I just billed my 10,000th hour as a licensed electrician

I was updating my work log for a big panel upgrade in Tacoma and the total hit that exact number. It hit me that I've spent over a decade in crawl spaces, attics, and breaker rooms making things safe. Do you ever stop and think about your total hours in the trade?

3 comments

3 Comments

piper_green3mo agoMost Upvoted

Ten thousand hours? That's a whole lot of time spent around live wires. Do you ever get a weird chill thinking about all the things that could have gone wrong but didn't? I guess that's what makes a real pro.

ryan_carr593mo ago

Yeah, that "weird chill" is just my body remembering all the close calls. I'm basically a pro at almost getting fried.

fiona_scott441d ago

You ever read that Malcolm Gladwell book about the 10,000 hour rule? It says that's when you're supposed to become an expert at something. But I think in the electrical trade, those hours don't count the same way. Half of them are spent learning what NOT to do, like that time I read about a guy who touched a live bus bar and the arc flash melted his watch right off his wrist. It's not just about getting good at the work, it's about getting good at being afraid in the right ways. That chill someone mentioned is just your brain keeping you alive.