the journeyman's/master's test

[perrycat]

I was wondering if anybody's ever heard of this school it's a home study course, Penn and Foster.
I never know when I'm going to get home, it depends on the jobs for the day. And I'm a service plumber, I've been doing plumbing for 15 years, alot of those years were as a helper ( until the boss was in a bind many times though...
Anyway, I have this idea to start my own business, doing installations for Home Depots and Lowes, or else just drain cleaning only, I'm pretty good at drains, don't want to jinx myself saying that and get a cable stuck tomorrow.
But anyway, I know for H.D. and even maybe just to open up a business doing drians, you have to have a master's license, for H.D. you do becuase you have to be able to pull permits, all their water heaters get a permit, electric or gas. And I don't know if you need a master's license to operate a drain cleaning business, but I'm sure it would make the home owner alot more comfortable if you were properly licensed and bonded and insured etc.
So anyway, I need coaching getting my journeyman's license, and then I guess you have to wait 2 years after having that before you can take the master's test. I dont know if that depends on how much experience you have though.
Any thoughts?
Perrycat

[Winslow]

If you are studying for a test you need to ensure that your study material covers the code the test is based on. If you study a book based on the IPC and the test is based on the UPC you will most likely fail. In fifteen years you should have gained a great deal of the local plumbing requirements. Not sure about your state but here in hawaii before you can take the journeyman test you need time in the trade (10,000 hours). Additionally, your employer needs to itemize your work experience by job catagories (rough-in waste and water, setting fixtures, pipe hangers and support, repairs, ect.) If your experience doesn't sufficiently cover the spectrum of the trade (according to a board), your application will be denied. Do you have knowledge of the local code book? When I was getting ready to take the journeyman test I purchased a study book from the same company that prints the codebook that explained the intent of each item in the codebook. What code does your state use? Additionally, if you contact the agency that gives the test they will reccomend study materials.

[master plumber mark]

Where are you loccated in the usa????

if you have been doing it for 15 years,

you should already be elligl=ible to take the journeymans test...


you have wayyy too many hours to be deined the opportunity

at least in indiana.....

that should be a piece of cake for you-- and in our state you can take the test up to 4 times ---so its no big thing to get all worked up over---


then the rest is just a matter of wehen you want to take the

masters test....


out of curisoty, how come your employer has not sent you to an
apprentice school already???..

what have you been doing for the past 15 years and for how much
money???

where have you been all my life??
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as far as working for home depot and lowes, I would not get my
hopes up too high on those opportunities........they are not an opportunity
but basically a lesson in the "school of hard knocks"


they will work you till you drop over dead....for little to nothing....



SERVICE PLUMBING is where the money is at , and especially
for the general public and real estate agents in general...

look to place your name in the mailboxes of all the real estate agents
offices in youir area and you will fare much better than with home depot.

[Cass]

I glanced at the Penn and Foster site. Seems like a place for giving away your money. I would check with your state licensing board as to what you need to take the state test. Sounds like your boss doesn't want any competition from you. There are companys that will prep you to take and pass the test in your state.

[master plumber mark]

its sort of a funny thing I have experienced with my apprencites

...... if you try to be a good person and
help them and encourage them to get their lisc,
they consider you a LOSER and a CHUMP!!!

eventually if they finally get their journeymens lisc,
their egos get so big that they have to leave you
and prove to you that they did not need your help in the first place

they usually left me by burning their bridges behind them and
all the troubles that this implies...

they dont appreciate a thing you did
to prod them along....

Or in hindsight, I suppose they dont like to feel indebted
to someone that helped them.

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Now as a REAL TRUE HARD ASS BOSS , if
you act like a total complete a-hole
to your apprentices...and hold them down,
for some reason they seem to respect you for it!!!


If you do everything to keep them from bettering themselves ....
dont offer them any kind of training and dont send them to
classes available.....tell them that they are too damn stupid to
pass the tests ect... guess what happens.....

you got someone "indentured to you"
for a lot longer time before they finally wise up and
do it all for themselves....

then eventuyally leave you and go out on their own..




any insights here??

[perrycat]

thanks you all for answering. I live in Virginia and we use the IPC, used to use BOCCA or BOCA I don't know what it's called.
Yeah, it boils down to studying and if I study I think I can pass that test. I did go to the apprenticeship for a long time, I went through the 2nd year like 3 times, due to absences. I did alot of sewers, and lots of times we couldn't just go because somebody has school you have to close up the street, and or get these people water for the night.
Well I think you're right maybe that school is a rip off, I think I'll buy this course on CD by this guy named Woodson... funny that's the name of the high school our apprenticeship was at....but he focuses on getting you through the test, through the code book, learning where things are in that book, because you have X ammount of questions to answer in X ammount of time, and it's open book here, both for the journeyman's test and the master's test. I think the only difference between the 2 is for the masters you have to be certified in back flow, and in gas.
But I really like this bulletin board, It helps me alot.
perrycat

[master plumber mark]

just go take the damn test and see what happens.....


it dont matter one bit if you pass or fail.....

but you will get a feel for it.

[perrycat]

its sort of a funny thing I have experienced with my apprencites

...... if you try to be a good person and
help them and encourage them to get their lisc,
they consider you a CHUMP!!!

eventually if they finally get their journeymens lisc,
their egos get so big that they have to leave you
and prove to you that they can do better and usually
they leave you burning their bridges calling you a
S.O.B ect and they dont appreciate a thing you did
to prod them along....

I suppose they dont like to feel indebted to someone that helped them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now as a boss , if you act like a total complete a-hole
to your apprentices...and hold them down,
for some reason they seem to respect you for it


If you do everything to keep them from bettering themselves ....
dont offer them any kind of training and dont send them to
classes available.....

either they seem to just either endure it
or they finally find the desire do it all for themselves.......


but this way you got someone "indentured to you"
for a lot longer time before they finally leave you and go out on their own..




any insights here??

-----------------------
Well, as an apprentice, the way I feel about the first company I worked for, and I dont want to get into what happened between us, but your never a mechanic in the eyes of the guy who taught you plumbing. But I have to say, that company always holds a place in my heart. we didn't leave each other on such good terms, but I STILL do things the way that guy taught me, from how I solder to how I approach collecting when I'm finished.

[Winslow]

when I was getting ready to take the journeyman test I considered taking the course. Since I wasn't working at the time (I was in a tempoary layoff position) I figured I could take the test about four times and break even if I didn't go for the course. I passed rather easily on my first time. Ended up saving lots of money. Same thing with the Master Plumbers test.