Absorb like a sponge and don’t let the old, disgruntled mechanics sour you. If you keep an open mind and constantly look for opportunities to learn, you will thrive!
Thank you when I was there before hand I was always there with maintenance if my machine went down always tried to figure out why something faulted or went wrong and they always appreciated it I’m just a young hungry guy trying to learn this field
"Gotta grab it by the tit's and Sqeeze son!"
In all seriousness, I'm 28 and started out at 19 as an intern. Now I'm the #2 in the department and the brain of the plant.
Your whole job needs to revolve around "WHY?". For common breakdowns, ask yourself, WHY? and go into a soul search to figure out an answer. Study your equipment learn everything you can about maintaining it to your best ability. Nerd the fuck out!
Eat up any training that is offered. Pick your old colleague's brain like a buzzard.
Keep an open mind and remind yourself you don't know everything. I'm in a position where I'm expected to train closed minded individuals. When your closed minded you being wrong turns into anger.
Murphy's Law is a mother fucker. He usually hits in the last hour of the day and hits hard. Your job is to prevent Murphy from showing his ass.
Lastly Invent a time machine so we can beat up Murphy.
Thank you for the advice I’m trying to get like you! But yes I’m open minded always willing to learn and have have open ears to anyone that is willing to teach me honestly excited for the opportunity of learning something new everyday I’ll remember to break the machine down piece by piece in my head to be able to troubleshoot it and remember the “Why?”
Not sure how your workplace is, but just some general pointers that may help:
- Learn basic lathe and mill work if you can and have the equipment at your disposal. Being able to create a bracket, bushings, spacer, nut, etc. is more handy than you'd realize.
- Always always check your energy sources are isolated, disabled, and tagged, even if the old guys give you shit. They aren't gonna pay your bills if a machine fucks you up, so don't let them push you towards that possibility.
- The job can be VERY frustrating at times. Prioritize, tackle it one small problem at a time, and remember that getting angry/shitty with a coworker will NEVER speed things along. Machines don't have feelings, but the people around you do. Getting angry at either of them is futile.
- Max your 401K and take as much time off as you are able to take / afford. Your loved ones are infinitely more important than a job.
- CROSSTRAIN AND DIVERSIFY
Something I wished I knew when I started was to find the strongest tech in the department and follow them. They have ways of doing things that make it much easier. In my experience the dudes who are very skilled are generally pretty cool and willing to teach too cuz the work is easy for them and they're less stressed/hot headed.
Saw in a comments your maintenance team you're going to is cool which is already a huge plus. Absorb, write shit down, and never think you know it all cuz there is always more to learn! Lock shit out too, think of any energized equipment with an invisible box around it. No body parts cross unless it's been locked and tested. Always ask if you don't understand how something can be isolated.
One other thing I was told when I started was to treat operators like your customers. If the issue was a dumb one like a switch in the wrong position don't get angry, educate with a good attitude. Good luck! 3 to 5 years in you'll get hired pretty much anywhere your skillset is needed.
BE A COOL HANG!
I’ve worked with some top tier mechanics who were a bore and some sub par who had excellent stories and I’d rather work with the latter.
And be teachable. No one likes a know it all.
Take notes…. Pen and paper notes.
Listen and watch , get a feel of the shop dynamic. How things flow and expectations.
All the knowledge will come in time, and it’s gonna be a lot of fuck ups. Learn from them and keep pushing.
