“You don’t have a choice!” That’s what was said to me the first time I left the property management industry. I was a veteran maintenance tech and had been with the company for 8 years. Yet, I was still being talked to like a dog. What was the infraction you…
So, you just got bumped up from porter to maintenance technician. Or, you just scored a new job as a maintenance technician. First of all, congratulations! Now, lets make sure you start off on the right foot so that you don’t annoy the hardened maintenance techs around you. There are…
Tools that help you earn a living without using much energy or brain power is what I like to call “easy money tools”. Lots of guys don’t like their job because they’re working with the wrong tools. Trying to pry a stuck garbage disposal loose with a flat-head screwdriver is…
A question that I get asked a lot from techs all over the world is, “How do I earn an above average income in this business?” My answer is simple. “Become an above average person.” It amazes me how many people out there today want to do above average jobs,…
Okay, I’m not going to sugar coat this when I say that the maintenance side of the apartment industry is sucking. I keep seeing the grim posts online about positions not being filled for 6 to 9 months. I’m actually witnessing it in my hometown. And, it seems like when…
9) The Boozer Sometimes as adults we come to work with a hangover. Once every year or two is life. However, “the boozer” takes it to another level. Clocking in all glassy eyed while looking like a Nick Nolte mugshot every week will get you blacklisted from the apartment industry…
Okay, there’s actually no such thing as YouTube University. That’s just what I like to call YouTube. A university because of the endless knowledge it provides for just about anything you can think of. All for free! I have mined tons of gold out of YouTube and I took those…
I’ve been on both sides of this issue. I’ve dealt with shops that had the bare minimum to work with and shops that had more than enough to work with. Needless to say, working in a skeleton shop annoys the piss out of me. Early in my maintenance career I…
The hider. It may surprise some people how rampant and common this problem is. If you’ve worked in the apartment industry long enough then you know who I’m talking about. It’s the person that you only see when they’re clocking in and clocking out. Or, they’re standing over you blabbing…
Maintenance techs who know their way around air conditioners are always in high demand in the apartment industry. You’ll pretty much have a job for the rest of your life with HVAC knowledge and skills. I enjoy HVAC work and continue learning it every day. Like my pal Steve Lav…