Change of career - looking for advice

[Andywithacamer]

Hi,

I'm early 30s and had enough of working in project management and am considering options to change career.

Friends in the trades rave about the 'own boss' aspect of their jobs and being on sites really appeals to me after being tied to desks for years. I have no electrical qualifications at the minute and haven't done anything other than odd jobs around the house. I'm ready to learn new skills and to work on something which amounts to more than sending pointless emails all day.

What is everyone's thoughts on getting qualified and earning enough to pay a modest mortgage? I can't afford to take years off to train without earning, but also don't want to waste money on quick courses that don't mean much outside the classroom.

Thoughts/suggestions/warnings/reality checks are all welcome!

 

[sloughrookie]

Hi,

There are loads of threads about becoming a spark so dredging through the forums will provide lots of info. These type of questions appear on here on almost a daily basis.

Only you can make a decision regarding your finances but here's a few questions for you to ponder.....

Why do you want to become an electrician? Have you been lead to believe there are untold riches at the end of your training? Why not plumbing or a gas engineer?

What type of work are you aiming to do? Domestic or commercial/industrial? If you want to become a fully qualified electrician (Level 3 with AM2/NVQ) that will take a min of 4 years.

Even to become what is called a house basher, you will need a certain level of training and certification. How are you planning on achieving this? A company will most likely only pay for this training as part of an apprenticeship or you will have to fund it yourself.

By your own admission you have no on the job electrical experience or qualifications so only option open to you will probably be signing up to an agency as a labourer, you will need to get yourself a CSCS green card and have your own PPE to even get on a site - and in a lot of cases the agency/employer will want someone with a min of 1 to 2 years experience. Unless of course you have connections to give you a start in the trade or are lucky enough to find a local spark who's looking for a trainee.

Have a look on job websites such as indeed, that will give you an idea what jobs are available in your area and what the pay rate is. Remember, most will be temp/contract type of positions so what will you do for money on the days/weeks there is no work available?

Can you afford to work as a casual labourer for 11-15 quid an hour not knowing when you will have work or not?

As I said, only you can make decisions regarding your finances but I would think about it and plan it carefully. You're unlikely to earn a great deal of money for the first few years.

Good Luck

SR

 

[Spoon]

Welcome to the forum mate.

The above advice is great.

Just to add to the above. Not all short courses are bad, as long as you know what you are getting from them, which is basic knowledge... Are they worth it??? You would have to ask the people on here who have taken them.

Luckily for you, you have friends who are in the trade, working for themselves. You could ask to help them out and gain experience, if they have enough work for you.

You might have to do stick with you current job for now, while you learn... It all depends.

Good luck in your plans mate.

Oh... check some of the thread out on the forum.. There are some really brainy people here who know their stuff.. You will learn quite a bit from this forum.

 

[SamDuncan09]

Hey, I'm currently undertaking a distance learning course where I do the theory at home and the practicals and exams at a centre which is unfortunately 2 hours away, but needs must as I am still working alongside it.

As mentioned already, it's basic knowledge but it's the foundations to build up from.

My main concern from the start has been the absence of on-site experience which is definitely needed for the NVQ3, however just this morning I messaged a local spark on Instagram asking if he'd be willing to give me free experience in exchange for some free labour, so that I may get my feet wet and give me the experience which in the long run will pay for itself 100x over. Obviously we agreed current circumstances will need to be greatly calmer before any such venture can begin!

However it's all about putting yourself out there, and if you're willing to put in the work to learn, knowing that even after completing these courses you'll still be green and very fresh to the industry that you're willing to go that little bit extra just to show people you're genuine and willing to learn then you'll probably get on fine.

I currently earn £12.30 /hour as a postman, am part-time, but it's enough. So I'm fortunate that when I do get into paid labourer/improver work that it'll most likely be a pay increase due to working more hours and potentially a small pay increase hourly.

As the others have mentioned, it's all about having the dedication and making sure you're not going to financially jeopardise yourself in the process thinking you'll come out the other end earning £15-30 /hour off the bat.

Either way, I wish you the best of luck, I will say I'm thoroughly enjoying learning all the theory as it's very fascinating.

Sam.

 

[Baddegg]

I’m a short course, for me it was definitely worth it,but and a big BUT I’ve been in and around the building game and electrical installations related to it my whole working life, so I could focus Solely on the theoretical side of things (not easy) and hit the floor running with my existing knowledge of buildings.....that’s the side of things these courses can’t and won’t teach you........not saying don’t do it mate but I promise it’s not the quick solution they sell to you ?

 

[JAWS]

There is actually nothing stopping you becoming a JIB Gold Card holder within 6 months starting from scratch. Will be non stop but can be achieved.

 

[Andywithacamer]

Thanks to all for the welcome!

Some sound advice here, and the voice of experience I was looking for. Sounds like SamDuncan09 is doing similar to my first thoughts as I have a second job that could put some money in my pocket at least. I'm stuck in a contract until November so I have lots of time to think this through some more.

I'm keen to hear from any other career-switchers and how they have gone about it.

Cheers!

 

[Spoon]

Search results for query: career change

www.electriciansforums.net

Just done a search for 'career change' in this forum for you. Have a read and see if any help.

 

[Andywithacamer]

Search results for query: career change

www.electriciansforums.net

Just done a search for 'career change' in this forum for you. Have a read and see if any help.

I'm not the only one having a mid-life career crisis!