Construction Tools & Equipment

To TCMTEK

can I ask what degree you have, and in what field?

you seem quite learned in most subjects posted here

My official degree is as an Industrial Maintenance Technician. However my life travels and willingness to learn and read about everything that I have worked on or around that interests me has taken it far beyond that. I have a natural fascination with how things work including the physics, mechanics, and general application histories of how something came to be.

The reason I know a bit about mining equipment and it history is because I had a student co op job at a big coal mine near where I live. Being there as an electricians apprentice I had some good experience working around the giant diesel electric and the full electric drive systems the mine trucks, loaders, shovels, and drag lines used. From there I just read up on the history of how they came to be so that I would have a better understanding of how they work and where they came from.

you say you worked as an apprentice electrician, did you ever attain an electrical license of any sort?

the reason I ask this is because in an earlier post some weeks ago, you were bad mouthing electricians and the jobs they do.

did you learn this from experience?

I have 9 months apprenticeship experience as a mine electrician and 8 months apprenticeship as an industrial electrician although that could have expired years ago for all I know. As far as where that stands towards my ever getting a license it depends on what licence I was being required to get. For my line of work an electricians licence is not necessary being I don't do full system installations or do electrical work for commercial clients as my primary job or work. Although I have done private residential systems from the transformer in a number of times which is legal by my present qualifications. Should I ever go to work for a business and need to get a license I have been told that it would not be a problem. Presently being self employed I have no interest in spending money or wasting time to get pieces of paper that tell others I am qualified for something if I don't actually need them. I know what I can do and I also know what the correct and legal processes are to do my work as I stand and what limits I do have.

I wasn't bad mouthing all electricians. Just the bad ones who screw the customers for higher profits and do bad work. I will do that with any profession that has a high number of bad seeds in it. I did at one time actually work with a company that was paying off inspectors to get dangerously bad work passed though and that was enough for me.

Unfortunately in my line of work I have had too much first hand experience with those types to say they are a minority. Much of my work experience and application is somewhat specific toward finding other peoples design flaws, cut corners, and over sites whether they were deliberately done or not and then fixing them. Basically I repair things for a living and I see far too much bad workmanship performed in many fields not just electrical work.

Why the interest in me?

I don't know who that was, but i don't think it matters. Good Answer. (again )