Female Electrician?

My father has been an electrician for as long as I can remember- my Grandfather and my Uncle as well. You could basically say it "runs in the family."
I'm a young mother to two girls and while my fiancee makes enough for us to get by, I really want to get trained in something that I can do as a career- not spend the time getting a job that will take me nowhere in life. It seems like a great, logical choice for me to follow the family profession- I never even thought about it until now though. I'm concerned over a few things.
I don't even know WHERE to begin- how to begin an apprenticeship or somewhere to take classes- plus, I would probably need classes in the evening for now, given that my fiancee works 1st shift at his job. How do I get started and find a place to become an apprentice? Does anyone know of any schools for this in S.E. Mich?
Also- I'm concerned that I may face some resistance in this field as I AM female, and it seems to be much more male populated of a profession. If there are any women on here who could give me insight into their experiences with becoming an electrician, that would be great- thanks!

I am a female electrician. I went to a Technical College where I earned my certification to be a residential/commercial/industrial electrician. I am absolutely in love with the work that I do. If you have any questions for me, feel free to email. jessicaleigh@mindless.com

I'm a female and very interested in becoming an electrician. I'm kinda stuck on how to start. Not sure how to go about finding a school. I'm not sure if they will have finacial aid for these classes. I'll need evening or weekend classes for now. I've heard something about the electricians union. I would like to know more about it. If you could give me any advise please email me at THILL1212@aol.com. I'm located in Indiana.

I thought you might like this site of mine. www.Saferservices.co.uk is the Net's only female skilled trades website directory and enjoys great search engine ranking and UK traffic.

It's FREE to join and list your business in up to 5 relevant categories at one time.

Jessica in Lafayette, Louisiana said: I am a female electrician. I went to a Technical College where I earned my certification to be a residential/commercial/industrial electrician. I am absolutely in love with the work that I do. If you have any questions for me, feel free to email. jessicaleigh@mindless.com

Jessica, I am a female firefighter in California and I am writing a book about women in traditionally male jobs. Would you be interested in having your picture in the book? It is a book aimed at children 0-5 years old and I am having trouble finding a female electrician for the book. If you'd like me info please email thanks, Melissa

Jessica in Lafayette, Louisiana said: I am a female electrician. I went to a Technical College where I earned my certification to be a residential/commercial/industrial electrician. I am absolutely in love with the work that I do. If you have any questions for me, feel free to email. jessicaleigh@mindless.com

Does the job require alot of heavy lifting? I am a female interested in becoming an eletrician also. How long did it take to complete school and to find employment? You can email me at sdbarkley500@yahoo.com
Thanks

I guess it depends on who you work with. 100 Ft rolls of 12/2 wire can weigh about 80lbs, but the guys I worked with were pretty good about lifting the heavy stuff for me. As far as school....I went to school for 4 semesters, and then had to complete 2 work-based semesters. That is when you go to work, get paid, and your employer grades you on your work and turns it in to your instructor. I dont know how things will go at your school but that's how it was at mine. Any other questions? Feel free to ask!

It's great to see women in professions like these. I was a girl in the 1960s & despite my 98-99 percentile scores in science, math, & technology (the "male" side of the aptitude tests), no one could even consider my interest in physics & engineering (standing joke @ my 1970 graduation was that I intended to be a radio broadcaster; there were no female broadcasters @ that time -- actually, I wanted to be a radio engineer but had I stated that fact, I would have been put into therapy!). SO GO FOR IT, GIRLFRIEND! God bless you!

Thanks for all the info

GO FOR IT!!!! My father worked at Consumers Power in Michigan for 35 years. As a woman, I understand how electricity runs. I can replace my outlets myself. I can replace lights. I can replace my pool pump motor.

If you want to be a electrician, do it.

