There are only a few months to go before the final exams for the fifth formers and like usual, there are going to be a lot who will be dropping out of the education systems for various reasons to join the workforce. There is not much prospect for a Form Five dropout unless they are willing to learn a trade. If you are looking for an office job, the best you can do will be an office boy or a delivery boy. Even a clerical job is out of the question if you don’t have some clerical or book keeping skills. My advise is go and learn some trade that interest you.
Getting The Right Job
If you are not choosy, there are plenty of trade that you can easily start with. When I left school after Form Five, I was involved in at least 8 trades before settling down as an apprentice electrician cum plumber. My opinion is it’s good to try out various fields. We are still young and there is plenty of time to let us decide which interests us the most. We might see a carpenter sawing and hammering away and it seems lots of fun, but once we try it out, it is not funny anymore. So by all means, try out whatever you want, but once you find something that really interest you, for god’s sake stick to it until you become a master yourself.
How An Apprentice Should Behave.
An apprentice is a student and students must listen to their teachers. Get that into your head. We might meet good teachers and we might meet lousy teachers but it’s our duty to respect them as teachers. I have been an apprentice and so have I been a teacher with apprentices learning from me, so I know the feelings from both sides.
An apprentice that listens and observe attentively is a good apprentice. They might differ in their intelligence and their interpretation of things but as long as they are willing to learn, they are good apprentices. Some smart ones need only to be told once and they can deliver a good job. Some needs to be told many times over in order for them to grasps what is being taught. That is the time some short tempered masters will start shouting obscenities at the apprentice. The most important thing is never to answer back. I have seen apprentices whacking their masters with whatever was in their hands when this happens. That is very bad. The boss won’t be sacking the master for sure. It’s always the apprentice that gets the sack.
So to be a good apprentice you should:
- Be Observant (Keep a sharp eye on how things are done)
- Think and interpret what you are taught (Don’t wait to be spoon fed. Think over what you saw and interpret why it has been done like that)
- Control your Temper (take being scolded as part of your training)
- Be Patient (Your time will come)
- Be on Time for Work (Don’t keep your master waiting)
- Don’t be Lazybone (while your master is working, don’t sit, Always be on his side to wait for instructions)
- Do minor things without being told. (like clearing up the mess)
- Don’t be afraid to ask (When told to do something and you are not sure, ASK. It’s better to get scolded for asking than get scolded for doing something wrong)
- Use the age old but most effective trick. Polish your Master’s Shoes. (I don’t have to teach you how, do I?)