I made good money. But I worked a LOT. I like to work, and knowing how much I get for what I do made me want to work even harder. But I am not the type of person that complains that they HAVE to work. What's there to complain about? You know how much you can make and by working faster you make more! 80% of what I did as a Sub I did running. I found ways to improve the process that was taught to me. Calling in radios on the way to the customer and building kits ahead of time, starting pulse activation while building the kits and programming instead of after installation, etc. If you are motivated by money and are not afraid of literary running up and down stairs, working without lunches and can stay on task all day long then this is the job for you. If you want to stand around talking to your buddies, checking your facebook and playing on your droid then this job is not for you. Stay hourly, stay in the union, complain about your wages, complain about having your job, LOL. For me, being a sub for ADT was very rewarding. All the sales staff and office staff LOVED me because they knew if they had something pressing Gino could get it done. I worked a lot and made a lot of money. Being a Sub is not a chilling position. It does wear you out. But the money! .... I must add that I am a very gifted slacker. I could have been so much more, blah blah blah, but I simply enjoy working with my hands. I program a panel in 30 seconds because I remember all the fields without having to look at the keypad, but then again that shouldn't be difficult for anyone with a half of brain. And no one promised me anything. I was told that I COULD make a lot of money. You don't expect to make a lot of money for doing nothing, do you? The amount of money is directly related to the amount of work you do, and that is what was most appealing to me. You do two jobs in a day and make 200 bucks - your boss is happy and you are doing OK. You do four jobs in a day and make 400 bucks - your boss is happy and you are well. Working hourly seems to never satisfy your management because it is never enough... My hard work paid off in the end and I was asked if I was interested in getting hired in at the office as an ADT employee, making more than techs that have been there for 15 yrs. Take it for what it's worth: If you are willing to work hard to make a lot of money one week, and the next, and the next and so on you will become THE GUY. Doing twice the work got me twice as much money. Where most fail is they allow themselves to slow down after working hard for one week. Then the people cannot depend on you to get things done. Salary and hourly positions offer little reward for me because working half as hard got me the same reward as working hard. One of the question I asked before taking the position at the corporate was "am I going to be allowed to work over time?" With a mutual understanding that my production numbers would not plummet - obviously I would not be allowed to work over time if I simply milked the clock. Basically, if you want to make the money "they" promise, or even more, you have to work hard every day, whenever work is available. If you do that, then you will be making lots of money. I am one example of this.
