Working as an electrician can affect everything from the back and shoulders to the knees and feet. Make sure you're prepared for how physically demanding it can be. If you've been considering a career as an electrician, you may have wondered what kind of physical damage it could cause to your body. While working in construction in general is a great way to gain various skills, long-term work in this type of field is very hard on the body, especially when compared to working as an electrician.
One of the main reasons why people decide to change their professional career to that of an electrician is because it is considered one of the least physically demanding jobs. In California, you must complete at least 720 hours of training (or 8,000 hours of on-the-job training) before you can take the state certification exam and obtain an electrician's license. In reality, this is not the case for electricians, who can work comfortably for decades without the work placing a heavy physical burden on the body. And if those who dedicate themselves to more physically demanding jobs decide not to change jobs to become electricians or work in a related field, many seek to occupy management positions in which they oversee a team while working mainly in the office.
Safety is an important part of the curriculum for electrical students, as it ensures that all electricians know how to work safely to protect themselves and the people around them. If you ask electricians who have been in the industry for a long time, they will probably tell you that they have experienced some knee and back discomfort. Comparing this type of work to, for example, that of a construction professional in general, it is clear that electricians are subject to much less physical stress. In many ways, a relatively active job, such as electrical work, is preferable to a job where you have all day parked in front of a computer; the dangers of sitting for long periods of time are well documented and it's not something you have to worry about too often when working as an electrician, moving from one job to another throughout the day.
One of the biggest concerns people have when entering the construction industry is how difficult it will be on the body compared to an office environment. This isn't too surprising, as being an electrician often involves bending down, kneeling, and bending down to get to the electrical installations you're supposed to work on. With this in mind, it's important to take certain precautions; electricians should stretch frequently and consider investing in knee pads to use while working. However, in general terms, being an electrician doesn't pose any major long-term risks to your physical health (except for the possibility of electric shock, which you can read about here).
Compared to jobs that require more labor, you can work as an electrician until retirement age without missing a beat due to the physical requirements of the job. I-TAP is an electrician apprenticeship program that helps you find your passion, develop your skills and find the perfect electrician job.
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