If your child ended up being a sparky, would you be proud of them?

[Dan]

Something that might get deep this. And I'd like it if you guys kept it amicable like you usually do. But I wondered, if your boy or girl ended up being an electrician (not always like yourself EXACTLY perhaps they go down a different route but still end up doing electrics)...

.. would you be proud of them?

 

[polo1]

He did and I am!
Proud of both my "kids" even thought they both wind me up big time.

 

[Specialist]

Definitely, My oldest daughter is a sparky in a steel mill & we're well proud of her.

 

[Sintra]

2 of my brood are in the trade and yes I am proud of them. I did try and talk both of them into another career path

 

[westward10]

This is all making my heart bleed.

 

[Mumfi]

Something that might get deep this. And I'd like it if you guys kept it amicable like you usually do. But I wondered, if your boy or girl ended up being an electrician (not always like yourself EXACTLY perhaps they go down a different route but still end up doing electrics)...

.. would you be proud of them?

Afraid not if I had any I would expect a lot more of them than just being an electrician..its a dead end job

 

[SparkyChick]

If I had kids, as long as they were gainfully employed, worked hard and did a good job at whatever they chose I'd be proud. If they entered th e trades, I'd do my best to edumacate them to make sure they weren't cowboys (or girls) and that they treated their customers and their property with respect.

As for electrician being a dead end job... couldn't disagree more. Electricity and it's applications play an increasingly important role in our world and will do for the foreseeable future. So there will be a requirement for quality sparks for quite some time.

 

[Rpa07]

@SparkyChick you may need to 'edumacate' yourself with spelling like that! Good post re. the future!

 

[Mumfi]

If I had kids, as long as they were gainfully employed, worked hard and did a good job at whatever they chose I'd be proud. If they entered th e trades, I'd do my best to edumacate them to make sure they weren't cowboys (or girls) and that they treated their customers and their property with respect.

As for electrician being a dead end job... couldn't disagree more. Electricity and it's applications play an increasingly important role in our world and will do for the foreseeable future. So there will be a requirement for quality sparks for quite some time.

Yes I think your correct there will be requirement for sparkies but this demand has to be matched by a willingness to pay a proper rate of pay. Lets face it its a hard physically demanding job that, as I understand, requires a reasonable amount of bookwork. and if I was a young person looking for a first job this trade does not stack up very well against the alternatives eg the computing industry.

 

[Specialist]

The computer industry may be the IN thing nowadays, but don't forget they'd be dead in the water without us Sparkies.

 

[D00DY_T00DY]

I'd be happy with my child getting any trade because once qualified you can always change careers and come back to the trade.

What my dad's always said to me however my grandad, uncle and dad have been roofers since they were lads.
Strange that I opted to be an electrician like my mums dad.

Much better than being in IT which was my original idea (soul destroying being behind a desk all day)

 

[Mumfi]

It may seem soul destroying at the moment but just wait until your back and knees start hurting and your lungs are all clogged up with dust and asbestos and your friends are getting on in life . have you looked at the price of houses recently? you will not be able to afford one on a sparkie wage .....alternatively find yourself a rich wife.

 

[D00DY_T00DY]

It may seem soul destroying at the moment but just wait until your back and knees start hurting and your lungs are all clogged up with dust and asbestos and your friends are getting on in life . have you looked at the price of houses recently? you will not be able to afford one on a sparkie wage .....alternatively find yourself a rich wife.

Well the moment all my friends are contemplating committing... they all have their dissatations, debt when they leave and no guarantee of a job once they graduate ...
Or work in Iceland etc...
Quite happy with my career choice atm despite the apprentice wage... roll on July next year!

I've also seen the prices of houses that need work doing... with family of trades I have little worries

 

[SparkyChick]

Trust me, the software industry is not all it's cracked up to be. I spent 20+ years in it (and other technical roles such as hardware design and development for cash handling and ticketing machines - one of the more satisfying roles because it involved building things) and whilst at times, it was rewarding and quite satisfying, those times are far out weighed by an unwillingness to pay well and reward hard work appropriately (sound familiar).

The levels of stress present in what is perceived by many to be a cushy office job are at times astounding and having had several near misses with mental health issues brought on by that stress, if someone asked me should I be a trades person or a computer guru... I'd say trades person every time because you graft, you get rewarded and the satisfaction levels are through the roof in my opinion.

I go home physically tired nowadays, not mentally drained and when I leave the job site... I leave the job site (unless I have to write up a cert or report)... in computing, when you leave the office, more often than not you just change your working location because you get home and log on and pick up where you left off in the office.

As for the comments about the physical side effects of being a spark... lungs... get a decent respirator (I wore one all day yesterday, first fixing in a remodel cutting plasterboard etc. and I always always wear it when I venture into peoples lofts), if you choose not to use one that's your business. Protect your knees. And as for your back... I've had back problems since I was 15, nothing at all to do with being a spark. Sitting in an office chair... not good. Since starting my business I've lost over two stone without trying. Took me 12 months to lose half that in an office job.

 

[Mumfi]

Ah we obviously have had different experiances in the job..give me a nice warm office in the winter anytime at least there is somewhere warm to eat your lunch

 

[Mumfi]

I get the impression that maybe you are new to the job..i wonder if you will feel the same in 20 years when your physically knackered