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Discussion Forum

Hire me! (Seattle area)

Hambone | Posted in Help/Work Wanted on February 3, 2004 12:33pm

I am looking for a Seattle-area apprenticeship opportunity. I would be interested in anything from framing to finish to cabinetmaking. I am a graduate of the Seattle Central CC fine woodworking program, but I have spent the last 7 years out of the trade (dot-com refugee!). I am a very hard worker and a fast learner, not some kid who just wants a paycheck until the next big thing rolls around. If you’re looking for a perfectionist with proven loyalty that you can train to your liking let me know. I can be reached at monkeystandsalone at hotmail.com. Thanks!

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Replies

  1. User avater
    G80104 | Feb 03, 2004 03:18am | #1

                    Andy,

                                Inquiring minds want to know, E-mail address Monkeystandsalone @ hotmail ?    Good luck on the job search. If it were me I would change my E-mail address!

    1. BobKovacs | Feb 03, 2004 04:20am | #2

      I was gonna bring that up too.....lol.

      Bob

    2. User avater
      JeffBuck | Feb 03, 2004 05:51am | #6

      make it ...

      monkeysstandtogether ...

      sounds more like a team player.

      JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

           Artistry in Carpentry                

      1. jimblodgett | Feb 03, 2004 07:18am | #7

        Sure glad no one turned that into monkeyslappin'aloneorwithsomebody.

        1. User avater
          Luka | Feb 03, 2004 08:10am | #8

          How about unaccompaniedchickenchoking ?

          Yaaarg !¡!!¡!!!  Stand still... While I smite thee ! 

          quittintime

          1. CAGIV | Feb 03, 2004 08:28am | #9

            that got anything to do with your viagra experiment?

          2. User avater
            Luka | Feb 04, 2004 12:22am | #10

            I hope someone is going to give this guy some real thought, and not just have fun with his email address.

            Seems sincere to me. And hey, he's got a sense of humor. A real plus after 8 hours of hard work...

            Yaaarg !¡!!¡!!!  Stand still... While I smite thee ! 

            quittintime

          3. User avater
            JeffBuck | Feb 04, 2004 04:45am | #11

            I was thinking the same thing first time I read it ...

            sounds like a good guy from here.

            JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

                 Artistry in Carpentry                

          4. HeavyDuty | Feb 04, 2004 07:40am | #12

            May be we should start a thread about email addresses.

            Here is a couple from 1st year Med at Ottawa U.

            gogonads@....

            [email protected]

            Anyway, good luck Andy.

  2. User avater
    IMERC | Feb 03, 2004 04:43am | #3

    monkeystandsalone at hotmail.com.

    You serious?

     

    Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....

    1. Hambone | Feb 03, 2004 05:01am | #4

      Absolutely serious. (As serious as I get, anyway). It's the address I use for any public posting, but it's real. As is my original post, just in case anyone hears of anything.

      Thanks, Andy

      1. migraine | Feb 03, 2004 05:23am | #5

        I know a builder who is looking for experienced help on the Wash. coast.  He's willing to pay$8.00 per hour for a laborer and $10.00 for a framer.  This is not a joke.  Even though I think he is...  People have actually applied.

        1. Paleo31645 | Feb 04, 2004 08:01pm | #13

          "I know a builder who is looking for experienced help on the Wash. coast.  He's willing to pay$8.00 per hour for a laborer and $10.00 for a framer.  This is not a joke.  Even though I think he is...  People have actually applied."

          I would love to switch jobs and get into construction or remodelling (preferably remodelling), but this is the reason I can't.  In my area this is pretty much the typical classified add. 

          Wanted: Carpenter 5 yrs. experience, must have own tools and truck $12.00/ hr.  Helpers $7.00/ hr. 

          Does anyone want to pay a fairly intelligent person that wants to learn to do quality work a livable wage anymore?  Are they really satisfied to hire some dope that slaps things together just to save a little money?

          Steve J.

          1. jimblodgett | Feb 04, 2004 08:59pm | #14

            "I would love to switch jobs and get into construction or remodelling (preferably remodelling), but this is the reason I can't."

            I wouldn't mind if you wrote "...I won't.", or "...I don't."  But the fact is, you COULD if you wanted it bad enough.  Many of us made a similar choice when we were just starting out, and fact is, with 5 years experience, a person is just starting out in this profession.

            Let's see...12.00/hr x 2000 hrs/year, that's about 24,000/year to start, as a sort of  a trial wage, for someone who is barely scratching the surface of a complex profession...with every chance to double that wage as soon as within a year?  Triple it as soon as they demonstrate they can be left on a job alone, supervise a crew and coordinate subs, and not insult the home owner?

            Nope, no doubt about it, "can't" is a poor choice of words.  I just hope it was a matter of the wrong word, not the wrong idea.

          2. Paleo31645 | Feb 04, 2004 09:49pm | #15

            "Let's see...12.00/hr x 2000 hrs/year, that's about 24,000/year to start, as a sort of  a trial wage, for someone who is barely scratching the surface of a complex profession"

            Except for me with 0 years experience 7.00/hr x 2000 hrs/yr would be about 14,000/yr to start.  I could almost do as well flipping burgers.  This is why I say I can't, at least not in this area. 

            "with every chance to double that wage as soon as within a year?  Triple it as soon as they demonstrate they can be left on a job alone, supervise a crew and coordinate subs, and not insult the home owner?"

