Should i become an Electrician?

[jwsblackburn]

I am a 17 year old boy currently at college i get decent grades (B's and C's) however i am struggeling at college and have been offered to become an apprentice with one of my dads mates. my dad is something to do with the electrical buissness but has worked his way up the ladder now he working somewhere in Heathrow on alot of money. i would love to be taking the amounts he does (100,000 p/y) but its obvious he is very lucky to be in that situation. i have read a few topics and alot of you are saying that if you had the chance you wouldnt have become an electrition due to poor wages, long hours and certain people working for peanuts. im quite worried on what to do - do i carry on with college work hard try and get a degree ( which will be costing me (9,000 a year!) or should i get an apprenticeship. once i am fully qualified my dad thinks he will be able to get me a job with around £15p/h i think i would quite enjoy the electrical work however i just want some opinions whether you lot think i should go into the buissness or not, how much money is involved and how many jobs will be availiable.
cheers james.

 

[Penance]

Hi James, first thing is to think if being a spark will suit you and will you be happy. Believe me, happiness and enjoyment of your job is often worth more than money.
If you still think it is for you then go for it, you are very lucky to bee offered an apprenticeship so easily.

We are just coming out of recession and I think you will find many people in many trades saying money is tight at the moment so I wouldn't let that affect your decision too much.

 

[SirKit Breaker]

You have a lot of decisions to make at an important time of your life. Only you can make those decisions, and be helped and guided by your Dad etc. I can't offer any real advice on which direction you choose. It all depends on what you want to do in life. I enjoy my Job as an Electrician, and working for myself i earn good money and get a good quality of life. I don't earn £100k a year, and nor will you in the short term. Once qualified you will command £15p/h, but it will take time to get there. It is difficult to tell how many jobs will be available once you are qualified, and even more difficult to say how many people will be chasing those jobs.

If you dad can give you a start and help you get a job, then great, use all the contacts that you can, as the saying goes "Its not what you know, it's who you know".

It is no good just thinking you might enjoy electrical work, because you may not. Its not all practical, and as an apprentice you will spend as much, if not more time sweeping up, fetching and carrying, and labouring.

The decision is yours and only yours, but make sure you get it right for your own sake.

Cheers.........Howard

 

[morph]

stick with college , being a spark is pony , grubbing about in lofts under floors, working with builders etc, or poncing about in a factory with numbskulls who spend their day pushing buttons and saying it's broken! the way the induastry is going i doubt you will even get £15 ph by the time you qualify

 

[topquark]

At 17?, do the apprenticeship. You can always decide on a change of direction later. Then if you want to come back to it in the future, you have the option. Any chance of employment at the moment is a "gift horse".

 

[Dean]

Theres alot of people on here that will give negative views on the job. Im 23, nearly 24. I enjoy my job, mainly do commerical and industrial. And i do enjoy it. Always learning new things on site, and have a good laugh. As with every job there are down sides, for example house bashing. I hate it, Wouldnt do it for double my wage! I'm paid well. Could have gone to uni etc, like my mates but decided not too. Most of them work in supermarkets/dead end jobs, have debt and rent. I'm lucky enough to have my own place and earn a good wage and live a reasonable life. Starting a HNC this year, so things can only get better. Uni is overated. Once you have a trade you will always have something to fall back on. No matter how hard times are.

 

[Richard]

Theres alot of people on here that will give negative views on the job. Im 23, nearly 24. I enjoy my job, mainly do commerical and industrial. And i do enjoy it. Always learning new things on site, and have a good laugh. As with every job there are down sides, for example house bashing. I hate it, Wouldnt do it for double my wage! I'm paid well. Could have gone to uni etc, like my mates but decided not too. Most of them work in supermarkets/dead end jobs, have debt and rent. I'm lucky enough to have my own place and earn a good wage and live a reasonable life. Starting a HNC this year, so things can only get better. Uni is overated. Once you have a trade you will always have something to fall back on. No matter how hard times are.

+1 (I'm only adding this stuff in the brackets because apparently posts have to be more than 6 charcters..?!)

 

[lady electric]

Go for it - i would in your shoes, you can do a part time cpourse to get your degree or change direction later in life, the world is your oyster right now - grab every oppurtunity that comes your way )
Good Luck

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Listen UP fella, I WENT TO UNIVERSITY. Got a good degree, BUT, realised that there ain't a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. TAKE THE APPRENTISHIP. That's one opportunity that definately WON'T come your way again any time soon.

You can go to UNIVERSITY ANY TIME. Fund it through your earnings as a spark, if you feel so inclined. You could do an engineering degree is you show aptitude for the field, and end up in the office designing.

This IS TOO GOOD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MISS.

I CAN'T STRESS THIS TOO STRONGLY.

There's very little out there, and even less at the end of most degrees.

THINK HARD AND MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION.


AND LET US KNOW HOW YOU ARE GETTING ON, AND WHAT YOU DECIDE,

I FOR ONE WILL BE INTERESTED TO KNOW.

GOOD LUCK

 

[alarm man]

the worst thing ever is getting up and going to a job you hate,no matter how much you get paid,getting up and looking forward to going in is worth thousands,be it the job,the lads,the craic,do what makes you happy

 

[VoltzElectrical]

but in the end the mortgage has to be paid. How glad would you be to be able to have a back up trade that can put pounds in the bank while you wait for your dream job to come along. OR be able to FINANCE your dream job through your back up trade. Short-term, long-term views.

 

[GOODWIN]

I am a 17 year old boy currently at college i get decent grades (B's and C's) however i am struggeling at college and have been offered to become an apprentice with one of my dads mates. my dad is something to do with the electrical buissness but has worked his way up the ladder now he working somewhere in Heathrow on alot of money. i would love to be taking the amounts he does (100,000 p/y) but its obvious he is very lucky to be in that situation. i have read a few topics and alot of you are saying that if you had the chance you wouldnt have become an electrition due to poor wages, long hours and certain people working for peanuts. im quite worried on what to do - do i carry on with college work hard try and get a degree ( which will be costing me (9,000 a year!) or should i get an apprenticeship. once i am fully qualified my dad thinks he will be able to get me a job with around £15p/h i think i would quite enjoy the electrical work however i just want some opinions whether you lot think i should go into the buissness or not, how much money is involved and how many jobs will be availiable.
cheers james.

do it mate, its all about who u know and ur dad can give you a bump up the ladder. also the only people/friends i know that have got a job thats relivant to their degree is law and med, the rest wish they never went

 

[sahelectrical]

id go for it mate im 25 times been doing this from 16 done my fica when i was 20

imself employed now working for a company in theatres n concert venues

once you get threw the whole apprentiship its up to you what you do with it but i wouldnt change y job for anything

 

[jwsblackburn]

Cheers guys, this has been so helpful! - your all much nicer than the people on the Newcastle united forums aha. Im still deciding what to do but i am sure that i will end up doing it - its just whether i finish my A levels first.

 

[kung]

I enjoy the variety of the job and being self employed working when i want (no hassle booking holidays/days off etc) and meeting & helping customers so for me its great.
In your situation id see if you can spend some spare time with your dads mate who offered you the apprentice job that way you can see if its for you ! odds on if you do take the job your get all the help/backup/advice you need and if you do decide its not for you you havent lost anything.
Best of luck !
Kung.