Apprenticeship openings for electricians and welders - what worked for you?

The training centre near Albuquerque opened applications for apprenticeships in electrical and welding trades. I worked as a school bus driver before this. Applications close in 17 weeks. What do you wish you had known?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.