I guess someone will nail me for having an opinion here along with SJ and NG etc, but what the puck....
I'm doing my
third apprenticeship. I started way back when brand spanking new cars still ran super fuel (that's leaded to you new age know-alls), and I did my first year, like all new hire apprentices, cleaning greasy, crappy parts in the safetykleen sink. I got paid jacksquat (under a sixth of the wage a qualified tradesman was drawing at the time), and I had to stay back and wash the floors etc etc each night after everyone went home, coz that's the way it was. On weekends and the odd week away I got myself some discipline training through 4/3RNSWR D Coy. This went on for a number of years.
I got wise after a few years and decided that I could do a better job of being the boss than the boss could, so after I was qualified I went and bought into a franchise of a relatively large brand-named repairer. I did reasonably well for myself, and I had a great time doing so. I even made a bit of $$ when I decided I'd had enough of chit under my fingernails, and the odd sleepless night wondering where the $$'s were gonna come from.
Second apprenticeship happened when I said to my old man one day "want some help for a few weeks with that job" in the building industry. A few weeks became eight years.... Towards the end I was running teams of builders/ roofers/ labourers all at the one time on differring jobsites, with job values measured in the millions of dollars for each site. Pay went commensurate with returns.....
Now I have embarked on apprenticeship number three, and the only advice I'll say to any of you that go out there and get a CPL with no real understanding of just what the industry is all about, then are you really fair dinkum about becoming an (insert ultimate goal here)? If you were, then you'd have done your homework a bit better, wouldn't you?
Those of which who choose to carry-on regardless, and continue to persevere knowing that with no pain there is no reward, I'll take my hat off to you, for you trully have your own measure and goals.
Those who would rather make a huge noise about it and have gotten into this industry, knowing all the time just what the score actually was, there is nobody else to blame but you.
I didn't say that everyone should just accept it, rather be aware of what it is going to take to get you where you want to go.
Those who cannot accept this, perhaps you'd be better-off doing something else if you don't have the patience to persevere. Besides, there ARE GA jobs that do pay rather well, you've just got to work out what and where.
Somebody surely should be able to get another knife in, shouldn't they?