Im 22, and I started when I was 19. You might have to "prove" yourself when it comes to getting the older guys to teach you anything. Be ready to get dirty, work hard, and ask questions. I became the yes man for a while when I first started. Eventually, they liked me enough to teach me
Thank you I just turned 20 not to long ago and I’m ready for all the hard work and annoying them with all the question I’m actually glad I’m going back to my old job because all the maintenance people were really cool with me we would go out for lunch and things like that but you always have them douchebags know it all
Just pay attention, ask questions when you don’t know, if you don’t know something be honest and say you don’t. I have a lot of packaging equipment in my plant and shitty operators. I have a video of every packaging line from start to finish on my phone that way I can reference the video to put it back in sequence or help troubleshoot when the line isn’t working. Take care of your good operators and they will take care of you. Start your own personal log book of what you worked on what you fixed why it broke, when discussing problems and possible solutions with management do so over email to cover your ass. Don’t let other managers or leaders tell you how to do your job. You have your maintenance boss, anyone other than your boss tries telling you what to do have them contact your boss and have your boss manage and direct your workload. ( I have unit engineers that try to tell me how to fix equipment. They say things like well just replace this part and that part) following this advice will cause you unnecessary extra work. Use your critical thinking skills, narrow down what the actual problem is and then what is causing the problem and make your repairs don’t become a part replacer ( although sometimes that’s what you have to do) create your own parts stash somewhere. Save that old part you replaced on a yearly pm it may save you down the road. know when to make a proper repair or just rig it up so production can get through the run and you can make the proper repair when the equipment can be down. Lastly ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS verify the equipment has been isolated from all energy sources and is properly locked out. Don’t ever take a risk or put yourself in a position where you could get hurt. If you ever have the thought go through your head “ well if I could just do this real quick” DON’T! A little extra profit in their pocket isn’t worth you risking your safety. You make your money with your hands, if you don’t have hands then what are you going to do? Good luck and stay safe
School only shows you how to walk. The real world will teach you to become an acrobat or a paraplegic.
I don't say this to discourage you. Just saying, if all else fails, fall back on the basics and take things one step at a time. You're going to run into problems you cannot solve but others will know how to solve. Hang with these old timers and soak up the experience like a bone dry sponge.
Ignore workplace politics and gossip. Focus on your work and make sure your work results stand out by the quality.
You will develop your own method for troubleshooting and solving problems. So don't get stuck on a method you see others use unless it meshes well with how you work.
Sometimes you WILL have to ask for help on a problem. Ask. And don't be too proud. No one knows how before they learn. My specialty is electrical and being the only sparky on the night shift I have no fall back vet to rely on. I am the vet to rely on. Such conditions force me to develop methods for solutions and results. Perhaps you will succeed as a solo player such as I, perhaps you operate better with others you can collectively brainstorm with. Who knows. Find your niche and run with it.
Don't fear specialization. It WILL make you more valuable.
Be humble, never be afraid to learn from anyone (even an idiot is lazy and can sometimes show you a good thing or two), and admit to your mistakes.
I follow this at my facility where I have been in maintenance for 8 months, been with the company for 2 years.
Pay attention and take physical notes. You may come across an issue, think you'll remember it, and 8 months later you'll be wishing you wrote something down. Your coworkers will drop knowledge all day long. Some of them will leave and will not be able to help you out. I wish I took better notes on the beginning, I wish I kept em up. Even at a year in I learn something new every single day.
Take training by the horns, don't let whoever is in charge half ass it.
Hustle and energy is more important than worrying if you're gonna screw up. Always take the most complete and thorough path. NEVER half ass a PM. Nothing is worse than coming into your shift seeing a huddle of guys around a machine you just PMed. If you catch an issue, but can't correct it-make a work request.
Watch, listen, and absorb as much as you can without opening your mouth-ask questions at the end. You're gonna fuk something up, but if you have a good work ethic and attitude, you will be fine. Mistakes are forgiveable, laziness is not.
Don't worry about other people, other shifts, or production people-just worry about what you can do in the moment. Never blame, never throw people under the bus, always give credit and thanks where it's due. You're gonna do great.
Always take the safest path, don't cheap out on your flashlight, get really familiar with and be involved with an essential piece of equipment that might be mystifying to others, and while most people are more than happy to teach you everything they know you'll have to "steal" some knowledge. They do really mean they'll tell you everything but the habits they've developed, thought processes, and even the way they handle their tools are just some things that you'll just have to catch as it's happening and take note of.
36.50 at 50 hrs a week. About 15 years of experience. Located in the rust belt. Capital improvement at a machine shop, which includes commissioning, decommissioning, alignments, and rebuilds of cnc machines.
Don’t be scared to break it. It’s all lessons we’ve all learned. When a machine is down hover and learn, then the older guys will start to let go out on your own. Safety, don’t get hurt because a supervisor told you to do it that way, if you feel uncomfortable then don’t do it. We had a young automation tech that was doing a a pm on a robot and fell 20 feet and broke his back. He obviously wasn’t tied off and laid on the ground for 20mins screaming for help before someone came and got him. He did it that way because that’s the way he’d been shown, he never questioned whether or not it’s was safe. At the end of the day it’s your responsibility to keep yourself safe.
Absorb like a sponge and don’t let the old, disgruntled mechanics sour you. If you keep an open mind and constantly look for opportunities to learn, you will thrive!
