[badboy175]

Im about to complete grade 10 in less then a month and i have learned that there is a high demand in this job as well as high pay. I have a few concerns though.

What high school courses should i take to become the best? (academic, applied?) maths, sciences, etc.
(Im pretty sure that the two main courses you need is math and science but unfortunately im taking these two courses applied. Does this matter much?

What are my options after high school and what is the best thing to do to make the most money?
i would like to end up owning my own electritioning business after ive learned everything to be learned.

What colleges/university's (if there are any) are recommended?( in Ontario, i live in toronto)
list the best and if i can make it with applied math and sciences.

How do apprentices work?
Do you go into it right after high school or after college? and which ones are recommended and which pay the most.

If i end up doing an apprenticeship for 4-5 years and then working for 2-3 years as an electrician, would that be a good time to open my own business where i can hire my own electricians and find jobs for them?

finally where would electricians work? new houses and factories when they are being built?

i know this is a lot but im a confused kid who needs to find out what im going to do in life. please help me.

thanks a lot.

 

[BryanMD]

Some of the Canadian folks should be piping up soon with the Canada specific info but in broad strokes the field of 'electrical" work is as broad or as narrow as you want to make (or limit) it.

Stay in school. Work hard. Play hard.
Math & science are important but so is everything else.

If you are allowed to... try to pick up a summer job doing *anything* in the field.
Seeing things from the inside is priceless.

It's great that at your age (16?) you are thinking so deeply about your future but whatever your future may hold it is impossible to forecast. Do all you can to be as broadly qualified for many things as you can while you are young.

 

[badboy175]

thanks for the feedback but i really need someone to answer those questions

 

[480sparky]

Im about to complete grade 10 in less then a month and i have learned that there is a high demand in this job as well as high pay. I have a few concerns though.
What high school courses should i take to become the best? (academic, applied?) maths, sciences, etc.
(Im pretty sure that the two main courses you need is math and science but unfortunately im taking these two courses applied. Does this matter much?

Trig, Algebra & Geometry won't hurt. Any building courses your school offers will help. Also, any courses that can help with owning a business such as computers, bookkeeping, etc.

What are my options after high school and what is the best thing to do to make the most money?
i would like to end up owning my own electritioning business after ive learned everything to be learned.

Work with your school's counselor if there is one. Also, start studying the local electrical contractors about what kind of work they do (residential, commercial, industrial, service work, etc.) to see what interests you.

What colleges/university's (if there are any) are recommended?( in Ontario, i live in toronto)
list the best and if i can make it with applied math and sciences.

Sorry, I'm in the States and can't help you with that one.

How do apprentices work?
Do you go into it right after high school or after college? and which ones are recommended and which pay the most.

I don't think what most people think of when they hear the term apprentice, but the days of working side-by-side with more experienced folks, one-on-one, is long gone. These days, it's slam it in a beat feet to the next job.

If i end up doing an apprenticeship for 4-5 years and then working for 2-3 years as an electrician, would that be a good time to open my own business where i can hire my own electricians and find jobs for them?

You're way too far up the road to be considering these questions. By the time you get to that point, any answers you get today will be long outdated.

finally where would electricians work? new houses and factories when they are being built?

Anywhere electricity is being used, or will be used.

 

[electricguy]

Many high Schools in British Columbia are becoming trade transition curriculum

Here is one

http://www.tru.ca/trades/transition.html


Research your school districts websites

Here is a start for your area

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/postsec/superbuild/school_e.htmlhttp://www.patinstitute.ca/

 

[badboy175]

alright most things are pretty clear but i still need to know if applied maths, and sciences are just as good as academic and what maths and sciences to take. and i still dont know what happens after high school?

 

[480sparky]

alright most things are pretty clear but i still need to know if applied maths, and sciences are just as good as academic and what maths and sciences to take. and i still dont know what happens after high school?

BEFORE you get out of school, you should be contacting local ECs about applying. If you wait unitl school is out, then you will be competing with everyone else who wants to get in to the trade.

Find out as much as you can about the local ECs. How many employees? What type of work do they do (resi/comm/ind/serv)? What is their trade area? Will they be hiring soon? Can I fill out an application now?

