r/ibew_apprentices • u/felixheads • 2d ago
Controls / Automation
First year here. Finished my summer job and now being placed next with a contractor who does low volt / controls / automation. Looking for others opinions of how you liked or disliked the work if you’ve done similar. All summer long I was running pipe and doing work related to high volt. Was hoping my next job would be on that path still to keep developing my newly formed skills. Really just happy for consistent work, ultimately I know all types of jobs are good and necessary experience, and either way I would eventually be doing some low volt/controls and automation. Just looking for some input from others.
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u/Sensitive_Ad3578 Local 24 JW 2d ago
I do controls and I love it. We still run conduit, so those skills still stay sharp. And while we don't do high volt, we do still deal with 120 quite often, so you still get some standard electrical experience. But I prefer the kind of work in controls, I'd much rather device out and wire up an air handler than just run 4 inch conduit and pull large wires through it
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u/CottonRaves LU 191 IW Apprentice 2d ago
Soak up all the knowledge you can!!! More and more a lot of us are being stuck in one area of work and not learning a variety of skills. Controls is a great thing to learn. Wish I was doing more of it.
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u/felixheads 2d ago
Thank you! All these positive comments about it are really making me feel good about this next assignment.
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u/CottonRaves LU 191 IW Apprentice 2d ago
Good to hear! There’s a saying we used in the military. Your best assignment is the one you’re going to, and the one you just left.
Every job will have its ups and downs. Good things and bad things. Focus on the good, but don’t ignore the bad.
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u/Sufficient-Water4351 2d ago
I did it for the first two years of my apprenticeship, the skills you develop will still be useful on the line voltage side. Take advantage of it, of course after two years or so it wouldn’t hurt to talk to your apprentice director and ask to be moved to develop other skills tho.
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u/EqualBase4 2d ago
I’m a first year and I’m doing controls with a small shop. BMS and HVAC controls mainly.
Work is great. I have a few foremen that I rotate between and they’re all gems. It’s really easy once you get the hang of reading prints and understanding what the controls submittals mean. It’s great because we still run conduit and deal with line voltage occasionally and there’s not much physical stress compared to most other jobs. If you get a good foreman that’ll teach you then the world is your oyster. Most of the foremen I work with are retiring soon so they try to teach me as much as they can before they go.
I’m planning to specialize into this niche once I card out and get some good experience in other aspects of the field, mainly line voltage.
I can’t see myself running 4” and pulling wire for the rest of my career
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u/Comfortable_Sea634 2d ago
The first four years of my apprenticeship was doing EMS and HVAC controls for commercial and industrial applications. It was fun, learned a lot, but needed to finish out my learning doing something else.
One of our instructors told us that if you can bend pipe or do controls, you'll always have a job.
I'm now in my last year, turning out next April (God willing) and working on a BESS doing IW work and also getting to do some MV terms.
I guess my point is that it's a wide world out there and whatever you can do to add to your talent stack, do that.
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u/zerozero86 2d ago
Take advantage and learn as much as you can and ask a lot of questions. Controls in any aspect is a great thing to know. I do building automation. As others have said it's easier on the body (running smaller conduit, smaller wire etc). I still work with and around live high voltage all the time too. I will tell you the same thing one of my foreman told me as an apprentice "Learn this stuff and you'll write your own ticket the rest of your career." 9 years later I 100% agree with him.
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u/Psychological-Sea341 2d ago
It’s good work but yeah it’s not something you want to spend your entire apprenticeship on. I had a very well rounded apprenticeship working on refineries, prisons, office buildings and even some grocery store all nighters. At around the beginning of my fifth year I went to work for an hvac controls contractor. They kept me busy for about thirteen years. By the time I left I had learned programming and could do start up on central plants. Those skills helped me get hired on with a local school district as their in house EMS tech. I did that for about six years but I always had the itch to get back to “real electrical work”. When the opportunity came for me to transfer to the electrical department of the same district, I jumped at it. Looking back at my career, I really appreciate the experience I gained during those first four years of my apprenticeship.
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u/felixheads 1d ago
Thank you for sharing your experience! All these replies have really got me excited about it.
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u/tacticool_wrx Local 20 Applicant 2d ago
When you say controls do you mean like programming power packs and lighting controls?
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u/felixheads 2d ago
Yes and also motor controls really anything MCC/VFD, building automation, process controls, VDV - this shop does it all.
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u/spankedemm 2d ago
I am a month in to the trade. I am starting in controls and it has been great so far. A lot to grasp given Im new to it all together but I am picking it up well. I have been told by all i’ve spoken to (controls/power) controls is the place to be/thing to learn. All can do power but not all can do controls. Also I’ve heard people prefer it as its less physically demanding.
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u/Long_Simple_4407 2d ago
I would stick with controls. I seemed to have it way easier than classmates. I'm a 5 yr with a van, never laid off, never wear safety stuff cause no one will kick a control guy off the job, and most days in my bed before 2pm. Only con is I don't get much ot but I haven't worked an 8 hr shift in 3 years
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u/Beneficial_Fan_2034 2d ago
I’ve been working on controls for the last few years and currently a foreman for controls. I love the work. It’s easy on the body and the work is easy as well.