But the plans didn’t work out? I don’t think I can become one I kept getting laid off so I left the trade, allowed the state trainee permit to expire and now have a secure overnight stocking job.

When I was a kid, I thought I might want to be one. I liked all the components of wiring, etc. And I’ve always been fascinated by construction.

But I ended up getting into a different field. I think it would be too stressful as an electrician for me, since you have to work on tight timeframes in new construction or go into places where you don’t know how the person is going to be. Or figuring out what’s wrong when people are upset that whatever it is you’re trying to fix isn’t working.

Plus I just feel like unless you own a company, and deal with all the stress of that, I imagine it doesn’t pay enough to own your own home. Maybe I’m wrong.

I’ve just gotten a bit bitter toward any field of the construction industry, because I’ve discovered that unless you’re the owner, or a very successful subcontractor, or maybe an engineer, the money just isn’t there. Especially with cost of houses these days. Seems like at one time it was because the older guys that have been in the industry for decades have typically always been comfortable.

I’ve had friends that family were contractors and I thought it must be a successful industry because they seem to be doing so well. But you look at most of their employees and it’s usually a revolving door of people barely getting by unless they’re in a top admin role or they’re a project manager, etc. They work on other peoples houses all day/build homes, but sadly can never seem to afford their own off of it.

 I couldn’t do any of those kinds of top roles where you have to manage/yell at people, so I’d be right there with them.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do in college and I almost went to UF for construction management, but I knew even then I wasn’t cut out for it. I’m glad I didn’t get a degree like that and go into lots of debt and unable to use it.

Of course money isn’t the be all/ end all of life but it definitely helps.

Anyway I got way off topic but yes I did at one time, but ended up in a different field. I also am interested in the HVAC industry, but same reasoning.

I had a contract job back in the 2000 switching out old/new ballast/bulbs.  It is a hard work.

I'm currently as a PC Technician by trade.

During my kid days, I wanted to be an electrician, but only in terms of lighting... lol
I still of course want to become a professional lighting electrician, but the LED kinda killed that vibe for various reasons.
Plus, being a lighting electrician is tough work from what I know... so even before LED's became a more noticed technology,
my drive to become a lighting electrician was already pretty much gone.

As a kid I first wanted to become a plumber. When I was littlebit older I realized it wasn't most cleanest job in the world so I switched wanting to become an electrician. Later I applied to become one, finished the school, but before getting my training complete and have my certificate I ended up working in broadcasting business as tower climber. Few years later I switched to telco side still doing climbing. I'd say it really helped to have been studied to become electrician in that job too since electricity plays a big role in that field too but of course it's not the same as working in constraction sites.

For the last 8 years I've been doing planning in telco sector. Climbing was okay for summer times but not so nice work in winter and the winter over here is..... long.

  I initially wanted to but got into autobody instead . I did that for almost 35 years professionally . Now I install graphics and lettering on ambulances .

... I feel exposed. 

I *could* have made it into the trade if I really wanted to. But first of all I graduated in the middle of a wave of union strikes, so nobody was hiring. Industrial openings were few and far between, and I had already worked at one of the two prefabricated house manufacturers in the area. I managed to get hired to the other one but they didn't keep me. I was quickly running out of (local) options, and let's say parents were more than happy to keep me from moving out of my hometown.

I then gave diesel mechanics a try, with about the same results. Then more recently college, and dropped out after the first year thanks to a mix of COVID-related factors and unfixable impulsive decision-making. Thankfully a soul-crushing grocery store cashier job was waiting for me, and that's what I've been doing for the last three years. I really dug my own grave here, nobody else to blame. But this thread isn't about this is it LOL.

I've always had a interest in lighting and electricity growing up but I don't think I ever seriously considered being a electrician, at least during my high school years, although one of my high school teachers did suggest it to me during my senior year.

I ended up going to university for electrical engineering but ended up switching to and graduating in mechanical engineering and working in mechanical design. I suppose if I worked for a lighting fixture manufacturer I'd probably end up designing luminaires but with how LED took ever everything I'd end up designing LED lights all day.

I wanted to, and am one.

Yes, I've certainly had that consideration. I'm still a high schooler (going into the 11th grade), so it's more of a thought than a compulsion, but I've been eyeing careers in the electrical field for a while now. I originally "apprenticed" at a small, local electrical engineering firm. I realized that the job is mind-numbingly boring, and I would quit before the first month if I decided to pursue this career.

Now I've set my sights on mechanical engineering with a specialty in materials (similar to what Joseph125 described, and what James and Max do for a living). I don't really do well in a sit-down environment like a 9-5 office job, and want to pursue something more hands-on, but also something that pays upwards of a 120K a year. I plan to attend university for my Bachelor's, and then eventually my Master's when the time comes.

I've also seriously considered partaking in a trade (ie, lineman) once I have a steady, secure job and the income / time to afford going to trade school on the evenings and weekends. I'd probably work on the weekends as a side hustle, nothing too serious, but I'd definitely be a qualified candidate for an installation-based job as I have an eye for the little details. Who knows though.


Though, within school, I definitely was torn between attending trade school (through my HS, which starts in the 10th grade) and following the normal path to university and beyond, and I'm honestly happy with my choice. I definitely feel like I can do more with my gifts than taking the path of least resistance.

@Maxim: It took me a long time to choose my career goal, but I was happy to find it after I went to college.  Being 11th grade, that is over 40 years ago where I was.

Thanks Robert.

Ahh, my current role is roughly a 60/40 split between office/design work and more hands on stuff such as prototyping which I personally feel is a pretty decent mix. I suppose a fully office based job does have the advantage of being potentially fully remote. Not sure if I want to make that trade though as I do like the more hands on stuff over a role that's only computer based work.

A lineman pays pretty well too, and if you get called over to help out in other places, you get compensated pretty decently for that too.

I sometimes think back that if I had chosen to be a electrician, I'd probably be working during the peak of the HID/fluorescent to LED conversion and probably would have converted quite a few lights to LED and replaced quite a few with LEDs as well.

I aspired to do such growing up, but later ended up getting into a strange niche field of none other than tinkering with old army trucks.

It's just as well: I've found most people in the construction trades to be rather bitter.

I am, technically. Went to school and have my qualis in order but my job is completely unrelated to the field, though that doesn't prevent me from doing various maintenance tasks around the building from time to time, the "maintenance" guy in here was more like a glorified janitor that could work some drywall, paint and do simple jobs like replace a tube or bulb, he was fired some time before I got to the company and it's an open position ever since, so I can do electrical from time to time as long as "the man" is willing to pay me for any work, I did the classic fluorescent to LED swap at some of the offices, fit downlights, fix burnt sockets from accounting girls gangbanging them with heaters and mug warmers, etc.