ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area What motivated you to be an Electrician

I was going to college and I didn't like it. I dropped out, and my dad said that If I didn't want college, I should get a job that was a trade and I could make money at. I started out working for a friend who was an electrician, then I went to work for an alarm installers company. I enjoyed working with wires, and contacts, and equipment, but my biggest statisfaction was that when I was done. I could flip on a switch or power and the job would work correctly. I got a great feeling out of the fact that when I started, nothing was there, and when I was done, the job would have lights, power, and controls over everything. (Especially when evrything worked right! )

My Dad! He took me into the field when I was 12 years old so I could help him on some of his jobs around NYC, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens.

We wired a house for his friend Charlie Perno in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York.

I was introduced to lots of different types of electrical work in some old buildings where we changed the service, and installed new circuits to bring the buildings up to code.

We used the NYC code then, and after a while he relied on me to point out any violations.

He ran Cato Electric Company for a while that was located in the Bronx.

He was a tough guy and he insisted on quality work and sometimes he made me do it over when it was not up to his specs.

He opened up a door to the future for me that took me through the trade as an electrician, designer, electrical inspector and instructor.

Thanks Jimmie, they called him "Edison" may you rest in peace!

I can tell you how I got started as an electrician, but the motivation to stick with it is a whole 'nuther story... Here goes....
My dad is an electrician, so growing up with the ol' man doin' stuff around the house, and he, naturaly needing a "go-fer", ment that I helped out on a lot of household projects. I got a really good lesson on the basic stuff from Dad. 'Bout lots of stuff, but quite alot about electrical stuff.
The motivation came when I was about 21 years old. I was laid off from the construction job I was working, and with a recomendation from a friend, got a job with a small electical contractor, on the other side of the state. I worked with them for 3 years, until Dad and I had a chance to start our own electical contracting firm back home. Now, after having been in business for a year and a half, we have 2 part-time employees, and a full time one starting in a month. Not bad for a kid and his ol' man in a small town in West Virginia...
But, as to the motivation... Electrical work is a nice combonation of lots of skills, and I'm lucky enough to be able to make them blend together very well, and do an excelant job, of the highest quality and finest workmanship. Most people notice that, and for that reason, I have lots of happy customers. Knowing that I did the best job I could do, and that the customer feels that they paid a reasonable price for great work, and will call me back, that is why I do what I do.

As a child I always experimented. I remember when I was 5 or 6, I found a cut-off lamp cord at my uncles. We were playing cops and robbers with my cousins and I stuck the cord end into my toy gun. I was proud of my electric gun and I pluged it into a recepticle. "Boom" Blew all the lights out in the house. I was lucky I didn't get hurt. Later in life I got the bug in highschool. I was told I could not be an electrician because I was lousey in math. Now I have had my masters for 15 years and I still lousey in math. I got the computer to do my work. Still learning every day.
Mark

The thing that sticks out in my mind was the Christmas of my third grade year. Mom and Dad gave me a Gilbert Fun With Electricity set. Haven't stopped trying to figure it out, yet.

Al

I discovered electricity at age 3. I wondered what would happen if I stuck a paper clip in an outlet. I found out! After that when I was sixteen I went to work for an electrician that summer and the next summer and the next summer and during college, GO DAWGS!
After college for some reason I decide to start my own remodeling company. I worked my ass off and never made really good money, but I always made good money on the electrical side jobs I did. So, I applied to take the state exam, passed and the rest is history. The best decission I ever made.

I signed up in the Navy 30 years ago to be a hospital corpsman. An old Chief pulled me aside in boot camp and said I should "make something of myself." Told me to be an electrician and learn all I could. He told me to go "be somebody!" He made a difference. I've enjoyed it and here and I am. No idea who that guy was! But, thanks, Chief.

I met a J-man once who actually got his start from the infamous matchbook ad...


go figger!

I started with my current (day job) company as a janitor in 1980.
I wanted to get in the building maintenance department, so I enrolled in an HVACR class at a private trade school. Since the janitorial dept. fell under the maintenance dept., I qualified for tuition reimbursement. After completing that course, and with no openings available in maintenance, I enrolled in the local Public Tech. School's adult ed. program for electrical classes. Eventually an entry-level general maintenance position opened up in our Research Pilot Plant. I took that position, and as plant technology evolved, I became the Electrical & Instrument Tech.
Ahh, the sweet smell of success!?

Hi All, Great topic.
My Dad came to this country looking for work. Instead found my Mom and then a job...

He started working for my Mom's cousin who is an electrical contractor. My Dad worked hard and knew his stuff but due to his language barrier had difficulty with the theory. When I was around 6, he would take me to jobs. I would sit there and rip his tool puch apart as well as anything around it. As time went on I watched what was going on and started putting things together. Well you could imagine what happened, direct shorts, blown fuses, burnt toys.... not a good thing!!

Going through school I kinda had a feeling I was going to do this type of work. It wasn't until I went to high school that I learned about the vocational school which had an electric shop. Well, I went to shop all 4 years, graduated top in my class.

At graduation my Dad told me that I was going to go one of two things.... either go to college (which he didn't have the money for) of join the union.

I applied for apprenticeship and was placed 5th and eventually was call for work. That was in 1982. I did my schooling which was tougher than I thought. With the help of some great friends (which I will never forget) I got through and became a Journeyman Wireman.

I now am a licensed electrician, I run my own one man shop :-) as well as manage and maintain an electrical system ranging from 26,400 volts down to 24 volts dc.

Tough times have tought me the value of what I have. It is this value I thank my Dad for.

We miss you Dad, Rest in Peace.