Home phone line wires

Driving around to fix telephone cables.

Name of your host: ______Paul Bernat______  Relationship to you: _____Father_____

The Interview:  (ask your host these questions)

1. What is your job title? _____TELUS Network Technician working in the Frames(copper jumper work)____
2. What is your job description?__Complete TELUS inside orders that provide Telephone, Internet, TV to customers so that our Installation & Repair Technicians (I&R) can do the work at Customer premises.
3. What are the duties and/or tasks you perform at your job? Complete jumpers orders at TELUS Central Offices, Drive to Remote Offices to complete jumper orders, Jumper orders at the TELUS SAC boxes that are closer to the customer, receive phone calls from I&R Techs to troubleshoot not working customer circuits or run in a missed order for I&R, at TELUS Stores do Firmware upgrades on TELUS Security panels to save customer facing Technicians time during setup at customer premises.
4. What qualifications do you have for this job in the following areas:
5. a)  training? ___On the job training, training new employees, classroom training, online courses      
6. b)  education?__1988 Graduated from College of New Caledonia with Diploma of Electronics      Engineering Technology, education courses at the TELUS Education Center, Online courses.
7. c)  experience? _31 years combined employment at TELUS(including time at BCTel) with 

    9 years as an Inside Equipment Installer, 7 years as a Central Office Switchperson, and 

                15 years as a Network Technician in the Central Office Frames

1. d)  skills and attributes (personal qualities)?_Self starter, self motivated, quality workmanship,

    skilled with hand tools, do the job correctly the 1st time, can learn any new skills. __________

5. What are some of the things you like about the job?  Can work independent of others, set my own pace, do the job well and you are left alone limited supervision, can listen to music/podcasts on headphones while working, new TELUS services creates new types of work to add variety,  occasional overtime to earn extra income, good benefits and vacation time, employee discounts.
6. What are some of the things you dislike about this job? _Can be repetitive in the work done day to day, some days there is too much work or sites to complete in a workday, most Managers are great but the odd one can make your work life unbearable.
7. How do you anticipate this job changing in the next 5 years or so? _As TELUS migrates from Copper Wiring to Fibre Optics at the customer premise the type of work will change to Fibre patch cords for the connections.

Other question (s):  ______________________________________________________________________________

Student Reflections:

1. Give three reasons why you would like this job (be specific):

1. a) You can listen to music while you work, which would be nice for long days since it can help the time pass faster.
2. b)  You don’t really have to talk to anyone, other than a good morning or can you help me with ___?
3. c) The job was easy to understand after awhile and was not too confusing.
4. Give three reasons why you would not like this job (be specific):

1. I don’t have much interest in phone wires so i feel it wouldn’t be a fulfilling job for me. I would always zone out or get distracted because I don’t have a real interest in what im doing.
2. My dad’s work had this machine that makes a clicking noise all day and I was getting really annoyed at it, i feel if i worked there I would go crazy over the constant clicking.

1. c)  In ways yes, having to not talk to anyone is good. whoever I like to socialize so i think having little to no people would be bad for me because even if i just say something every little but hours upon hours of no contact seems agonizing.
2. Is this job for you?  Why or why not?

I don’t think the job is for me, like I said before, I don’t have much interest in the type of work my dad is doing so going to school just to do a job i have no interest in would leave me bored every day.However driving around all day was nice because you never had to sit still for long.

4. Explain the value of the TOKTW experience in relation to your ideas about your post secondary (after high school) plans (education?, training?, travel?, work?).

I think this is a valuable experience and it did make me think about possible jobs i would want to do after high school, I had always been curious what exactly my dad did. I had a brief idea but I had always wanted to go with him for a day and just see what he did daily for 30 years. It also made me realize I want a job that i can stay at for years that will keep me preoccupied and interested in what im doing, my dad seemed so content with what he was doing so i can see how he did it for so long. 

Final Reflection

All in all my day with my dad went better then a thought it would. In all honesty i though he would tell me to wait in the car well he did his jobs, but he exceeded my expectations and let me help sometimes. He talked to me a lot more then i though, he even tried to make jokes wich was not something he does much at home.His work was different then what i though it was. i was under the impression he fixed those big boxes on the side of the street ,he actually puts in or takes out jumper cables (?) in buildings.  I had fun on the day with my dad and i wish i was feeling better that day, i felt nauseous and had a bad stumic ache all so i spaced out for most of the day witch i’m regretful about. If i ever get the opportunity again to go with my dad again i would %100 say yes because i wanted to enjoy it more then i was able to.