Younger Operators Experience

G'day all, being a younger chap i certainly lack in the good operators experience. So here is the dilemma, i have tried a few local contractors both big and small, to get some work experience and have had no luck. Being our winter downunder most things have slowed considerably, but not stopped.

Even watching while working a hand shovel will teach you a lot about how to best use a certain machine.

Given the hard financial situation, i can understand that companies don't want to waste their money, educating people when they can get ready trained operators/shovel men.

So i suppose the next course of action is to get an older machine practice practice practice then try again? Hopefully once i become somewhat useful on it i could do some smaller jobs

Any suggestions ?

Well given it would be an older machine i would do all the spanner turning myself another big skill and knowing how to keep a machine going while on the job. I know exactly where the boss is coming from too... At a place i do work for they got a work experience person in and on the first day they had written off the bosses good ute going through a 20' gateway...

I dont think younger oporators should be ignored, I'm 25 years old and grew up on tractors and a small cat loader and cars, pulled things apart and fixed things. taught myself how things worked. At 18 got a job as a s@#! kicker drillers offsider and after proving myself as a good worker and didnt just sit around reading the drillers porn mags when thing needed doing, i was put on one of the little rigs (with about 5 mins training) and put to work, learned the hard way how to and how not to do it. after 4 years I could oporate about 6 differnent types of rigs and was a well regarded very wanted driller, I had name for being productive while looking after my gear.
but in saying this there were plenty of other young guys who were given a go and screwed it up by aiming for big production but destroying thing and leaving their rigs a mess basically costing money in the long run. so i suppose to get a good young oporator may not be worth the trouble.
When I finished drilling I went out and bought a brand new bobcat (having never driven one) and a little old truck. I started doing cheap work for people explaining that I was learning (and was insured) and taught myself the best way to do things. after 3 or 4 years doing this I have good name around town for being a very competant oporator and for actually turning up when I say I will be there. I have now upgraded to a bigger newer truck and also got a excavator which I taught myself to oporate and a front end loader.
So I suppose if your aim is to own your own gear and oporate it, then I'd say get out and buy something caus it'll take a couple of years to get a good name for yourself.
If you just want to oporate someone elses gear, start at the bottom and prove yourself as reliable and competant.
I hope this is the sort of thing you were hoping for, and that I havnt rambled too much.

Had a full time job and wasn't going to give it up for less pay or running a shovel. I went out and bought some older equipment to learn on, Charged a rate that was reflecting of my skill level and haven't looked back. I still work full time but only cause i would feel guilty quitting. Like you say, just being around the equipment teaches you alot about how to run it. Always ask questions!!! In my full time job i oversee alot of water and sewer installs so i ask operators lots of questions about there machines, Which buttons do what if i'm not familiar and what they think about that particular brand and model. If you have the time and money the operating schools are good from what i hear, Usually end up with a job when your done. I also am only 25

DGMM said:

I dont think younger oporators should be ignored, I'm 25 years old and grew up on tractors and a small cat loader and cars, pulled things apart and fixed things. taught myself how things worked. At 18 got a job as a s@#! kicker drillers offsider and after proving myself as a good worker and didnt just sit around reading the drillers porn mags when thing needed doing, i was put on one of the little rigs (with about 5 mins training) and put to work, learned the hard way how to and how not to do it. after 4 years I could oporate about 6 differnent types of rigs and was a well regarded very wanted driller, I had name for being productive while looking after my gear.
but in saying this there were plenty of other young guys who were given a go and screwed it up by aiming for big production but destroying thing and leaving their rigs a mess basically costing money in the long run. so i suppose to get a good young oporator may not be worth the trouble.
When I finished drilling I went out and bought a brand new bobcat (having never driven one) and a little old truck. I started doing cheap work for people explaining that I was learning (and was insured) and taught myself the best way to do things. after 3 or 4 years doing this I have good name around town for being a very competant oporator and for actually turning up when I say I will be there. I have now upgraded to a bigger newer truck and also got a excavator which I taught myself to oporate and a front end loader.
So I suppose if your aim is to own your own gear and oporate it, then I'd say get out and buy something caus it'll take a couple of years to get a good name for yourself.
If you just want to oporate someone elses gear, start at the bottom and prove yourself as reliable and competant.
I hope this is the sort of thing you were hoping for, and that I havnt rambled too much.