I'm a female electrician of four years. I went to a two year tech school to earn a diploma which will help me pass my state test this month, however you can join an apprenticeship with either the IEC or IBEW in local area. They will help you along. However the IBEW practically owns you for four years. You really have to be thick skinned, have a good sense of humor, don't be easilly offended, don't be afraid to work hard and get dirty. Also, don't take any crap, because you will be thrown a lot of crap at the beginning. How bad do you want it????

hi to all female electrician and thoughs who would like to become electrician's i have been an electrician for 11yrs. and i started with no exp. the company i worked for put through school. i went 2 nights a week for 3-4 hrs for 4 yrs. the best thing to do is look for company's that are looking for helpers. and ask them if they have apprenticeship program. some company's pay for while others have you pay and they may pay you back as long as you go. i will say this most of the guy's i work with are helpful with the real heavy stuff but you still have to do your part show them that you too can do this kinda of work. i worked myself up to a crew leader and ran a crew of 14 guy's with me being the only female. and they gave me respect because i respected them as co-workers.and i did every job they did at one point i dug ditches pulled 750kcm etc. and i still do. good luck to you i hope you found this helpful.

I am 36 and would am exploring the option of becoming an electrician. Can someone tell me more about what it is like to work in the field? What are the wages? How long does schooling take? Is it better to go through the IBEW instead of a trade school?

Please email me at yaelhgreen@yahoo.com

i'm also a female electrician and i just recently got my residential journeyman's card in the state of WA. i started about 2 and a half years ago with absolutely no experience of any sort. i was lucky in that i got hired on at a very large shop that trains you in the field and sells you all of the tools you'll need. the only schooling i had was the once weekly classes that the shop offered, but they were nowhere near comprehensive. it's definitely been a long, hard road, but i genuinely love what i do. in my experience most guys in the field, and just in construction in general, have been really awesome and think it's pretty cool to have a girl around. you just have to prove that you can hang with them. shoot the sh*t, get down in the mud, be the one that volunteers to do crappy work involving flooded crawl spaces and spiders and you'll definitely start to earn their respect. on the other hand there are the guys (mostly the younger, newer ones in my experience) that really don't think you should be in the field and they will make it obvious in every way possible other than outright saying it. the best advice i can give for them is to brush it off and try as hard as you can to not let it get to you, because it's easy to let it.

good luck to anyone trying to break into the field right now. my advice would be to wait until the economy picks back up because a lot of places just aren't hiring new guys right now. there aren't a lot of jobs, at least in my area, and you've got a lot of competition for the jobs that there are from people with experience. i'm not sure how this applies to the union though because i've never worked for a union shop, so ymmv!

Always willing to travel any where for electricial work. Over twenty years in the electricial trade from residntial to substation task.Please contact me via e-mail @ rls6598@hotmail.com for resume

What the contractor or the union doesn't tell you is that quite often you have to bend
one and a quarter inch metal pipe with a hand bender and or cut one and a half inch metal strut
with a hacksaw. Sometimes you have to drill a 2 inch hole in solid concrete with a "Can Go"
big drill and holesaw, when it should be core drilled by a subcontractor.

SAP or Oracle or even Microsoft is a better opportunity and future. These are considered "Professions"
and more prestigious. It's better pay too.

I am a female licensed electrician, been in the trade for over 16 yrs I agree with the previous poster that said that you have to be a hard worker, have a sense of humor and very thick skinned. I did only commercial wiring but for the past 4 yrs I have worked retail and going to school for electrical engineering. I still have my license and will never give it up because I went so much with not only being a female but also a person of color working in the South. The years do put alot of strain on the body so instead of being in the field reading blueprints and want the be drawing them out instead, you hardly see a person doing both. I am also a mom to a five year old who keeps me going. You can be anything you want to be, it just takes hard work and determination

im a 20 year old 2nd year apprentice electritian and it is the best job ever! it takes you places and the amount of knowledge and skill you get is amazing!

does anyone know how much you make during an apprenticeship? There is one in Burbank that I am interested in, its 4 years long, but I need to know if I can live on the wage during the apprenticeship. Any info on it will greatly be appreciated :)

Jessica in Lafayette, Louisiana said: I am a female electrician. I went to a Technical College where I earned my certification to be a residential/commercial/industrial electrician. I am absolutely in love with the work that I do. If you have any questions for me, feel free to email. jessicaleigh@mindless.com

I would love to know how women are accepted in this field. Did you find it hard to get a job? Very interested in this field. In this recession is it going to be a secure vocation?

