Why did you want to be an Electrician?

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360Youth

360Youth

Senior Member
Location
Newport, NC
One my friends in high school and I both had older brothers go through the electrical program so we decided to do it too. 3 hours a day away from "regular" school! Sign me up. :grin: Turns out I liked it. Who knows why anybody ends up enjoying something in particular. If you like what you are doing and can make a living, go for it. What a minute, that can be a dangerous statement depending on career choice. :wink::smile: Two things I do like is providing a good service to a customer to help them achieve what they want (I may still put my "We help make houses into homes" slogan on a business card one day) and I love to sit back and look at a well constructed finished project. The downfall is, having to deal with the not so satifactory ones is just as upseting as the good ones are pleasing. :roll: :)
 
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SiddMartin

Senior Member
Location
PA
480sparky said:
The glamour! The excitement! The bright lights!

Oh, and the money!

Like Cow, it's the sheer number of possibilities. Sheetrockers measure, cut and hang for days on end. When their knees give out, they become mudders.

Plumbers, well, it all rolls downhill. Hot, cold, waste, vent. SS,DD.

Framers only need to know how to divide by 16, and what that mark at 19.2" is for.

But be an electrician if you want a change of pace every day. One day, it's Cat5. The next, it's 500 kcmils.
Click to expand...

that sums it up
 
roger

roger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Fl
Occupation
Retired Electrician
dreamsville said:
The suspense is killing me, is it something to do with laying out stairs?
Click to expand...

Take 96" (8') and divide it by 5 (the number of studs or trusses in a 8' span), these are the lay out marks.

Roger
 
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charlietuna

Senior Member
Dad was a plumber, told me many times "don't want to be a plumber son, now electricians have it easy". Went to vocational training and took a liking to it mainly because of the instructor- a mentor to me-- his famous words were "being an electrician is like stealing money"! Always made a great living! Had a close friend offer me a partnership in his business where i could make more money, but liked the trade too much to leave it. Something about getting up in the morning and looking forward to your job that makes life very nice!!! 45 years in the trade, 25 of it in a very successful business, not a bad deal!
 
ASK_EDDIE

ASK_EDDIE

Member
Location
TEXAS
I've lead a hard life as most are , my father was an electrical contactor an at the age of 4 years old i remember him letting me put on plug covers in a house.
When in my teens and in school they ask you what you want be, i did go with electrician. In my late teens my dad got me on at the New high school being built and its started from there.
MY father has been gone for serveral years now, but the best advice he gave me was "if you ever get your license dont ever let it go, you'll always be able to feed your family" I became a Dallas journeyman in 1986. I did get out of the trades for a few years , but i did keep my journeymans and then texas went state wide in 2004, and in 2006 i got my masters and now run a small electrical / hvac company . MY dad and I didnt always see eye to eye , but the advice he gave me about being an electrician , "you'll always be able to feed your family " holds true .
 
Former Jeanyus

Former Jeanyus

Member
Location
NW Chicago Suburb
Originally it was the 2nd farthest thing from my mind. I wanted to be an auto mechanic, loved tinkering with cars, I rebuilt my first 1-cylinder B&S engine without a manual when I was 10, when I was 14 I tore apart a Triumph Herald down to the frame and frankensteined it with a Spitfire and another Herald into a 'working' vehicle.

I got started because my dad thought I could do better that the local garage, so somewhat forced me into the family owned business (uncles, cousins, etc.). Started as a dog poop shoveller and driver, ended up as estimator / PM cuz I could count and color. I did eventually get some training and a Chicago SE & EC license.

Do I enjoy it? Most of the time, except now when jobs are going for such stupidly low prices... that I can't lower myself to. Am I glad I followed this path? Yes.
 
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short circuit faulted

Member
Location
Columbia SC
I grew up with a family full of electricians, my father four of his brothers were electricians, my uncle was an EE. I worked under the "laws" as a "contract labor" when I was 15 unloading those God awful trailers returning from job sites slam full of parts pieces and tools (Industrial Jobs normally spanning four years. I learned a lot about materials sorting these monsters through the summer making that huge minimum wage of 1.60 an hour in 1971 heck it may have even been $1.35. Swore to myself construction was WAY too noisy and confusing, went to Uncle Sam's Navy on six year hitch came back to the GREAT UNITED STATES in 1980 kicked about some through other meaningless jobs and started as an apprentice in 82. I loved the diversity, never the same thing day in and day out (unless the foreman finds that you are really good at a particular task!) but still there was working outside (SC Summer will test your meddle most certainly, but the springs and falls are to die for). Over the years it has be a matter of pride driving through and around area and pointing to folks yeap I worked on that building when it was coming out the ground. I worry about the future, given many of the persons pretending to be electricians in the trade who believe because they can run pipe and pull wire they are "Electricians" but there is MUCH more to that title and I am most proud to say I've earned the right to say I am one.
 
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secelectric

Member
I did it to get out of retail. I was a department head at the Home Depot in the electrical dept. One of the contractors I was helping heard me talking about a career change to another employee. He said if I was serious he would offer me a job. I had a vacation coming up, no plans, and kids back in school. I told him I would work the week for him and if I liked it I would come on board. I was 36 at the time. Needless to say I havent looked back. That was one of the best "vacations" I have taken. I got my ticket at 40. Now I run my own one man show and enjoy being my own boss.
 
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