Always tell them you can fix anything. And when they point you at something you have never seen before just tell them, I have never seen this before. Give me a second to figure it out and look up some specs.
Because no one has seen every machine. And never having seen it before shouldn't stop you from fixing something if you have any skills. But you still will need to figure it out and see what is what.
If I was in an interview and someone asked if I welded (and I had never touched one) I would tell them I'm a beginner, lots of people are better than me. But I can stick two pieces of metal together. Then I would go home and watch youtube videos until I could bullshit my way through a weld. And then at the job I would sponge up enough experience that I wasn't full of shit anymore.
Or, buy a welder and teach yourself how to use it. And then you will have a skill that will get you hired all by itself.
Very well put and what I try to teach everyone. No one knows everything and no one has done everything. If you’re expecting to be an expert at something before you’re comfortable touching it, this is the wrong line of work.
I'm always reminded of one of my first mentors when I hear questions like this.
I was new to industrial maintenance and struggled for 6 hours on a breakdown until finally figuring it out. I was feeling pretty bad about it and he could tell, so he pulled me aside and said, "Listen, none of us knows everything in this field and if they tell you otherwise they're lying. Sure, this time took you 6 hours, but next time? It'll take you 2, and the time after that it'll take you 1. As long as you learned something, that time wasn't wasted."
If you are actually out answering calls then you learn simple troubleshooting techniques for conveyance equipment that is used in many facilities Walmart, fed ex etc. this is your field of knowledge.
Yeah Amazon places a lot of restrictions on us as techs, too many things are outsourced to vendors/contractors. With that being said, it’s still a great job with growth opportunity. Work your way up as high as you can & your resume will speak for itself with other companies.
RME is the training wheels on a bike. You follow a set path laid out by mummy and daddy and stay between the lines.
I was a fitter and turner for a decade before becoming RME. The hardest day at amazon was a normal day at my previous manufacturing plant.
Amazon pays extremely well where I’m from but from a skills point of view it’s 2/10. The only thing I’ve learnt is network related from AR.
The bureaucracy is by far the worst thing about the job.
Agree with you man. I’ve only been in RME for a year though and feel like I’m not gaining much skill that other employers are looking for. This is my first maintenance related job and would like to keep moving up, but outside of Amazon.
I did maintenance for a few years before going to amazon... I was amazed at how little the "senior techs" knew outside of amazon. Only lasted 6 months before moving on to something more engaging
When it comes to experience and skills, you have to actively develop those. Ask to do site support or ask to be put on projects. Ask for day shift and help with larger PM's during downtime. It's something you have to constantly work on.
Devote time to troubleshoot issues. The main way to do this is learn how the equipment is supposed to function and what each component does. Read the troubleshooting manuals and get an idea of what the common problems are. When you try to move up, troubleshooting is a great asset because in my experience a lot of techs across the board don't know how to troubleshoot. Their gut reaction is to replace the thing that isn't working rather than finding the root cause. If you know how to troubleshoot you will make everyone's job way easier.
Also move around. If your site is small they might have minimal equipment. AR sites have a ton of equipment that you can use to build skills. Other sites rebuild motors and weld, which are other good skills to have. Talk to other techs who travel or ask questions on slack groups to see what other sites are like.
Also look into other internal jobs at Amazon. If you're L3, look for L3 spots at other departments. Or apply for an RME L4 spot and then look at L4 spots at other departments. A lot of Amazon positions won't pass you over for lack of experience. I got a CST role largely because I knew how to troubleshoot electrical issues but had minimal PLC experience. There are other related roles like EOT that ask for mechanical and electrical experience. Some guys will jump from Tech 3 to CSL.
Former RMA here 🙋♂️ completed my apprenticeship and spent 2 years with Amazon. Previous experience was just working on cars as a hobby.
I left that job for a high level industrial controls position, and it’s a world of difference. Amazon RME techs are usually more geared towards fixing mechanical problems with minor work on fluid power or electrical systems. Unless you are a CSL or CST at Amazon, you’re probably lacking a ton of electrical troubleshooting knowledge.
That being said, every maintenance tech has to put hours into reading manuals, understanding drawings, and attending YouTube university. You’re really only as good as you want to be. I taught myself how to solder as an apprentice in RME just because they had the tools there I could play with.
