Does anyone here work as a Electrician?

I work closely with electricians most weeks (I hire them for renovation projects I work on) and it is worth knowing that the working with the fiddly electrical connections is only a small part of the work they do - at least when it comes to renovations.

The guy I work with spends a lot of time cutting into walls to run new cable routes (through plaster, bricks and concrete), drilling into walls to secure socket backing boxes, cutting out old fuse boxes with hammer and chisels, sweeping up, mixing cement and plaster then applying them to the holes / channels he made and fixing heavy lights into somewhat ropey ceilings while perched on top of a tall stepladder.

The skills required to suppliment the connecting / wiring are significant as you have to co-ordinate with other trades to get the wiring installed around existing plumbing and wall building / tiling / flooring / plastering / painting jobs, often doing some of these yourself to get the job done.

Expect to find some of the work strenuous and to often get very grubby / dusty from the work.

There are a myriad of wiring regulations in the UK so it is worth getting trained and certified so you are allowed to work on most things and expect to need to renew your qualifications every few years to stay current.

I end up doing a lot of work with him and it isn't rocket science thankfully, and a methodical appoach is a real benefit.

If you are aware of all this and still want to go for it then it can be a rewarding profession - we certainly pay a lot more than most other trades for our sparkie.

Thank you very much, Iain, All the info about it and the feedback you have given. It will help me decide, as I suffer from OCD and my OCD revolves around me being clean and hating dirty things.

I find socializing hard and I thought it would be easier, I know you can get really dirty and stuff but I will just have to look into it more and see if I would feel comfortable getting that like. My OCD became better but I have my room clean and stuff and I don't often mix with people so I don't know if going into a place where It could be dirty and such might kick off my OCD again. 

I'm just finding it hard to look at a career and go with it, I wanna do something that I can make a good living off without struggling and it is fulfilling for me.

If you have any more advice or guidance I would really appreciate it. "That goes to anyone who can help me"

I'm in a similar position, I guess if we try things it can become clearer what we like and unexpected strengths+interests can arise+materialise 

Erwin said:

I just gotta find something I am comfortable with and that allows me to be happy without getting stressed. 

if you don't get one well with working alongside others then the building trade is probably not for you - at least not for any pre-existing buildings where work is being done.

The workplaces here are full of people with issues, those who love to play jokes on you, the downright ignorant and a few good ones - and there is always inter-trade rivalry where other trades don't care if you need to run a power cable up to an extractor fan as their job is to rile the walls and if you need to cut into these to lay your cable then they just don't care - they will get more work later to repair the damage you had to make (as an example).

As the site forman in many cases I am regularly dealing with this sort of dispute.

Erwin said:

My OCD became better but I have my room clean and stuff

I don't think this will ever really be an option on construction or renovation projects I'm afraid.

If you need this and want to limit your interactions with others then a factory type setting may work best, where you are building components or working as part of a bigger assembly project. Here you are likely to have a defined role with limited interaction, a workspace for your supplies and tools and a much more controled environment and timeline.

I'm not thinking about assembly line but more pre-fabricated houses where individual walls need to be constructed ready to slot into place for plug and play installation.

From other trades, plumbing is typically a unpleasantly dirty job, plastering dirty in a different way, carpentry is quite physical but could be the best choice (often one of the first trades in on a construction project once the foundations are in), glazing could also work well for you as could roofing.

There are plenty to choose from, but if you are looking for a long term sustainable career then renovations are probably the most likely to keep you earning in all kinds of housing market conditions.

Erwin said:

I just gotta find something I am comfortable with and that allows me to be happy without getting stressed.

I think it is worth realising that any career is going to give you stress at some points - some much more often than others.

I would strongly recommend learning to deal with the stressful situations rather than avoiding them. It helps in so many other areas of life as well.

The social interactions can be improved if you are willing to stand your ground and be authentic,  accept your differences and ask others to be respectful of them too. Learning to do this in a non threatening or offending way takes a bit of practice but I found an assertiveness training course gave me the tools to do this quite well.

Good luck with your career path and feel free to pm me with any questions if I can be of help.

Erwin said:

I just gotta find something I am comfortable with and that allows me to be happy without getting stressed. 

if you don't get one well with working alongside others then the building trade is probably not for you - at least not for any pre-existing buildings where work is being done.

The workplaces here are full of people with issues, those who love to play jokes on you, the downright ignorant and a few good ones - and there is always inter-trade rivalry where other trades don't care if you need to run a power cable up to an extractor fan as their job is to rile the walls and if you need to cut into these to lay your cable then they just don't care - they will get more work later to repair the damage you had to make (as an example).

As the site forman in many cases I am regularly dealing with this sort of dispute.

Erwin said:

My OCD became better but I have my room clean and stuff

I don't think this will ever really be an option on construction or renovation projects I'm afraid.

If you need this and want to limit your interactions with others then a factory type setting may work best, where you are building components or working as part of a bigger assembly project. Here you are likely to have a defined role with limited interaction, a workspace for your supplies and tools and a much more controled environment and timeline.

I'm not thinking about assembly line but more pre-fabricated houses where individual walls need to be constructed ready to slot into place for plug and play installation.

From other trades, plumbing is typically a unpleasantly dirty job, plastering dirty in a different way, carpentry is quite physical but could be the best choice (often one of the first trades in on a construction project once the foundations are in), glazing could also work well for you as could roofing.

There are plenty to choose from, but if you are looking for a long term sustainable career then renovations are probably the most likely to keep you earning in all kinds of housing market conditions.

Erwin said:

I just gotta find something I am comfortable with and that allows me to be happy without getting stressed.

I think it is worth realising that any career is going to give you stress at some points - some much more often than others.

I would strongly recommend learning to deal with the stressful situations rather than avoiding them. It helps in so many other areas of life as well.

The social interactions can be improved if you are willing to stand your ground and be authentic,  accept your differences and ask others to be respectful of them too. Learning to do this in a non threatening or offending way takes a bit of practice but I found an assertiveness training course gave me the tools to do this quite well.

Good luck with your career path and feel free to pm me with any questions if I can be of help.