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Thanks for that DGMM, that is exactly what i was looking for So now here is the another question which piece of machinery is the best to learn on, i am leaning heavily towards a tracked loader with a 4 in 1 and rippers, around the Cat 955 size or a 8-10 ton excavator with a thumb.

There seems to be a huge oversupply of mini ex's and bobcats in my area, so that target market will not work.

Any other ideas greatly appreciated

I will be doing things differently from the standard, tipper truck, bobcat route because of the major reason above.

Don't ever give up hope if it's something you truly want.

Also "Good things come to those who work their @$$es off!"

Show up early, ready, willing and able to work. Young people have an advantage right now strictly because the majority of them don't want to work, and the few that do really turn heads and get noticed. A couple things that I have attributed to my success are, "Eliminate the word can't from your vocabulary and you can do anything" and never never never say " I know" to anyone trying to help you out.

WOW! I'm impressed, something tells me you'll end up a Foreman or Superintendent before you know it. I'm lucky to get them to just show up ON TIME!

bigshow said:

Show up early, ready, willing and able to work. Young people have an advantage right now strictly because the majority of them don't want to work, and the few that do really turn heads and get noticed. A couple things that I have attributed to my success are, "Eliminate the word can't from your vocabulary and you can do anything" and never never never say " I know" to anyone trying to help you out.

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Im not sure there is one machine best to learn on. Any machine will give you a feel for how earth moves, bucket angles, how to fill a bucket, get your eye into what is and isnt level. I think that if you become competant on one type of achine you can move to another and pick it up fairly quickly.
From my experience, I had an 8 ton kom excavator for a year or so, an 8 tonner is an odd size. Absolutly fantastic machine, awesome power, big enough to dig a decent dam, small enough to trench or swing blocks. fits in a six wheeler. but there seems to be a mentality of customers that it it either too big to get in and around their yard or not big enough to dig a little dam or clear some big trees. so i didnt get much work with mine, but thats not to say you wouldn't, it seems to be a popular size for roadworks etc.
And being a little negative again but only through my observations, traxcavators are an odd sort of a machine. rarely see them around, I've never oporated one (a couple of hours on a million year old rust bucket, good fun!) but i can imagine them to be fantastic all rounder. I would think customer mentality would hire a loader or a dozer over a traxc just because people know what they can do, not many would know what a traxc is let alone what it is capable of.
Again this is not to say if you do buy your 955, get good on it, and get a ggod name for quality work at a fair price and TURN UP ON TIME (I think that one impresses peeps most) that you wont be flat out in a couple of years.
personally I would oporate a machine that I enjoy oporating and do a good job of it over driving someting which is in demand that I dont enjoy driving and doing a $h!11y job of it. I now stick to my bobcat and loader because that is what I enjoy, my old man now owns my 5.5t digga and oporates it because I'd prefer to be in my bobcat.

Dont forget the bigger the machine the bigger the cost to repair/run/transport and tracked gear is very expensive to keep due to track gear wear and tear.

SeaMac said:

WOW! I'm impressed, something tells me you'll end up a Foreman or Superintendent before you know it. I'm lucky to get them to just show up ON TIME!

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I ended up a senior tractor driver through turning up early, cleaning out the tractor cab, having a cleaning rag in the back pocket with windex to clean windows and the cab. Generally the equipment is traveling so a phone call at the end of each day to tell the boss the state of the tractor and equipment, any parts, fuel, oil, grease required and the instructions for the next day. Being efficient makes both our lives easier and we can achieve more each day.

When i'm on a job, its go go go all day long, if i'm running behind time i will generally work at night to get the job done.