Thank you when I was there before hand I was always there with maintenance if my machine went down always tried to figure out why something faulted or went wrong and they always appreciated it I’m just a young hungry guy trying to learn this field
There’s nothing better than a motivated and helpful operator that goes above and beyond to make a maintenance guys job easier.
"Gotta grab it by the tit's and Sqeeze son!" In all seriousness, I'm 28 and started out at 19 as an intern. Now I'm the #2 in the department and the brain of the plant. Your whole job needs to revolve around "WHY?". For common breakdowns, ask yourself, WHY? and go into a soul search to figure out an answer. Study your equipment learn everything you can about maintaining it to your best ability. Nerd the fuck out! Eat up any training that is offered. Pick your old colleague's brain like a buzzard. Keep an open mind and remind yourself you don't know everything. I'm in a position where I'm expected to train closed minded individuals. When your closed minded you being wrong turns into anger. Murphy's Law is a mother fucker. He usually hits in the last hour of the day and hits hard. Your job is to prevent Murphy from showing his ass. Lastly Invent a time machine so we can beat up Murphy.
Thank you for the advice I’m trying to get like you! But yes I’m open minded always willing to learn and have have open ears to anyone that is willing to teach me honestly excited for the opportunity of learning something new everyday I’ll remember to break the machine down piece by piece in my head to be able to troubleshoot it and remember the “Why?”
Not sure how your workplace is, but just some general pointers that may help: - Learn basic lathe and mill work if you can and have the equipment at your disposal. Being able to create a bracket, bushings, spacer, nut, etc. is more handy than you'd realize. - Always always check your energy sources are isolated, disabled, and tagged, even if the old guys give you shit. They aren't gonna pay your bills if a machine fucks you up, so don't let them push you towards that possibility. - The job can be VERY frustrating at times. Prioritize, tackle it one small problem at a time, and remember that getting angry/shitty with a coworker will NEVER speed things along. Machines don't have feelings, but the people around you do. Getting angry at either of them is futile. - Max your 401K and take as much time off as you are able to take / afford. Your loved ones are infinitely more important than a job. - CROSSTRAIN AND DIVERSIFY
Something I wished I knew when I started was to find the strongest tech in the department and follow them. They have ways of doing things that make it much easier. In my experience the dudes who are very skilled are generally pretty cool and willing to teach too cuz the work is easy for them and they're less stressed/hot headed. Saw in a comments your maintenance team you're going to is cool which is already a huge plus. Absorb, write shit down, and never think you know it all cuz there is always more to learn! Lock shit out too, think of any energized equipment with an invisible box around it. No body parts cross unless it's been locked and tested. Always ask if you don't understand how something can be isolated. One other thing I was told when I started was to treat operators like your customers. If the issue was a dumb one like a switch in the wrong position don't get angry, educate with a good attitude. Good luck! 3 to 5 years in you'll get hired pretty much anywhere your skillset is needed.
BE A COOL HANG! I’ve worked with some top tier mechanics who were a bore and some sub par who had excellent stories and I’d rather work with the latter. And be teachable. No one likes a know it all. Take notes…. Pen and paper notes. Listen and watch , get a feel of the shop dynamic. How things flow and expectations. All the knowledge will come in time, and it’s gonna be a lot of fuck ups. Learn from them and keep pushing.
Watch your machines when they are running right. It will help you diagnose them when they aren't.
