George Colby, Jr.
Age: 27
Hometown: Auburn, Maine
Related Instruction: Central Maine Community College
Field of Apprenticeship: Cabinetmaking
Claim to fame: One of four members of the first graduating class of Apprentices at Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers
Employer: Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers Inc.
Approx. when you complete(d) the Apprenticeship: July, 2007
What kind of training or experience did you have with your occupation before you started?
Vocational classes in High School (carpentry) at PATHS (Portland Arts and Technology High School)
What drew you to your particular occupation?
I really enjoy woodworking. Being a cabinetmaker would let me do it every day. Working at Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers would train me to be one the best.
What is a typical day in your occupation like? (ex. Early mornings, working with lots of people, etc)
My work day starts at 6am. Work is, for the most part, self-appointed. There is a schedule that is posted for everyone to work from. I would start a task to either make the parts for a piece of furniture, or else take a “kit” of completed parts and assemble it at a workbench. I was recently appointed as the safety director here (a part time job of 15-20 hours a week), so on some mornings I will spend 2 hours or so on administrative tasks at my desk and then have meetings and safety related tasks to do.
What are some of the challenges of your job? Of Apprenticeship in general?
One challenge, like anywhere else, is the communication process. It is vitally important to communicate well with the people around me, and sometimes I don’t have all the information or time to put the amount of effort behind it that it needs. Another would be the fine details of the work; the tolerance for error is very small here. Most measurements need to be within a 1/64 of an inch, some within 5/1000 of an inch. The challenge of apprenticeship is to learn what you need in the time allowed. I tend to be somewhat of a slow learner, so to learn new skills or processes takes me longer. Yet, I still only have so long to learn them (on average 8-12 mos. to learn a work center such as tables, chairs, cases, etc.) This challenge has been recognized, resulting in a longer time period for the next group of apprentices, 4½ years instead of 4.
If you were going to give advice to someone who is considering Apprenticeship, what would you say?
You will learn as much or more with an apprenticeship as you with a 4 year degree. You will gain many practical skills that will translate to any occupation, not just the one you are taking the apprenticeship in. When you take classes, try to take them with other apprentices at your company. The help you can give each other will be invaluable and the relationships you build will be not only beneficial, but one of the most rewarding aspects of your apprenticeship. Going through the long journey together creates a bond that you won’t have with other co-workers.
What do you wish you knew about Apprenticeship and/or your occupation before you started?
I wish that I knew how much resistance I would get from both management and co-workers. At the beginning of our program, which is the first time our company has done this, management was not very supportive of the efforts to learn the skills the apprentices needed. As a result, some areas of the company had too much of a time investment, leaving less time for other areas. Co-workers saw being an apprentice as a sign of accomplishment in itself, almost assuming that I should already know the skills (which I didn’t!)
How has/will your Apprenticeship contribute(d) to the progress of your career?
I was recently appointed as the safety director here. The skills I learned through the apprenticeship program made me uniquely qualified for it. Also, being a graduate of the program has given me exposure to many areas of the company that I wouldn’t see otherwise. The most profound contribution would be the fact that I now know every work area and every person in the company (over 100 people.)
Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years career-wise?
I see having the opportunity to be an effective mentor to the next class of apprentices. I will maintain the safety director role until I see another opportunity that will allow me to be more effective here at Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers. I don’t foresee leaving here any time soon. Working here just gives me too much enjoyment.
What made you decide on Apprenticeship?
It was an amazing opportunity. I was working at Thos. Moser already, but doing mundane tasks and simple work. The apprenticeship opened the doors to learning all areas of cabinetmaking, including all of the more challenging and difficult tasks and skills.
What is/was the best aspect of your Apprenticeship? What makes it stand out?
The community here at Thos. Moser cabinetmakers is by far the best aspect of my apprenticeship. The company was incredible supportive of what myself and the other apprentices were doing. I have to stop and remember sometimes that this is the first ever cabinetmaking apprenticeship in the state of Maine. There could be no place more worthy of that honor than Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers.
My father, George Colby (Sr.), once said to me,
“Find a job you enjoy and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
If you find a trade that interests you, pursue an apprenticeship in it. The work you do every day will not feel like work, but rather like doing your hobby and getting paid for it.
