I've noticed the hostility on here also but I just ignore it, I'm almost qualified and have worked my arse off through being out of work and unwell and trying to learn I've moved half way across the country to get work, this doesn't entitle me to be an electrician any more than anyone else just like a long apprenticeship doesn't entitle an electrician to talk down to a guy who's been in the game as long as them but got in through different ways.
One thing that strikes me is when these electricians lecture people about knowledge and being responsible, the correct response would be to acknowledge the fact that they feel the person should know about the question asked but answer it to the best of their ability because they should be looking to pass on their knowledge and ensure that people aren't putting out dangerous work.
I've worked with idiots that have gone out of their way to make my job as difficult as possible and ensure that I struggle by not providing me with the correct information, the way I deal with it is by working it out for myself or seeking advice somewhere else, to me allowing someone to struggle is not funny or clever it's plain irresponsible.
Why should people expect answers to questions that should be basic knowledge or show a lack of basic and / or underpinning knowledge. The apprentice system was a one to one mentoring and supervision system where mistakes could be seen and corrected as the job continued a forum does not allow that. I am waiting for an incident to occur where a forum answer is cited as the reason why it happened. May be those asking the questions need to accept their questions won't be answered or will receive a hostile response if the the more experienced feel they are out of their depth or need supervision to complete the task
Having spent a lot of my apprenticeship in industry in my 2nd year I was sent out and left to my own devices to find faults I was told find the fault report back and a spark would check I was right it was tough learning with no forums to post questions but made me a better spark. Nowadays people seem even too busy to google the question and find it easier to post here and expect someone else to do their legwork
And you sound exactly like the person the op is talking about, you seem like a spark who thinks he came flying out of the womb with all the knowledge installed.
If someone is asking you a question it's because they're looking to learn, not everyone in here asking a question is doing so because they are doin a Job and don't know how to do it, some are asking because they're still learning and wish to have acess to as much knowledge as possible.
And your comment sounds so arrogant to someone who has spent a lifetime gathering the knowledge
Asking questions is not the only way of learning if it ain't working take it apart and work out why, knowledge is built by discovering something new all the time if you work to gain knowledge it sticks more that just posting a quick question
There's two ways of learning, asking questions and making mistakes, if you stop asking questions you stop learning and only make mistakes.
I take it when you was an apprentice you never asked a single question and got everything right first time of asking with no teaching whatsoever.
I've made many mistakes in the quest of learning I was taught explore and exhaust all avenues and if your totally stumped ask questions. There has never been a better time to learn with all the resources available it just appears that some only want to use one and want it all on a plate
I don't believe that the issue is apprectice trained Vs not. I think it's purely about attitude and reality, sometimes people need to accept that they have bitten off more than they can chew and back off. Sometimes they post nonsense, or display a worrying lack of knowledge and are brought to book (sometimes harshly). Very few people seem to think about searching for an answer instead of asking a basic question. People who's knowledge and experience are hard won get knarky with that as they would on a site.
Someone posted a question about a cable route, and I posted a hasty and incorrect answer which if I'd thought about properly I would never have posted. Tony or E54 wasted no time in pointing out my error in a robust manner (Eddy currents and ferrous metal). No problem with that, I learned to think more before posting and the OP got technical help and information completely free. Everyone's a winner.
The confidence beyond knowledge that some have is potentially a disaster waiting to happen, some of the questions asked can put the seasoned professional between a rock and a hard place they are damned if they do damned if they don't answer the question and if the questioner doesn't get the answer they want they see it as acrimonious and confrontational which the OP has chosen to term snobby and stuck up when it actually is the person that posts the question needs to remove their head from a dark place and have a reality check
Hasty replies can be a problem but so can a question that lacks pertinent information. While answering questions if the original information is incomplete how can any one expect to get an answer or does that show as a lack of experience and someone who is in way over their head
There is never going to be a definitive solution to this issue until the electrical industry and government gets it's act together and having created the quick courses it manages and sets standards that have to be achieved in other words raise the bar to where it was before they came on the scene. the 70's and 80's Skill Centre sparks were not the best but were a lot better than what the 5 week courses appear to turn out
