sundance-communications.com/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Getting into it....

Thanks for all the repsonses!

Ken, Moriah is 2 hours north of Albany and 5 hours north of New York City.

The population in my town is ~ 5000

I went through an Electronics Engineering Technology program, and did a work term with an interconnect company. I actually hated the work term. The work wasn't related to anything I expected to be doing as an Electronics Technologist. Really it was more the company and the low pay than it was the work. After I graduated, my telephony exeperience really pulled me away from electronics and into IT/Telephony. It was all for the better. Working as a phone tech was far more interesting than sitting at a bench smelling solder fumes all day.

My problem is that I cant just go work for a company making like $10-15 an hour.

If I did'nt have all these damn bills I could!

If I could make what I am making now I would go in a heart beat.

2 years Industrial electricity,2 1/2 years solidstate circuits, and many computer courses. I learned the most working with old tech a few years before he retired.

I would suggest you check with local vendors for evening and weekend work and try to pick up work on the side once you have some experience

I actually went to technical college to be a sparky… At the time I graduated there the jobs in ANY electrical field just was not available. For several years I worked several different jobs while attending more classes at the local community college and the local campus of the state university…

Wanting to get on with life, I was looking to see what was out there a few years later… I spotted an add in the paper of all places for a nationwide telecommunications contractor. The biggest requirement was a technical degree (had that) and to be willing to travel “some.” (“Some” turned out to be a MAJOR understatement! )

I was hired on and spent three and a half years as a nomad communications electrician getting my hands on most about everything customer premise telecomm wiring and equipment (‘cept maybe phone systems. ) With the greatly varying number of things I was asked to do, it was a baptism by fire nearly every time I went to a job-site. I did learn A LOT and I did earn A LOT of money during that time… If a “road warrior” life is an option for you, it could be a way to get you hands on ‘sperience, while still paying the bills.

I was working on the Distribution Ctr receiving dock at Pearl Vision in Dallas. This guy (the Telecom manager) walks up and says "Do you know anything about phones?" I said "No, but I can learn." He had heard that I was a hard worker. Figured anyone with some initiative was trainable. Next thing I know I'm typing LD 20 on a Nothern Telecom terminal, punching down a 25 pr cable, and installing voice and data cable.
Got laid off a couple of yrs later. Stared installing key systems that I had never seen before.

Lots of trial and error. Like everyone says, on the job training.

Since then I gotten certifications on Nortel, Avaya, Mitel, and Panasonic. Fortunatley the companies I've worked for have paid for all of those.

Now I'm the Telecom Manager.

Richard

Wow.... My start? I was 14, playing around with a radio in the basement. Blew the 30amp main fuse for the house.

Took an after school class in which we built a 5-tube radio. I finished first. It didn't work. Check everything, instructor checks everything. Nothing misplaced. Started resoldering everything, trouble was a cold solder joint on an IF can. Fascinating.

April 1st, 1966, enlisted into the Air Force, went to Keelser, trained in Radio Relay Repair, sent to the 2879th GEEIA where I spent the next 32 months installing and testing radios and multiplexers. Got out in '70, goofed off that summer.

Nov. '70 hired onto Pacific Telephone and Telegraph -- top craft, with 3 years wage credit 'cause of my service. Went into Madison N-Carrier (tubes! AM modulation!) Transfered to Madison TRCC (T-Carrier Restoration and Control Center) where I got to go down into well heated manholes. Late 70's transfered to Gardena Step-by-Step, migrated into SAMA. In '84 I pulled the plug on the Stepper, bounced around as surplus for a while, then, in '86, went to Heaven, AKA Official Company Services. Learned to install, climb poles, etc.. My client is the Telephone Company, no actual people. Usually work inside but occasionally get out on tele-commutes and rain trouble, but not in the past few years.

I haven't looked for a job or gone to a non-company school for over 35 years, so how I got into this business doesn't do anyone else a bit of good. Repeat after me -- "Don't have to! Grandfather Clause!"

I was serving 10-15 years for killing my postman back in the early 80's...

While sitting in my jail cell I starting reading phone installation manuals, and the rest is history...


NOT....

The only thing local around here are small personally owned Grocery stores......there is however, a Stewarts where I can get a good milkshake.

I got into this by accident back in '83. I was just a kid, out of work when my sister's co-worker's husband hired me for one day of contract work. Just cleaning up a recent Iwatsu Omega 4 16/48 install at a dealership. I did what I was told & was hired as a cable-puller on the drive back to town.

My training was done by several ex-bell guys who worked at this company & they drilled alot of info, technigue ect. into me. They even sold me their "old" tools to get me started.

When I was fired a year later for blowing up a NEC Electra 6/16 (my 1st solo install!) I just went out & got another job in the industry with a cabling contractor & well, here I am over 20 years later...

I think what really helped in my "training" was the tutoring I got from those "ole" bell guy's they sent me out on jobs with...

Priceless......