Case in point A customer had a three days work for me, on the second day it was getting quite dark and was packing up the gear for the day, he came across and asked me if i could move a large stump for him. The stump was a sinch to move took me 3 mins max, another old log that he didn't want was shifted out of the way total of 6 mins work, and he was ecstatic since the other contractor couldn't be bothered... Now i have the majority of his work, pretty simple thing to do just to clinch a deal like that...

Another customer was surprised that i was there bang on time and had started when i said i would.

How about a tracked skid steer?

You mean a Compact Track Loader (CTL)? Personally I prefer them to wheels, for whatever the reason they are less herky jerky and don't leave you beaten senseless at the end of the day. Besides that, they generally have rubber tracks -though steel are available- meaning you'll do less damage underfoot.

FarmerAlex said:

How about a tracked skid steer?

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Ditto what bigshow advised. Find a big road job and simply show up everyday. Won't be long before some roller operator lays out on a drunk, and hey, "put that kid on it." That's your foot in the door. Then you got nowhere to go but up. Best of luck to you. :drinkup

Obviously there are some "young go getters" on here. That is what it takes. I would gladly take some one like that and train them. These are the kind of people that learn fast.

I've always said it is better to an asset than to a liability, and there is a lot of truth to that. Always put forth your best work and never do a "good enough" or "can't see it from my house" job on anything. I've been in all phases of construction and it's all needed, from mass excavation, pipe, clearing, fine grading, paving, and trimming out the job, every bit of it is important, get GREAT at everything and you will never go hungry. I personally prefer the trim work, it's the last thing seen and you have something you can be proud of when it's done. Rubber tired excavators have made me a whole lot of money when everyone else sat home, they are an all purpose machine not everyone can run, same with a road grader, pavers, and cranes. I started out on a shovel when I was 13 and to be honest, a shovel is one of the best teachers out there, and a couple of mean old school operators taught me a thing or too also. Best of luck ,it sounds like you're on the right track and remember, there is always something to do, so get your hands out of your pockets and do it.

Hey mate, good luck on your search for experience!
I personally am 17 and have been learning from the age of 6 and would say i've had around 3-4 years experience operating all up.
I am going for an interview for a company tomorrow for a job operating excavators.
You'll find a way to get more experience one way or another, even just being on site as a laborer watching the operator work helps.

FarmerAlex said:

So i suppose the next course of action is to get an older machine practice practice practice then try again? Hopefully once i become somewhat useful on it i could do some smaller jobs

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If that's what you want, why not give it a try? Whatever you decide to do, it's best to start out early, don't wait.

I've got a couple of services that i will offer that no one else does at the moment and will run with that. Now only to choose the right piece of gear, and start getting it ready for work

any other suggestions feel free

Too many kids these days can't do anything that does involve and iPhone or a computer. Part of running equipment is also identifying problems and being willing to do repairs if possible. It is my own generation I speak of here and I don't know EVERYTHING but I most certainly feel on top of my generations capabilities. A couple years back (5 to 10, speculative) there were not enough educated folks in the united states and all we had was skills. Big push from the government and aid to blame, now we only have super smart people who get stranded on the road because their either out of gas or they have never put the spare tire on before.

I graduated in a class of 12 kids, yeah I know small little ****hole of a town, and we all went to college. I made it through three years but work got in the way of my education. The rest of my classmates either have bachelors or masters degrees now. Three of these individuals actually got jobs in their fields, the rest work for mcdonalds or a completely separate field not using the expensive educations. I am 25, own a rock quarry, wonderful wife, 5 year old and newest just hit the ground 4 months ago. Of course I have had some help from dad, from like age 5. Not intending on tooting the horn here, I am just extremely lucky to have a father like I do. He got me into this stuff at a very young age, and I watched him work his hardest a go up against all kinds of odds and win some and loose some. We are doing it together now. I think the most important lesson is learned in the loosing against the odds you loose to. Those are the times that show you that you don't know it all.

As for your question, be on time, be punctual, follow directions and be willing to help others trying to get to the same place you are. These kinds of things are noticed by the boss. If you treat your competitors good, you are bound to treat your equipment better.