Electrician Training

Article by Robert Bruce

Why is it that so many people these days are so afraid of hard work and don’t want to become skilled trades people? When you say the word “electrician” to most people, they automatically think of the guy who replaces your old household wiring, or fixes something electrical that has gone wrong inside a house. The truth is, electrician training can lead to jobs in many exciting industries, and it gives an opportunity for self-employment, allowing you to choose what you want to do during the day. You can become a commercial electrician, a maintenance electrician and the work includes everything from specialist marine electrics, to wiring new buildings during construction.

Being an electrician is definitely not an 8 to 5 job and there is an extraordinary choice of things you can do as a trained electrician, but electrician training all starts with the basics. You will learn to repair and maintain electrical systems, how to repair and update circuit breakers, diagnose electrical problems, and also learn to work from schematics, blueprints and specifications. All work has to be carried out to National Electrical Code standards and be in compliance with all state and local building codes. You will also learn how to use specialist tools and equipment.

One of the main aspects of electrician training is learning how to diagnose problems with electrical circuits and electrical equipment, and this has to include special knowledge of systems, circuits and other technical considerations. It is also a job that will keep you physically and mentally fit and alert. In many situations, especially when working with people such as architects and householders, customer service skills will be required.

The pay is good, and if you choose to work for a company as an electrician, there are chances of being promoted to supervisor and project manager levels. Working for a large power company can pay great money, especially if you are on call. After a car wreck where power lines are involved, you may be called out in the middle of the night to solve how to not only clear up the mess and ensure public safety, but be required to restore power as quickly as possible due to any possible outages.

Electricians worked day and night to restore power after Hurricane Katrina and other major disasters. When you last went to a big concert, an electrician will have been on hand at the theater and one would have come along with all the band’s equipment to set it up and make sure it functioned properly.

If you are a people person, with electrician training you can work around your local district, meeting new people every day and resolving their electrical problems – whether it’s completely rewiring a house or trying to figure out why someone’s porch light isn’t working!

You can go to a local technical or vocational school and ask about their electrician training programs, and once the course is completed you may like to specialize in a certain area and join an apprentice program to learn all about your chosen field.