Why become an Electrician?
Were you one of the few lucky ones that knew exactly what you wanted to do when you left school? There is a sense of pressure growing up to choose the right career, ensuring you have purpose, direction and independence in adulthood. The occupation you select has to be the right fit for your personality, character and goals. Does it resonate with your values, interests, aptitudes and soft skills? If you are an introvert and don’t enjoy customer engagement your focus may be to become a librarian, mechanic, writer, research scientist, pathologist or software engineer. If you have a vibrant personality that is extroverted you may want to become a dancer, entertainer, event manager, life coach, sales manager or flight attendant. As an electrician you are definitely a bit of an extrovert and introvert. Let’s be honest, Electricity is both dangerous and fascinating.
It sparks curiosity and technological innovation that has transformed the way we live and work today. It is easy to understand why there is a desire to become an Electrician. We are fortunate that trades are no longer gender specific, opening the field to women. In Australia and worldwide women make up a very low percentage of electrical service workers. Gender equality and diversity is being encouraged in the workplace, to create a healthier and more balanced industry, supporting collaboration and creative employment. Gloria Steinem articulated so well “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming after all, is a form of planning.” 9 Reasons why you no longer have to dream of becoming an Electrician, but why you should make it happen:
1. Affordable Education
It is no secret that many people who attend University are left with an insurmountable level of debt that can take years to pay off. A trades career is known to be more affordable, particularly if you are able to gain employment and an Apprenticeship is offered to you. The majority of Electricians complete a hands-on apprenticeship with a qualified, experienced sparky before being allowed to work independently. On the job training, allows you to generate an income avoiding student debt.
2. Thought-provoking
Electricians feel challenged with everyday being different, eliminating monotony and feeling stagnant. As an Electrician you need to be able to manage complex problems that require critical thinking, but have a creative flair to ensure the design is aesthetically pleasing to the end customer.
It is a rewarding career that challenges your mental skills to interpret electrical drawings and determine wiring layouts, ensuring people and property safety.
3. A career for life that can be used worldwide
There are many positions that have become redundant over the years, with the natural evolution of change and technology. As an Electrician you can use this trade worldwide throughout your lifetime. It is a sought-after trade that is unlikely to ever be made redundant as it will always require human intervention. If you want to travel the world, your trade will be invaluable and see you in good stead along your journey.
4. Skills shortage creating an increase in demand
As a wanted occupation, the world is your oyster. Infrastructure continues to be at the forefront of economic and social development. Electricians can specialise in residential, commercial, construction, gas and oil or industrial works. Our society will always be dependent on Electricity.
5. Office on wheels
Have you ever heard of an Electrician that is office bound, they are few and far between and have chosen to specialise in project management, estimation or service management! There is an appeal to have an office on wheels with the freedom of the road ahead of you, knowing that you can embrace different views daily. Jobs vary from indoor work to outdoor work stimulating all senses.
6. Working environment
Not everyone is interested or built to work indoors behind a desk, writing emails, answering phones and carrying out administrative tasks. Electricians are often on the move working in different locations, depending on the contract or project. If you have difficulty sitting still and need change, this is an ideal career with the diversity of environment.
7. Opportunity to become self-employed
Electricians are a respected trade with the flexibility to become self-employed or retain employment. It is not easy taking on the challenge of owning your own business, but you have the opportunity to stimulate employment and become an industry leader. As you progress you can appoint an apprentice and influence their career, participating in the completion of their electrical trade qualification.
8. Diversity in the Electrical Trade
As an Electrician you have the advantage to specialise or gain generalist knowledge in the residential, commercial, construction, industrial, mining, oil and gas. As a tradesman or woman, you have the flexibility to attend to a domestic dwelling resolving electrical issues. To then be off to a construction site, getting your hard hat on to join a crew of tradies to complete a project. It may be that you want to specialise in working with HVAC, Switchboard manufacturing or electrical mechanics.
9. Increased earning potential
As an Electrician you have one of the higher salaries among trade professionals. With increased experience and additional certifications in Occupational Health and Safety, Working at Heights, Confined Spaces, an ACMA or Security Licence, your earning potential becomes even higher. If you have a passion for the mines and the gas and oil industry, FIFO workers receive a significant financial reward. The advantage is that your home and work life is totally separate, but you need to be willing to work on a shift basis and spend longer periods away from home.
There are so many positive reasons to become an Electrician in our modern-day life. If you are mathematically inclined, have a strong attention to detail with an ability to problem solve and love diversity, this could be a career for you. It is important not to choose a career because of the financial reward, but rather the emotional and mental satisfaction you receive from it. An Electrician really needs to be wired with passion and a desire to plug electrical problems. To be switched on ensuring whatever negative encounter he or she has to make it a positive. In the electrical industry no matter how bad a day you are having, you cannot take your eye off the ball. One mistake could be costly or deadly!
At Universal Electro Tech and Universal Switchboards, we support work experience programmes and employing apprentices. There is nothing more rewarding, irrespective of age, gender or ethnicity to see an individual aspire and succeed in their journey to become an Electrician. Give our team of multi skilled electricians a call to assess how we can help you resolve your electrical concerns. Universal Electro Tech, Universal Switchboards and Professional cabling Services admin@uet.net.au | www.uet.net.au | (08) 9328 9491 | pcs@procabling.com.au | www.procabling.com.au/ | (08) 9478 5311 located at 105 Robinson Avenue, Belmont, WA 6104 and Unit 4/4 Picton Road, WA Bunbury 6230.
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