I just started my apprenticeship a month or so ago. I worked in fabrication for six years before I turned to electrical. Electrical is awesome, there is a lot of math, and yes, you have to do grunt work. I love working in the elements, I love to build and I love discovering new and better ways to make the impossible possible. The only thing missing is women. I Don't believe in the guy's girl scenario. I work construction because it's what I do, not because I enjoy being around nothing but dudes all day.I would love to share my work experience with some girl-friends. Be prepared to have a hard time making friends. Women don't like their husbands talking about the girl at work, and there are usually one or two guys who like to flirt, carry things for you, show unneccesary concern etc. yech. I have no idea wether or not anyone is going to take me seriously after I graduate, but for the next five years I have a job that I enjoy. I'm not going to be pessimistic about the future either. Matter of fact I was at Home Depot the other day ordering a tool, when this man walks up and asks me if I do any residential electrical work, because he owns rental property. I think we got this.

hi, what exactly do you mean by
"and yes, you have to do grunt work."

g in Los Angeles, California said: hi, what exactly do you mean by
"and yes, you have to do grunt work."

by grunt work, I mean that you have to start from the bottom up. I work under a journeyman and basically I have to carry the ladders, get the tools, bend pipe, if the floor needs to be squeegeed because it rained the night before and there is two inches of muddy water everywhere, I do that too. If they need me to dig ditches, sort the trash for recycling, bring in bundles of pipe, re-stock the bins whatever. Not all of the work that I do is directly related to electricity. I do whatever needs to be done that the journeyman doesn't have time for, or just busywork because they are going over the prints. In the short time that I've done this though, I've gotten to help wire up panels and a transformer, and help run temp power through the building. I'm learning new things everyday, but everyday I go home with boots caked with mud, sometimes sweating through all my clothes and this week, with my pants soaked up to the knees. It's the best job I've ever had. I know that this week, this year, I'm just an apprentice and cheap labor for the union, but in five years or less I will be a certified journeyman electrician. I will be making good money and I will have a body of knowledge about a neccessary resource that not a lot of people possess. Are you an electrician, or thinking about it?

I AM in the IBEW, I am an electrician, and I am a female. Some trade school is not gonna give you the experience that you need to be a successful electrician.
I have not ran into any other females on the job yet and its been awhile. The boys I work with are pretty cool, boys men whatever. I have never had a problem. In fact most of them are very helpful and respectable.
You have to just work hard and earn respect. Its a little harder for a female but it can be done.
You have to be willing to work on ladders, dig ditches, get dirty, work on live gear and just have an all around good attitude. It can be a dirty job. But your job changes so often. If you hate what you are doing one moment wait a week and you will be doing something different. Being an electrician covers such a large scope that most people do not know about. Like bending pipe, doing underground, or just plain pulling wire.
Trade schools give you a base but no experience. Experience is EVERYTHING in being an electrician. We make fun of people that just go to school and think they know all about everything. Its like being one of the people at home depot. Like I said before its just such a wide scope that its impossible to learn it in two years, even five years. You can work in the trade for years and come across something that you have never see before.
As far as the union and contractors, Union is the only way I would go. Its the best education and being apart of a group brings brotherhood/sisterhood. Also we get paid the most!! Go Union!! Strength lies in numbers!!
But I some people like non union so to each there own.

Hope it helps!!!!

thnks for the replies..I am not yet in a program, I found one where I live, it is a 4-year apprenticeship. Another question I was concerned about was whether or not the "pay" during your apprenticeship was enough to live off of, because I currently live on my own and am making rent and car payments..I'd at least need about $17/hour. any info on that would be appreciated :)

The area that I live in is very different economically than your area. The cost of living here is very low, and subsequently so are the wages. In relation though, I make almost as much through the union as I did working fabrication those six years, and I just started. You should go to the union hall. They want apprentices and they will be more than happy to tell you what you need to know. Until you get some knowledge under your belt you are basically just labor, and that's how they will pay. I don't know if you have ever worked construction before but the pay scales are different from say, the service industry. Even unskilled labor gets paid well compared to regular jobs. Four years will be up before you know it.

mona in Albuquerque, New Mexico said: I'm a female electrician of four years. I went to a two year tech school to earn a diploma which will help me pass my state test this month, however you can join an apprenticeship with either the IEC or IBEW in local area. They will help you along. However the IBEW practically owns you for four years. You really have to be thick skinned, have a good sense of humor, don't be easilly offended, don't be afraid to work hard and get dirty. Also, don't take any crap, because you will be thrown a lot of crap at the beginning. How bad do you want it????

ibew praticaly owns you???? That's a lil harsh you left out the part where iec pays crap....