 

[badboy175]

whats ECs? whats the best place to work at? how is the pay for new construction sites and new businesses or stores opening?

 

[badboy175]

would it be a good idea if i were to do an apprenticeship for 4-5 years and then work as an electrician for 3 years and then start my own electric business? i want to start my own business because i know i would be great at doing this. I know how to make money and i have great management skills.

 

[bobelectric]

One of my mentors when I was looking for a career was a matchbook cover that advertised "Earn More As An Electrcian"

 

[480sparky]

whats ECs? whats the best place to work at? how is the pay for new construction sites and new businesses or stores opening?

Electrical Contractors.

There's no 'best' place to work, as we don't know what kind of electrician you want to be. Pay depends on who you work for, what kind of work they do, and how ambitious you show yourself to be.

 

[480sparky]

One of my mentors when I was looking for a career was a matchbook cover that advertised "Earn More As An Electrcian"

 

[piette]

whats ECs? whats the best place to work at? how is the pay for new construction sites and new businesses or stores opening?

Nobody can answer "the best place to work" for you. Everybody here has their own preferences and reasons why they like to work in that particular area of the trade. I myself prefer service work, I enjoy the challenge of tracking down trouble. Others enjoy new construction whether it be residential or commercial, some prefer industrial.............it goes on and on. All you can do is get your feet in the door and get a feel for what YOU like doing.

As was said, pay entirely depends on who you work for, and where you are, as well as how hard you work. I have made good money as an electrician in my days, but everyone has to start somewhere. Don't think for a second you are going to come into this trade and make big money, unless of course your dad owns the company or something. When you are fresh and green, you get paid like you are fresh and green. Once you have years under your belt, can run your own jobs, and basically know your way around the electrical trade, you can make good money.

It is good you have a desire to own your own company, but you need to slow it down a bit there. You haven't worked day one in the trade yet and already you are looking to hire other guys to do the work while you collect fat checks. It doesn't exactly work that way. I own my own company and I just have one other employee. I prefer it this way as I can be on every jobsite, pleasing every customer myself and offer personalized service. Even if I wanted to grow the company bigger, it takes time to do it. Plan to work by yourself for some time if you are going to operate your own company. You need to learn how to bid, get pricing, make sales, and in general operate a company before you just up and hire a bunch of guys and sit behind the desk. Don't forget, once you hire these guys, you are responsible for their financial well being. If you hire on and can't make sales, you can't pay the guys.

Jeff

 

[LGLS]

would it be a good idea if i were to do an apprenticeship for 4-5 years and then work as an electrician for 3 years and then start my own electric business? i want to start my own business because i know i would be great at doing this. I know how to make money and i have great management skills.

That would be a great idea. That's exactly what one electrician did who rents an apartment from me.

You are the product of the ME ME ME, INSTANT GRATIFICATION society. I'll bet when X-box came out, you got the first one. :thumbup: The questions you have put forth here show you not only have no idea what it takes to become and electrician or a contractor, you also don't know or aren't close enough to anybody intimately familiar with the trades, or the construction and contracting business in general.

In the real world, which occurs AFTER your formal education, and pop quizzes you on multiple subjects every day on a pass/fail basis (and you thought high school was bad) for life's lessons you didn't even take a course in, you're going to find that making things happen takes time and finesse and patience.

Thousands of people set out to become doctors, and end up as chiropractors or mortitians. This analagy is especially applicable to people who set lofty, unrealistic goals, then set out to achieve them by skipping some very important time-consuming steps.

I worked for one such example many years ago, got his license as soon as he had the necessary hours. (actually, some were faked) His business lasted less than 2 years after his parents helped him purchase said already-established business. He left a wake of other unfinished and rushed through processes, such as never paying the deducted payroll taxes for his employees. He has since been engaged in 3 other failed business's that I'm aware of.

Slow down, take a breath. Have your plans, but be realistic and keep your eyes wide open to the reality that surrounds you while working toward your goals.

 

[badboy175]

That would be a great idea. That's exactly what one electrician did who rents an apartment from me.

You are the product of the ME ME ME, INSTANT GRATIFICATION society. I'll bet when X-box came out, you got the first one. :thumbup: The questions you have put forth here show you not only have no idea what it takes to become and electrician or a contractor, you also don't know or aren't close enough to anybody intimately familiar with the trades, or the construction and contracting business in general.

