and do something else

• You will never ever be home on time
• It will always be your fault
• You will be working in a boiler room when it is 30c outside
• You will install outside lights in conduit when it's -10c
• Up to your neck in the most horrible thing
• If it going to go wrong it will at 4.30pm on a Friday afternoon
• You spend 5 days installing something and the architect tells you there is a door now going there.
• You will be asked, "Yes very nice but I want it cheaper"
• And I want it yesterday
• You will get a bad back
• Your knees will be shot at 35
• There is a good chance you will get a brain tumor because the mobile is glued to your head 24/7
• There is endless paperwork, even in domestic so while your mates are down a boozer drinking your not
• Endless amount of parasites wanting you money for upgrade of qualifications, books etc
• Where your mate the plumber as done a 12 week course and never looks at a book again
• And finally you will never ever get thanked, or praised. The lights are expected to work, the power is expected to be on and the heating/cooling should work as given

So after all of the above, and wondering why, it is still the greatest industry to be in. There is nothing to beat it. As Tina so aptly put it

"We are simply the best" and what annoys every other trade is that they know we are the best

 

[Marc Lajevardi]

im doing CCTV at the minute, which i enjoy, it can be fiddly at times but i dont mind, its mostly been shop work so far apart from 2 cash and carries, its easy stuff and if you own the business the money is great, a customer had a twist at an angle of one of the cameras, and i quote "if im paying 3k for a camera system i want it to be perfect!" (rightly so too!)

 

[appspark]

malcolmsanford - just had one of those days, morning fine, afternoon a write off. drilling into concrete above me, drill snaps off, put hilti with screw bit on top of step, swear to god it jumped on its own, screw guide totally gubbed, then dulled the other sds bit when i hit rebar(nice big mushroom head), all for 2 FP's for a damper circuit.
I've also been thinking about getting into renewables, seems like it could be fun to learn something new.
Doesnt help just now my company are sending me 80 miles away. leaving at 5 am, returing at 6pm, gettin my £8 a day travel. Not sure why our gafffers think its a good idea?

 

[elevate]

Lifts for me and technology is moving at a very fast rate. The control panels are a quarter the size they were twenty years ago. There are no motor rooms any more, the machine is in the shaft and the controllers are installed in the top floor entrance.

 

[jeremy]

^^^ At least you're going up in the world! ( i'll get my coat!)

 

[firemanowl]

Do a bit of everything, work for myself and subcontract to various contractors. Currently on new build/refurbishment of 36 apartments which is not far off being finished. Then onto a building being converted into flats. Started the year on a new sixth form at one of the local schools. Seemed to get plenty of variety which stops you getting bored but if I could be picky I'd stick to industrial/commercial.

 

[Tug]

It used to be mostly commercial, but they're not spending as much. Domestic is OK, but preferably when they're empty, then you can tear the place apart without dust complaints.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

^^^ At least you're going up in the world! ( i'll get my coat!)

or down depending on how you look at it! ( coat already on).

 

[rmc86uk]

Can I ask what do you lads define as Industrial work? It seems that the term is used quite widely across our industry but in the wrong way.

 

[shanky887614]

Can I ask what do you lads define as Industrial work? It seems that the term is used quite widely across our industry but in the wrong way.

machinery in factories etc.

i work on ahu's etc but i wouldnt class that as industrial, its just a couple large fans and some pumps etc with some controls thrown in

 

[rmc86uk]

OK. Well I did BMS work for four year myself and I really enjoyed the work but pity the firm was crap.

Past eighteen months been permanently based on a Quarry. Motors, Conveyors, Explosive areas. Really different type of work to the BMS and the health and safety is ridiculous!

 

[Deleted member 26818]

I mostly do Agency work, could be commercial today, flat bashing tomorrow, I try to steer clear of domestics and water treatment.
Varied work, BMS, door access, fire/CCTV, power/lighting, rail, etc.

Enjoy it mostly, when I don't I leave.

 

[amckay]

I work on bus shelters and advertising units. Very very easy and a bit boring. But I think to myself I could earn maybe £100 more per week doing some other kinds of elec work but I'm not going home every night filthy and knackered. Its a shame I didn't find this job years earlier, it would have saved me a bad back and knees!

 

[appspark]

I'm a bit like you amckay, id be happy in my work if i wast breaking my body every day for gaffers that don't appreciate you. I'm going to be moving cities when my times up so will probably try out the agency work and see if i fall into anything i really like.
How do people find working for agencies, i hear stories both good and bad, great pay when you get paid etc. i like the idea that if im not enjouing the job you can always walk but does this give you a bad name in the agency or are they really not bothered?

 

[shanky887614]

I'm a bit like you amckay, id be happy in my work if i wast breaking my body every day for gaffers that don't appreciate you. I'm going to be moving cities when my times up so will probably try out the agency work and see if i fall into anything i really like.
How do people find working for agencies, i hear stories both good and bad, great pay when you get paid etc. i like the idea that if im not enjouing the job you can always walk but does this give you a bad name in the agency or are they really not bothered?

usually with agency you are not on the job very long anyway so no need to walk

 

[Paul Hamill]

I got into Oil & Gas beginning of last year, I wanted to get offshore but was struggling to get a start so I came out to Canada. I enjoy this type of work learning something new everyday.

 

[Robson689]

Lightning protection got apprenticeship last yr and really enjoying it.

 

[jimmymac]

I started out in domestic/commercial but now I work in the renewable sector. Best move I've ever made!

 

[Guest77]

Variable speed drives for me.

Not much too them though is there? must be a bit boring.