I have been an independent contractor for 20 plus years in the CATV world. As with any job, there are always ups and downs but I have never regretted one bit of it. Here's a look back at some of the things some or all of you have experienced while being a CATV contractor.
"Unprofessionalism in the workplace"
Being self employed definitely has some perks. Cable wasn't my only interest, there were other side gigs I did. Back in the early 2000's I had an audio / visual gig going on when flat screen tv's were really starting to hit... remember plasma tv's? I was running around hanging tv's all over the place. I was young and didn't mind working those 20 hours days. I did learn a lot along the way, it's a bit different when you're the one quoting out the job and offering the finished product. There were a few important lessons learned but one of them stands out and that is how to quote the job correctly...
You're running your own ship. Figuring out how much time it would take to do the job, where the job is located, scheduling it, getting materials... all of these things should be running through your head before you give out that magic number. I wasn't a company man, I'm running my own truck, packing my own tools, forking out insurance payments you name it, so i'm going to figure out how to make a little change, making it worth my while instead of paying to work. Eventually I picked up on it, and did pretty good.
Fast forward to my day job and I remember getting dirty looks, attitudes, threats, shitty comments while taking the time to think about a map that just got handed to me. I'm trying to figure all this stuff out in my head while standing there in front of the construction supervisor or whoever was handing out the work. Now I kept it professional most of the time, I wasn't an asshole or anything but it didn't make a difference if I worked there for 5 days or for 5 years, I'm not in the business of going broke so I'm going to give each job a thought. I remember some places I've worked I felt like it was offensive to ask questions. I tried not to ask "stupid" questions but you know, I'm asking about the scope, what's expected and all of that good stuff. Half the time the folks handing out the work didn't even drive it out or survey anything. Of course a one spanner didn't necessarily mean someone had to put their eyes on it, but I would think a 15 floor MDU or a 3 mile plant extension would... but are you paying me to drive it out? Of course not. "If you don't want it, I'll give it to someone else", they always say.
"Making sense"
Sometimes it just wouldn't make sense for a certain job. Most of the time I was a one man band but I did run with a few folks from time to time. Maybe the running was trash? High traffic area, easement poles, access issues, needs tree trimming, resags, pole transfers, a dozen straight splices, 12 cable package with half the lashing wire busted and you don't remember where you last put the G lasher, or better yet, you drive out there and come to find out the map is all wrong, LOL. I don't know, if you've been in the business for a while you kind of pick up on all the 5000 different variables in cable tv. You should know what you can and can't do in a timely manner.
Bottom line is, I do have a right to refuse work in a professional manner but you know how it is, half the time it's going to cost you something for turning it down. Or maybe not. Most of us just suck it up and do it anyway. Who knows, sometimes you get out there and its gravy... I don't have a crystal ball.
There are some highly respected people in management that I have come across over the years, and I never had a problem dealing with those folks. But every once in a while you'll get that young buck, fresh out of nowhere who thinks they know it all or has that young cocky attitude that makes you want to punch him square in the face, but when we talk about professionalism, where did he learn that? I think it wasn't in his vocabulary...
"It's easy" Oh but you have remember a million different things...
We work in a trade where paper degrees, certifications, and the like doesn't always matter. What I believe matters is the field experience you gain in facing numerous situations / scenarios over the years.
A million different homes, apartments, wall fishes, fire blocks, brick, plaster, vinyl siding, crawl spaces, construction sites, green field, brown field, commercial buildings, EMT or flex conduit, aerial, bucket trucks, squirt boom, knuckle boom, Onan, PTO, Insualted, Non-Insulated, T40, Posi Plus, snow shoe, no snow shoe, single lash, double lash only, resag, double dead end, ADSS, self support .625, magic box, shotgun, slap ons, setup chute, carpet, anchor cranker, underground, jack stands, hydraulic trailer, 4 pin trailer connector, 6pin, 7 way, OSHA confined space cert, manhole package, blower, gas detector, green peds, brown peds, rock peds, vaults, hand holes, matchstick directional bore, missile only, ground rods, towns, cities, cornfields, rear easement, front easement, cable systems, cable types, .440MC, 565TX, .625, .860QR, .1160 super trunk, fiber types, loose tube, ribbon, spyder fiber, CWDM, DWDM, low water peak fiber, .200 micron, .250 micron, sweep, ingress, impluse, CTB, DOCSIS 1,2,3,3,1, how long the pins have to be cut for what type of equipment, millenium taps, Maspro taps, Regals, 10/8 is a terminating tap, extensions or no extensions, 3 piece or 2 piece, PPC, Gilbert, different levels, trunk / feeder levels, 550mhz, 750mhz, 860mhz, 1.2 gig, cable loss, tilt chart, OFDM, MER / BER, CN, Node is running on this, amps are running on that, 38TX here, 40TX there, 42 split, 65 split, redundant or non redundant, collector nodes, Node plus 12, Node plus 5, Node Plus 0, 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 1x2, daisy chain, VHub, Alpha power supply, Lectro power supply, mini brute, holy christ, there really are million different things in cable. I think all of you can relate to some or all of the above LOL.
I got a lot of my certifications in cable more than a decade later. As I was expanding my company, it was then I felt like it was relevant to have them. I found it pretty easy to get certs after I put my hands on all the different things they're certifying you on.
"Another green horn"
It takes a bit to grow some balls and stay in the game. I can't say it's for the faint hearted but those who make a living out of it, i would call it more of a lifestyle. I do notice there seems to be a lack of skilled labor these days. Think about it... we aren't sending our kids to trade school. They're in public or private schools where the way of America has shifted focus from manufacturing to technology. They're not learning what a box wrench does, they're learning the chemical composition of the metals that are in a box wrench. Why do you think everything is made in somewhere else? My first cell phone growing up didn't have internet. It cost money to send a text message. I'm showing someone why it's important to put those cones out the way you're supposed to and the next thing I know the guy is standing at the back of the truck glued to his cell phone with his back facing oncoming traffic. Imagine that! I'm not saying everyone is like that, but times have certainly changed. I was glued to the guy who trained me. I felt like I couldn't take a piss unless he said it was ok to. If I threw up the wrong size bolt I'm sure it would be on its way back down in a second, aimed straight for my hard hat.
Technology is constantly changing these days. There's always something newer or better out there. But somebody has to put it together.
You can go to sleep now. Thanks for watching!
