6 Years To Become A Contractor?

newguy07

I was reading on this one site that they want 6 year working or 4 years as a super.


Is this true or is this info correct?

Also, I am from florida.


So is it 4 years for a journey man and 6 years to be able to open a business.

JamesNLA

Once you have your specialty license, you can open your own business. Atleast out here. Now, there are other ways around it. As you have already read having a college degree can cut some time off of your journey time.
That said there are ways around it. Such as, starting a corporation and having a licensed X (electrician...plumber...etc..) as a principal in the corporation. You may be the CEO and able to bid jobs...advertise.. do jobs..pull permits, all the while having no license yourself. I believe there is more to it than what I just mentioned, but you get the jest of it.

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"....And then we all switch places when I ring the bell"
-Adrock

newguy07

Yea, I did research it but that was when I was interested in doing plumbing. I noticed in florida that a plumbing license is easier to get than an electrical license.

newguy07

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Applicants must meet one of the following experience requirements:
Must be licensed as an electrical professional engineer for three (3) years with in the last 12 years; or

Must have three (3) years of management experience in the trade within the last six (6) years immediately preceding the filing of the application; or

Must have four (4) years of experience as a foreman, supervisor or contractor in the trade within the last eight (8) years immediately preceding the filling of the application; or

Must have six (6) years of comprehensive training, technical education or broad experience associated with an electrical contracting business within the last 12 years immediately preceding the filling of the application; or

Must have at least six (6) years of technical experience in electrical work with the Armed Forces of a governmental entity within the last 12 years immediately preceding the filling of the application; or

Must have a combination of these qualifications totaling six (6) years of experience.

The required experience must include at least 40% of work that is in 3-phase services.

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS: A personal financial statement prepared by a CPA must be completed as part of the application process. All applicants must submit a credit report and have a net worth of at least $25,000.

JamesNLA

So why are you asking, when it is clearly splained out for you?

__________________
"....And then we all switch places when I ring the bell"
-Adrock

send_it_all

Because none of those things are what he wants to hear. He's smarter than other contractors and therefore entitled to be a contractor with less actual experience than all other contractors of lesser intelligence. There simply must be a way around all this b.s. red tape for an uber-contractor in the making

newguy07

Cause I got confused. I thought it was the same as a plumbing contractor but it isn't. It is harder!!

This sticks. Oh well. I won't let it get to me I will still continue my education


Why do you think your Electircal Engineering degree is worthless? My company I work for now does engineering and has P.E. work for them.

I would like to hear your point of view.

JamesNLA

Because when stringing a house or installing tankless water heaters.....Fuzzy Logic has nothing to do with it. The inter workings of a microprocessor and transistor theory help me very little. Calculas 2 doesn't help me figure out load tables. Knowing how to operate every function of an O-scope doesn't help me when figure out where hammering is comming from.

Point is while I have that degree, unless I was to use large parts of that education on a daily basis, it's worthless.

But that is me...not you. You do your thing, and when you have become a sucessful ________ whatever you want to be, turn around, reach down and help someone else reach their own goals.

But while your learning, please make your questions.....non-redundent. Every little bit of advice you get on here FOR FREE, is a little pearl. Someone elses blood, sweat, & tears is being GIVEN to you all for the sake of helping this industry. The simple fact of the matter is that when most of us were training, we didn't have places like this to get sometimes very complicated situations explained in detail......FOR FREE.
Make your questions count......don't cry wolf.
Your not going to learn your industry from some free internet forum. But you do have a huge advantage against others in your situation that choose not to participate in places like this. Make it count.

__________________
"....And then we all switch places when I ring the bell"
-Adrock

woodmagman

I sometimes think it should be longer....

dirt diggler

YOU NEED TO GET LAID


my gosh - sorry but you're getting neurotic here lately- you're starting to sound like Ruskent

you're all over the place - one day you're taking courses ... the next you want to have a business ... the next you have a job .... the next day you're reading classifieds


you need to LEARN YOUR TRADE. Focus on THAT right now.


Having a business is a whooooooole different animal all together. Here's a cliche - but being a great tradesman DOES NOT mean AT ALL that you'll be a great businessman.

and then it's just a different game all together being a contractor. That has it's own "nooks & crannies" to worry & learn about.



Point is - focus on learning your trade right now. Quit worrying about how many years it takes to do this and that. Focus focus focus


sounds like you have the determination, energy, etc. But you're not putting it in the right place.




and my heavens - have the common sense to know that someone calling an Electrical Engineer's degree "worthless" is their OPINION. You will need tons of natural, non-cultivated common sense in construction


that's a point of view for ya

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Thanks in advance!!!

JamesNLA

Let me clear that a little, I am a far better person for having it. I'm sure there are many aspects however small that help me in my day to day. But I don't work on PCB's....etc.. anymore so there is a large part that isn't being used. At the same time, I AM very glad I have it. This body will wear out sooner or later. .02

__________________
"....And then we all switch places when I ring the bell"
-Adrock

newguy07

Sorry guys. I appreciate everybodys write back.

Sorry if I am just getting a little to excited about my trade. I want to learn everything I can. I am still trying to understand conduit bending.

joasis

You are getting a lot of slack from the pro's....usually we serve up new guys as a snack before picking on the pool guys!

Let me give you a little advice. Enthusiasm is clearly driving you, but you keep looking at obstacles, instead of focusing on learning what is important. There is a reason PE's are used, and the requirements are needed...just take our word on this.

If you would like, think about what you are doing like learning to fly an airplane. You are like the kid who has had 2 lessons, and now wants to skip the mundane, technical stuff and time experience to go right to a major airline. Now would you get on a plane piloted by a 2 hour novice? Or would you rather have a seasoned greybeard up front?

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GSE

Yup, today it seems everyone is in a rush to go into there own business, even without the years of experience needed, or business knowhow it requires to make a go of it, heck 6 years, your just starting to learn your trade, to master it it, takes years of experience and exposure to all the different areas of the field, working with and learning from other professionals.

I can,t recall working with any Electrical Engineers, that had much of an electronic background, most of the engineers on the larger projects were power engineers, and many of them had their electrical licenses. Some of the field engineers, even worked with the tools.

JumboJack

Your enthusiasm is good thing to have.But you should not be sweating getting your contractors license before you have made up your first threeway switch or changed a balast.I asume you are still being pretty much a gofer.Nothing wrong with that,everyone had to do it.Just learn your trade first.

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in texas with framing and cornish people will do it for 3.00 a foot. What do yall think about that? Just laber

goose134

Don't apologize for enthusiasm. It's great that you want to learn everything. If I remember right, you are working on a hospital. It's a great place to learn a lot. As for conduit bending, it is one of the great joys of the trade. I LOVE bending pipe, especially big stuff. The benfield guide to bending is a must read if you want to learn bending.
I posted some pictures in the photo gallery if you want to see some of my bending. Keep up the good work! You are on the path to total electrical enlightenment!

POOLMANinCT

well well well.... dirts back..... stuck in an equalizer line unt the stengle/vac switch tripped? ouch

ray

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......Less with the jaw & More with the paw.....

Speedy Petey

Well, as I scroll down reading these posts, THIS is the one I was going to make.

Six years is barely enough to know most of what you need to know just to be independent in this trade, let alone run your own business.

DON'T rush things! My helper/apprentice is the same way. All he wants to do is have his own business, and after about three years he is on his way, but he needs to get a LOT more experience under his belt and LEARN THE CODE before he can even consider the big step.

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220/221

Well put. I remember back in the day thinking "There is a LOT to learn here".

I was right and I STILL learn something new almost daily.