            Maybe in your area, but not so sure about that here.  You might get a few bucks an hour more after a while.  Double or triple- highly unlikely.

            Steve J.

            Edited 2/4/2004 1:55:27 PM ET by Paleo31645

          3. Hambone | Feb 06, 2004 12:48am | #16

            I would take a job for $12 an hour, with the understanding that paying your dues is a part of learning the trade. Even a fast learner is going to be pretty close to useless with any tool more complex than a broom for a little while anyway. That said, anything much below $12 and I start being unable to provide for my family, so there is a point where I have to say I can't do it.

            Thanks for the kind words, and if my email address is odd enough that you remember me when you hear of a job in Seattle, then my work is done. :-)

            -Andy

          4. jimblodgett | Feb 06, 2004 12:59am | #17

            "Except for me with 0 years experience 7.00/hr x 2000 hrs/yr would be about 14,000/yr to start.  I could almost do as well flipping burgers."

            Well, if you have "0" experience, you have to understand that not only will whoever hires you have to go through the "are we compatable coworkers" test period with you, they might have to teach you how to use pneumatic and electric tools safely, what a "stud" is, how to carry sheet goods without hurting yourself, maybe how to add and subtract fractions...and on and on...there's just no telling what you might not know.

            And besides all that, you haven't demonstrated to even yourself that you enjoy the work enough to put up with the various working and weather conditions the job requires.  Surely you recognize the expense the employer would be going to to give YOU the chance to find out if you're cut out for carpentry - most people are not, that's why there is an increasing shortage of experienced professionals.

            As to your claim that geography plays a role in whether you "can" or "can't" I will just say that I grew up in one corner of the United States and when it came time to leave home there were not many options for employment with local contractors.  After a few years in the service I have lived in an opposite corner of the country and haven't missed a day of work since February 1979 that I didn't want to miss.

            So what's my point?  You CAN make a living as a carpenter, eventually a good one.  You may have to start out at 7 bucks an hours until you prove to be reliable, sober on a regular basis and sincerely interested in learning the trade, and you may have to change locations.  But within a few years (approximately the same time other spend in college) you'll be making a lot more, double, triple - far more than you would EVER earn "flipping burgers". 

            You think I'm wrong about what carpenters make? I just last week was sent a list of "prevailing wages" for various trades that might fall under a contract I was recently awarded with the local school district - carpenter - $38 something an hour. 

            You CAN do it.  You just have to have the right combination of spatial intelligence, work ethic, grit and want it bad enough. We can always use one more.

            I remember one of those corny sayings I heard when I was in grade school "as soon as you decide you cannot do something, you are absolutely right". 

          5. User avater
            JeffBuck | Feb 06, 2004 01:24am | #18

            Plus ... carpentry .. can lead somewhere ..

            flipping burgers can't!

            like a carpentry instructor said to us years ago ...

            Carpentry is one of the few careers where ya can go work a weekend helping out a buddy ... and walk away with an extra $500 in your pocket.

            JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

                 Artistry in Carpentry                

          6. Hambone | Feb 20, 2004 12:20am | #19

            Thanks for the kind words, I've been offered, and accepted, an apprenticeship with a company that makes custom staircases and furniture. It's the job I was looking for when I got out of trade school, it just took about 9 years longer than I expected to find it.

            -Andy

          7. User avater
            Luka | Feb 20, 2004 12:44am | #20

            Very cool.

            Now stick around and become part of the community here.

            You'll get lots of good info here, and over at Knots as well.

            Posting at Breaktime should not be a full contact sport.

            quittintime

          8. User avater
            G80104 | Feb 20, 2004 04:01am | #22

            Andy,

                     Best of Luck on your new endevors, Hope it works out 4U!

          9. hdrider | Feb 20, 2004 04:14am | #23

            Union carpenters here in Chicago make about $32/hour when they reach journeyman level after a 4 year apprenticeship.  In addition to that, full health, dental, and pension benefits are provided by the union, plus ongoing training, and time and a half/ double time is paid for hours beyond 8 hours per day.  They also give some help in keeping the worksites safe.  The union route works for people that want to focus on the technical skills of the trade, rather than becoming contractors and trying to run a business.

            However, if you look in the help wanted ads here, you'll see the same nonsense like:  "Min 8 years experience, own tools and truck, $14 hour) for non-union carpenters.  I'm glad the carpenters union is strong here, and I feel sorry for the carpenters that aren't organized- as an individual carpenter you have virtually no power and are almost guaranteed to be exploited.

          10. davidmeiland | Mar 03, 2004 05:19am | #24

            The key is to never look in the help wanted ads. Find out who the really good contractors are and call them directly. From what I've seen, there are carpenters making roughly union wage for non-union work in almost every city--the guys (and gals) doing the high-end residential work for established, in-demand contractors. They're very skilled, very reliable, have plenty of tools, are presentable and good with clients--the kind of carpenters that wealthy folks are willing to have in and around their homes. Unions have better benefits--I guess that's the perk of doing commercial building.

          11. User avater
            GregWerner | Feb 20, 2004 03:13am | #21

            Hey Jim, the glass ceiling here is about $18/hr. Thats as high as you can possibly get. Thats why I started my business in '97.Greg

            Werner Building &  Remodeling

            Huntingdon PA

             

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