Aaron Burg, Electrician

No regrets

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"When I was a bit younger I had an old car and I had a stereo in it. Every week I'd rip that thing apart and put in a new piece and I loved doing that. I loved Putting in wires and I loved making it work.

"I figured,this is probably the way I'm going to go, and that's the way I went. I don't regret it at all."

Images from my workplace

Where I Work

I work for a company called Black and McDonald. We are a service orientated company that does everything from large renovations and installs to service maintenance.

The company has been doing a lot of the airport work over the last three or four years and we just began an eight floor renovation that's going on until 2009.

We also do a lot of emergency calls from clients. They call us and we go and do it right. So it keeps us busy.

Shocking!

A lot of people think that electricians always get electrocuted. There is definitely a danger of shock, no matter what you do, but company policy says that if you're not a journeyperson, you do not work on anything live.

We pay really close attention to safety. Basically, you're not going to get shocked unless somebody's not watching what they're doing.

Interesting technology

I get to work with some pretty interesting equipment, like a UPS, which is a huge piece of electronic equipment with variable frequency drives. They're devices that change frequencies so that you can vary the speed of a motor.

In this trade you work with a lot of different things. You never stop learning, whether you're a first level apprentice or you're a journeyman. No matter what you see, it's something different every day.

Tools of the trade

I use lots of basic hand tools; things like a set of screwdrivers, a pair of pliers, a linesmen, side cutters, and channel locks. Other than that there's not much to the basic hand tools that we use on a daily basis.

There are power tools too, like a cordless drill and a reciprocating saw. Sometimes we have to use a pipe bender to bend pipe for conduit. But the basic tools are pretty standard.

Skills you need

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"You definitely need to read, you get manuals off of the units and you have to read through them, see what needs to be hooked up, what has to go where and what communication you need for the unit.

"Writing is a definite again. You have to fill out service reports for everything you do. You have to write on panel covers. Everything you do you need to be able to mark it somehow and writing is a good tool for that."

My roots

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan and I've always worked on machinery. I've always worked on tools and I've always been a hands-on kind of person.

"That's where a lot of my skill came from, working out on the farm, working on equipment."

Growing up

In Saskatchewan, my Mom worked with handicapped people in homes and my Dad was a Co-op Manager for thirty years. I don't think my dad even graduated from high school, but that was sixty years ago. Back then it wasn't too uncommon.

When I was growing up there was only one electrical company that would do the work on the farm or do the work in the town for that matter, and they were forty-five miles away.

I realized how badly people needed an electrician and I realized that these guys are actually very valuable. What they do is something that people need every day. And I figured I could do that.

Family support

My parents never advised me on what to do, but they always supported me, whether I wanted to become a plumber, a computer engineer or wanted to be an electrician.

My brother lived in Winnipeg when I came here, so he helped me out a lot. I went and lived with him for the first year or two. He kept an eye on me while I was going to school and he kept me going so I didn't skip school or anything like that. He was always good that way.

Strength from weakness

To tell the truth, I was actually pretty horrible at math in school. For one, I didn't really care and so I didn't really try. I was a kid and I just wanted to have fun.

Once I got into pre-employment I realized being an electrician was what I wanted to do. Because math was important, I tried harder and worked harder, and now I'm were I want to be.

Gone fishing

One of my pastimes is fishing. I just came back from a fishing trip in June and it was great.

I go to the park sometimes and I play on a baseball team in the summer. I just enjoy keeping active and getting outside. Sitting around drives me crazy.

I also just bought a new truck in January because I figured I deserved it and it's my money, I'll do what I want with it now while I can, until a family comes around.

Due dates and pressure

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"If you get a job that is quoted and you've got a couple of years to do the job, you're busy but the stress level isn't quite there because you have the time,. If you don't get a certain thing done today, there's always tomorrow, as long as it's not putting you behind on something else.

"But there are jobs that you go to and you have to finish today or nobody else can do their work, so your stress level is a little bit higher. You're a little bit busier. You're a little bit more pressured."

Dawn till dusk

A normal day will start at eight and I'll be working right until four thirty depending on the job. We stop for coffee and lunch in-between.

Sometimes my day starts at seven thirty and it goes until ten at night. That's not an average day, that's just if we're super busy.

We are there to do the job, not there to fool around or anything like that. We do whatever needs to be done and we can keep the progress going.

Taking work home

Usually, when four thirty comes I go home and relax. However sometimes it's hard to leave work at work.

Last summer we were working out at the airport digging with a backhoe in an unmarked area. Nothing was supposed to be there, but we hit a cable at three-thirty on a Friday.

When you go home at the end of the day after something like that, it's always in the back of your mind. That time, when we all went back to work, we found that it was just extra cable buried in the ground.

It's fun

You always have fun at work, especially if the people that you work with are good people. There are also the guys out there who are strictly work, work, work and then go home. Most of the time, you can have a little bit of fun with the journeymen or the other apprentices.

You also get to play with some of the neat tools that you've never seen before. It all depends on how much time there is on the job. If you're busy and you've got to get the job done, then you don't have very much time to try out the new tools.

The dirty work

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"Sometimes you work in pretty disgusting places and some of the jobs aren't very nice, like running through a crawl space or up in the attic.

You're getting full of insulation; it's all itchy. You just want to scratch absolutely everywhere. You want to go and shower right away but you can't because you've got a whole day of work."

Important and meaningful

I like my job because I feel that it is meaningful. It’s important that you have lights in your home. Everybody uses electricity and without trained people you don’t have it.

Running plugs and running switches are pretty simple jobs, but you still need to know how to do it right. Every time I turn on a light switch I know that somebody with training installed that and without it I’d be sitting in the dark.

