I spent yesterday, shovel in hand, digging a ditch. The project was to replace the badly degraded cable serving a mobile home with proper conductors in pipe.

Today, I ran my pipe (PVC BBQ anyone? ), pulled my wire, hooked it all up, and everyone was happy.

Sure, there was no 'glamour.' I won't be called to Sweden to accept a prize. They won't even put up statue of me in front of city hall.

Yet, a certain fault was avoided, and a bad situation fixed. There is a certain satisfaction to finishing the job, flipping a switch, and having things work.

You don't get that satisfaction flying a desk.

reno - when I was out of a job and became the temporary local handyman (mainly paint, millwork, and fencing), I came upon a bad situation. A house I was working on had 3 wire outlets with only 2 wire NM, and some "smart" person decided to MacGuyver the ground by connecting a jumper from the ground screw to the neutral. The only thing is, the white wire wasn't really neutral, it had been switched halfway down the chain. Every outlet except one had a hot ground. I had grounded power tools plugged into both, and it's a miracle i didn't get shocked.

I discovered this situation when i took my no-contact citcuit tester (i forget the slang name) and it lit up almost everywhere. What's worse was it was the baby's room. I shut it off and told them to call an electrician and don't turn it on until it's fixed. (only because i'm too poor to be in a liability situation.) I feel like I saved a life, and there was no glamour or Nobel Peace Prize for Accidentally Finding a Problem. I pulled a Homer Simpson (i.e. the episode where he accidentally prevents a meltdown.) But I got the greatest prize of all.... the thanks of parents for possibly saving them and their only child at the time. Actually, i got another prize, because they named their second child Joshua Penn Saunders. And truthfully, there is no greater honor to me than all of this.

That's why us working men are so great (granted, most of you guys work harder than I do). We're not looking for medals, fame, or fortune (other than enough to provide for our families). We're satisfied by just doing our jobs.

Kudos to Reno and working men and women everywhere!

Good Topic Reno. I can relate to that feeling too, as I'm sure most others also could. Me and a few electricians installed a tailwater warning system on Chickamauga Dam 2 yrs ago. Two giant LED signs upstream and down, along with strobes and sirens. Neat feeling, after all is said and done, esp when it's dark you can spot our work from a good distance.

Beem me up, Reno!

There's nothing better than a satisfied customer. When a customer can sit in his/ her new outdoor jacuzzi and admire the new lighting in the yard and tell a friend of the great electrician who did the work. Yeah, that and $5,000 check makes it all worthwhile.


I truly love what I do for a living.

Once somebody said:

"If you enjoy what you are doing, you never have to go to work"


Edward

Finding gratification in craftsmanship is not the thrill it used to be. It's extremely rare that anyone notices or cares these days. People are generally unwilling to pay for fine craftsmanship. It's about money these days.

I do a good job, better than most I'd say, but these days the gratification comes from counting my money. I hate to suck the fun out of this thread, but at the end of the day the only thing that really matters is the money.

Nearly every aspect of being an Electrical Contractor is a major PITA, I just need to see the money in order to delude myself into thinking I'm not wasting my time.

Maybe I've stumbled on something here...

Pop Stars and Pro Athletes seem to spend a lot of time jumping out and screaming "look at me!" For them, it is very important to be the "star," the center of attention.

At the other extreme, "special forces types" are content to do their jobs, and have little desire for any sort of recognition outside their own very limited circles.

When someone sees my work in ten years, I'd like their first though to be "it sure is nice to follow after a pro" ... rahter than "what was that hack thinking?"

Otherwise, I derive great satisfaction from knowing that I actually DID something, and the confidence that "my stuff works."

Indeed, it seem that we thrive on being invisible. That is, the only time our work is noticed is when something breaks .... so we're quite happy to remain anonymous.

Normally when I wire up a control panel for a card access system it is hidden away in a lan closet somewhere never to be seen again, but I take a lot of pride in my work and I think a neatly wired panel shows technical skill. I did a job at a radio station and was doing my thing with the panel when one of the engineers walked by and complimented my work, then brought one of the other guys over to show them. It was a good feeling.