In the real world, which occurs AFTER your formal education, and pop quizzes you on multiple subjects every day on a pass/fail basis (and you thought high school was bad) for life's lessons you didn't even take a course in, you're going to find that making things happen takes time and finesse and patience.

Thousands of people set out to become doctors, and end up as chiropractors or mortitians. This analagy is especially applicable to people who set lofty, unrealistic goals, then set out to achieve them by skipping some very important time-consuming steps.

I worked for one such example many years ago, got his license as soon as he had the necessary hours. (actually, some were faked) His business lasted less than 2 years after his parents helped him purchase said already-established business. He left a wake of other unfinished and rushed through processes, such as never paying the deducted payroll taxes for his employees. He has since been engaged in 3 other failed business's that I'm aware of.

Slow down, take a breath. Have your plans, but be realistic and keep your eyes wide open to the reality that surrounds you while working toward your goals.

i actually was the first one to get an xbox! how did you know this? is it a good thing? ahah

 

[randomkiller]

You are the product of the ME ME ME, INSTANT GRATIFICATION society. I'll bet when X-box came out, you got the first one. :thumbup: The questions you have put forth here show you not only have no idea what it takes to become and electrician or a contractor, you also don't know or aren't close enough to anybody intimately familiar with the trades, or the construction and contracting business in general.

And I thought I was the only one that thought the over night experts were annoying. Maybe he is so good at making money that he will just buy into a business when he graduates high school after his ears dry up.

 

[amptech]

Give the kid a break already. He can't be more than 15-16. He'll learn soon enough how it really is. What's so lofty about his goals? He didn't say he wanted to fly to work every day on a jetpack. I know a kid who after working for a plumbing contractor for 2 months said he had learned about all there was to know about plumbing. He ended up eating his words but turned out to be a fine plumber with his own company 15 years later. My advice to badboy175 is get all the info you can from every available resource. Then find an electrician/electrical contractor that will let you shadow them so you can get a small idea what it is all about. You may not like it after all.

 

[480sparky]

i actually was the first one to get an xbox!

You may have been one of the first to get one,
but I helped invent them! :thumbsup:​

 

[Jaden]

As far as specific math and science, take ALL that you can at the highest level you can. It will all help, no matter what you decide to do. Algebra, Calc, Trig, lots of physics, and chemistry (will probably aid you in safety-oriented issues later). It's not like you'll regret it 10 years down the road. OR remember what you learned, either. But I digress. Since you're set on running a business, join a future business leader's society and take econ classes. It may sound like overkill, but a post-secondary business degree wouldn't hurt either. It sounds like your school system offers both academic and applied versions of things. If it's like the system here, don't sell yourself short. Take the academic. Your brain can handle the extra info. When that first EC interviews you, it'd be nice not to have to answer his question of "why did you only take applied?"

Just my two cents,

J

 

[randomkiller]

What high school courses should i take to become the best? (academic, applied?) maths, sciences, etc.

Algebra, Geometry, Trig, Calc will all help, English couldn't hurt.

What are my options after high school and what is the best thing to do to make the most money?
i would like to end up owning my own electritioning business after ive learned everything to be learned.

You mean "Electrical" business. (Definitely take English)
Work hard and keep learning, advance your knowledge and proficiency and the money will follow. I have been doing this over 20 years and haven't learned everything there is to learn. Only a moron stops learning.

What colleges/university's (if there are any) are recommended?( in Ontario, i live in toronto)

Not in Canada, can't help ya there, aye.

How do apprentices work?

You apply for apprenticeship and take a job if offered. The Union will generally pay the best and be the best schooling.

If i end up doing an apprenticeship for 4-5 years and then working for 2-3 years as an electrician, would that be a good time to open my own business where i can hire my own electricians and find jobs for them?

IMO, no, you would need more experience than that.

finally where would electricians work? new houses and factories when they are being built?

Everyplace that has a need for electric.

i know this is a lot but im a confused kid who needs to find out what im going to do in life. please help me.

thanks a lot.

Do not rush things. All good things comes to he who waits.