Hey all, new here... I'm a 33yr old mom of two entering the electrical trade. took my pre-app, I may have my foot in the door at a great company in town. Very excited!

I just can't get this chip off my shoulder that things are different for me bc I'm a girl. What's your honest opinion. seriously, I can take it.

I do not have any problem working beside any one, if you can carry your share of the load. I worked on a job with a very pretty young girl who could not do the job, the only way she could help me was to go to the threader with a piece of pipe and act like she was going to cut and thread it( she could not) one of the guys was always glad to do it for her. Had 3 other ladies on this job, 2 were journeymen, and some of the best I have seen before or since, so it can go either way its all up to you.

It will be different for you, just as it's different for others who have different color skin, are too small, too heavy, too young, or too old. On the other hand, I have a friend who gained customers because of her gender. The Breast Cancer Clinic, for example, wouldn't hire anyone else.

You should be aware that when you took pre-app, it was their job to help you through the course. It's different on a construction site, where the primary drive is profit. The time that co-workers spend teaching apprentices must be justified by an increase in productivity. Your employer will want to keep you around if you are profitable, and your supervisor will want to get rid of you if you make him look unprofitable. No one has the job of helping you. You are the helper.

Being different from the crowd isn't a problem if you're a good worker. What would be so wrong if a customer asked that the woman be sent because she works faster?

I will post this for you.
http://www.bcelectrician.com/girlsview.html

My wife was a builder until they stopped doing that. She had a pretty sharp learning curve and it took a while to get the confidence of the men around her but you can do it.
Just don't ask for any special consideration because you are a girl and try to be right when you say something. You may not have the same strength as some of the guys but there is nothing that keeps you from knowing as much ... or more. Ask the question if you are confused and try to absorb as much of the answer as you can. Go home and look up the things that are not clear to you. The bad news is there is still a whole lot for you to learn, the good news is guys like telling girls how to do things ... at least the ones who secure in their own manhood.
If you are one of the lucky people who have the innate ability to fix things (something you really can't teach) you may become a star.

In broad strokes there are 3 basic aspects to the work.
1) Theory
2) Code
3) Practices

Theory and code are entirely objective and intellectual where gender or strength/size matter nil.

Practices, the actual 'how' of getting the job done are where the 'gotchas' are going to be for you.

You'll be shown how to do something by a 6'4" 220lb guy that works perfectly well for him but that way is NOT going to be the only or even the best way to approach a given situation. It is just the way he approaches it. Ya know?

Until you have the seniority to just go ahead and do something the way you want (or need) to approach it you'll have to use some "getting along with others" skills to get that Journeyperson (ha!) to see that a different approach wil get the job done just as well and safely too.

Good luck.



One caveat that I tell everyone who wants to be an electrician (not just girls) is to break in with a resi new construction crew where you'll be able to learn almost every aspect of the (basic) work with lighter materials and in a much quicker pace. Just don't stay doing it beyond the 3-6 months a sharp mechanic will require to learn those basics and THEN get in with a commercial contractor.

>>She had a pretty sharp learning curve and it took a while to get the confidence of the men around her but you can do it. <<

The Good News:
Confidence will follow Competence. Work on competence first and have a good work ethic and high workmanship standards and everything will fall into place for you. Just work on things in the right order. If you are competent and a good worker I can't see how anyone could have a problem with your gender. Comptetence is a rare commodity. I prefer someone competent who I have confidence in and don't feel I have to babysit all day to someone my age/my gender/who looks like me/talks like me/likes the same thing to eat at luch that I do/likes the same sports team I do... At work I'm looking to get the job done, not looking for new fishing buddies.

The Bad News:
The trades are a sexist place, and what's worse, for a female, is that the trades are also 99.9% male. Most of them are not particularly cultured or educated. You are going to catch a little sexism and bigotry on the job regardless of how many laws against it stand written into the law books. But buying into other people's b.s. is voluntary on your part. You might need a thick skin at times, but console yourself with the fact that inside every shop there is also an informal heirarchy like in any dog pack. There is an "A" team, of the best people, a "B" team and a "C" team etc. etc. It's an unwritten rule, but these divisions exist even in a shop of "equals". Partly its human nature to form these cliques and partly its a countermeasure to isolate one's self (provided you have the clout wherever it is you work) from a lot of the, err.. inadequate... people that get hired and are always so difficult to get rid of (it seems). Anyway, work on competence and good work. If you are invited into the informal ranks of the A team wherever you work, that should give you the clout you need to deal with that little 2% of sexism/bigotry that seems to slip through the net of the most airtight laws/workplace practices/whatever.

HERE! HERE! Sorry. I just had to say that.

