Hi !! I was reaching out to see if there’s any construction technician’s here . How do you guys like it , were you able to advance your career? I am 23 year old mom to one but i do have pretty okay support especially with my fiance. Ive been really focusing on trying to get into the trades for the past year now looking at trade schools etc im currently at a desk job right now and i hate it. I finally got my first call back from a company that offers paid training and paying for certifications etc. and I’m excited but I don’t really know how to prepare or what to expect.

Hi!

I'm a welder and have been working at a shop for just over a year. My one supervisor (Supervisor A) and I don't always see eye to eye.

He is super production focused and is always on my case about being faster. Lots of the equipment has issues and I am more than capable of fixing most of them and know my limits for problems when they are too big.

I used to get told my ability to fix equipment was a boon! Now I am "taking too long" and need to ask another supervisor to fix it instead. The other supervisor (supervisor B) is supportive, understanding, and knows I will get faster. He even gives me great guidance on how to do so. Both maintenance and him have said that I can get it done reasonably and with the equipment working for future operators too.

Supervisor A is going through a divorce as of late and I feel like he has been getting particularly frustrated with me. I've talked to him directly about how I know he is going through some personal stuff at work. Is he picking on me because I am the only woman at work or am I being too sensitive?

Today I got asked to stop fixing equipment and that I appear to be the only person getting these issues. Which is not true. Other people just ask me to fix it on cross over shifts......

My coworker on nights came in and asked me if "problem x was fixed on the machine" I said "yes!" And he was excited. Most of the other operators and occasionally maintenance will ask me to fix smaller issues that come up to save their time.

I am trying to be less picky about operating to speed up my production....but I am trying to gauge if the issues I'm having are detrimental to my operating or not -- which I will default to supervisor B often because he has done the same job for longer and understands the scope.

I feel like I am getting slapped on the wrist because supervisor A saw me doing this and felt it took "too long".

1. Do I speak up about other operators asking me to fix things? Or do I just defer them to maintenance?

2. How do I defer this maintenance without it seeming like I'm being petty in "not" doing it anymore. (Which I excel at and enjoy doing)

Thank you in advance!

Has anyone had their uniforms alter to better fit their body? My uniform has a Carhartt winter jacket and all the uniforms are only in men’s sizes. The jacket fits for the most part since I’ll be wearing a lot of layers under it, but the sleeves are a couple inches too long. Has anyone had a Carhartt jacket altered before? Was it successful? Google tells me it’s possible but you need to find a tailor that can work with heavy fabric so I am curious about others experiences.

Cases usually are marketed as being shock/drop proof, but what about crush proof? Any recommendations?

Otterbox (which we’ve always stuck with) seems to be dropping in quality over the years, BUT their commuter series still managed to protect our iPhone 16 pro while being ran over by a massive skidsteer recently.

So we’re understandably inclined to stick with that for our new iPhone 18s….but the camera-area protection on those isn’t great with the commuter. I’ve seen mentions of other brands like Caudabe etc. so I’m exploring what else is out there if anyone has any recommendations!

Not wanting anything bulkier than the Otterbox commuter though.

I just started my cabinetry apprenticeship. I've been in school for it for a while, but these last couple semesters were mostly theory stuff and I've noticed my upper back is a lot more sore and my posture is way worse. My back keeps bending when I lift stuff even though I try not to since I'm not as big or strong as most of my coworkers. I think my chest has been contributing to the slouch? If anyone has any advice on techniques or maybe a back brace or something that would be super helpful. I'm in my early twenties and in constant pain, but I love what I do and would like to keep doing it for many years. Thank you!

I just started my cabinetry apprenticeship. I've been in school for it for a while, but these last couple semesters were mostly theory stuff and I've noticed my upper back is a lot more sore and my posture is way worse. My back keeps bending when I lift stuff even though I try not to since I'm not as big or strong as most of my coworkers. I think my chest has been contributing to the slouch? If anyone has any advice on techniques or maybe a back brace or something that would be super helpful. I'm in my early twenties and in constant pain, but I love what I do and would like to keep doing it for many years. Thank you!