You are incorrect. As a starting apprentice you make more than a just a laborer. And continue to have raises every six months. General labor never get raises. As an electrician you are above in pay then any non tradesman. There are other trades that make a little more than electricians but they are still skilled workers. Not just some joe off the street.

Being a skilled electrician takes SKILL. The IBEW is not some slave owner. If you want to be the best work with the BEST. They want far wages and the men there are NOT the horrible people that has been portrayed in all this dialogue. I AM an IBEW FEMALE!!! And I take great offense to anybody trashing my brothers!!!!

Punchki Powers in San Diego, California said: You are incorrect. As a starting apprentice you make more than a just a laborer. And continue to have raises every six months. General labor never get raises. As an electrician you are above in pay then any non tradesman. There are other trades that make a little more than electricians but they are still skilled workers. Not just some joe off the street.

Thank you so much for your replies, I have a few more questions if you guys dont mind. What exactly does being an electrician involve, what are the daily tasks, does it involve any or a lot of electronics in a way (my apologies if that sounds dumb). What are the hours like (weekends/nights/mon-fri?) I'm really contemplating on applying for this 4-year apprenticeship, although 4 years sounds really long. Did any of you go through an apprenticeship and if so, is it usually that long? Also, what can I expect to pay for this program? Is it like going to college is there a tuition? Lastly, do you guys have to use porta-potties? Or do you work in buildings where you can use the restrooms there. Again, thank you so much for your recent and hopefully future replies :)

When I was 38 (16 years ago) I got on with an electrical contractor and was going to start the apprenticeship classes with ABC here in Ohio. I had come to the trade through a local vocational school which offered support and funding (they bought us tools and helped us find a job and learn about women in trades) to help get started. I was interested in becoming an electrician and very motivated.

I knew 2 other women at the time who were doing the work and loved it. Both were in their 40s. One worked a union job and the other worked for the same company that I aspired to be hired by and was in the ABC classes. So I felt I had a good handle on what it might involve to go forward and get a job and become a journeyman.

I really have to say that I enjoyed the work for the most part for the 6 months that I lasted. The nature of the work is varied. You are using your hands a lot at different job sites, which I liked. This company did commercial and residential work. I was largely accepted, but my quality of experience and acceptance depended on who was the foreman on the job site. Most were great.

I hung boxes, ran wire, drilled holes in dry wall, changed out lights, dug trenches, etc. It was never boring. Because of OSHA you had to wear pants in the hot summer heat when shorts would have been a whole lot more comfortable. My only complaint as I love working outdoors with my hands and tools. Fear of heights can be an issue as you are up on ladders and lifts sometimes.

Now I can drive by condos and say that I ran wire there. I go to a local hospital and know that I helped light the parking garage. I also helped install wiring in a local Wal-Greens. I feel pride and accomplishment in that. Plus I loved doing it.

I was fired when I reported a drunk foreman pawing me on a job site. I gave up in hurt and anger, with regrets.

Sometimes I think about trying again, but at 54 I feel that I am too old to be accepted as an apprenticeship. Maybe not.

4years will fly-by I did 5...I just finished a lil less than a year ago..(I'm 24) when I started I was paid to go to school. That program is long gone now but most programs don't charge upfront I think they take 20cents from my check for the next 5yrs or so idk that's not much concidering I make good money...be sure to look at all the facts ie union or abc pick the one that fits you best the one that has the best medical and so on...I work 40hrs every week anything over 8/day or 40/week or weekends is overtime...lots of luck

