Jesse Owens
Electrician (apprentice)
Madison, WI
Do you like to work with your hands? Do you like lots of variety your work? Do you want to get paid to learn a great trade and begin right out of school? Read about Jesse Owens' cool job as a 4th Year Apprentice Electrician -- it's all that and more!
How did you get interested in this field?
The way I decided to become an electrician was really by luck. I went to college for a short time and then took a break to participate in the AmeriCorps program to earn more money for college. Upon returning, I went back to college and began by taking a chemistry 101 class to try and get an idea of what I wanted to do for a career.
All semester I mixed chemicals, drew grids and did all sorts of other activities that I found boring. During my last lab exercise, I had to build a molecule from sticks and balls. I was done putting it together in five minutes and had a blast doing it! I was finished but the rest of my class was still struggling to put the project together! It was then and there I decided to get into the trades. I picked electrical simply because it earned a good, healthy wage, was constantly changing, and, therefore, challenged my mind. It didn't seem to be too back breaking either! It was actually pretty simple!
What are the specific tasks that your job entails?
My official job title is 4th-year Apprentice Electrician. My daily duties consist of whatever my supervisor or journeyman (someone who has already finished their apprenticeship) tells me to do. This could be cleaning and organizing material (something usually saved for first year apprentices) or piping and pulling wire!
I am currently working on an apartment building in downtown Madison and spend my days wiring up outlets, switches, dishwashers and more. As an electrician, your daily tasks will vary greatly depending on what kind of job you are on, what is being built, and what stage the job is at (i.e., underground/digging, roughing/piping and pulling wire, or finishing/installing lights, outlets, switches and panels).
What is your educational background?
The educational level required to enter into an electrician apprenticeship is that you must have a high school degree or equivalent, with passing grades in algebra and be 18 years old.
I currently have some college credits on my record, earned before starting my apprenticeship, but I have also taken classes through my apprenticeship that have also earned me some college credits.
All state and local unions run their apprenticeships differently. My apprenticeship is a 5-year program. You attend day school once a week for the first 3 years with some night classes during the school year. After 3 years of day school, the apprenticeship is done but you continue with night school. I had no electrical background when I started; I learned everything on the job or in school!
What other kinds of steps did you take to prepare for your job?
I went shopping for work clothes and tools but didn't really do much more than that to prepare for my job. I also took a vacation because I knew I wouldn't get one for a while!
How do you use technology to do your job?
Technology is used more on the office end. Out in the field, the most technology an electrical apprentice will use is digital meters and CAD. CAD is actually starting to get pretty popular for use in laying out boxes and items that are to be installed into concrete. There is, however, another apprenticeship called the Voice Data Video apprenticeship that deals a lot more with technology.
What I enjoy the most about technology is when someone invents a tool that makes my job easier! Those are always neat and fun to use.
Do you think that women are or can be treated differently from men in your field?
Women can definitely get the short end of the stick in this field. I and many other women have experienced it and there is not much you can do about it except to prove wrong the guys that are trying to tear you down. Sometimes it seems that we have to work harder and better than everyone else, but that just gets us that much farther. I personally haven't had too many problems but there have been some. This is exactly why we need more women in the trades --- to show them just how EQUAL we are!
Does being a woman give you any special advantages in your chosen career?
About the only advantage I get for being a woman in this field is that sometimes, if I don't feel like carrying the bigger box that day, some guy will do it for me. He thinks I can't but really, I just don't want to that day! If I owned a company I would have a lot of advantages.
When you think about your workplace, what departments/fields do most of the women work in?
Most of the women I work with are secretaries in the office or office trailer. I have yet to work under a female foreman or journeyman! I have worked with other females on the job that are journeymen or apprentices, but I have yet to work directly with them. I can't wait for the day I actually get the chance! Even if I'm the journeyman and they are the apprentice, I just think it would be nice --- yet another reason why we need more women in the trades!
Salary: How much does a woman typically earn in this line of work?
The salary is one of the best parts of the trades! I make exactly the same as any other guy that is a 4th-year apprentice! Currently I am making $22 per hour, which is about 75% of a journeyman’s wage. A journeyman makes about $30 per hour plus benefits. Apprentices are paid a certain percentage of a journeyman’s wage according to how far along they are in the program. This is great because when they get a raise, so does the apprentice! This is all, of course, how the union does things; non-union apprenticeships are run completely different.
Do you think a woman’s appearance affects if she is hired to do a job or how people around her relate to her at work?
Most definitely! You must make a conscious effort to realize that you are working around male construction workers all day! You can't walk around with a tank top on at work because people will make their own assumptions and comments. Even tight pants can make a difference. I try to remember that I am going to work; it’s not glamorous or clean. It's work. It's dirty, smelly, and not a place where I need to be concerned about looking good.
Also, I can get up and go in the morning without having to shower, shave, put makeup on, do my hair, or even look in the mirror for that matter! Then when I do get to get all girlied up, I really enjoy it!
Did your family support your decision to pursue this career?
My family support has been phenomenal and critical throughout my entire apprenticeship thus far. They are incredible. They have talked me through some tough times and kept encouraging me to keep going. They have always been there to celebrate when I got a raise or to give a pat on the back. I love them lots and owe them bunches for all of their support.
Is there anything else you would like to tell girls about your career or how you got there?
If you are interested in joining the trades, I would suggest going through a union organization because the pay is steady, benefits are great and the support you may need as a female in the trades will be there.
Joining a union is simple! Find your local union hall (yellow pages or internet), march down there, fill out an application, and wait for their response. It's really that simple! If you are unsure if the trades are for you, try taking some shop classes at school or participate in a Habitat-for-Humanity-type project! You can also research your local technical colleges and see if there any programs for women interested in the trades or even just tools! If anything, at least give your hands a chance to build just a little; you never know how much you might like it!
Visit the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 159! Explore their web site and learn about what it takes to become an apprentice as a construction or residential electrician or telecommunications installer (voice/data/video). http://www.ibew159.org/
Find an IBEW local and great apprenticeship opportunities in your part of Wisconsin! http://www.ibew.org/IBEW/directory/states/WI_Inside.asp
Jesse Owens was nominated for this profile by Nancy Nakkoul of the Tools for Tomorrow: Women in the Trades and Technology program at MATC-Madison. Thanks
MATC-Madison for supporting women in the trades!
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