In addition to suffering severe, often fatal electrical shocks, electricians come into contact with toxic chemicals such as lead, asbestos and solvents. They often have to work in small, confined spaces for long periods of time. Working as an electrician can affect everything from the back and shoulders to the knees and feet. Make sure you're prepared for how physically demanding it can be.
A career as an electrician is one of many options that don't require a four-year college degree, making it a big draw for many young people. It's also a career that provides stability and good income. However, there are also drawbacks, including years of training, physically demanding work, and potential hazards. If you've been weighing your career options and are leaning towards a specialized trade, learn more about a career as an electrician.
Get information about electrician programs by entering your zip code and request enrollment information. You can go to a community college or technical institute for a diploma or a two-year degree in electrical technology to begin your career as an electrician, but this is not required. Most people who enter the field do so by enrolling in an apprenticeship program, usually through a Joint Learning and Training Committee (JATC), based in a union. Although you don't need a four-year degree to become an electrician, you'll need to spend four to five years in an apprenticeship program.
You can choose between a union program or a non-union program, but any internship will include 8,000 to 10,000 hours of face-to-face training and work experience, as well as 500 to 1,000 hours of classroom work. An apprenticeship will take years to complete, but on the other hand, it will also allow you to earn a salary while you learn. These programs include hands-on training that you get paid for. It won't be as much as you'll earn as a full-fledged electrician once you finish your training, but it will allow you to learn and earn a living at the same time.
They don't just do routine, boring jobs every day at work; they solve problems, solve problems, and face new situations and challenges at every workplace. If you are looking for a career that is interesting and different from day to day, this is a great option. It's not a job that gets boring. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, electricians suffer more work-related injuries and illnesses than the average worker.
Electrical work is rarely so dangerous as to cause fatal accidents, but it's possible. More commonly, workers can suffer crashes, burns, falls, and similar minor injuries related to work-related accidents. If you've always thought that you'd want to work for yourself or be an entrepreneur, this is a great field to start. As in other trades, such as plumbers, electricians are often self-employed, either as independent contractors or as owners of small electrical contracting companies that employ other people.
As a freelance electrician, you'll have the freedom to choose the jobs you want to do and the hours you want to work, as well as how much you earn. Working as an electrician has its advantages and disadvantages. If you're looking for a practical career that doesn't require a college degree and provides job security and a good salary, consider applying for an apprentice electrician position. Learn about nearby electrician schools by entering your zip code and requesting enrollment information.
If I wanted to be an electrician, I wouldn't need to go to college and I could make a comfortable living earning an electrician's salary. Easy decision, right? Well, not exactly. An electrician specializes in the design, installation, maintenance and repair of electrical power systems and works in several sectors with specializations in the field, including electrical and automotive maintenance jobs. Electrical work can be divided into two broad sectors: electricians, masons and linemen.
Electricians who work indoors are called bricklayers, while those who work outdoors are called linemen. Outdoor electricians often take care of power plants and power lines and keep them running. And interior electricians often work on low-voltage repairs inside residential, industrial, and commercial buildings. While outdoor electricians risk their lives in high-voltage situations, indoor workers face other types of hellish environments.
It's no surprise that they have a higher rate of workplace-related injuries and suffer more illnesses during the year. Another worst aspect of being an electrician is the cost to health. As you can imagine, the rate of non-fatal injuries is high simply because of the space in which electricians must work. Some of the most common work-related injuries for electricians occur due to accidental falls, slips, and trips.
Electrical work is physically and mentally stressful. Bad customers are normal for most occupations related to commerce and services, but for many jobs, bad customers are the result of stress factors at work. The risk of working in hazardous environments is an additional stressor faced by electricians, in addition to dealing with the irritating regular customer. The added pressure makes electrical work exceptionally challenging.
I'm not surprised by the large number of physical injuries that electricians suffer each year, but what about the mental health risk? In the United Kingdom,. In the United States, electricians show a higher suicide rate compared to other professions, and they rank just behind occupations, such as farmworkers, lumberjacks, and fishermen. According to federal safety reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, electricians are frequently electrocuted while performing routine tasks, such as lamps, fixing cables or appliances, and repairing air conditioning units or underground power lines. While fall-related injuries are a more common risk for an electrician, electricity-related injuries can change your life just as well.
Sudden burns are possible from electrical explosions, and the psychological deterioration following electrocution is just as worrisome. Studies show that electrocution of as little as 120 volts can cause neuropsychological problems. Psychological problems caused by an electrical shock can include memory loss, depression, and emotional or behavioral changes. The high levels of electricity that electricians routinely work with are at greater risk of being electrocuted, and the stakes may be too high.
There are three levels of training you must pass to become an electrician, starting with an apprenticeship program that can take 4 to 5 years to complete. Upon completion, you can work for a commercial company, and 3 to 6 years later, you can request training from a licensed electrician. Once you have completed an internship, you can take a licensing exam to become an official electrician and work without supervision. And the overall role of being an electrical supervisor can also greatly influence the amount of stress experienced.
Although an electrician must be careful, especially when it comes to mental and physical stress, there are also some key things about the job that aren't stressful, quite the contrary. An electrician may experience some forms of mental stress if they take on too many job responsibilities. The risk of physical stress is greater for those who work in construction or maintenance jobs that involve manual labor, such as electricians. A minority of electricians also choose to become contractors, which can be good for those who want to work on their own terms and avoid physical stress.
Stress related to being an electrician or worries about potential stressors can become a factor holding back an aspiring electrician. This is, of course, a shame, as the negative consequences of stress can be drastically reduced if you take the right approach to your work as an electrician. Fortunately, the profession of electrician offers a wide range of career possibilities, which means that, if you want to preserve your physical health, you can, later on, choose to become a technical electrician who does not suffer from the same type of physical stress. Physical exertion can begin to become a physical stressor, making work difficult, if not impossible, to perform.
Therefore, it seemed reasonable to ask no less than 350 electricians (and it turned out with surprising accuracy) if their work is stressful for them or not. Being an electrician puts a certain amount of physical strain on the body and some periods of work can also become mentally stressful. .