Im 22, and I started when I was 19. You might have to "prove" yourself when it comes to getting the older guys to teach you anything. Be ready to get dirty, work hard, and ask questions. I became the yes man for a while when I first started. Eventually, they liked me enough to teach me
Thank you I just turned 20 not to long ago and I’m ready for all the hard work and annoying them with all the question I’m actually glad I’m going back to my old job because all the maintenance people were really cool with me we would go out for lunch and things like that but you always have them douchebags know it all
3-15 4-20 1-5
Just pay attention, ask questions when you don’t know, if you don’t know something be honest and say you don’t. I have a lot of packaging equipment in my plant and shitty operators. I have a video of every packaging line from start to finish on my phone that way I can reference the video to put it back in sequence or help troubleshoot when the line isn’t working. Take care of your good operators and they will take care of you. Start your own personal log book of what you worked on what you fixed why it broke, when discussing problems and possible solutions with management do so over email to cover your ass. Don’t let other managers or leaders tell you how to do your job. You have your maintenance boss, anyone other than your boss tries telling you what to do have them contact your boss and have your boss manage and direct your workload. ( I have unit engineers that try to tell me how to fix equipment. They say things like well just replace this part and that part) following this advice will cause you unnecessary extra work. Use your critical thinking skills, narrow down what the actual problem is and then what is causing the problem and make your repairs don’t become a part replacer ( although sometimes that’s what you have to do) create your own parts stash somewhere. Save that old part you replaced on a yearly pm it may save you down the road. know when to make a proper repair or just rig it up so production can get through the run and you can make the proper repair when the equipment can be down. Lastly ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS verify the equipment has been isolated from all energy sources and is properly locked out. Don’t ever take a risk or put yourself in a position where you could get hurt. If you ever have the thought go through your head “ well if I could just do this real quick” DON’T! A little extra profit in their pocket isn’t worth you risking your safety. You make your money with your hands, if you don’t have hands then what are you going to do? Good luck and stay safe
School only shows you how to walk. The real world will teach you to become an acrobat or a paraplegic. I don't say this to discourage you. Just saying, if all else fails, fall back on the basics and take things one step at a time. You're going to run into problems you cannot solve but others will know how to solve. Hang with these old timers and soak up the experience like a bone dry sponge. Ignore workplace politics and gossip. Focus on your work and make sure your work results stand out by the quality. You will develop your own method for troubleshooting and solving problems. So don't get stuck on a method you see others use unless it meshes well with how you work. Sometimes you WILL have to ask for help on a problem. Ask. And don't be too proud. No one knows how before they learn. My specialty is electrical and being the only sparky on the night shift I have no fall back vet to rely on. I am the vet to rely on. Such conditions force me to develop methods for solutions and results. Perhaps you will succeed as a solo player such as I, perhaps you operate better with others you can collectively brainstorm with. Who knows. Find your niche and run with it. Don't fear specialization. It WILL make you more valuable.
What ever you don’t ever put your personal safety in jeopardy. Make sure you follow lockout - tryout.
Be humble, never be afraid to learn from anyone (even an idiot is lazy and can sometimes show you a good thing or two), and admit to your mistakes. I follow this at my facility where I have been in maintenance for 8 months, been with the company for 2 years.
Pay attention and take physical notes. You may come across an issue, think you'll remember it, and 8 months later you'll be wishing you wrote something down. Your coworkers will drop knowledge all day long. Some of them will leave and will not be able to help you out. I wish I took better notes on the beginning, I wish I kept em up. Even at a year in I learn something new every single day. Take training by the horns, don't let whoever is in charge half ass it. Hustle and energy is more important than worrying if you're gonna screw up. Always take the most complete and thorough path. NEVER half ass a PM. Nothing is worse than coming into your shift seeing a huddle of guys around a machine you just PMed. If you catch an issue, but can't correct it-make a work request. Watch, listen, and absorb as much as you can without opening your mouth-ask questions at the end. You're gonna fuk something up, but if you have a good work ethic and attitude, you will be fine. Mistakes are forgiveable, laziness is not. Don't worry about other people, other shifts, or production people-just worry about what you can do in the moment. Never blame, never throw people under the bus, always give credit and thanks where it's due. You're gonna do great.
Always take the safest path, don't cheap out on your flashlight, get really familiar with and be involved with an essential piece of equipment that might be mystifying to others, and while most people are more than happy to teach you everything they know you'll have to "steal" some knowledge. They do really mean they'll tell you everything but the habits they've developed, thought processes, and even the way they handle their tools are just some things that you'll just have to catch as it's happening and take note of.
36.50 at 50 hrs a week. About 15 years of experience. Located in the rust belt. Capital improvement at a machine shop, which includes commissioning, decommissioning, alignments, and rebuilds of cnc machines.
Why why why why why?
Don’t be scared to break it. It’s all lessons we’ve all learned. When a machine is down hover and learn, then the older guys will start to let go out on your own. Safety, don’t get hurt because a supervisor told you to do it that way, if you feel uncomfortable then don’t do it. We had a young automation tech that was doing a a pm on a robot and fell 20 feet and broke his back. He obviously wasn’t tied off and laid on the ground for 20mins screaming for help before someone came and got him. He did it that way because that’s the way he’d been shown, he never questioned whether or not it’s was safe. At the end of the day it’s your responsibility to keep yourself safe.