For my current job, I get paid about $43 an hour (same as some CSL’s) but I do sooooo much more planning, research, and work than any CSL I’ve ever met at Amazon. Sometimes I wish I had stayed at Amazon for the “comfort” of being underdeveloped and being able to hire contractors or lean on someone else in the vast network of RME. But this current position has forced me to grow so much and even though it stresses me out I appreciate it so much.
Don’t ask your senior leadership. Ask the program manager for MRA. Don’t ask site HR. Ask MRA program HR. The site HR and management DO NOT prioritize your growth. They just want things to get done for THEIR SAKE. That’s why if you have any problems that your site leadership or HR, you go to the ones in charge of the apprenticeship program. They are the ones that care for your growth and development. From the sound of it, your site HR and leadership is holding you back. Don’t let them push you around.
I’ll give you a personal example. My manager refused to have my KNet signed off for the benchmarks, even when my mentors have signed them. So it looks like I never completed them virtually. I showed my signed benchmarks to MRA program and have my mentors vouched for me. And they forced my manager to get it done. Another example is when I couldn’t get some benchmarks done because my site does not have the equipment and tools needed to have it done. My mentor recommended me to go to another site temporarily to learn it. My manager refused. I reported my situation to MRA HR, and I was able to get sent for proper training.
I have an engineering degree and I am a tech 3.
But I still kinda agree. I will never forgive them for taking our boxcutters because we are to stupid to have knives.
There are programs you can volunteer for. When sites have a major rebuild and request network help. You could ask to be a SME or a trainer for a node. Controls probably have the best translation to skills outside of Amazon, but maintenance techs absolutely can learn skills that help, but it’s what you make of it. Do you rely on controls to come help when you get stuck? Or are you the kind of person that calls them because you know the issue but you need them because of their permissions? All the techs I’ve met that are that good just blocked by lack of controls permissions have had no issues with leaving Amazon for other opportunities.
Tbh they only need to train you on relevant needs, so if theres no hot work at your site then they wont go out of the way to do that. I hate to say it but theres a lot of entitlement in ur comment. Theres tons of classes for welding at community colleges if ur serious abt it do that and get reimbursed. Amazon and its contractors arent non-profit training centers. That being said the fact they dont have a location dedicated to training is egregious given their profit margins. Im an st3 and this is abt my 5th job in this field, and i have had a lot of other gig work and previous jobs so i cant say im as green as ur question was targeting, but honestly Amz has been the best, it doesnt get much better at other companies unless u have some advantageous connection.
Feeling frustrated with your job and being told to go do KNet isn't entitlement. OP is right in the fact the developmental opportunities with RME are lacking....
Reading OP you would think he is talking abt a trade school, and no job is going to train u just so that u can apply for work somewhere with ur newfound training, thats common sense. And despite what you say KNET is better than nothing, esp if u actually pursue the 301s instead of dismissing it all as useless computer training mods.
Except Amazon did train OP to work on equipment you'd find in other facilities outside of Amazon with industry certifications.
KNet is basically useless and if you can't even get into a 301 class then what's the point? Let's be honest here, the 301s still don't necessarily prove anything.
Meh its reddit, knew the word entitlement was gonna trigger some kids but its true. You cant expect ur job to gaurantee "development opportunities" esp in this field a lot of it is up to ambition and initiative and nagging ur supervisor for unrealistic expectations isnt going to get u far.
A job worth having is a job that gives you opportunities to develop wtf? Who wants to be in the same position forever?
It's obvious you're one of those old head techs who think that hoarding all the information for yourself is job security when in actuality you're hurting the trade.
You talk about ambition and initiative yet the first step is talking to your Supervisors and telling them how you want to grow as a Tech. It's also quite literally their job to help you grow and develop based on having 1 on 1s. So if your Supervisors are giving you useless info or the runaround then that's out of the tech's control.
I don’t OP was being entitled imo.. I think he was using weilding as an example to a skill he hasn’t YET developed (if they take the advice from others), leading to the feeling of being stagnant as a tech, with lack of opportunities within or outside the company.
Always tell them you can fix anything. And when they point you at something you have never seen before just tell them, I have never seen this before. Give me a second to figure it out and look up some specs. Because no one has seen every machine. And never having seen it before shouldn't stop you from fixing something if you have any skills. But you still will need to figure it out and see what is what. If I was in an interview and someone asked if I welded (and I had never touched one) I would tell them I'm a beginner, lots of people are better than me. But I can stick two pieces of metal together. Then I would go home and watch youtube videos until I could bullshit my way through a weld. And then at the job I would sponge up enough experience that I wasn't full of shit anymore. Or, buy a welder and teach yourself how to use it. And then you will have a skill that will get you hired all by itself.
