The skills needed to be an electrician can vary widely depending on whether or not you choose to focus on commercial, residential, or even underwater work. However, there are a handful of core electrician skills that you need to have before you even consider choosing this field. Be honest with yourself about whether or not you have each one before you decide to take any classes or practice the techniques.
Perfect Color Vision
Wires come in all colors, and they are coded according to a variety of standards. Having a color deficiency is more common than you may think, but it means you may need to look into another profession if you have trouble recognizing colors.
Skillful Hands
Some people simply do not work well with their hands. All adults with normal development have some type of control of their movements, but electricians need more than just some control. Putting an object together or taking it apart should come easily to you, as you will be installing, replacing, and repairing on a constant basis.
A Mind Of Steel
You might be up high in dangerous conditions or positioned in cramped spaces for a long period of time. There might be an unexpected storm that rolls in right when you’ve dismantled your wiring and equipment and are getting ready to rebuild. These types of demands are simply impossible for some people, and electricians need to be comfortable with the potential hazards of the job at all times.
Spatial Recognition
You’ll be asked to read blueprints and plans and then get to work fast. Lots of practice will help you do this, but at the same time, you should have a natural bent toward understanding maps and where everything is in relationship to other objects. There’s a lot of room for error in electrical work, and those errors may not even be found until a significant amount of time has passed. To establish yourself in your field, you need to know your diagrams backward and forward.
Analytical Expertise
You not only need to be able to think fast but also reason the best way to accomplish your goal. Electricians won’t have a lot of direct help in the field, and you’re expected not to need it anyhow. If you’re good at working your way through difficult problems quickly, under pressure, and on your own, then you’ll excel when you encounter inevitable problems throughout your career.
People Skills
You’ll need social skills in both commercial and residential work, but especially if you become a residential electrician. Homeowners are generally much more concerned about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it than commercial landlords are. Even if you have a one-man business, all electricians will need to work with a variety of demands and personalities to get their jobs done.