# Saying hello!



## Mud_bud89 (Feb 2, 2010)

Hey fellow tapers/finishers! Glad i came accross the forum. A little bit about myself..

I worked since I was 16 with my pop painting so I'm kinda not that much of a stranger to the trade(kinda) but starting this year I've taken a 3month course with a union training center to get my feet wet and learn the trade. So far i have learned a lot and understand they're just teaching us the bascis and it's up to us to figure the rest out but I really have the drive and determination to be the best i can be. So far it's been tough getting the hang of mud control using the hawk and trowel, i'm improving daily but i want to be ahead of my peers, i've even bought my own hawk+trowel and practice at home just playing with the mud in the hawk and loading up the trowel but i'm far from perfect. 

I was talking to a ex-taper (well he said he does exterior stucco now) and he was telling me most things we learn in training we won't see on the jobsite but instead short cuts after short cuts to save money and get jobs done faster and just reccomended to me i just "learn the trade"

So i've come as an apprentice(aka your guy's slave lol) to ask is 3 months really enough time to turn somebody with no prior exp. to a employable taper? I'm thinking the time is too short and i'm gonna have to work really hard to get the hang of things since at the end of the training i'd like to be confident in myself and my skills to know i can land a starting job and get my hours.

any inputs/stories/advice welcome!

thanks!


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## PrairrieDogExpress (Jan 29, 2010)

To answer your question...In my opinion 3 months is not enough time to go out on your own but it is enough time to be an asset to a journeyman taper. As long as you can spot screws and run the box you would probably be worth your starting wage. Alot of it has to do with attitude as well. You seem eager to learn, but remember to be patient because it can be really frustrating at first when you see guys working and it looks soooooo easy, then you try it and it seems like you just cant do it.


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