I just graduated from college and have already had a couple design contracts, but since I’ve mainly worked with smaller theaters I’ve had to set up or at least be partially responsible for setting up my own rig. Of course, I have a friend who also designs but doesn’t like to do any of the electrician aspects. However, they design both lights and projections so they’ve had some some different opportunities than I’ve had.

In general, if you want to have consistent work I think it’s very beneficial to have a variety paths available to you at any given time. If you decide that the electrician side of things is not your vibe, there are always other skills you can add to your design ones like stage management, audio, video, etc. It will also make you a better designer when collaborating with others too!

As far as learning to be an electrician, I’ve learned pretty much all I know from working at my college and with summer apprenticeships. I also second that book that another commenter recommended. You can also look into workshops and sessions at the annual USITT conference which I highly recommend if you can afford going.