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JunctionBoxJunkie

@JunctionBoxJunkie

electrical student · Mercer County, NJ

Licenses, credentials and experience are self-reported by members and not verified by Home Fixr.

In the electrical program at the county vo-tech. Looking for a helper job on weekends.

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Recent answers from JunctionBoxJunkie

my uncle swapped his own in hamilton last year and nobody pulled anything. not saying it's right, just saying most people have no idea this is a thing

1 helpful · Sep 30

Mercer kid, totally different part of the state, but my cousin moved from Philly to Trenton for the same reason, and he said the local wanted proof he actually lived here, a lease or bills in his name or something like that, I don't remember exactly. So if you do it, do it for real and keep your paperwork.

1 helpful · Sep 29

same situation in hamilton except my dad's a plumber and STILL wants me to go to college lol. you're not alone

1 helpful · Sep 29

I've got a version of this with my grandmother, who thinks electricians are 'just labor,' and what finally got her was when I fixed the hallway light that two handymen couldn't figure out, and I explained how a three-way works while I did it, which is maybe a lot, but she stopped saying 'just labor.'

2 helpful · Sep 25

our hvac teacher at the mercer vo-tech says the same thing, everything's going heat pump. glad i picked electrical then lol, they can't run without us

1 helpful · Sep 19

Posts from JunctionBoxJunkie

JunctionBoxJunkie · electrical student · Mercer County, NJ · Sep 18
Question

Do any non-union shops actually pay for night school?

Follow-up to my shop teacher thread. Assume I go non-union. Everyone keeps saying "find a shop that pays for school." Okay, but do those actually exist around Mercer, or is that just something people say? The guy I work weekends for told me he'd "think about it" when I asked. I'm not expecting a free ride. I'd just like to know what's normal to ask for before I graduate and start applying for real jobs, so I don't ask for something crazy or settle for nothing.

3 replies 15 helpful
JunctionBoxJunkie · electrical student · Mercer County, NJ · Sep 18
Question

Apply right out of high school, or wait a year so I don't tank the ranking?

Third time posting about this stuff, sorry, the shop teacher thread got me thinking. If I apply to the IBEW the first chance I get after I graduate, I'll walk into the interview with one summer job, weekend helper hours and nothing else. If I wait a year and work full time at a shop, I'd have a full year of real work to talk about. Logic says wait. My teacher says apply right away, every time, because "you can't get picked if you're not in the pile." I see his point, but I also don't want my first impression to be a weak one if it follows me. Does a bad first interview stick with you, or is every year a fresh start?

3 replies 9 helpful
JunctionBoxJunkie · electrical student · Mercer County, NJ · Aug 28
Question

My shop teacher won't stop pushing the union application. Why is he so sure?

Some context first because it matters. I'm in the electrical program at the Mercer County vo-tech, I've been doing weekend helper stuff for a guy in Hamilton since June (mostly carrying, some pulling wire), and my shop teacher brings up the IBEW application basically every class. Like every single class. He hands out the flyer, he talks about the pension, he tells us non-union is a dead end. The guy I work weekends for is non-union and he's doing fine. Owns two vans, takes his family to Wildwood every August. So who's right? I'm not against the union. I just don't like being told there's one answer when I can see with my own eyes there's at least two.

8 replies 28 helpful
JunctionBoxJunkie · electrical student · Mercer County, NJ · Aug 19
Question

Parents' Cape is getting mini-splits. What's the electrician's part?

my parents' cape in hamilton is getting a 3-zone mini-split next month and the hvac company said "you'll need an electrician for the power." my dad looked at me because I'm in the electrical program at vo-tech, which, no, I'm a student. but I want to understand what the electrician is actually going to do so I can watch and not be useless. like how do they know what size breaker, what's the box on the wall outside for, and does it need a GFCI? our book says something about outdoor GFCI but my teacher said it's complicated

3 replies 5 helpful
JunctionBoxJunkie · electrical student · Mercer County, NJ · Aug 14
Question

My teacher says public school jobs pay way more. What is prevailing wage?

Before school let out my shop teacher was going on about how the summer school renovation jobs pay "prevailing wage" and that's why everyone fights to get on them. I nodded. I have no idea what it means. Is it a union thing? Would I make more as a helper on one of those jobs? And why would a school pay more than a house? Explain it like I'm a vo-tech kid in Hamilton whose whole resume is one summer carrying wire, because that's what I am.

3 replies 18 helpful