Without electricians there would be no lights, air conditioning or stop
lights, and the only place you could charge your cellphone would be in a car.
No appliance, gadget or tool that needs electricity to run would work without
electricians wiring our homes, schools and offices to the power grid.
Electricians design, lay out, test, repair and install wiring and electrical
fixtures in residential and commercial buildings, but they also do many other
things. Electricians can work on telecommunications equipment, industrial
machine tool controls and offshore drilling rigs, among other things.
Some states and municipalities require electricians to be licensed. Some
states have agreements, which allow electricians from other states to work
within their borders.
Many electricians specialize in maintenance or construction work. However,
telecommunications -- phone, Internet, cable and satellite television, and
alarm systems -- is a growing sector. Some electricians work for building
contractors, private companies, governments and municipalities. Others are
self-employed.
Electricians follow strict building code standards, which can vary greatly
from one city to another. Electricians must understand and stay up to date
with these codes.
The demand for electricians goes up and down, depending on the economy.
That's because more homes and buildings are built when the economy is strong,
and fewer are built during a recession. However, when new home construction
dips, the people who would have purchased new homes often renovate or remodel
their homes instead. Those jobs usually require electrical work.
The work of electricians is physically challenging. Electricians may have
to squeeze through crawl spaces, climb ladders, dig holes and work in tight
spaces. Some work is done outdoors. And there is always a risk of electrical
shock, falls and other injuries.
While an electrician's typical workweek is around 40 hours, some electricians
are on call for emergency outages or repairs. They might work evenings, weekends
or holidays.