***Shameless continuation of my previous post because my time to edit ran out***

On the "unwritten rules" side, yes the rules will be different for you because you are a woman. People will be skeptical because you are a "girl". Use it to your advantage. If you fulfill their expectations they will be more impressed than with an equivalent man of your age/experience level doing the same thing. You'll be under more scrutiny- for a while. Use that period of hyper scrutiny to be extra "on your game" and on top of things and you will earn more respect more quickly than an equivalent male (who rightly or wrongly is expected "just to know" certain stuff..) and retain that respect and also enjoy agreater amount support from your co-workers.

On the "written rules" side, the game will be the same for you as
for anyone else regardless of gender/aptitude/talent. Of late, our laws
and cultural mentality, in an attempt to rectify some of the wrongs and injustices of past eras have been a mixed bag. In many ways the "hard bigotry of racism" has been replaced by "the soft bigotry of low expectations" in the workplace as well. The real "testing" of people in an organization has moved to the "unwritten" side of the rules, because anything overt leaves mangement open to lawsuits from disgruntled employees playing various "cards" i.e. "race card".. whatever.. Be keen to the subtleties of heirarchies and strive to do work worthy of whatever "A" team exists where you work. It won't go unnoticed, because it is just so hard to find anymore.

Bottom line: The opportunity will be what you make of it. You are in the
captain's chair. Choose wisely. Steer a good course.

My personal experience regarding the sexism issue: it also largely depends on looks and attitude. A female with 1/2" haircut who starts on the job by telling crude jokes will have a different standing as one with hip lenght blonde hair and tiny voice acting like a soap opera actor.

I had 2 years of Technical school which is, while ending with a diploma unlike an apprenticeship, socially only a small step above trade work. I experienced both kinds of girls and they both survived - to some extent. I think the more robust ones had an easier life in general.

To be honest, the intellectual niveau can be annoying to a guy as well... I'm going to quit my job this summer because I just don't want to spend all my time with people who only have 3 small talk subjects (sex, drinking and role play computer games where they kill as many enemies as possible) any more.

It's mostly a question of personal attitude I guess.

good luck. work hard and do your best. Remember that they will always be those people out there that don't want you to make it, But un derstand that its not their fault they are dumb. I faced a hard time getting started in the trade being black and everything workedout

When I was a project manager, I had a "forewoman".

She excelled in the field, where the foremen often failed.
Her paperwork, as built plans, etc. were flawless. I only had to call her once a day to see how things were going, and always was pleased with the progress made. She had her personal goals for the day.
She actually wrote stuff down!!!
Punctual, sober, and dependable, she was the ONE that I knew would not let me down, and would be truthful.

It's all about the attitude

I wish I had a whole crew of them.

Here in New Jersey we have a women in the consumer affairs department, that fields code problems from contractors state wide, she really knows her electical, and the codes.

The lone girl (a senior) in my shop is the nicest out of all of the seniors. Knows the code in and out, and knows how to do things right, and does them right. (Example, the seniors and juniors are doing the wiring for the school's new smart boards and projectors, and her work looks the best out of the rest.) She's also the #1 ranked senior, which should say something.

I have no problem with women in the trades, but yeah, some people will treat you differently. IMO (and my instructor's), the person's attitude matters more than their gender. The advice from the senior, "Don't let them intimidate you, just do the job and prove yourself." The girls in carpentry, machine tech and welding say the same thing.

Ian A.

Female managers seem to work out very well when working with techy/trade guys ... as soon as they get over the hump of credibility. One of the best managers I ever had at IBM came up through the ranks of the dispatchers. She wasn't just a regular field manager, she was the tech support manager over the crustiest old bastards who had been around a while. Sometimes knowing too much about what the people who work for you do is a bad thing. As my wife used to say, she doesn't have a clue how to float drywall or lay blocks but she knows what they look like when they are right (or wrong). Managers are really in charge of the process, not the procedure.

#1 Go for it.
#2 whats wrong with a chip on your shoulder?
#3 (BC I'm a girl) the pros will never notice. The others... Screw them.
#4 Intelligence and the willingness to learn, realy do supercede all. It aint all muscle, a great part is brain.
#5 You worry too much.
#6 You've done more already (as a parent) than most around you will know. Take that confidence with you.

Just be real and most will help. There are jerks around, But I assume you already know that.
#7 Go for it.(not a typo)

By the way.. Welcome, good to have you on board!

If all else fails, take a piece of 1/2" EMT and bend a perfect 180 around the culprits head. That should solve his prob.

