@PopularMechanics _ April 2019 77Getting Started:
The licensure of
electricians is a compli-
cated affair and varies
greatly by state. Some
states license appren-
tices and journeymen
electricians through
union and nonunion
channels. Some states
only license journey-
men, while still others
have a separate master
electrician and elec-
trical contractor’s
license. Some states
allow municipalities to
set their own licensing.
Although some states
have rather permissive
licensure relative
to other states, gen-
erally speaking you’ll
need several years of
practical and class-
room training and to
pass a licensing exam
“I didn’t
know how
to strip
wire or put
a cap on.
Even those
kinds of
basics are
interesting.”
Timothy Streb, 21
ELECTRICAL
TECHNOLOGIES
MASONS BUILD with concrete, mortar, concrete
block, brick, and stone. Some old-school pros
still know how to apply three-coat stucco, oth-
erwise known as Portland cement plaster, the
thin cement coating you see on many old houses
and on their foundations. Masons may pour a
concrete wheelchair ramp at a house one day,
do a brick face on a shopping center the next,
and then move on to build a concrete-block ele-
vator shaft for a condominium complex. The
work is varied and, as with carpentry, there’s
a wide spread in their earnings. The median
pay for blockmasters, brickmasons, and stone-
masters is $48,200.
If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty,
you’re physically fit, and you like working out-
doors (probably 90 percent or more of masonr y
is outdoors work), then masonry is a great
trade.Things built out of stone, brick, and con-
crete are long-lasting and difficult to remove. If
you want your work to withstand the test of time,
it’s hard to beat masonry construction.
So what are its downsides? Masonry is hard
work. Well, that’s an understatement. Build
a concrete-block foundation on a blistering
summer day or a brick chimney in
the middle of winter, and you’ll be
tired when you’re done. That’s also an
understatement. On the other hand,
I’ve never built anything that was as
plainly satisfying as neatly executed
work out of block, brick, and concrete.
Until you’ve done so, it’s really hard to
grasp what it feels like to stand back
and look at the work and know it’s
going to be there for a long time.
Masonry is not as accessible as
carpentry.You make a mistake with
carpentry and it’s easier than masonry
to set things right. You get a founda-
tion or a chimney wrong and you’ve
got a world of trouble on your hands.
That’s why almost all masons start
out working for somebody.Some get
some classroom instruction, espe-
cially those in a union or nonunion
apprenticeship. Otherwise, there’s
a lot to understand that’s beyond the
brick and trowel. You have to know
estimating and blueprint reading
and there’s just a ton of oddities in this
trade that you can learn only by doing,
preferably under the competent eye of
someone who’s well experienced.Getting Started:
Masonry and carpen-
try are a lot alike in
that the licensure and
certification require-
ments vary widely,
with many states
being rather permis-
sive about who can
call themselves a
mason and others
requiring that you
pass a detailed test
that will also involve
construction law,
estimating, and build-
ing codes. The point
is this: Regardless
of what the state or
municipality requires,
if you’re going to be
a mason, be the best
one that you can. A
hundred years from
now, someone may
likely stand there and
look at your work.
You want them to
admire it.Things Masons
Love: Fresh mortar,
clean bricks, and the
spring in the blade
of a new U.S.-made
Marshalltown or
W. Rose brick trowel.Great Day: The
new guy at the sup-
ply yard got the order
right for a change.Tough Day: The
helper just backed
the dump truck over
your cooler.Obscure Tool
You’ll Get to Use:
A four-foot-long
mahogany Sands top-
reading mason’s level.Great Resource:
Pocket Guide to
Brick Construction
(free pdf ) from Acme
Brick.of some form before
you can call yourself an
electrician.Things
Electricians
Love: New construc-
tion on a well-run site
with plenty of parking
and good access in and
out of the house.Great Day: The
building inspector just
s i g n e d o ff o n a b e a r o f
a rewiring job in a nasty
old house that included
a new service drop and
panel, two subpan-
els, and a ton of fished
wiring.Tough Day: The
inspector dinged you
because your helper
managed to weasel his
way through a couple
of overfilled boxes and
even a sloppy splice that
somehow missed your
attention. You blame
yourself, but with your
phone going off every
five minutes, what are
you going to do?Amazing Tool
You’ll Get to Use:
Milwaukee Super Hawg
½-inch right-angle drill.Great Resource:
The website run by
electrician, teacher,
and authority on the
National Electrical
Code Mike Holt:
mikeholt.com.Mason