About 15 years ago, I was contracted to be the qualifier for a prospective Colorado well drilling company. Once licensed, I would have been acting president of the drilling company until the owners could qualify to get their own license.

I qualified for all the Colorado driller’s license requirements and then flew to Colorado to pass a required verbal examination in front of the licensing board. I believe this board consisted of one well drilling contractor, a pump installer, a plumber, three regulators and others.

Being Porky, I felt that I could ace almost any verbal examination on well drilling and business management. I was thoroughly screened and felt that I answered all their questions with flying colors.

The next day, I called the license regulator’s office to see if I had passed and a lady advised me that the board had discussed my interview and come to an agreement that I needed more experience.

I immediately called a friend who was on the board, but not at the interview, and asked him why he thought I didn’t pass the verbal examination. Jokingly, he said that he heard that I didn’t have enough experience! He then commented that, with me being from Virginia, had I been approved I would have become competition to other drillers in the state.

The Colorado licensing board spurned columnist Porky Cutter after he flew there for a verbal interview. A board member told him it was because he was out of state and might have taken away work from Colorado drillers. Source: iStock

I think it’s great to have a drilling contractor on a licensing board. Many licensing boards don’t have a driller but they will always have a plumber on the board. Most plumbers know very little about well drilling.

However, I do have a problem with a verbal interview. A verbal interview is similar to an attorney in a courtroom, since it just depends on how he presents the case to the judge and/or jury as to whether the client is found innocent or guilty. In my case, I was guilty because I would have been an out-of-state competitor.

I do believe that well contractors, well drillers and pump installers should be licensed by the state in which they solicit work. However, I do realize that just because a contractor is licensed doesn’t mean that they will be a good contractor. The quality of their product depends on their professional ethics.

Today, I enjoy taking examinations (except for a driver’s examination) because it doesn’t matter if I pass or fail; my income doesn’t depend on it.

The above is my opinion only and not the opinion of the publisher.  

 

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