Are Electricians Happy With Their Career? (This Might Surprise You)

Are electricians happy and overall content with their work, and what variables impact job satisfaction in the electrical industry? The rather important issue of happiness among electricians is the primary focus of this article, which I will discuss using research and a new survey. According to this poll, here is the overall consensus on happiness and job satisfaction among electricians.

According to a survey from 2022, 77 % of electricians are happy and satisfied with their jobs. On the contrary, 23% of electricians are dissatisfied with their jobs. This will be influenced mostly by factors such as compensation, stress levels, a sense of purpose, work environment, and coworker relationships.

I chose to become an electrician, exactly due to a previous job where I wasn’t satisfied. Once I graduated, I found myself sitting in an office from 9 to 5, all day, every day of the week. During the first year, I quickly found, that a sedentary job just wasn’t a great fit. Upon researching different career opportunities I was inspired by a friend who was (and currently is) working as an electrician. I’ve always been very physically active and the thought of becoming a worker in the trades excited me. And man, I’m happy I chose this career, as I have certainly noticed my overall happiness increasing steadily over the years.

Are Electricians Happy (and Satisfied) With Their Job?

In this post, I’ll go through several aspects that will have a direct impact on an electrician’s happiness their career. A variety of factors influence an electrician’s happiness, including compensation, job prospects, one’s personality, coworkers, and the work environment. Each of them, like most other occupations, will influence how content you will be in a career.

Survey Asking 250+ Electricians: Are You Happy?

For many years, I worked toward a career that was not a good fit for me. I’m sure if I had done a little more soul-searching, I would have chosen a profession in the trades much sooner. Today, I can confidently state that becoming an electrician was the best decision I ever made. We can see from a poll of 267 electricians that these people are also quite satisfied with their careers. The following are the findings of a poll that asked electricians whether or not they are happy with their careers.

Answers	Electricians Responding	Percentage
Yes	205	77 %
No	62	23 %

The study results show that the majority of electricians are satisfied with their jobs, with 77 percent responding “yes.” On the other hand, nearly one-fourth of respondents are dissatisfied with their job as an electrician. As I will cover later in this post, there are numerous reasons why this could be the case.

I’d also add that being “happy” in my career does not imply that I’m thrilled to go to work every single day. I presume that will also not be the case for the majority of people in all occupations. Being happy with one’s employment simply means that you are content with the bulk of workdays. But what exactly is job satisfaction, and why is it so crucial? That will be covered in the following section.

What Is Job Satisfaction, and Why Is It Important?

The degree to which you feel fulfilled, satisfied, and appreciated in your work is associated with your level of job satisfaction. Or, to put it another way, are you happy or not? Personally, I assess my own job satisfaction and overall happiness by how excited I am to get out of bed in the morning.

Call me strange, but I usually appreciate the fact that I get to go to work and do what I do. I’m also privileged to have the experience from my prior employment in an office, where I wasn’t happy at all. But, don’t get me wrong. As an electrician, there will be days, if not weeks, when the tasks or the work environment aren’t something I look specifically forward to. In the next section, I’ll go over the elements that make up the overall sensation of contentment in the job as an electrician.

What Determines Job Satisfaction Among Electricians, Specifically?

In choosing a career there are several things you would have to consider. What is your personality like, and what sort of job do you think will suit your personal preferences best? In most cases, you won’t know exactly what it’s like before you actually have the experience. But here, I will cover some of the most obvious causes that will directly influence an electrician’s overall job satisfaction in their career.

Salary: Why even bother doing the job if you’re not getting paid what you think you’re worth? In general, electricians are among the highest-paid tradespeople, as I have also covered in this article. However, not all electrical workers are paid the same, which can be a source of workplace dissatisfaction. You might receive respectable pay, but if you go above and above at work and do not believe you are being adequately compensated for your efforts, this may lead to job dissatisfaction.

Fortunately, electricians have various opportunities to receive a higher paycheck. To gain the chances of receiving a higher salary, you could choose to pursue higher-paid electrical careers. If you would like to see the highest-paid electricians you can read more about those career paths in this article.

Meaningfulness and Purpose: We all want to find the type of work that motivated us and gets us excited to get out of bed in the morning. Research has shown that the meaning and purpose we derive from our work is a crucial aspect to consider. The level to which you derive meaning in your work is a rather subjective experience. Added to that, “meaning and purpose” could be perceived as somewhat “fluffy terms”.

