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You may have been doing some of the other higher-level duties you mentioned, but they were strictly as a helper. You have NO technical skills at this point. You have NO real viable knowledge base on which to build, except a high school diploma. You may be a "hard worker", but hey, so's the guy who cuts my grass.
This office tower had a total crew of (11)-eight engineers, two lampers, and a general helper (myself). We had two men whose only duty was to change lights/ballasts (we called them lampers. They were not engineers)- I would be happy to find such a position. I occasionally worked with them in this task (in addition to my other duties), and can attest to the fact that this skill could be acquired through basic hands on experience.
One would not need to go to any sort of technical school to learn this, it was strictly on the job training. The most important thing to remember when changing a ballast is to cap off the 277 V hot wire before doing anything else! Once this is done, it is a simple task, as you simply connect the similarly colored wires, ie; white-neutral,green-ground,etc.
These guys made about $12-13 an hour (plus weekly overtime). They did not need to go to any vocational school to get this job, it was entirely a word of mouth recruiting! One of the lampers, formerly worked as a janitor (mopping,sweeping,etc, probably made only about $8 an hour) at a small 11 story building and simply got his start by helping out the engineer that worked at the building. Since it was only 11 floors they only had one on site engineer, and he provided training to this janitor making him a valuable asset (and therefore increasing his wage from about $8 to about $12).
Eventually, my building (the 53 story high rise) had a vacancy for a full time lamper-a $12 an hour position. At this point, the janitor left the position at his small building, and was hired as one of the men who was assigned the task of replacing lamps and ballasts. He went from working in an unskilled janitorial position to being a skilled worker (lamper-not engineer) on the engineering staff of a 53 story high rise! That story is my idea of the pathway to success! He never attended any schooling related to his job, he learned it all on the job!
I would love to find a similar opportunity in this industry as a lamper or apprentice engineer. I have no desire to attend any sort of schooling. I despised nearly every minute of my twelve years of schooling from 1st grade on up! While attending high school, I would sit at my desk and watch with fascination when the school's engineer would come in to troubleshoot the heating system! We became friends, and he shared with me a great many invaluable tools of the trade....After high school ended (Thank heaven for that!), I set out to find an entry level apprentice opportunity in the industry. God must have been looking out for me, as I was extraordinarily blessed to receive the opportunity of a lifetime to work at one of the largest office towers in my city.
My role at the building was basically as an apprentice- I helped the lampers,installed air temp sensors in the AHU rooms, changed filters & belts, greased bearings, changed out flush valves, cut ceiling tile, unclogged commodes and sinks, power-washed heat exchangers and cooling towers, brushed chiller tubes and recorded monthly electrical meter readings. In addition I collaborated with the engineers on more advanced tasks such as 1/3 HP motor change outs. All of my training was received on the job as well- as I started at age 19 shortly after graduating high school, and found my training abruptly cut short at the young age of 21!
It is unfortunate that corporate bureaucracy would destroy the future of a young person with true goals and ambition! I had a great drive to learn something new every day, and make an asset of myself.
Last edited by John Stephenson; 11-23-2015 at 04:41 PM..
Well, you can keep on blaming the "corporate bureaucracy" for "destroying" your future, but in reality, it was YOUR behavior that did that. Own it and get over it. You think changing light ballasts is a great job to which you can aspire? Wow. That will only get you so far, but hey, if that's as far as you wish to go in life, so be it. Find another janitorial position and try to stay out of trouble so you can work your way up to ballast-changer again. If you want to do better though, why not enter an ACTUAL apprentice program, where you work hands-on while receiving your technical certification? That way you're not sitting in a classroom all day at a desk. You could choose plumbing, HVAC, electrical tech, etc. But if you continue your self-pity party and bemoan the loss of your beloved 53-story high rise, you're not going to get anywhere.
It is unfortunate that corporate bureaucracy would destroy the future of a young person with true goals and ambition! I had a great drive to learn something new every day, and make an asset of myself.
If your mom was, say, changing her clothes in the building restroom after work and a maintenance man entered without announcing himself, not once but multiple times, you'd be relying on that so-called "corporate bureaucracy" to rectify that situation.
You knew you were supposed to announce your presence before entering the women's restroom. You CHOSE not to do it. The "absentmindedness" you claim is no excuse and no defense. If it truly was "absentmindedness," then it was your choice not to apply proper attention to what you were doing. The corporation didn't make you fail, you chose to fail.
The company sees you not as an asset but as a liability, someone who chooses to behave carelessly and could leave the company vulnerable to all kinds of legal and financial penalties.
You are solely responsible for what happened to you and for what happens to you from now on. Blaming the company is completely unproductive. It won't solve your problem, it won't get you a new job, it won't change the past, and NOBODY IS BUYING IT.
This office tower had a total crew of 11-eight engineers, two lampers, and a general helper (myself). We had two men whose only duty was to change lights/ballasts (we called them lampers. They were not engineers)- I would be happy to find such a position. I occasionally worked with them in this task (in addition to my other duties), and can attest to the fact that this skill could be acquired through basic hands on experience.
One would not need to go to any sort of technical school to learn this, it was strictly on the job training. The most important thing to remember when changing a ballast is to cap off the 277 V hot wire before doing anything else! Once this is done, it is a simple task, as you simply connect the similarly colored wires, ie; white-neutral,green-ground,etc.
