On the website artofmanliness.com there is a great series called So You Want My Trade. Because we know that many of our readers are aspiring electrical technicians, we decided to share the “So You Want My Trade: Electrician” article with all of you. Here is a link to that article: http://goo.gl/Q1BQI5
We suggest you take a look at the article yourself but if you don’t have time we have summed it up for you here:
Meet The Electrician, Matt
- Matt is a 35-year-old electrician who is married with two kids. He lives in Indiana and has been working as an electrician for just over 16 years. At age 19 he began his electrician career working on the construction side, but became a railroad electrician about 5 years ago.
Why Did Matt Want To Become An Electrician?
- When he was first considering his career options he actually wanted to be an architect. However, once he learned some of basics of electrical work he was hooked. He enjoys the excitement and technical nature of his work, he also loves that his job gets him outside and in a variety of locations. Additionally, one of his favorite parts of being an electrician is getting to work with his hands, which he says “makes you feel strong, independent, and manly.”
What Have His Different Electrical Jobs Been Like?
- Construction: Matt explains that there are three sectors in construction:
- Residential
- Commercial
- Industrial
- The primary difference between these sectors is the scale of the jobs you work. He states that with most construction electrical jobs, electricians follow a layout provided by an architect or engineer, but that they often make alterations and modifications because blueprints rarely reflect reality 100% accurately. He adds that in recent years there has been a growing push towards clean energy. This means that more and more electricians need to know how to work with photovoltaic and wind systems.
- Railroads: Matt explains that the same basic skill set is required when working as a railroad electrician as when working as an electrician in construction, but that the focus is a slightly different. On railroads, there is greater emphasis on maintenance and less on construction. Another difference is that he has to travel a greater distance for work when working on the railroad.
What is an average day like?
- Matt tells us that when it comes to construction work, deadlines are strict and everything moves at a fairly fast pace. This is because most construction jobs are bid on, so the more quickly the work gets completed the more money the contractor makes.
- Working as a railroad electrician is a bit slower paced, but that the expectations are similar: “There will always be conduit, wiring and other equipment to install and fix.”
What Is Matt’s Favorite Part Of His Career As An Electrician?
- Matt says that the best part of his job as an electrician is that he gets to do something different each day–he gets to visit different locations and explore various aspects of the trade every day. Matt says, “I’m not an assembly line or office person, never have been. I have nothing against that career path, I just love the freedom that comes with working with the trades. While others are wondering ‘what’s it like outside,’ I know what it’s like because I’m in it.”
Matt’s Parting Advice:
- “Being an electrician is an excellent career choice and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Whether it’s the young man just out of high school, or the not so young man wanting to make a career change. Being an electrician, just as any other skilled trade, is a skill you have for life.”
Matt is clearly an advocate of the electrician trade, and here at Lamson Institute we are are, too! Over the years we have successfully helped hundreds of young adults begin rewarding careers in the electrical field. And we can do the same for you! Our Electrical Technician program here in San Antonio can be completed in as little as 9 months and we provide job placement services so you are able to jump right into your new career upon program completion.
Learn more about our electrical program and our career services by calling ATI today!
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