I am new to these types of forums, so bare w/ me please.  I am 38 years old and have been in the construction field (specifically, electrical) for going on 12 years now.  While I started my career as a non-union electrican, I am currently a union electrician and have been for the last 7 years here in Knoxville, TN.  Being both non-union and union has exposed me to a multitude of different types of various consruction projects/jobs; i.e. commercial, industrial, nuclear etc.  I love doing electrical work and all the challanges it brings, however there have been recent changes in my personal life that conflict w/ the work schedule of that of a union electrican.  

Until November of 2010, I was part of the unit two re-build at Watts Barr Nuclear Power Plant in Decatur, TN helping to bring reactor two online.  I have since made the decision to take my lay off and return to school to further my education and am currently pursuing my B.S. in Electrical Construction Management w/ a graduation date set for Spring of 2013.  Following that, I plan on adding to my credentials by obtaining my masters electricians license come Fall of 2013.  Upon completition of both my bachelors degree and my masters license, I look forward to pursuing a career still in the electrical field, yet from a different perspective.  Instead of doing demo, assembly, design, and installations, I have aspirations of getting in a contractors office and getting my feet wet with doing some job take-offs, project estimates, and even bidding on future projects.  I welcome any advice anyone may have to a once again "green-horn" in this field of work, and if there is anyone out there that has questions or is seeking some electrical advice, I would be more than happy to assist in any way possible.  I am proficient w/ PLC's, Control work, low voltage, high voltage....pretty much everything but solar/photvoltaic systems and Instrumentation and Controls.  While I am familiar w/ these systems, I lack sufficient experience in these areas.

Respectfully,

JWLewis