Please be patient with me, I have some questions in regards to getting into this field of work, it is part of my required research to get government assistance for schooling! Just copy and paste, thank you to all who answer my questions! Note: I have already done my research in regards to these questions, however I need these answers straight from the workers in this business! 1. What are the basic skills required for this position?(schooling/exp. etc.) 2. What is the minimum work experience necessary for this field? 3. Where did you get your training or education? Would you recommend school? Why or why not? 4. What is the entry level position for operators for this field in your organization? Are there opportunities for advancement? 5. What do you like best about your job? Why? 6.What do you like least about your job? What are the problems working in this field? 7. What are the working conditions( i think we already know that..) 8. Where do you see the field/industry in the next 5 years? 9. What special advice would you give a person entering the field? 10. Can you refer me to someone else who can provide me with additional information about this occupation? Once again thank you all for your time and patience. Lar.
1. What are the basic skills required for this position?(schooling/exp. etc.) The ability to visualize,learn fast,work effiently,math,mechanics,basic physics. 2. What is the minimum work experience necessary for this field? Its hard to answer that....most people either have it (the abilty) or dont have it. Experience helps of course 3. Where did you get your training or education? Would you recommend school? Why or why not?. I was raised by a general Contractor...I went to school for crimainal law.I decided I didnt want to be part of our country's horrible judicial system so I ran with the excavation side of the family business mainly because it was a god given gift and a passion of mine. 4. What is the entry level position for operators for this field in your organization? Are there opportunities for advancement? Depends on how well the operate and/or learn. I am not going to hold a qualified person back. If he is good ....he will go strait to the top 5. What do you like best about your job? Why? Working in a field I love and am good at,flexable working hours for me.....I only have to work half a day...I just have to pick which 12 hours to work......No not really. I like that I will be in the office sometimes and in the field running equipment somtimes,driving truck etc. 6.What do you like least about your job? What are the problems working in this field? WOW this is tough........Overhead is the only thing I can come up with. 7. What are the working conditions( i think we already know that..) What ever you make of them 8. Where do you see the field/industry in the next 5 years? I see the economy weeding out a lot of companaies that are poorly managed 9. What special advice would you give a person entering the field? Take pride in yourself,your family,your work,your equipment....BECAUSE THEY ARE YOUR LIFE. 10. Can you refer me to someone else who can provide me with additional information about this occupation? Walk onto a job site sometime (with permission) around quitting time and just talk to some guys about there job(s) Once again thank you all for your time and patience. Lar.
I'm still fairly new to the field when compared to others on here, I've been in dirt for about 6 years now. 1. High school education some employers look for, anything above that is just extra. Being good with math helps, there are times when you have to hammer out some numbers. 2. To be an operator laboring experience is necessary. If you don't have it, that's where they'll start you until you do. 3. School of hard knocks for me, at least until I joined the union as an apprentice last year. This is by far the best formal training you can recieve in my opinion, the schools you pay money to go to leave a lot to be desired. The union route is awesome, I don't want to turn this into a union/non-union thread because that isn't what's at hand, training has nothing to do with those views. My local's training program for apprentices is one of the best, let alone the continued training possibilities for journeymen who want to learn something new. We have a large portion of acreage at the training grounds, a dozen cranes, and 5-6 pieces of equipment in every category (dozer, loader, hoe, etc.). I'm a big fan of the apprenticeship route as we get paid to learn and when it all comes down to it, real world experience is where the real learning is done. The basic classes at training grounds gives us an opportunity to get our feet wet with something new that we haven't run and learn a few tricks here and there. They do offer advanced courses for those who seek upper level training, those are very worthwhile but only if you've been exposed to the seat. The basic classes are not designed to make you a proficient operator with those classes alone. My feelings are the same way about the heavy equipment schools, you simply cannot teach in a class what needs to be learned in the field when you're first starting out on a new piece. Those training schools will get you experience enough to be able to run the machine, much like our basic training classes at the grounds, but more time spent in the seat will be required to become proficient. 4. If a guy can prove he has it, looks to me that advancing isn't a problem. 5. I like the challenge, I will try anything once and even if it isn't my favorite thing to do after I tried it, I usually keep doing it just to get good enough to walk away from it satisfied enough that I can complete the task at hand. 6. Long hours don't bother me personally, I'd rather work 12's. Some guys have a hard time with the hours. Travel can be tough sometimes, I don't mind being away from home but the costs associated with travelling are sometimes challenging. I don't have a wife or kids, so I don't have to contend with that, but I know that's an issue for guys that do when it comes to travel. 7. The working conditions vary like the weather. If they didn't change, this job would be boring! 8. There will always be a need for those who can run equipment. I think with this economy downturn, a lot of poorly operated companies will be gone. I think this will be good in the long run, but in the short term there will be a surplus of operators looking for work for at least a year, very easily. 9. Stick up for yourself when need be, don't be a showboat or a know-it-all, bust your ass when need be, show up early, leave late, work Saturdays if they are offered to you, take short lunches, run the pine handle, learn whatever you can from whomever you can, treat the iron like it's your own, take no crap off truck drivers, and mostly just have fun.