Who Are You?

[HandySparks]

This poll is for all Forum members. Please read the poll carefully and then choose the best description in the context of your membership of the forum. I can't include all options, so you might like to go into more detail by posting in the thread.

The poll is confidential (forum names are not visible).

For the purposes of the poll:
'Apprenticeship' means a pre-planned formal arrangement for multiple years of structured classroom and on-the-job training.
'Short Course' means a concentrated course of less than 6 weeks of mostly classroom based learning. (Just a C&G 2381 / 2382 'regs' course doesn't count.)
'Electrician' means anyone doing hands-on installation, maintenance, repair or testing of electrical systems (normally for payment) and includes 'domestic installer'.

 

[andyelectric]

The implication is that short-course DI's are choosing to call themselves full electricians. Let's face it, most of the senior members here consider them little better than half-trained cable monkeys, at least the monkeys don't get ideas about going into business.

Bear in mind that given the hostility shown, most DI's on this site will probably just have ignored the poll and thread in general. I doubt anyone is ticking full apprenticeship for shts and giggles.

 

[Engineer54]

I didn't tick anything.
I got married halfway through the second year of my apprenticeship and had to earn more money so l was employed as a mate so l got the enhanced wage.
Then was promoted to " Improver " because l had some knowledge and was more than capable of working on my own.
Then decided to go back to college ( at my own expense) and did three years night school.
During this time I got distinctions and credits on most of my exams.
My employer put me on the full rate and told me that I was an electrician.
I have kept up with my regs exams as required. I am of the opinion that you never stop learning and I still consider myself to be an electrician.
Does that fit in somewhere?

Sure it does if you now a hold level 3 electrical technical qualification (2330, 2365, 2357) Plus the fact you were working within the industry while doing your night school course(s) so your skill/experience base is not brought in to question either....

If you can take the time and trouble to get your qualifications going to night school, it's a shame that these 17 day/Electrical Trainee's can't do the same, instead of getting every excuse under the sun why the Cant!!!

 

[7029 dave]

Lets see the names to the poll.?

 

[andyelectric]

Lets see the names to the poll.?

Fair one.

 

[HandySparks]

I didn't tick anything.
I got married halfway through the second year of my apprenticeship and had to earn more money so l was employed as a mate so l got the enhanced wage.
Then was promoted to " Improver " because l had some knowledge and was more than capable of working on my own.
Then decided to go back to college ( at my own expense) and did three years night school.
During this time I got distinctions and credits on most of my exams.
My employer put me on the full rate and told me that I was an electrician.
I have kept up with my regs exams as required. I am of the opinion that you never stop learning and I still consider myself to be an electrician.
Does that fit in somewhere?

Thanks for contributing.

By the sounds of it, I'd suggest going for 'Electrician, Other'. Your apprenticeship was interrupted and you carried on later on a slightly different route, and it certainly wasn't a short course.

 

[HandySparks]

Lets see the names to the poll.?

That wouldn't be fair to members who have already taken part in the poll. My OP states 'The poll is confidential (forum names are not visible)'.

Feel free to start one of your own and see how many participate!

 

[Harni]

Lets see the names to the poll.?

As others have said, thats hardly fair.
Im probably going to get a flaming for this after seeing the quite frankly OTT responses from certain people here but i put my self down as engineer/other as its the only category i can fit into. Im not an electrician, never claimed to be nor am i currently training to be (although i hope that will change in the new year). Im a trained fire alarm engineer and am on this forum because a fair few on here do ask fire alarm questions. Im also eager to learn and enjoy reading.

 

[trev]

The debate as to the use of that title has been done on other threads mate.
Just thought I'd get that in to try to save a bit of flaming.

 

[7029 dave]

As others have said, thats hardly fair.
Im probably going to get a flaming for this after seeing the quite frankly OTT responses from certain people here but i put my self down as engineer/other as its the only category i can fit into. Im not an electrician, never claimed to be nor am i currently training to be (although i hope that will change in the new year). Im a trained fire alarm engineer and am on this forum because a fair few on here do ask fire alarm questions. Im also eager to learn and enjoy reading.

Hairy muff.

 

[PEG]

Just had a look at the poll results to date (to which i have not contributed). Surprise, surprise not a single fast track DI, which leads me to believe (as i first suspected) that a fair bit of porky pie's are being told, or that none are willing to accept what they actually are. I also didn't realised that we had 10 Engineers on the books here, when i can only think of 3 names off the top of my head....

Not that it matters,or anyone cares,I am an Engineer.
Note that i use a capital letter...I am immensely proud of that,and the journey made to deserve the title. It is the occupation title,in every vetting,CRB,insurance and report i have filled in,in the last 30 years.
But,if pushed,on an anonymous,yet thoroughly enjoyable forum,i will put "Inventor" and stand by it...:icon12:

 

[Knobhead]

Lets see the names to the poll.?

That would be moving the goal posts and unreasonable to do so now.

Personally I can’t see the point of the poll, what is it going to prove?


As for me:
I started in the machine shop and then went in to electrical/electronics. I stuck to the electrical side until I became shift maintenance engineer when I had to take on the other disciplines required to keep a large chemical works running.
Later at the foundry I went in to R&D (ruin and destroy) where I became office bound concentrating on PLC programming. This was followed by going back to being shift engineer where I also took on the machine shop. And finally engineering planning stuck in an office again.

I’m not quite sure where I fit in.

 

[Silly Sausage]

That would be moving the goal posts and unreasonable to do so now.

Personally I can’t see the point of the poll, what is it going to prove?


As for me:
I started in the machine shop and then went in to electrical/electronics. I stuck to the electrical side until I became shift maintenance engineer when I had to take on the other disciplines required to keep a large chemical works running.
Later at the foundry I went in to R&D (ruin and destroy) where I became office bound concentrating on PLC programming. This was followed by going back to being shift engineer where I also took on the machine shop. And finally engineering planning stuck in an office again.

I’m not quite sure where I fit in.

Aye Cock, you've had an interesting career which I'm quite envious of!

In the highly unlikely probability I get extraordinarly drunk tonight, I might paste my CV up, give you all a good laugh!!!

 

[Knobhead]

That shouldn’t take long then, I’ll leave it to you to work out what I’m on about.

Remember Archy, drink sensibly. Have a good night and a good new year.

 

[lukeish]

Im a time served electrician gone self employed. This forum is a great help, and though I've been registered a few years haven't really used it to its full advantage. Im going to use this forum more and hopefully more help and advice will continue in time to come. Happy new year all.

 

[Knobhead]

Aye Cock, you've had an interesting career which I'm quite envious of!

I missed out becoming shift production manager in the food industry with a department of 40+ muppets to keep under control.
I started there as an engineering technician. A job like that you learn the process so you understand it and then know how to fix it.

More fool me for doing so!

One of the managers had a nervous breakdown so his deputy had to take over. Have a guess who his deputy was, I hated every bloody minute of it!
To add to the misery the company insisted I did an NVQ4 in management at DeMontford.
I abandoned ship after a year or so when my then partner pointed out I was going as GaGa as my ex-boss.
Don’t get me wrong, I was coining it in but at what price to me and my partner?

Going in to the hell hole that is a foundry automated casting shop was like a stroll in the park.