I can relate. After four days of pulling cables in a cramped attic above a social hall for band lighting and sound controls, nothing was visible to anyone except some isolated ground outlets, some dimmers and low volt controls on small distant section of wall. Even the load outlets were hidden behind the recessed ceiling cove. I could only test my circuits before leaving and could not see any operable lights or equipment before I left. They wont be installed till next week by the "maintenance staff". Oh well... On my way out, one of the ladies stopped me and said, thanks - You are a great electrician! Knowing that she would never actually set foot in that attic to see my prideful craftsmanship, I could only scratch my head, smile and say thanks. I know I did a great job in a timely manner. Thats all that matters...

I can't argue the fact about the money, however I would have to ask you what made you want to be an electrician? Was it just about the money?


Well on that note, I understand that there are alot of people out in this world that don't like their jobs, guess the above is proof of that. Please correct me if I'm wrong in my assumptions.


[This message has been edited by Luketrician (edited 01-11-2007).]

I truly feel bad for anyone who does not enjoy their job on some level. To me, its not all about the money. If it was I would have kept my middle management job in a factory. I made more money and had benefits like paid vacation, good health insurance, profit sharing and job security(the company has never had a layoff in 105 years). The problem was I had little to no personal satisfaction in my job. I love being an electrical contractor. I love the challenge of not only doing a job better than the "other guys", but doing it better than I did it the last time. I do that for me. I was raised to never expect someone to pin a rose on me for doing my job. I was taught to set high standards for myself and learned the satisfaction of meeting or exceeding those standards. I know other sparkys who do just what it takes to get by and they seem to make a good living at it. I just couldn't be happy with that. I've been told that I do too much for too little sometimes and that all that matters is how much money you have when its all said and done. What good is a big pile of money if they have to pay 6 guys to carry your casket to the cemetery?

"I can't argue the fact about the money, however I would have to ask you what made you want to be an electrician? Was it just about the money?"


Yup!

I was working at an all night gas station pumping gas when I began getting interested in doing electrical work. A friend of mine came in one night when I was working the overnight shift and he said he was getting a whole $12 p/ hour working as an electrician. That was a helluva lot more than the $8.00 I was making, and having to work overnight just to make that! The next week I visited a Navy recruiter, was offered electrician school in the Navy as a trade, and the rest as they say is history.

I really love the trade, and money is definitely not as important to me as it was when I was 19. But I wouldn't do it for free!

The satisfaction of getting the end result is the best part of the electrical jobs.
The machine works, the lights are on, the powerpoints are live and working, customer happy !

Some jobs may be tedious or awkward but afterwards flipping that switch gives a great feeling when it all works.

In the utility industry, the streetlight faults finding and repairs are the most rewarding because it is the most visible job in the POCO industry.

Also every time I drive past I remember that relay controls that string or that pilot system.

Of cause, after a HV fault closing the 11 or 33 kV switch and see everything jump into live is great, then the dismantling of temporary generators etc is the tiring part of the job but has to be done.

Ray,
I can only but agree with you mate!.
On the same side of the coin, putting a fuse back in and switching a house back on has the same effect on me.
Fred,
Yeah,
Any job must have at least some redeeming features to it.
I used to look at a lot of factory workers when I was doing my time, stuck in the same old job, with no real means of advancement.
Being a trades-person means that you can advance your skills and pay-scale.
I'd take skills over money any day.

{Edit: One thing we have to remember, we are not young, spoilt football players here, where we have buckets of cash thrown at us, we have to WORK for our livings.
I have a new apprentice that likes the idea of hard work as a means of earning his pay check.
He even told me the other day, "You give me the money and I'll work for it!".
For once, the interviewer saw real talent.
This guy is going to be a legend from what I have seen.}

[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 01-12-2007).]

I love my job so much that when I have caught up with my current duties every day, I come to forums like this one to offer assistance to others. I love coming to work; I consider myself to be a true crafstman and enjoy helping others. Any trade these days is so closely-restricted by costs but there are rare occasions where people will "just do it right", even if they don't make as much money. In my case, I just can't cut corners and I maintain this stance to a fault.

True, there may come a point in time where money rules and there will no longer be a need for fine craftsmanship and longevity in the work that was performed. I just hope that this is determined about a month after I am dead and gone.