Exceeding expectations

We do runway lighting out at the airport a lot and sometimes the journeyman’s too busy to actually keep an eye on everything.

One time when that happened, I kept the trades and the work going and in one day we trenched a couple of hundred feet and installed eight lights. Usually we only get six lights installed in one day.

I was pretty happy with myself and it made me feel good about my job.

People person

I’m a people person. I can talk to people and most of the time they’re pretty responsive to me. When you can talk to people and get along with them, that's one of the best things.

If you don’t get along with people then they’re not going to try and get along with you either. That’s a really important part of this trade. You need to get along with people.

Didn't like high school

All I wanted to do was to have fun and not bother with school when I was younger. However, one of my most valuable skills came from a class that I didn't like. I took French up until grade twelve and then realized how important communication is.

Although I can't speak French fluently, I learned how to present ideas and how to communicate with other people.

Making a plan

In grade twelve I knew that if I were to have stayed in my hometown I would have either ended up working on the rigs in Alberta or I would have become a farmer.

I decided that I'd rather have a steady job instead of working like a dog for four months and then coming home for a couple weeks. So I looked at what was available and what occupation needed more people.

Career choices

I thought about becoming an engineer or a technologist, but I knew that you need to have top marks in math and I didn’t have that.

I figured I was going to try something a little bit simpler but still challenge myself, so I went into the trades instead. I wish I would have tried engineering just for the experience, but I’m very happy where I am today.

Why Manitoba?

I chose to come to Manitoba from Saskatchewan because it had the first college that could accept me right away. I was going to go to Moose Jaw originally, but they said there was a seven year waiting list. When I applied at Red River they said I could start that fall.

Two weeks after I started my course I got a call from Moose Jaw saying they could take me on now if I wanted to come, but I told them it was too late.

Wide range of work

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"The advantage of working for Black and McDonald would be they’re just, a good company. They’re well rounded. You get to see many different levels of work, from pulling wire through studs or right up to big UPS units and generators.

"So you get to see a wide range of work which helps you out in the long run."

Realistic goals

My dream is to be a millionaire someday, but chances are that it probably won’t happen because I like to spend too much money.

I would like a family of my own as well as my own house. I would also like job security.

I'll be a journeyperson within the next year, and probably still be working with Black and McDonald.

Size matters

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I like working with the people that are in the shop and I like working with the people that are out in the field. There’s a certain level of comfort when the people that you’re working for are good and they’re looking after you, not just trying to stab you in the back.

"I’m not a number. Everybody in the shop knows my name. They know who I am or what I do. It makes a big difference."

It feels right

I feel that my job affects people in a great way. It may not be worldwide but it's definitely citywide, because every job I do affects probably a hundred people. Something as simple as installing a light in the cooler at a department store affects every staff member who has to go into that cooler.

I’d like to someday be able to help communities in different countries. I'd like to help build homes for people that need that assistance. It gives someone a sense of accomplishment and also helps the less fortunate.

Not slowing down

The pace of the electrical trade is not really changing all that much. If you consider fifty or sixty years ago when the baby boom happened, this is basically it again. We're extremely busy right now - all the trades are - and it’s projected to not slow down very soon.

The simple fact is that Alberta is going crazy for tradesmen and soon enough Saskatchewan will be too. Everybody will be moving to Saskatchewan because of all the mine work there. So I think here in Winnipeg there will be a lot of work in the next ten to fifteen years.

Always changing

The job as an electrical tradesman is changing from the tools perspective. There are a lot of things we didn’t have a while ago that we do have now and they make our job quite a bit easier. Electronic tools and hydraulic tools are some examples. They speed everything up quite a bit.

So you’re always learning and you’re always working with new equipment, new tools and new machinery. That’s one of the things I really love about the trade.

Job Market info

The links below take you to federal and regional government information on employment, education, salary ranges and long range prospects for this career.

The official title for Aaron's occupation is "Electrician" and its NOC* code is 7241.

Manitoba Job Futures

Employment Prospects - Labour Market Information

*Each occupation has an official name and unique number called the 'National Occupation Classification' code or 'NOC'.

Education

Useful High School subjects

- Math
- Industrial Arts (Electricity)
- English

*Source: JobFutures.ca

For those out of school, Adult Learning Centres can help you get or upgrade your high school diploma, including adding subjects that are required for work or further education. All Manitobans are normally entitled to four free courses.

Below are links to various programs and courses that will help you on the path to a career as a Training Coordinator and Senior Manager:

Colleges & Universities

Red River College

Apprenticeship Programs

Electrical

Electrical Engineering Technology

Introduction to Trades

Assiniboine Community College - Brandon

Construction Electrician

University College of the North - The Pas/Thompson

All Programs (PDF)

Basic Electrical - page 27

Electrical/Electronic Technology - page 37

Building Trades - page 60

Industrial Trades - page 84

Vocational Trades - page 111

Essential skills

The most important Essential Skills* for Electricians and other related occupations are:

examples:

-maintenance

-construction

-appliance repair

-diagrams / drawings

-troubleshooting

*For more information on Essential Skills and their importance to this occupation, go to: Essential Skills

Professional resources

Winnipeg Construction Association

http://www.wpgca.com/home/index.htm

Gives commercial and industrial contractors opportunities to share project information, provides educational and networking opportunities and lobbying and advocacy functions

 

Manitoba Home Builders Association (MHBA)

http://www.homebuilders.mb.ca/

Provides a forum for the ongoing education with respect to technology and business practices and promotes affordability and choice in housing for all Manitobans

Related careers

Industrial Electricians

http://www.jobfutures.ca/noc/7242.shtml

Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians

http://www.jobfutures.ca/noc/2241.shtml

Electronic Service Technicians (Household and Business Equipment)

http://www.jobfutures.ca/noc/2242.shtml