So I REALLY want to get into the industrial field.

To fill you in on myself, i am 27 and I have worked in industrial hvac for a smaller company about 6 years ago demolishing and installing units with the main focus on running ductwork. I was young and very green to the industry and didn’t understand the opportunity for the growth I could’ve made. That being said I only did that for about 14 months before I left to be back home everyday instead of only home on the weekends. I was working in my state but it was far enough away to get per diem Monday-Friday. Since I left that job I’ve worked as a machine operator, lawn and pest technician, and currently as residential foundation repair and waterproofing of crawl spaces and basements for 3.5 years. I became a crew foreman after a year (I was being pressured for that position after only being there a few months because I’m a responsible person that honestly loves learning tricks and tips to better myself in whatever I do, but I wanted to wait it out and not jump in too fast as I haven’t held that title and responsibility before). Though I left that position and stepped down shortly after a year into the position because the pay difference wasn’t much (paid by the job not really by the hours) and I could get jobs done faster since there wasn’t a set end of the day time and could get home sooner maximizing my “hourly” rate by the math. I am very work focused and I work harder than I probably need to.

All of that said I have been wanting to go into working in industrial construction. Mainly electrical (but open to pretty much all other fields) since that is something I haven’t done and am eager to learn while also being a great career path I want to pursue. It also seems a lot less demanding on the body, so I can see myself not burning out from how my brain is kind of hardwired to work vigorously.

I have been researching but really just need the help of someone giving me real steps to take to make this switch. I cannot seem to find jobs on indeed, google, etc. that are available to someone without schooling or experience in the electrical field, though I’ve read a lot of people do find these apprenticeships without going to school. Is this a necessary step I should take? It’s pretty difficult to make as I do have a wife and kid and I’m the one working in my house (by choice, we love this lifestyle). I would really like to avoid this step and learn on the job as I am a very hands on learner. I am absolutely down to go to school for it, but I feel it would be harder for me without being able to apply what I’m learning as I go if that makes sense. I absolutely would further my knowledge with school knowing I will be using it everyday.

I really want to get into per diem jobs which seems to be the more difficult route to go without the experience but it has the pay that I know would keep me and my family from sinking as right now we are just getting by barely. It truthfully would put us in a comfortable position since we aren’t overwhelmed with ridiculous debt by trying to live outside our means. I just cannot save any money or do things with my family since it all goes into just getting us barely by.

I really appreciate any advice from anyone, and especially from someone who lives a similar experience who doesn’t mind to lift and give a hard working guy, who doesn’t get vulnerable and ask for help, some direction to be successful in giving his family a great life!

Seriously, any advice is greatly appreciated and thank you for taking the time to read this long post!

i just got hired in this company and is my first construction job as a labourer, any tips and advice for beginners?

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People often say that wooden cow barns don't smell as bad compared to steel or concrete ones. I wonder why that is? What do you guys think?

I witnessed a farmer get stuck in a ditch with his crop sprayer when the clients on the road didnt give him enough room to oass a corner, its not much but was fun to watch them get it out

Someone faceplanted on these 20x20 pavers from 20 stories up- i gotta replace em- can anyone match to a brand or anything? Color or something?

I work for a small remodeling company and my manager is kinda starting to creep me out. I’ve definitely been trying to convince myself it’s not that weird, but it’s starting to feel pretty weird.
For context, I’m 22 and he’s in his late 60s or early 70s. He’s very belittling, micromanages the hell out of everyone, and is honestly just a shitty guy to be around.

The first weird thing happened about a month ago. I was wearing shorts on the job and he pinched the back of my upper thigh, underneath my shorts, and said “nice shorts, buddy.” It made me uncomfortable and embarrassed, but I brushed it off.

There have also been some weird comments. We were talking about Matthew McConaughey one day, and I said I liked his movies. My manager said something along the lines of “yeah, you have that pretty guy look.” I don’t remember his exact wording, but it caught me off guard. A coworker also told me that one day people were asking where I was, and the manager said, “I don’t know, probably somewhere looking pretty.” Even my coworker thought it was a weird comment.

Yesterday was when I really started questioning things. I was standing at the chop saw when he walked past with some kind of wooden stick, rubbed it along the inside of my leg, made contact with my groin, and said “sorry, did I excite you?” before walking away. I didn’t really react in the moment and initially brushed it off, but the more I think about it, the more uncomfortable it makes me.

He’s also come up behind me and grabbed both my shoulders on other occasions. I don’t know, it feels like something you’d do to a little kid to get their attention. I’m a grown man, don’t touch me.

Another thing that feels strange is that I’ve been scheduled with this manager and ONLY this manager at a particular job site. It’s basically just the two of us every day. He sits around, watches me, and tells me what to do,even when there’s not a lot of work to be done.

The problem is that this is a small company with no HR, and the manager is the owner’s father-in-law. A couple of weeks ago, this same manager told one of our brown coworkers he was going to receive “30 lashings” if he didn’t finish a job on time. The coworker reported it to the owner, and about a week later he was fired for supposedly being a “bad team player.” I have no way of knowing if those things were connected, but the timing makes me nervous about speaking up.

Honestly, if I got fired, I wouldn’t be devastated because there are plenty of other issues with this job. But I do need the money right now. Everything is expensive, the job market sucks, and I get paid decently, so quitting without a plan isn’t ideal.
I keep thinking about telling the owner, but realistically, is he going to believe me over his own father-in-law? My boss is also pretty condescending and dismissive. If you bring something up or try to explain a concern, he has a way of playing it down, making you feel dramatic or stupid, and acting like he knows better than everyone else.

I’ve worked around plenty of guys who joke around, and this doesn’t feel like normal job-site banter to me. I’m not trying to make a huge deal out of nothing, but I also don’t want to keep brushing off someone touching me inappropriately because I work in construction.
What would you do in this situation? If I quit because of this, could I potentially qualify for unemployment?
I’d appreciate honest advice, especially from anyone who’s dealt with something similar in construction or worked for a small company where management is all connected.

Edit- Yeah i was wearing shorts, i was painting a bedroom on a remodel. It’s residential, not a big deal….

Trying to expand my knowledge and have been helping one of my bosses connections with various tasks among some of his projects. I'm typically just doing residential framing, have broken up and removed slabs but this is a whole different experience.

This one I'm at a bit of a loss, I have to remove these 4 pieces of concrete and the brick behind it. The depth through the other side is roughly 11 inches, solid concrete into the brick wall on the opposing side in picture 2.

Initially I was working off a ladder with a hammer drill as it was believed there was a void somewhere in the middle but turns out it's solid

Buddy suggested grabbing his saw but there's no way in hell I'm working off a ladder with a concrete saw in a drop ceiling. Rather than telling him I can't do it, I would prefer to have some alternate options to suggest though.

Any ideas?

I’m a small GC in a new city and have a job coming up that I need help with. How do people typically find guys to help that experience in fire stopping?

Hi everyone! Maybe my next client is here. 😊
I’m Kim with 5+ yrs or VA experience, a solo mom of two, currently looking for a client I can support and grow with.
I have experience in Executive Assistance, GoHighLevel (GHL), E-commerce Operations, Event Planning, and Logistics Coordination. Let’s connect.

We are wondering what this spring auctioned lever is next to the blade? Its not the blade lock... this one a DCS 714 fewalt mitre saw (battery) couldn't find anything on it in the manual.

Building our first shower seat and using Hebel blocks to do so. Being blocks, bit difficult to get any sort of tilt without grinding the whole thing back. Just want to see if anyone has experience with it.

Cheers!