Paf ; 1) the mechanic screaming at you all day is real thing and it will happen, for some reason it makes some guys feel superior and above others to talk down to and belittle their helpers...I never understood this. Me personally have always treated my helpers with all due respect and taught/teach them properly which makes for a safe healthy environment.

2) You absolutely need mechanical skills to start in this trade, that's been a big issue lately with this whole new hiring process. Probies pass aptitude test, get hired then sent to us to deal with. Probies should have mechanical skills and understanding so we can start proper elev training but instead we have to start and teach how to read a tape measure, proper tool identification, the basics 101 etc...total waste of time...and as already mentioned above a source of a lot of unnecessary screaming and hollering.

3) electrician skills we use every day in the elev trade, big big plus!

4) computer programming, elevators for many years now have been software processor based and ALL new elevs will continue to progress this way, so computer literacy is a must in order to have future opportunity's in the elev trade.

The whole nervousness thing you do have to get over, this trade requires nerves of steel and awareness as on a daily basis we deal with high stress dangerous situations for ourselves, co workers and the public so confidence is a must!

I just so happen to know a few service men with English as their 2nd language and they are at the top of the list as far as trouble shooters...where do you think the Big Four(and Fuji) are engineering all this stuff at? It sure ain't in Oklahoma or Utah..