Ibew proud,Robert

Hi all,
I am a female electrician currently in my third year and it is a really good job. As with pays it might depend where you live and who you work for, ki get less trahn a labourer only because the company has to pay for my tafe days aswell. Daily tasks can vary depending where you work. I work for a steel making company and whe get work orders of maintnence that needs to be carried out periodicly, but we also do breack downs aswell and they can vary alot.With electronics, the tech electricains mainy deal with ours, we reset a few carsd or replace them but the techs are in controll of fixing them. work hours also vary,
I used to work 40 hours a week, but now i am on shift work so i can do as many as 60 hours a week and as less as 24( but they avaerage it out paydays so im not short one pay). Four years isnt that long. You really need it. during that time you follow around trades persons and watch wat they do, then when you know wats happening and gained more knowlegde you can help out with them supervising so you can ask for help. then you will ba able to do it by yourself. The four years is also good because you know you have a job for at least four years. Where i work, we are not guarenteed a job at the end of our apprentiship. I admit it is a bit difficult sometimes working with blokes that think you should be in the kitchen but i just tell them where to go lol. With the loos, again it is up to where you work. I got 2 toilets where i work and they are in the same area so if i need to pee i got to go earlier cos i might have a bit of a walk on my hands. If you want to ask ma any questions on this email me at samucas_88@hotmail.com

As female electricians what's the hardest aspect about doing your job? Are any of you mothers as well? How do you balance your career with parenthood?

In BEGINNING THE HARDEST PART WAS TRYING TO LEARN WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT. I DID NOT LIKE GOING TO WORK BECAUSE EVERYDAY I WAS DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND I DID NOT FEEL LIKE I KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON.
BUT THAT IS WITH ANY JOB. ITS ALL ON THE JOB TRAINING. I AM IN THE IBEW GOING THROUGH THE APPRENTICESHIP (5 YEARS). AFTER THE FIRST YEAR YOU START GETTING IT AND IT BECOMES EASIER.
THE PHYSICAL ASPECT OF IT IS TOUGH. NOT TOO BAD BUT IT CAN BE EXHAUSTING. BUT THEN IT DEPENDS WHAT YOU ARE DOING. IF YOU ARE DIGGING A TRENCH FOR SOME UNDERGROUND WORK THEN IT IS HARD. BUT I LIKE DOING THAT, ITS EASY ON THE MIND.
THEN YOU HAVE DAYS WHEN YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO RUN YOUR COUNDIUT, OR HOW TO WIRE SOMETHING CORRECTLY. THAT CAN BE MENTALLY CHALLENGING. BUT WHEN YOU GET IT RIGHT ITS A GOOD FEELING.
RIGHT NOW I AM BUILDING A GROCERY STORE, I HELPED WITH THE NEW SAN DEIGO ZOO ELEPHANT ODYSSEY. BUILT A BUILDING AT UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO. DID THE ELECTRICAL AT THESE PLACES. THERE IS SO MANY THINGS THAT THE SCOPE OF AN ELECTRICIAN HANDLES IT IS HARD FOR SOMEONE TO GRASP EVERYTHING.
WHEN I STARTED I NEW NOTHING. NOW, I AM VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND LOVE WHAT I DO.
AS FAR AS BEING A PARENT IT IS LIKE ANY OTHER JOB. HOW YOU HANDLE IT IS UP TO YOU. iF YOU ARE IN RELATIVLY GOOD SHAPE YOU WILL BE FINE.
i AM IN SAN DIEGO BUT ORIGINALLY FROM DETROIT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS JUST ASK.

OH AND AS FAR AS THIS ELECTRONICS STUFF. THAT IS NOT AN ELECTRICIAN. AS AN INSIDE WIREMAN YOU WILL BE RESPONISBLE FOR EVERYTHING FROM WHERE THE POWER PANEL IS FROM THE POWER LINES TO EVERYTHING INSIDE THE BUILDING.
YOU ARE GIVING POWER TO THE WHOLE BUILDING. ANYTHING THAT REQUIRES ELECTRICITY YOU WILL SUPPLY IT.

GO TO THE IBEW WEBSITE OR JUST YOU TUBE INSIDE WIREMAN.

I just started the IBEW apprenticeship program several months ago. It lasts for five years. I also went to a technical school for the electrical trade. I didn't learn anything while I was there. Trade schools are scams. They barely teach you anything and they take a bunch of your money.

