Domestic, commercial or Industrial Electricians

[Pete999]

Right people, you have done all the courses, have all the cards required to get you onto sites, including the pseudo qualification "Part P". you're an Electrician.
You start out on your own, but the only work available to you at the moment is house bashing and the odd Domestic job, suddenly an opportunity of a years work refurbishing offices comes your way.
Do you think nah I'm a Domestic Electrician can't be doing that sort of work (forget the Domestic installer at the moment) you're an Electrician be proud of it. Because you are more skilled at Domestic stuff do you go for this or leave to others because you class yourself as a Domestic Electrician? even though your best mate who you trained with is now working on the office refurbishment and loving it, the same could be said about Industrial work.
I guess what I'm saying is what do you class yourself as Domestic, Commercial or Industrial, in fact should you be classifying yourself at all, you have all the relevant tickets,cards qualifications etc.
I was lucky I worked for a contractor that did all 3 of these installations so I had a well rounded Apprenticeship, so come on Guys and Gals you're Electricians don't think that just because you are more experience at 1 or the other that's all you should be doing, easier said than done you may say, but you're ELECTRICIANS be proud of that fact. Sorry for the rant. What do you think?

 

[LankyWill]

Spot on Pete, far to many electricians put themselves in specific environments which limits their potential. I did house bashing for my apprenticeship for four years, didn't stop me going on a grain plant installation and trying my hand at PLC's and Distribution when i left. Its all the same at the end of the day, why limit yourself to the easy stuff its more enjoyable and rewarding learning new things. Im on a commercial project at the moment getting my head around smart lighting and BMS controls, its all fun and games plus it broadens your skillset.

 

[The Ghost]

I must admit I tend to differentiate between industrial/commercial/domestic. Surely its like a surgeon you have to specialise in an area to become the best in that field. I have never got involved in industrial and admit secretly envying those who have/do. But unless (at my age) I wanted to learn all over new techniques and application of the science etc. I think I will have to play to my strengths and keep doing what I have always done domestic/light commercial. But then I don't suppose you meant old dogs like me, you mean the up and coming sparks. But I like the point that one should not limit oneself, why didn't you tell me this forty years ago?

 

[Billsays]

I like this quote about being a specialist.......


"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly........... Specialization is for insects."
— Robert Heinlein

 

[sparksburnout]

Never heard of Robert Heinlein but he sounds like a bit of a plonka to me.

 

[Billsays]

Never heard of Robert Heinlein but he sounds like a bit of a plonka to me.

Have a little google, broaden your horizons.

 

[The Ghost]

being a specialist...

Yeh, I can do that.

 

[sparksburnout]

Have a little google, broaden your horizons.

Just did, not convinced.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

I agree it would be good for more sparks to have at least a general understanding of a wider range of work, as some 'sparks' cannot see beyond the end of the next roll of T+E. They miss out on all sorts of useful techniques because they are not popular in run-of-the-mill work in their sector. But it's such a diverse field now that there has to be some specialisation, you simply can't be good at all of it.

I've stuck to particular areas where I can hone my crafts skills and technical knowledge, or that tie in with other things I like. There is a strong element of cherry-picking, I'll wire a theatre but not a supermarket, service an old machine panel but not a new one, dress MI round a cathedral roof but not SWA around a factory. So I've pigeon-holed myself as part-industrial, part-commercial, zero domestic. Not a clue how to tackle a house efficiently, it would take me weeks!

 

[Midwest]

Depends if you work for yourself (i.e. just you) or with others or companies. It depends on what comes your way.

 

[Rpa07]

Being a mature learner I've had to seek the experience which would normally be fitted into an apprenticeship, if they are lucky, so after 2 or so years of domestic rewires, fault finding and maintenance and needing more scope for my NVQ, I put myself on the agencies and initially worked for an electrical contractor doing a bit of everything. I was pleased that I could prove myself on the domestic side working sometimes on my own but also on commercial and MOD stuff. I then moved to a big commercial refit in a 16 storey building in Bristol and I'm getting to do lots and lots of much needed containment, have been wiring fan motors and glanding SWA and control cables.
Basically I have sought my experience because I can, no one can stop me trying something new and it can only be seen as a positive.
Where I'll end up I have no idea, I haven't tried industrial and I can imagine it gets a bit stressy when machines go down but commercial has a good teamwork and domestic has working on my own, which I like.
Watch this space . . . .

 

[telectrix]

Never heard of Robert Heinlein but he sounds like a bit of a plonka to me.

obviously an american plonker who's idea of multi-tasking is to be able to read a newspaper at the same time as having a dump.

 

[telectrix]

I like this quote about being a specialist.......


"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly........... Specialization is for insects."
— Robert Heinlein

pitch manure. that's about the level of heinlein's spouted garbage.

 

[Midwest]

I quite like Hitchen, Christopher not Peter.

 

[Des 56]

I have worked on industrial/domestic/test and inspection,I think of myself as being very unfortunate
If only I had picked the correct 6 numbers I could have said goodbye to the whole lot of it long ago and specialised in leisure