Does the idea of an electrician job spark your interest?

Wonder what it would be like to have an electrician job, but just not sure if it’s for you? Read on to have some light shed on this trade.

The first light bulb appeared in the late 1870's and it revolutionized the world, yet today, most people are content to change a bulb without sparing a thought for the technology that makes it work.

Maybe, though, you're not like everyone else, and what goes on behind the light bulb fascinates you — you want to know more about the wiring, the circuits, and the math. If so, you're on the right track to making a good electrician.

All it takes is a blackout or a broken fridge to realize how dependent and how in the dark we are without electricity in our lives. But electricity can be dangerous to the uninformed, and so most householders just stay away from its mechanisms. The grid is just out there, and people use it without thinking. That’s where the electrician’s job comes in; he or she is the expert we all rely on when the wiring needs retooling or when the circuit box is out of date.

Electricians do many different things.

• They devise and install electrical wiring and fixtures in buildings.
• They repair electrical devices and modify circuit boxes.
• They do safety inspections and update home wiring systems.
• They connect air-conditioning units and other special appliances to a building’s power supply.

The possibilities for employment are promising for certified electricians. Some work for themselves, but many work for a utilities company or for building contractors and building maintenance services. In Canada, an electrician job involves working in one of the three major areas of construction:

• the construction and maintenance sector (industrial, commercial, institutional)
• the low-rise residential sector
• the lineworker sector (high voltage lines and utilities)

The educational and training requirements to get an electrician job vary from one province or territory to another. There is, however, a pretty standard process to follow in order to become a unionized electrician.

• Obtain a high school diploma with passes in math, english, and physics.
• Attend a trade school (about 10 per cent of the time) and do an apprenticeship for four or five years.
• Get a certificate of qualification as a construction electrician (mandatory everywhere except Manitoba, where it is optional) or get a domestic and rural certification (compulsory in Quebec and Ontario).

The electrician job is classified as one of the Red Seal trades; with an interprovincial trade certification, electricians can work in their trade anywhere in Canada without needing to get further certification. The Red Seal is an effective certification program that ensures tradespeople can be mobile in the workforce.

Electrician jobs are predicted to be plentiful in the coming years, as the construction sector is booming. That said, the reality varies from region to region. An employment agency can help you find an electrician job wherever you want to work. When it comes to finding a stable career as an electrician, an employment agency can help you see the light at the end of the tunnel.