If you want to be an electrician then the IBEW apprenticeship program is the way to go. I have come to the conclusion that I am not interested in this trade at all however and will probably be quitting soon. I am absolutely shocked at reading the copious messages from people who love this profession. Yes, it pays well (once you become a journeyman). Yes, the benefits are good. Yes, you can dictate when you want to work and when you don't. But, for the love of God people this is a mind-numbingly boring trade (as most trades are). How in the hell can you find running pipe, pulling wire, taking measurements, and screwing in panels interesting? It's boring. I see what journeymen who have been in the trade for years and years are doing and I would kill myself if I did that stuff for 30 years.

Now, I'm sure your next question is, "Why did you join then?". I don't know. I had nothing else going for me. This whole two month exercise has shown me that I belong in a clean and cushy office. I don't like getting dirty and staring up at the ceiling all day long. And as a first year apprentice I only make $10 an hour. That's not even enough to pay my rent and I can't survive off of it.

Jon Clarke in London, United Kingdom said: I thought you might like this site of mine. www.Saferservices.co.uk is the Net's only female skilled trades website directory and enjoys great search engine ranking and UK traffic.

It's FREE to join and list your business in up to 5 relevant categories at one time.

Australia need a site like this!

There's an IBEW apprenticeship program available in my area. What do I need to do before I can apply and what does the selection process entail? Are there things I can be doing now to better my chances of getting accepted into the program?

I am not sure that the IBEW in Michigan in hiring. I would go on there website and see /www.ibewlocal58.org/Apprenticeship.id.52.htm.

I know there are a lot of people on the books in Detroit, meaning that they are waiting for work. Ask the training center (thats the place where you will be hired and where you go to school) what is going on for apprentices, and see if they are accepting any applications.

Any prior experience is always really helpful. If you can show them in words what that you can handle the work thats good. A great attitude, and willing to work hard is good. If you know nothing about electricity dont worry too much. They are hard up for females.
Go and google ohm's law. Know that and show them that you know something. Tell them you understand what is involved. If they ask what kind of work, say it is varied, you could be running conduit one day then digging and doing underground work the next day.
Dont act like you know everything, just enough so they understand that you understand what is going on.

You can only apply at certain times. Make sure you go at one of those times. You can go anytime just to ask a question.

I had to fill out an application. Then go to an interview in front of the training center board, then go to orientation then offered a job. It is a long process. Depending if they are accepting applications and when the new school year starts.

If you want to be an electrician, go for inside construction/wireman. The Telecommunications program is shorter, and the work is easier but you get paid less and your not an electrician.

I’m a 37 yr old female Electrician in London, qualified 19yrs ago & so pleased to see the number of women sparks out there now. I won't reiterate what others have detailed above as the daily hard physical graft of the work, but thought I’d share some Pro's and Con's with those considering the profession.

Pro's -
1. Most exhilarating, exciting & challenging jobs I could have picked.
2. Great fun, wonderful colourful characters. Ever changing work, Made to feel like one of the lads (in a good way).
3. Huge sense of achievement, pride and satisfaction on qualifying and finally working by yourself. In particular fault finding!
4.Physicality of the work can mean coming home feeling exhausted, yet it's truly rewarding in itself.
5. Being self employed, advertising, pricing, installing & invoicing - I felt I finally reached the top.
6. Highlight - Working on the Lighting on Film Sets on location, UK.
7. Builds a wonderful sense of confidence that spills into other areas of life.

Con's -
1. Can be dangerously heavy work. The men rightly expect you to pull your weight, I would if I was them and on the same pay.
2. You need a head of heights, depts., hot stuffy confined spaces. Be fit & flexible to manoeuvre in tight loft/void spaces, sometimes pulling your body forward with only your hands and having to back out.
3. Sadly still stumble across some cave dweller dragging his knuckles who will quiz you loudly on electrical fine details to catch you out in front of an audience.
4. Often too hot / cold / wet / dark / muddy / dusty / infested with insects or rodent droppings.
5. The body will recover from injury fast in youth, but they make return visits years later. It's rough on anyone’s body....more so on female in the end.
6. If you are like me & still like to go out dressed in skirts and dresses from time to time, the bruises can be a turn off as can the chipped nails on your scratched up hands that snag your stockings...lol.
All in all, start young...

