Why become an electrician

Becoming an electrician opens so many opportunities and specialty paths that lead to a life-long rewarding career. Positions and opportunities range from being part of a business at a trade level through to middle management, engineering roles or owning and running your own business. What’s more, within the electrical industry many electricians select a specialty that they focus on whether it is building and construction, green energy/solar, automation, manufacturing, mining, energy or water supply industries.

The electrical industry is always changing with new technologies, so if you’re looking for a career that is flexible and challenging, being an electrician is a life-long rewarding career.

There is currently a skills shortage in the electrical industry (and doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon). Plus there will always be a need for electricians as the electrical industry evolves with changing technologies, electrical systems need to be installed and maintained by professionals in domestic, commercial, industrial, and mining industries.

Being an electrician can be a challenging but rewarding career. You have to have a great understanding of practical installation skills, electrical diagrams and health and safety. Electricians are able to take on various jobs and projects, ranging from major commercial, industrial, or automation projects to various high end and standard residential jobs.

Being an electrician offers mental skills such as interpreting electrical or electronic drawings and determining wiring layouts in addition to the obvious physical skills including use of various sophisticated equipment and electrical projects.

One day you may be carrying out a standard install, the next you could be fault finding and then you could be inspecting and testing. This challenge and variety will keep you sharp and ensure that no two days are ever the same.

Being an electrician allows for a diverse and changing work environment with various individual jobs being part of many electricians’ average working weeks. You can easily move from outdoor projects such as supply cables and street lighting to indoor projects including buildings under construction or residential projects. This diversity will depend on whether you choose to specialise within commercial, domestic, industrial, renewable energy or mining sectors.

If you’re interested in starting your own business many electricians are self-employed who own and manage their own business; this can be fun and exciting and a good reason to become an electrician.

Your qualification is nationally recognised anywhere in Australia and in some countries overseas. Travel and work at the same time!

A huge benefit to becoming an electrician is that you won’t have an unimaginable amount of student debt to earn a great living. In fact, as an apprentice electrician, you’ll be able to earn while you learn your trade. That means that while others are attending university with no guarantee of a job after they graduate, you’ll be earning a decent wage and completing your electrician course at the same time.

Electricians are very well respected within the construction trade and are considered by many to be the top profession within the industry.

You should never choose a career based on what you’ll earn, you need to be passionate about what you’re going to do with your career. But let’s be honest we all want to know what we’re going to earn. A 1st year apprentice can start on approx. $25,000, a 4th Year apprentice about $44,000 and once you have your A grade, average salary is $60,000 and upwards.*

*salary based on minimum award wage and payscale.com