These guys made about $12-13 an hour (plus weekly overtime). They did not need to go to any vocational school to get this job, it was entirely a word of mouth recruiting! One of the lampers, formerly worked as a janitor (mopping,sweeping,etc, probably made only about $8 an hour) at a small 11 story building and simply got his start by helping out the engineer that worked at the building. Since it was only 11 floors they only had one on site engineer, and he provided training to this janitor making him a valuable asset (and therefore increasing his wage from about $8 to about $12).
Eventually, my building (the 53 story high rise) had a vacancy for a full time lamper-a $12 an hour position. At this point, the janitor left the position at his small building, and was hired as one of the men who was assigned the task of replacing lamps and ballasts. He went from working in an unskilled janitorial position to being a skilled worker (lamper-not engineer) on the engineering staff of a 53 story high rise! That story is my idea of the pathway to success! He never attended any schooling related to his job, he learned it all on the job!
I would love to find a similar opportunity in this industry as a lamper or apprentice engineer. I have no desire to attend any sort of schooling. I despised nearly every minute of my twelve years of schooling from 1st grade on up! While attending high school, I would sit at my desk and watch with fascination when the school's engineer would come in to troubleshoot the heating system! We became friends, and he shared with me a great many invaluable tools of the trade....After high school ended (Thank heaven for that!), I set out to find an entry level apprentice opportunity in the industry. God must have been looking out for me, as I was extraordinarily blessed to receive the opportunity of a lifetime to work at one of the largest office towers in my city.
My role at the building was basically as an apprentice- I helped the lampers,installed air temp sensors in the AHU rooms, changed filters & belts, greased bearings, changed out flush valves, cut ceiling tile, unclogged commodes and sinks, power-washed heat exchangers and cooling towers, brushed chiller tubes and recorded monthly electrical meter readings. In addition I collaborated with the engineers on more advanced tasks such as 1/3 HP motor change outs. All of my training was received on the job as well- as I started at age 19 shortly after graduating high school, and found my training abruptly cut short at the young age of 21!
It is unfortunate that corporate bureaucracy would destroy the future of a young person with true goals and ambition! I had a great drive to learn something new every day, and make an asset of myself.
Believe me, I'll never forget the stupid mistake I made. I can assure you it will never happen again!
I have heard some interesting stories from others. It seems that many people have made ignorant errors at least once, due to simply having their mind some where else!
Last edited by John Stephenson; 11-23-2015 at 04:52 PM..
This video shows the type of work I used to do everyday.
Please note this is NOT the facility I used to work in. The building shown is located in NYC. I currently live in a large city in the Southern part of the US. I am sharing this to help others understand the intricacy of this business.
It was a great industry to work in....I miss it greatly!
I'm sorry to the OP. It was an honest mistake. I've seen people forget to lock the door and get walked in on by janitors. It's an honest mistake. Sadly for you, this sue happy world puts your (former) employer between a rock and a hard place. Do they fire you and cut bait or retain you and face possible lawsuit(s.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by fishbrains
Too long, but I did read it.
Your young, you made a mistake, you got fired.
For the record, entering the women's room without clearly announcing yourself as 'maintenance. May I enter' is a pretty big mistake, and it sounds as if you did this several times. I am not sure what shower you used, but if it was for an excercise facility or similar in the building, that would also be a problem.
Your life and career aren't over. This is a setback, not a defeat.
You now have a few years of experience, which is more than you had when you were hired. You have a few people you can use as references, which is also a plus.
If you haven't yet obtained some sort of trade certification, you should do that. Building operations requires special skills. Get your plumbers ticket, boiler operators certification, get qualified as a locksmith, whatever it is. This will give you additional skills that will make you a more valuable employee and allow you to access higher pay levels.
The bold, I am not sure if that is so true anymore. The world is small now thanks to the internet and social media. Had this happen 20-30 years ago, the OP could easily get a job elsewhere should this situation pop up. I mean how many times have we seen some people have an issue in one town or even a state but get hired elsewhere due to how segregated the areas were. Now it is possible but with LinkedIn and much stronger ties in industry organizations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtrader
Today, any intelligent company would fire you for entering a woman's restroom, without announcing and making sure it was unoccupied. If they did not, they could be sued by the women that you walked in on for not protecting them.
You call it a mistake. The woman would call it sexual voyeurism. And that is against the law.
Sexual voyeurism, meaning you walked into a woman's bathroom attempting to get a peak at women partly or fully unclothed. By not announcing and making clear the restroom was clear, it would appear to them and your employer you were guilty of attempted Sexual voyeurism.
You may have done it completely innocent, but no company would dare keep you employed when there was no way of knowing if it was an accident or planned. When it happened for the second time, and it was reported to the company in a complaint, they had no choice but to fire you. And remember, the complaint came from a very large legal office, and it is filled with attorneys who could sue your employer if they did not take action.
This makes me think of a scene I saw at a sports event I went to. A rowdy fan was thrown out and was stumbling drunk while his wife was stark raven mad cussin' at the officers helping with throwing out the rowdy fan. The fan got up the steps and stumbles down. At this point the wife tries to get in between the husband and one of the officers. The second officer and tries to push her back but he touched her chest so she instantly shouted, "He groped me, he groped me..." One person's grope is another's push. The issue is who's side do you take and why.
I'm sorry to the OP. It was an honest mistake. I've seen people forget to lock the door and get walked in on by janitors. It's an honest mistake. Sadly for you, this sue happy world puts your (former) employer between a rock and a hard place. Do they fire you and cut bait or retain you and face possible lawsuit(s.)
This is true. My thanks for your objective perspective.
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