I make $43K a year as an electrician — and I couldn't be happier
A female electrician earning $43K a year shares her daily routine, job satisfaction, and the challenges of working in a male-dominated field. She describes the fulfillment of seeing construction projects go from bare dirt to a finished, powered building. Despite needing to constantly prove herself as a woman, she expresses genuine happiness with her career.
Summary
The speaker is a female electrician who works primarily in commercial construction and earns $43,000 a year. She opens by expressing deep satisfaction with her job, highlighting that no two days are the same and that the variety keeps her engaged. One of her greatest sources of fulfillment is witnessing a full project lifecycle — from an empty dirt lot to a completed building with working electricity. The moment of flipping on the lights in a newly finished structure is something she describes as particularly satisfying.
Her typical workday is physically demanding and starts very early. She wakes up around 4:30 or 5:00 AM, goes through a brief morning routine of coffee and getting dressed, then drives to the job site. Her workday runs roughly 8 to 10 hours depending on project demands, and she typically wraps up around 2:30 or 3:00 PM. Daily tasks in the commercial space include running conduit, pulling wire, installing boxes, setting up electrical fixtures, and managing materials.
The most significant challenge she identifies is navigating the skilled trades as a woman in a male-dominated industry. While she feels physically safe on the job, she describes a recurring need to prove her competence to colleagues who may underestimate her because of her gender. She recounts having to assertively tell coworkers that she is capable of handling tasks on her own, suggesting this dynamic is a persistent, if manageable, part of her work life. Despite this friction, her overall tone is positive, and she emphasizes that she is genuinely happy in her role.
Key Insights
- The speaker identifies witnessing a construction project go from bare dirt to a fully powered building as one of the most satisfying aspects of her job, describing the moment of flipping on the lights as especially meaningful.
- She works 8 to 10 hours per day depending on project demands, waking as early as 4:30 AM and finishing around 2:30 to 3:00 PM.
- Her day-to-day commercial work consists of running conduit, pulling wire, setting boxes, installing electrical fixtures, and handling materials — hands-on physical tasks throughout the shift.
- She describes navigating the trades as a woman as one of the biggest challenges, noting that her gender creates a recurring pressure to prove her competence that male colleagues likely do not face.
- Despite feeling safe and secure on the job, she recounts having to actively assert her capability to coworkers — telling them 'I've got it, I can do it myself' — suggesting the burden of proof falls disproportionately on her.
Topics
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