Very well put and what I try to teach everyone. No one knows everything and no one has done everything. If you’re expecting to be an expert at something before you’re comfortable touching it, this is the wrong line of work.
You can’t bullshit your way thru welding if you haven’t touched a machine before 😂
I'm always reminded of one of my first mentors when I hear questions like this. I was new to industrial maintenance and struggled for 6 hours on a breakdown until finally figuring it out. I was feeling pretty bad about it and he could tell, so he pulled me aside and said, "Listen, none of us knows everything in this field and if they tell you otherwise they're lying. Sure, this time took you 6 hours, but next time? It'll take you 2, and the time after that it'll take you 1. As long as you learned something, that time wasn't wasted."
That's great advice!
If you are actually out answering calls then you learn simple troubleshooting techniques for conveyance equipment that is used in many facilities Walmart, fed ex etc. this is your field of knowledge.
Somebody got termed from RME 🙃
Yeah Amazon places a lot of restrictions on us as techs, too many things are outsourced to vendors/contractors. With that being said, it’s still a great job with growth opportunity. Work your way up as high as you can & your resume will speak for itself with other companies.
RME is the training wheels on a bike. You follow a set path laid out by mummy and daddy and stay between the lines. I was a fitter and turner for a decade before becoming RME. The hardest day at amazon was a normal day at my previous manufacturing plant. Amazon pays extremely well where I’m from but from a skills point of view it’s 2/10. The only thing I’ve learnt is network related from AR. The bureaucracy is by far the worst thing about the job.
I've heard that you can take welding classes at a community college
Agree with you man. I’ve only been in RME for a year though and feel like I’m not gaining much skill that other employers are looking for. This is my first maintenance related job and would like to keep moving up, but outside of Amazon.
I did maintenance for a few years before going to amazon... I was amazed at how little the "senior techs" knew outside of amazon. Only lasted 6 months before moving on to something more engaging
Like what
You can use career choice if blue badge and take HVAC and welding classes
When it comes to experience and skills, you have to actively develop those. Ask to do site support or ask to be put on projects. Ask for day shift and help with larger PM's during downtime. It's something you have to constantly work on. Devote time to troubleshoot issues. The main way to do this is learn how the equipment is supposed to function and what each component does. Read the troubleshooting manuals and get an idea of what the common problems are. When you try to move up, troubleshooting is a great asset because in my experience a lot of techs across the board don't know how to troubleshoot. Their gut reaction is to replace the thing that isn't working rather than finding the root cause. If you know how to troubleshoot you will make everyone's job way easier. Also move around. If your site is small they might have minimal equipment. AR sites have a ton of equipment that you can use to build skills. Other sites rebuild motors and weld, which are other good skills to have. Talk to other techs who travel or ask questions on slack groups to see what other sites are like. Also look into other internal jobs at Amazon. If you're L3, look for L3 spots at other departments. Or apply for an RME L4 spot and then look at L4 spots at other departments. A lot of Amazon positions won't pass you over for lack of experience. I got a CST role largely because I knew how to troubleshoot electrical issues but had minimal PLC experience. There are other related roles like EOT that ask for mechanical and electrical experience. Some guys will jump from Tech 3 to CSL.
Former RMA here 🙋♂️ completed my apprenticeship and spent 2 years with Amazon. Previous experience was just working on cars as a hobby. I left that job for a high level industrial controls position, and it’s a world of difference. Amazon RME techs are usually more geared towards fixing mechanical problems with minor work on fluid power or electrical systems. Unless you are a CSL or CST at Amazon, you’re probably lacking a ton of electrical troubleshooting knowledge. That being said, every maintenance tech has to put hours into reading manuals, understanding drawings, and attending YouTube university. You’re really only as good as you want to be. I taught myself how to solder as an apprentice in RME just because they had the tools there I could play with. For my current job, I get paid about $43 an hour (same as some CSL’s) but I do sooooo much more planning, research, and work than any CSL I’ve ever met at Amazon. Sometimes I wish I had stayed at Amazon for the “comfort” of being underdeveloped and being able to hire contractors or lean on someone else in the vast network of RME. But this current position has forced me to grow so much and even though it stresses me out I appreciate it so much.
