JEFFREY GRILL: MY JOURNEY

Sheet Metal Apprentice Local 104 Intech Mechanical

I am a sheet metal apprentice that will be turning out this August. I am a part of Local 104, and I do my schooling and work in the Sacramento area. I work for Intech Mechanical and started my apprenticeship with them when we were working on the new Sacramento Kings arena. I have spent a little time in the shop, but I have spent the majority of my time working in the field. Just recently, I was offered a position in the office as a sheet metal detailer, and I have been in this new position for a little over a month.

I am a third-generation sheet metal worker. My dad works in the Sacramento area as a sheet metal superintendent, and my grandfather ran his own sheet metal company in Montana.

After high school, I went to the local community college for four years, but I received poor information from the counsellors and ended up taking the wrong pre-requisites needed to transfer into a four-year biological engineering program at Sacramento State, which was my ultimate goal. Based on the education I had so far, I realized that unless I created something amazing or was picked up by a private company, I would most likely be working as a research assistant for a university making $40,000 a year trying to pay off a massive student loan debt. Instead, I talked to my dad and got into the sheet metal trade.

Before the trade, I was not mechanically inclined. I could work out any math problem you gave me, but if you were to ask me to build anything with my hands I would have been lost. The best skill I gained from this trade is the ability to better understand mechanical systems and construction as a whole. I

started this job being gullible enough to look for ʻa sky hook in the conex’, and I am now the handyman at my house who can fix any issue we have. What was once a weakness for me has become one of my many strengths, and I am forever grateful for that.

Since I started this job, I have pushed for work in the office, as it would allow me to have more free time to take night classes and eventually finish college with a degree in mechanical engineering. My hope is that my time spent hanging duct and working in the field will give me an advantage over your typical engineer who doesn’t understand how things really work on the job site. Just because it looks great on paper doesn’t mean it will fit in real life.

After I finish my degree, I would love to work as a mechanical engineer for a union sheet metal company or start my own company. However, my goal for now is to do the best I can and to get better everyday at my current job as a sheet metal detailer.

The area of sheet metal that interests me the most is the technological advancement in our field. Our local sheet metal training center just received a virtual welder for training purposes, which is awesome, and at the Partners in Progress Conference last year, I heard about Trimble’s new augmented reality glasses that would allow workers to see a 3D print of the job while physically on the job site. I am super excited to see what additional advancements are to come for our trade, and I hope I will be able to take part in that.

My advice to anyone interested in getting into the trade is to give it a shot and keep an open mind. There are multiple opportunities and different job positions in the trade, and everyone can find something that they can enjoy and excel at. Plus, the pay isn’t bad either! ▪

Partners in in Progress » June 2021 » 13