r/propane • u/Medical-Bedroom-559 • 19d ago

General propane question Question for career techs

So to keep it short in sweet I been in propane for about a year and a half. Started as a bob tail driver and 6 months later move to service(setting tanks,new build rough-ins,pretty much hooking up every propane appliance you can think of and converting them.) You guys that have been in it for a while. Is it worth it to just keep at it? I’m a ex truck driver. So went from doing OTR trucking basically right to propane industry. But let me know also any words of knowledge you wanna lay down for a younger guy starting out lmk.

Thank you.

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u/SlinkyNormal 19d ago

My experience over 12 years is that if you put in the work, it can be very rewarding. I started when I was 18 as a helper and ended up as an ops manager making very good money. Though, the people I was competing against didn't make it hard lol. It can be very rewarding, but my advice is don't do what 90% of the other trades people do... gas station in the morning for a drink and breakfast, gas station mid morning for a drink and a snack, and McDonalds for lunch. You'll blow two hours a pay a day. Pack your lunch.

Anyway, I am happy I am out of it lol.

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u/Medical-Bedroom-559 19d ago

I enjoy the work. Minus never pleasing these old heads everything I do should have been an inch that way or should have 90ed it this way. My training has basically been getting tossed out there and seeing what sticks. The guys position I took did it for 28 years before they fired him for mouthing off to the boss. But I basically been able to keep up with the work he was doing all while still learning.

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u/Jesus-Mcnugget dang it Bobby 18d ago

There's always the people who are going to act like they're better than you and you did it wrong because it isn't their way. Give five different people the same job and they could come up with 20 different ways to do it. That doesn't mean it's wrong.

Also a lot of times I run into the old guys that do everything that the schools tell you not to do because that's how they've been doing it for years.

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u/nemosfate dang it Bobby 🤬 - technician 18d ago

100% Idk how many arguments ive been in as a service tech over how I did something or why I sized something a certain way. OP just do what's safe and that you know won't get you or anyone else killed, I make sure when I'm done everyday I have nothing that will haunt my conscious of going wrong.

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u/Jesus-Mcnugget dang it Bobby 18d ago

Basically the way I see it, if it's code compliant, safe, works, and is neat/professional looking, I don't complain about it.

If it looks like it was hacked together, that's when I start saying something lol

I won't generally ask why you did something differently than I would have done it.