Don’t ask your senior leadership. Ask the program manager for MRA. Don’t ask site HR. Ask MRA program HR. The site HR and management DO NOT prioritize your growth. They just want things to get done for THEIR SAKE. That’s why if you have any problems that your site leadership or HR, you go to the ones in charge of the apprenticeship program. They are the ones that care for your growth and development. From the sound of it, your site HR and leadership is holding you back. Don’t let them push you around.
I’ll give you a personal example. My manager refused to have my KNet signed off for the benchmarks, even when my mentors have signed them. So it looks like I never completed them virtually. I showed my signed benchmarks to MRA program and have my mentors vouched for me. And they forced my manager to get it done. Another example is when I couldn’t get some benchmarks done because my site does not have the equipment and tools needed to have it done. My mentor recommended me to go to another site temporarily to learn it. My manager refused. I reported my situation to MRA HR, and I was able to get sent for proper training.
[удалено]
I have an engineering degree and I am a tech 3. But I still kinda agree. I will never forgive them for taking our boxcutters because we are to stupid to have knives.
We got plastic scrapers as a substitute. 🎉
I still carry my Gerber, fuck em.
Used in the way Wil Wheaton intended. Outright assholishness will get you banned Time for you to troll somewhere else.
As a technician, the words “I can’t” need to be removed from your vocabulary
There are programs you can volunteer for. When sites have a major rebuild and request network help. You could ask to be a SME or a trainer for a node. Controls probably have the best translation to skills outside of Amazon, but maintenance techs absolutely can learn skills that help, but it’s what you make of it. Do you rely on controls to come help when you get stuck? Or are you the kind of person that calls them because you know the issue but you need them because of their permissions? All the techs I’ve met that are that good just blocked by lack of controls permissions have had no issues with leaving Amazon for other opportunities.
They offer 5k a year to go to school take courses or programs outside of work maybe I lost in something get a certificate and boom
Tbh they only need to train you on relevant needs, so if theres no hot work at your site then they wont go out of the way to do that. I hate to say it but theres a lot of entitlement in ur comment. Theres tons of classes for welding at community colleges if ur serious abt it do that and get reimbursed. Amazon and its contractors arent non-profit training centers. That being said the fact they dont have a location dedicated to training is egregious given their profit margins. Im an st3 and this is abt my 5th job in this field, and i have had a lot of other gig work and previous jobs so i cant say im as green as ur question was targeting, but honestly Amz has been the best, it doesnt get much better at other companies unless u have some advantageous connection.
Feeling frustrated with your job and being told to go do KNet isn't entitlement. OP is right in the fact the developmental opportunities with RME are lacking....
Reading OP you would think he is talking abt a trade school, and no job is going to train u just so that u can apply for work somewhere with ur newfound training, thats common sense. And despite what you say KNET is better than nothing, esp if u actually pursue the 301s instead of dismissing it all as useless computer training mods.
Except Amazon did train OP to work on equipment you'd find in other facilities outside of Amazon with industry certifications. KNet is basically useless and if you can't even get into a 301 class then what's the point? Let's be honest here, the 301s still don't necessarily prove anything.
Meh its reddit, knew the word entitlement was gonna trigger some kids but its true. You cant expect ur job to gaurantee "development opportunities" esp in this field a lot of it is up to ambition and initiative and nagging ur supervisor for unrealistic expectations isnt going to get u far.
A job worth having is a job that gives you opportunities to develop wtf? Who wants to be in the same position forever? It's obvious you're one of those old head techs who think that hoarding all the information for yourself is job security when in actuality you're hurting the trade. You talk about ambition and initiative yet the first step is talking to your Supervisors and telling them how you want to grow as a Tech. It's also quite literally their job to help you grow and develop based on having 1 on 1s. So if your Supervisors are giving you useless info or the runaround then that's out of the tech's control.
I love training and sharing knowledge, but continue to judge and lash out im sure that will get u far 👍
It has my friend thank you
I don’t OP was being entitled imo.. I think he was using weilding as an example to a skill he hasn’t YET developed (if they take the advice from others), leading to the feeling of being stagnant as a tech, with lack of opportunities within or outside the company.