B
BP Electrics
Many individuals ask how to become a 'qualified' electrician (as I once did). But they should really be asking how to become a 'competent' electrician, since competency is the key to success for anyone looking to join the trade. Qualifications are actually only part of the process. It's safe to say that you can't become a 'competent' electrician unless you are both 'informed' and 'skilled' - you will be 'informed' when you have studied and gained qualifications, and you will be 'skilled' when you have suitable hands-on practical experience.
I've been lurking around this site for a couple of years and it has helped me with some of my own decisions to get to where I am today. So, I thought I'd share my story for those who may be in a similar position to what I was when I made the decision to become and electrician.
There are many paths to becoming an electrician, and there is probably no wrong route to the end goal of earning money as a spark. The path you choose is very much a personal decision based on your own individual circumstances. This post outlines how I achieved my goal, based on my own circumstances, which will be similar to others who are looking for a career change, but have not yet taken the plunge.
My career change began in 2010 when I was 35 years old - On reflection, I think I was probably going through a mid-life crisis, questioning my own life choices, blah, blah, etc... My previous job was in I.T. I worked for 10 years in the same office, dealing with crappy office politics and the daily monotony of office routine. Fortunately, the job paid enough to allow me to save a little money in case of emergencies. Having a natural aptitude for science and engineering, I decided to escape the daily monotony and pursue a career as an electrician (without really knowing what to expect from it). So, with just enough money in the bank to cover my mortgage payments for 6 months, and enough money to pay for an electrician 'course', I made the decision to quit my job and force myself into my new chosen career. When my family and friends found out that I threw away the security of my previous job, they thought I had lost my mind. My divorced parents of 15 years were suddenly talking again, trying to establish where they went wrong and how they could fix me. And so there I was - with a worried family, and 6 months to get some text book knowledge, some on-site experience, and ultimately some paid employment before the bailiffs would be knocking at my door.
Here is the path I took to become a competent electrician:
Firstly, I bought a package of C&G courses from a private college. They sent me piles of course materials and I instantly became a book-worm at home. Having no job helped me to focus and learn faster. I took the courses over a period of 4 months in the following order:
C&G 2382 - 17th Edition Wiring Regulations
C&G 2377 - Portable Appliance Testing
C&G 2393 - Building Regulations
C&G 2392 - Initial Verification, Inspection & Testing
C&G 2391 - Inspection & Testing
For each of the above courses, my course provider gave 1 week in-house training prior to sitting each exam, but I spent many hours sat at home absorbing information prior to attending each course. I made it my mission to know as much theory as possible, before receiving any training.
During the fourth stage of my training (C&G 2392), I started hunting around for established electrical firms that might be willing to take me on and help me gain experience in my mission to become a competent electrician. I knew that for someone to spend time showing me how to physically do things would initially cost them money, so I wasn't expecting to be paid in return for their help! I took the view that if I could prove my ability and provide them with some kind of value as soon as possible, they would hopefully offer me some kind of monetary employment. Incidentally, I didn't just wing off a load of CVs to random companies by email and keep my fingers crossed for someone to reply - I decided to take a more direct approach and pick up the phone. Maybe I was lucky, but the first company I spoke to agreed to let me shadow one of their electricians.
After 3 weeks of fast-paced on-the-job experience, the company won a couple of contracts and found themselves needing additional staff, and so offered me a paid sub-contracting position. It's nearly 2 years since that day, and I now have my own electrician's mates and apprentices working for me - some of them in a similar position to what I was. I'm now in a situation where I'm running my own teams on a number of projects and I can look back and smile at my initial fears of the unknown.
I know there is a certain amount of luck to my story, but I believe that luck is greatly increased through taking confident and positive action. I hope that my story inspires others in a similar situation to go forth and do what they know they can do.
If you have a similar positive story, please feel free to share...
I've been lurking around this site for a couple of years and it has helped me with some of my own decisions to get to where I am today. So, I thought I'd share my story for those who may be in a similar position to what I was when I made the decision to become and electrician.
There are many paths to becoming an electrician, and there is probably no wrong route to the end goal of earning money as a spark. The path you choose is very much a personal decision based on your own individual circumstances. This post outlines how I achieved my goal, based on my own circumstances, which will be similar to others who are looking for a career change, but have not yet taken the plunge.
My career change began in 2010 when I was 35 years old - On reflection, I think I was probably going through a mid-life crisis, questioning my own life choices, blah, blah, etc... My previous job was in I.T. I worked for 10 years in the same office, dealing with crappy office politics and the daily monotony of office routine. Fortunately, the job paid enough to allow me to save a little money in case of emergencies. Having a natural aptitude for science and engineering, I decided to escape the daily monotony and pursue a career as an electrician (without really knowing what to expect from it). So, with just enough money in the bank to cover my mortgage payments for 6 months, and enough money to pay for an electrician 'course', I made the decision to quit my job and force myself into my new chosen career. When my family and friends found out that I threw away the security of my previous job, they thought I had lost my mind. My divorced parents of 15 years were suddenly talking again, trying to establish where they went wrong and how they could fix me. And so there I was - with a worried family, and 6 months to get some text book knowledge, some on-site experience, and ultimately some paid employment before the bailiffs would be knocking at my door.
Here is the path I took to become a competent electrician:
Firstly, I bought a package of C&G courses from a private college. They sent me piles of course materials and I instantly became a book-worm at home. Having no job helped me to focus and learn faster. I took the courses over a period of 4 months in the following order:
C&G 2382 - 17th Edition Wiring Regulations
C&G 2377 - Portable Appliance Testing
C&G 2393 - Building Regulations
C&G 2392 - Initial Verification, Inspection & Testing
C&G 2391 - Inspection & Testing
For each of the above courses, my course provider gave 1 week in-house training prior to sitting each exam, but I spent many hours sat at home absorbing information prior to attending each course. I made it my mission to know as much theory as possible, before receiving any training.
During the fourth stage of my training (C&G 2392), I started hunting around for established electrical firms that might be willing to take me on and help me gain experience in my mission to become a competent electrician. I knew that for someone to spend time showing me how to physically do things would initially cost them money, so I wasn't expecting to be paid in return for their help! I took the view that if I could prove my ability and provide them with some kind of value as soon as possible, they would hopefully offer me some kind of monetary employment. Incidentally, I didn't just wing off a load of CVs to random companies by email and keep my fingers crossed for someone to reply - I decided to take a more direct approach and pick up the phone. Maybe I was lucky, but the first company I spoke to agreed to let me shadow one of their electricians.
After 3 weeks of fast-paced on-the-job experience, the company won a couple of contracts and found themselves needing additional staff, and so offered me a paid sub-contracting position. It's nearly 2 years since that day, and I now have my own electrician's mates and apprentices working for me - some of them in a similar position to what I was. I'm now in a situation where I'm running my own teams on a number of projects and I can look back and smile at my initial fears of the unknown.
I know there is a certain amount of luck to my story, but I believe that luck is greatly increased through taking confident and positive action. I hope that my story inspires others in a similar situation to go forth and do what they know they can do.
If you have a similar positive story, please feel free to share...