Forget the EMT, it is too soft. Just use the business end of the bender

I worked with a young lady as an apprentice. She did OK, but had trouble with strength for example she had trouble cutting 10/3 romex, BX cable etc. (some of you will remember bx lol) She ended up working for the phone co. Last I saw her she was servicing pay phones(remember those) I personally tried to help her, even got the boss to get her smaller linemans to fit her hands better.

I will stand by "brains not brawn".
I and others I know will get help with the "hard" stuff.

if you want it,you'll get it.

Thanks all! great advice, that's all I can do is do my best job and absorb as much as I can. I guess I have to not think about it and focus on my job.

My first day went great - I think I impressed my JM.

It's good to hear that your first day went well

I'm coming to this thread a little late, but I just wanted to say that that I don't think physical strength comes into play as much in the trade anymore. We have power tools, and tuggers, and a larger, higher tork pair of cutters or pliers can always be had. The only problem I could see is drilling big holes with a holesaw, or lugging around a Hole Hawg all day, fortunately we're not drilling holes through 14" beams with a bit and brace anymore.

Please keep active on the forum, we've had a few of these "hello, I'm a girl who's just starting in the trade" threads, and they all seem to just vanish in the mist after the first couple posts. (to be fair this has happened with many guys too). So keep coming, and keep reading/posting!

-Will, a.k.a. Elviscat

Alright then.. I'm back.

I've lurked a couple times, not too big on the shop talk yet..

RE: tools - I should maybe post this on that particular thread, however, when I started out, I bought my basics, not really knowing which was the best. After a week into it, I knew what what I needed and went tool shopping again - bought my kleins, wiggy, good side cutters with an offset, precision screwdrivers, torpedo level, set of allen keys, ideal stripper rather than the channel locks strippers. A lot of the more expensive tools can wait until I get further in I think. My craftsman dmm will do for now, and I'll get my estwing hammer first paycheck. Already have a decent drill, and set of insulated screwdrivers... I think I'm good for now. 2nd apprentice, green as grass - don't think I'll need too much more.

So my point is to anyone starting out - don't go crazy buying tools until you know the right brands and know what you are going to need.

Do not worry about being "green as grass", we were all green at one time. I am glad you mentioned your DMM. A few things about them. This are some things a "newbie" should know as well as a refresher for the experienced. Complacency kills elctricians. Seasoned electricians usually get hurt from rookie mistakes.

Meters in general will only tell you only what they are “seeing” at the probe tips providing the meter is not broken. They will tell you nothing more. It is up to the operator to determine what the meter is saying or not saying. The more you know about electrical theory, the more confident you will be using them.

A common problem with DMM's is measuring voltage. At times, you will register a voltage and it can be the voltage that is suppose to be there, yet the circuit will not work like it should. You may get odd voltages that should not be there. A couple of reasons for this is you are measuring is backfed voltages and what some call, “ghost” or “phantom” voltage. The link is a posting a while back that discuss this in more detail. When in doubt or troubleshooting, use the Wiggy first. It has a solenoid that puts a load on the circuit and that is the voltage you usually want.

https://www.electrical-contractor.net/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/66737/page/0/fpart/1

If you will be doing troubleshooting or working with equipment that have tight voltage tolerances, get a good DDM that is RMS rated (Root Mean Square) for voltage and amps if applicable. They are little pricier however when you are working on something with electronics, a ballast or transformer, the voltage reading can be way off. I have heard as much as 50%. You will be just running around in circles.

Learn how to use the meter properly. Some models like one with auto ranging take a couple of seconds to register a reading. In a rush and if you quickly take a reading, you may miss something which can be the biggest mistake in your life. Misuse of a meter can cause it to literally to blow up in your hand not to mention it can short out what you are metering. My meter for example will beep when it gets to the right range. It it does not beep, It is not done measuring.

Since you are just starting out I would not worry about these now. It is just food for thought. Good co-workers will watch out for you. I would suggest in the mean time and if the sparkies you are working with are willing to let you use their meters, try out the different models and ask questions. Ask them what they like bout them and what not. All of them have their pluses and minuses. Some sparkies are very protective of their meters and for good reason. They pay good money for them and their live literally depends on them. I would get a good working relationship with them before asking them to use their meter. You want a meter you feel comfortable and confident with that fits your needs. Your life depends on it. Using a meter that you are not comfortable with can make for an uneasy work day.

When metering think before you do.

From a woman 'veteran' of 30+ years, 8 in field, about 5 JIW, always working with my tools - now estimating, design, PM, etc. - Don't worry about what others do or think. If you are busy doing you job and producing, they can't slow you down. Obstacles of all kind are a constant in this business. If you can't get around some of these types you may not be cut out for the job.