However, this research paper from 2021 has identified the four most important psychological pathways that are directly correlated to the level of meaningful work; contribution, autonomy, competence, and relatedness Many electricians find meaning in their work for a number of reasons related to this. Personally, I find meaning in solving actual real-world problems that help people in their everyday lives. I also derive meaning in the pursuit of getting better at solving different types of problems and electrical issues.

The Work Environment: An electrician’s work environment is very different from that of most other jobs. An electrician works in industrial, commercial, and residential environments and is also exposed to all types of weather conditions. A career as an electrician is unlikely to suit someone who does not enjoy working in a workplace where no two days typically are the same. Furthermore, if you do not enjoy the noisy and rather chaotic environment of a building site, your general happiness will most likely suffer. Again, electricians have numerous choices to operate in a setting that best suits their personality. For example, if you dread the environment of a construction site, a commercial or residential location would likely be a better fit for you.

Mental and Physical Stress: Most electricians will experience both mental and physical stress at some point during their careers. Long durations of stress will undoubtedly drain an electrician’s motivation to continue showing up for work. By recognizing certain stress signals, we can reduce the amount of stress that, in the worst-case scenario, can lead to sick days and even quitting. I know numerous electricians who have had this problem, and I would hate for you or anybody else to feel this way. Too much responsibility and the pressure to fulfill deadlines are the most typical reasons why electricians are stressed at work. If you want to learn more on this subject, I have dedicated this entire article to this topic.

Job Security And Stability: Fortunately, electricians belong to a group of workers whose career prospects are expected to grow in the future. Electricians are just one of those “evergreen” workers who are always in demand. And, as the demand for electricians grows, this is generally good news. However, simply having a certificate as an electrician does not guarantee job stability. I know of some electricians who have been let go, largely due to a lack of skills and the inability to show up on time. We can’t predict what the future will bring, or how changes will affect electricians in the following years. The uncertainty in employment stability will, in any case, have a significant impact on one’s job satisfaction.

Coworkers: As an electrician, I’ve experienced firsthand how your coworkers and employers can make or break you. You may have a difficult task ahead of you, but if you’re surrounded by amazing and inspiring people, your workday will always be more fun. I’ve also had the reverse experience when you just don’t connect with your coworkers’ personalities. I’d argue that if you’re surrounded by positive people, many of the other potential negatives will slowly fade away.

In my experience as an electrician, these are the most critical factors that will influence levels of job satisfaction. The final topic I’d like to discuss is maybe the most significant factor to consider while deciding on a profession as an electrician. Your personality type and if you think you would be suitable for this profession.

Will Becoming an Electrician Complement Your Personality?

Before I became an electrician, I worked in many different work environments. And I can definitely say that not all personality types will fit in all kinds of jobs. If you decide to become an electrician you should be prepared for a number of things. Electricians have a very physically active job. And if you’re the type of person who doesn’t appreciate working on your feet, I would recommend for you to look elsewhere. If you are, on the contrary, an individual who finds enjoyment in staying active and working with your hands; becoming an electrician just might suit you very well.

Also read: Offshore electrician: complete guide and introduction (know this)

To work as an electrician, you also have to work well with others. Electricians oftentimes work together during assignments and a certain sense of corporation is therefore needed. That said, electricians also need to be able to do complex problem solving themselves. You will need the ability to think independently, especially the further you are in your career. Starting out as an apprentice electrician, you’re going to learn a lot, and fast. However, the more you work, the more you can complete tasks by yourself. I have personally found the learning curve both difficult but also surprisingly enjoyable. And if you’re the type of person who prefers to work mostly alone, there are certainly also opportunities for that. You can learn more about the different types of career paths for electricians who prefers to work alone in this article, I’ve written on the subject.

Electricians and Happiness: My Final Thoughts

The survey on happiness is simply an indication of the level of job satisfaction among electricians. However, based on my observations, I have primarily worked with other electricians who appear to be happy with their professions. To be fair, I’ve also encountered a handful of electricians who are only interested in getting a paycheck. People choose to become electricians for a variety of reasons. The trade provides numerous prospects for promotion, and electricians have a promising job outlook in the future.

If the primary reason you want to be an electrician is for the money, I’d say there’s no guarantee of happiness on the job. As detailed in the article, there are numerous other considerations when deciding whether becoming an electrician is a good fit for your personality and, most importantly, if it will make you happy.