How Old Was You When You Became Interested In Electrics?

[OnlQQker]

I was 7. I painstakingly removed 2 screws from a power socket with a small pair of scissors and then tried to unscrew the live in the same fashion.
This is how I became painfully became interested in them, how about you?

 

[marconi]

My mum and dad tell the story of one of my first infant school paintings. I was 5 or 6 and the class was asked to paint a picture of the Nativity scene in Bethlehem. Mine had electric lighting and a one bar electric fire beside Jesus' manger plugged in to a round 3 pin socket. I don't remember if there was a Wylex fuse box by the stable door but I can remember doing it which is a good sign

 

[Pete999]

I was 7. I painstakingly removed 2 screws from a power socket with a small pair of scissors and then tried to unscrew the live in the same fashion.
This is how I became painfully became interested in them, how about you?

Carrying on from this post, can anyone recall wgat their 1st day at work was? Mine funnily as it seems was polishing MICC cables at a Distribution board, though about and rgought here we go Apprentice Mickey taking starts early at this Firm, bit no, turmd out the Sparl in charge was an ex Mine Electrician, and he was a stickler for making sure all aspects of the job looked right as well as working correctly.

 

[westward10]

Was never interested. Wanted to be a photographer but didn't have the get up and go to persue it. Dad came home one day and said I've got you a job, been fiddling with wires ever since.

 

[pirate]

My dad got me an electronics kit when I was about 7 or 8...a Phillips Electronic Engineer kit, to make Morse buzzer, radios etc. I think it was really for him, or to educate me following an incident when I cut through the flex of my bedside table with a pair of scissors (i was thrown out of bed, but clearly survived unscathed...though some would disagree!)
After that, I helped my dad on many projects on boats, where the voltage was a lot lower, but you could still get some big sparks...
Built a burglar alarm a bit like Tel's setup, then dabbled with auto-electrics etc. My career took me elsewhere, but I always had an interest in electrics, and did lots of lighting and bathroom and kitchen fitting on my houses...guess I was lucky, but never had a problem.
Over the last few years I have developed my interest and spent so many hours learning online and finding excuses to buy new tools...
As I have said many times, I have learned a lot on this forum, especially about safe practices, and there are lots of good sources of information online, John Ward and Chris wotsisname...and there are some hilarious sites too, mainly foreign, that are good for a laugh! Now I am retired i continue to dabble and do some ISITEE and installation, but all final testing is outsourced on anything major.
[automerge]1577958261[/automerge]
Here's the chap!

 

[Intoelectrics]

Was never interested. Wanted to be a photographer but didn't have the get up and go to persue it. Dad came home one day and said I've got you a job, been fiddling with wires ever since.

Me neither.
I was only ever interested in building/fabricating things from metal and wood. I got into electrics due to my maintenance apprenticeship. Truth is i'm not all that interested in it even now 30 odd years later. I'm more interested in science, in particular quantum mechanics and the other end of the scale cosmology.
The only thing about electrics that interests me is the science, design and problem solving. The installation, especially domestic, bores me but has always been part of my job one way or another.
I take my hat off to those that love electrics and are lucky enough to earn a living from something they really enjoy.

 

[EddieSparks]

Had zero intentions on being coming a sparkie, went to uni to study engineering, did one out of the five years, as it was really expensive, and I through there has to be more to life than this crap. Went travelling around the world for a year, Came back went to join the police service, they promptly told me that as I had been out the country for a year, I would have to wait a year before joining as they had no track of what I had been up to for all that time. So I got a job at the local college on the maintenance department. I was put with one of the college electricians to help him. I really enjoyed it. The college offered to pay for my electrical training. Did the first year at college shadowing the sparkles there, realised I was not getting much variety of work. So left and join a local company. That was back in 2006,

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I was 40.

 

[David Prosser]

Interesting that so many of us had a belt messing around as kids that peaked our interest enough to put into this trade.
I also had a nice one putting a plug back on to power lead for the telly that been pulled out by my sister as the lead had been left trailing across the floor. I put the wires back correctly but for some reason decided to plug it back in to test it before putting the top back on. Big black burn with entrance and exit mark on my hand between the live and neutral pin screws and a nice trip across the living room floor.
my concern is now we are all doing such a great job of keeping people safe what's going to inspire the future generations ?

 

[Megawatt]

I was 40.

Well when I was 6 years old I took a razor blad and cut through a lamp that was plugged in and zap, I also stuck a paper clip into a socket and zap. After that I was always curious about electrical, went to work in textiles mills and a job opened up and the supervisor who I was selling weed to took me under his wing and I was 28 and never looked back. I’m 62 and still love electrical work

 

[static zap]

Age 7 it was clocks (I'll say that carefully),
my interest in taking things apart was born -
I found electro-mechanicals then electronics fascinating to put back together ,
plastecine + wire = Non approved methods.
Only thing I ever caught with burglar alarm was
.. Cat or sister ..
I still have a collection of 5A round pin somewhere !

 

[static zap]

About 1961 when I was 16, when I found out I wouldn't make it as a Carpenter/Joiner a

Apparently -aged 10 or so I was verbally describing
(Magnus Pyke style) the innards of old Bell operated cast iron cisterns -at school so my mum said,
though I was actually ---- scared of the noise they make.
(or was it falling down the bowl-standing on the rim)
..Aged 30 I embraced that irrational fear - with
"Immersion therapy" - Apparently a Snatch technique !
... My heart no longer thumps harder , lifting any cistern lid that is not dead quiet...

 

[Dustydazzler]

My dad was a sparks he worked in a big factory as their maintenance guy. Pretty mundan stuff like fitting tray and conduit , fixing stuff and replacing light bulbs etc.
I spend the summer holidays with him after taking my GCSEs , did some basic stuff like cutting conduit and pulling cable etc. spent hours just roaming the factory floor looking or little jobs that needed doings...
Unfortunatly the factory was closed down shortly there after (is now a big yellow storage units) and everyone was was made redundant overnight.
But from this brief time working with him sparked my interest in wiring and electrical work.

 

[Pete999]

My dad was a sparks he worked in a big factory as their maintenance guy. Pretty mundan stuff like fitting tray and conduit , fixing stuff and replacing light bulbs etc.
I spend the summer holidays with him after taking my GCSEs , did some basic stuff like cutting conduit and pulling cable etc. spent hours just roaming the factory floor looking or little jobs that needed doings...
Unfortunatly the factory was closed down shortly there after (is now a big yellow storage units) and everyone was was made redundant overnight.
But from this brief time working with him sparked my interest in wiring and electrical work.

During my early Apprenticeship, I never knew from day to day where or what I would be working on Domestic, Shops or industrial, so I learnt everything, one chap stood out in my Apprenticeship, he got fired for taking his time to teach me, I seemed to follow him around from Firm to Firm, mutual respect I suppose, became firm Friends, he is long gone now sadly, not that much older than me maybe 5 years, still think of him from time to time . hard to forget someone like him, owe him a lot wish I could tell him, maybe I will some day in Sparky Heaven.

 

[ipf]

My old fella was a foreman electrician in a massive factory. A few years after he'd left he started up on his own and I remember he used to take me in there to do summer maintenance on shutdown. His old chargehand had taken over his job and tested me with a fault find on a small machine.
I, luckily I'll say, narrowed it down to a faulty solenoid and got a pat on the back. Went back to school but eventually joined the firm as an apprentice.

 

[James]

I was 4 years old when I became the “man of the house” after my father died.
1st task I was given after some training from my mums friend was to put a new plug on every electrical device we owned.
This was due to the Saudi government deporting us back to home turf . No breadwinner, not welcome.