Whoops...ran out of space....my last line on this was actually

"All in all, start young...get out early / move into contracts & tenders or the likes."

G'luck !!!!

sparksfly@hotmail.com

Haha! I was just reading my old post here. I had a REALLY bad day and said some stuff that I didn't mean.

I do the crap work now, but eventually I'll do some more in-depth stuff. I just have to keep going and stick with it. I can't let one bad day get me down like that.

I'm a single mum of 2 and i am in my final yr of my degree for education studies and IT i fnd it very boring i decided a few eeks ago that i ant 2 be an electrician i am currently checking out the routes that i can take and i am really exciting about my big career change

BJ in Perth, Australia said: I'm a female electrician in Western Australia. I've been in the game for over 10 years. I love my job. Its very satisfactory and always different & challenging. I have 2 kids & balance it as best I can. At the moment I work within school hours which is great. I used to work full-time in the mining industry, but have just started my own business catering for domestic needs on the outskirts of the city where there is a noticeable lack of electricians wanting to do small jobs in the country.
I encourage anyone to get a trade of any sort. I don't necessarily encourage women in trades. Unfortunately a lot of them complete apprenticeships but there are not many that stay for the long run. The first time I applied I was rejected but it just made me realise how much I wanted it. At the end of the day, if you have a passion for something, you will generally be good at it & its all about being happy. Being an electrician gives me a lot of confidence which is what I need. If I don't work, I get depressed. Just go for it!! Also, I'm someone who started with a majorly low self-esteem and sometimes it was such a struggle, but I got thru it & have never looked back!!

Hey im doing the same thing in perth western australia. Flat out my website is www.awomansspark.com.au
Be good to talk

does anyone know the name of a school where i will be paid to go there and become a electrician??? i really need 2 find a place like this thank you!

@ corey in Warwick, Rhode Island ibew will pay you to work and will find work for you and you will be the highest payed...school is usualy 2 nights a week for a few hrs not payed

I've been a union electrician now for 9 years. I started out in CT and then relocated to TX. I'm still in the IBEW. If it hadn't been for this organization I can promise that I never would have finished. They put you to work and send you to school for an education most people can't afford.
Working with men prior to the construction field prepared me in some ways but not all. I will say, the harder you work and the more you insist on learning and doing yourself, the more respect you'll earn. I have no problem telling someone to do something that I've done a hundred times in my career.
If you're going the route of IBEW, be prepared for outdoor work, porto potty's, 30 minute lunches, heavy lifting and sometimes dirty conditions. This is not a "lady's" environment; it definitely toughens your soul.
The great thing about my job is I now have a skill that I can (and did) take with me anywhere. I can help my family out, my friends and when times are difficult, as they have been in the past, I can choose to go out and make extra money. I couldn't do that waitressing.
So, be prepared. Don't be a wimp. Don't turn your workplace into a tense environment because you don't know how to handle a dirty joke. This is common. Eventually you learn how to put them in their place without ruining your integrity.
Good luck to all.

I am a woman electrician (industrial)have been for the past 8 years, love it, make good money travel a lot, I do not have little babies my baby is 22 years old and I have been able to provide for her good. She is going to collage, I used to be a teacher, and struggle to pay bills, now it is much better I work for Fluor Daniels a great Company. I have not attended school to become an electrician all my experience is in the field, I have had good teachers. It is so good to know more women is doing this kind of work and love it. At times it could be hard but it all depends who is working with you.
Jennifer in Cibolo Tx is right about working with men and earning the respect,and the hard work but also the rewards are great, it is so awesome to be an electrician.

I am a 41yr old fe. I've always liked doing things myself as in fixing or trying to. I've been trying to enter the electrician apprentice program for a while now. IEC here in Houston never got back with me and IBEW told me I'd have to go back to school to get a couple of algebra classes and may take up to 2yrs to be accepted,which I became discouraged. I have been unemployed now for 2yr from truck driving. I know from some of the post that electricians are always getting laid off but get paid very well for their hard work and knowledge. Would this profession be too demanding for a 41 yr old since I would have to start out doing grunt work? All and any advise would be helpful.