There is quantity and then there is quality. I will stick with the latter and know that I gave my best, even if my pockets were empty when all was said and done. I am just that way. I would rather be a poor man with a smile on my face than a rich man who doesn't know if his "friends" will be there tomorrow.

I have to agree with the majority here. To me Job satisfaction is more importatnt than the money. You could pay me 4 times what I get now, but if I am not happy I cannot see me applying myself 100%. I get a fuzzy inner feeling when one of my machines does like the customer wanted and knowing I did that.

As an inspector I don't do it for the money, although I wouldn't be doing it for free.
My signature goes on every service release and I initial every Certificate of Occupancy.
I don't want to be the guy they are talking about some day in the future when they say "Who the H* ever approved this mess."
I feel good when a job is done right and the customer is happy, and the electrician got paid. I am saddened when I have to make someone that should know better go back and do it right.
I really hate it when I am telling the people that just had a fire, and didn't have renters insurance, that they have to find someplace else to stay. Especially when the FD list it as an electrical fire and while caused by electricity had nothing to do with anything any electrician ever had his hands on.
There are good days and there are bad days. I just try to keep the playing field level so the good players have a chance against the corner cutters.
I tell people: Less than the Code is a violation. More than the Code is probably what you want. 200 A instead of 100 service: Some extra outlets behind the video center so the multi tap doesn't have to be used. Some extra outlets in the garage where the work bench is going to be installed.
I like to remind them that the new furnace has a ten year warrenty and cost three grand. The electrical system will last for the life of the house.
Alan--
It can always be done cheaper. And it can always be done better. Ask the customer what they drive, and if they would want something cheaper or better.

This reminds me of when I was helping a family friend with his small addition and new outbuilding. I was honestly surprised when he handed me a check after the first week, I had assumed he was just letting me tag along. In all, though, the couple of months of hard summer work (doing things I like- carpentry and electric) were awesome and the money was a mere bonus.

That's the "prime directive" if you will of my current occupation(s).

As a projectionist especially, I am the "Unseen Showman". The film must hit the screen in frame, in focus, with the sound at the proper level and balance. And, as in the case of the University I run film at, each reel change must be seamless, so as not to pull the audience out of the story. Last night's film was a prime example..full house (300) and BOTH of the film's director's were present. They complimented me on how nice the film looked and sounded.

Despite the tremendous pressure of my current installation job (for a major agency representing many celebrities) the payoff is in the finished product. (About another three days on this job.)

And that job's EC's were very pleasant to work with, and not only complied with my specifications but had the professional courtesy to discuss why I made the specs as I did. And they agreed with the reasons without any negativity.

Overall my job is quite rewarding, not always monetarily (is that even a word?) but with the client's satisfaction, and continued positive referrals.

I find it hard to believe sometimes that I have been in the business for over 24 years now.

I dunno, reno, I *do* get satisfaction flying a desk! I enjoy engineering work, and I get a great deal of satisfaction from finding good solutions to technical problems. I work more closely with the electricians in my present job than before, but I also act as an AHJ now and get to see my system in action.

On my last job, it was a bit different- I'd toil for months on a drawing package they weren't even going to start work on for 6 months. Nobody ever praises the engineer, either- we get blamed for every typo on the drawing and every problem on the waterfront, whether it was actually our fault or not, but if the drawings are perfect and all goes well? Not a peep. If the work was local and I had a good excuse to be in the area, I'd usually try to pop in during construction, but I rarely had the chance. My greatest satisfaction was always seeing my work on TV, man that's a great feeling. Almost always in the background, but sometimes the history channel or discover will focus on it and talk about what a great capability it gives or just how much they use it. Often, its the first time I get to see it fully installed, too!

*BUMP*

Bringing this one back to life..after some recent unpleasantness here, had some very nice compliments from my clients that reminded me of this thread...

Anyone else have good things to share about why you do the job you do?

I still get personal satisfaction out of trying to do the job right and even after all these years of working I still try to learn everyday something especialy from everybody here. but with only a few more years to retire I hope ,it get tougher to do this trade. When you work in a plant all they care about is getting the job done quick not how well you do the job,and they have no idea what is involved or care.
I always but heads with some of management because I refuse to do the job half ass and try tro do it to the best of my ability.Just ranting!!!! Ed