The military background and electrical background are the main reasons you will probably have a good ranking Titans. As long as you didn't bomb the interview, you should be looking pretty good. How old are all you guys?

I am an old man, 29

I'm 35. Guess I'm ancient then.

I'm 26..I don't have military,electrical or welding experience. I do have a A.S. though and apprenticship experience as a butcher

Well the experience you guys have gained over the years is a large part of why you both will likely get selected.

I feel lucky even being ranked 9th as I am 23 with only a little over a year of electrical/construction experience. An IBEW friend of mine also interviewed in Austin this year and failed the interview. Oddly enough he was very bright and had the highest grade in my electrical apprentice class this past year. I can only imagine how tough this union is to get into in some of the other locals.

Speaking of welding, one of the coolest things is the welding truck/trailer this union drives around to all the locals to get its members certified. Have ya'll seen that thing? It's a welding school on wheels. Things like that sort of make the IUEC stand out...

I think they want u to be able to take critism and not get all hurt about it..because when it comes to safety there are almost no second chances..during my interview they brought this up..they said u have old school mechanics and new school and sometimes they don't get along.so work and military experience IS a big deal I believe.I told them I had a mentor that had been cutting meat for 46 years and he would chew my ass out for TINY things. But it is the small things that matter when it comes to safety.

Exactly.. I tried to get into the welding program for a very long time but the slots filled up so fast and the cost per class was about 300 dollars..more if u had to pay out of district taxes.the welding trailor is free and grants a amazing opportunity to learn to weld.

Yea solution, they have dozens of classes and certifications we'll be able to get. From what I understand, not everyone takes advantage of them. They just get caught up in the daily grind. But the more education and certifications one receives the more glamorous that resume will be. Might help years down the road when applying for a leadership position.

The welding program at ACC I mean..stupid phone.

The city of Austin is psychotic when it comes to safety. You can get kicked off a job incredibly fast, and people even get banned from working in the city for multiple infractions. Safety people walk around with cameras and wont even tell you if you are violating a rule, they will simply take a picture of you without safety glasses on ect and send it on up the food chain.

Keep in mind, the safety record of a contractor goes into the bidding process. So by you being safe, you potentially increase your companies profit potential.

It only gets crazy on the really big jobs, and god help you if the job is being insured by the city. Smaller jobs, and jobs outside of Austin are much more relaxed. I'm not condoning being unsafe just because you are outside city limits, but when a safety guy is telling you to put on a harness when you are working on a 6 foot ladder, people get a little frustrated.

I can't imagine not taking advantage of free classes/certifications if given the chance. I promise I'll be the first person to sign up for the welding trailer when it's making its rounds.

Butcher you're spot on about not being sensitive. The first time an old school mechanic lays into me for messing something up I'm going to feel awful. But you come to realize, those are the guys who will turn you into an amazing tradesman in the end.

Yeah you're not lying..Austin is a crazy city with crazy people man and growing at a rapid rate.

Cant believe they just take a photo and thats it until they kick you off site...if you are doing something unsafe or violating the rules is it their "duty of care" to tell you there and then what you are doing wrong???. What happens if you have an incident AFTER they have written you up and BEFORE you get the notice!!

It's not exactly like that kiwi, I probably didn't describe it clearly.

They just don't give warnings really on the bigger jobs. You will look up and see a guy taking your picture, and it's pretty easy to figure out what you were doing wrong. If it's not obvious they will certainly let you know how you're being unsafe. Most of the time it's due to a lack of PPE gear. You wont get fired for the little things unless you are a repeat offender, but that's likely standard procedure across the country.

I imagine they started doing it because guys would argue that they weren't doing what ever the safety guy said they were doing. My contractor has never been kicked off a job, but a lot of the guys have certainly had their picture taken. From a safety guys perspective, it's a pretty smart way to go about it honestly.