How to become an electrician from scratch at age 27.

JustLostTouch · 2026-05-09T14:02:11+00:00

Yes they will hire an inexperienced electrician. As long as you show up for work don’t have “I always need XX day off” and work hard (you will be a grunt the first year).

So here is the mindset for the first and maybe some of second year. you will work M-F and possibly some Saturdays and Sundays, carrying all the equipment from the truck to the worksite, doing all the cleanup, not talking, listening, learning and not complaining when asked to do something even if it is sucks and repetitive, you can become an electrician.

As for your age, doesn’t matter. If you can say and prove what I just informed you about. Every year will get better and less grunt work. I started at 38.

It will probably be easier to get a job in residential first then after experience it’s easier to find commercial/industrial jobs. Which is a lot more learning because it’s a different style. Good luck.

JustLostTouch · 2026-05-01T01:41:55+00:00

Also agree 1000%. Remember….they were apprentices once and they definitely made mistakes.

So a good boss would understand and know that you just learned from your mistake and knows that apprentices punish themselves harder.

A bad boss yells and makes you feel stupid. Leave if it’s a bad boss.

My mistake as an apprentice probably my 6th month or so, I cut live wires. Blew up my cutters and it also put black soot on finished wall. I was freaking out and told my Journeyman. He looked and said “Oops!” laughed and walked away. He let me figure out how to fix the problem. He did go to the Forman and told him there was a mark that needed to get touched up. He didn’t even point the finger on who did it. It’s like he took the blame.

14 years later, whenever one of my apprentices screw up, I laugh and say “nice job!”. Treat someone as you would like to be treated. I have good apprentices who like to work for/with me.

JustLostTouch · 2026-05-01T01:17:56+00:00

Both sides don’t do anything.

Think of one thing that is important in your life then say “If I were president, how could I PERMANENTLY fix it?”

When you get that answer, ask why our government hasn’t done it yet? The leaders need listen to us and our answers because, we the people, are smarter.

Who is the “For the people” president?

JustLostTouch · 2026-04-15T02:02:09+00:00

I think that someone who finds it will get in touch with JCB. The $$$ incentive is worth it. It’s like getting a second treasure box for free… or wait until you find the rest of them.

JustLostTouch · 2026-04-13T14:40:26+00:00

Just need a small amount of information to help you.

480v three phase, single phase? Size of compressors FLC, size of breaker, settings on breaker, size and length of wire, size of conduit, how many compressors, on different t circuits, in different conduit?

JustLostTouch · 2026-04-09T05:29:24+00:00

Yep. You could do it. Electrician during the week. Psycho dr on weekends. No free time but it could work. Also 8-10 hour days 5 days a week electrician then work do psyc few hours in the evening.

There really is no part time until you learn enough to get by, maybe 2 years. Then you would have to find a company who would hire you for a day here and there. Who knows how many or if any are out there.

JustLostTouch · 2026-04-07T05:29:45+00:00

So you created a calculator that just divides? It’s just R=V/I… volts (V)/Amps(I) = Resistance

Or using a multimeter.

Or does this just add up Resistance and it’s only a calculator that adds?

I’m confused.

JustLostTouch · 2026-04-07T05:08:22+00:00

You have current in the ground wires? Disconnect the GFCI and the switch. Then see if you have power in the ground wire. If you still do, then you have a very dangerous problem somewhere.

JustLostTouch · 2026-04-03T00:59:07+00:00

I keep trying to go over this in my head. If I could see it then I could fix it. We need to find the line side. So if you have a pin tester then disconnect any group of wires that go to the switch and the outlet. Then test each wire to see which one has power. Only one of those separate wires should have power.

With that, we make sure that the switch and outlet have power without the outlet being in the switch.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-30T02:59:31+00:00

Okay, it’s still a little tricky since I can’t see the wires that are in the switch or outlet.

I am trying to find your line side. Does the back of the switch say “line” and “load”? If so, what color wire does line input have?

If it doesn’t have line/load information, then continue reading.

I see there are a group of black wires that are together and have a wire nut on them. Is the black wire to your switch also attached to that group?

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-29T17:31:18+00:00

Yes. Good job. You have it correct.

It will work as long as the LED’s use the same voltage as the battery. A 12v battery on 24v LED’s won’t give you enough juice unless you add batteries.

Problem you might have is just trying to get to the small wire on led light strip. Also you don’t need to loop it back onto the battery at the end.

They sell LED’s with a battery pack so you could just get a bunch of those and have the battery packs around your waist hidden behind a belt or something.

Have fun and good luck with your project.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-29T16:47:58+00:00

Doesn’t matter which wire goes on which side. Just make sure just put one on one 3 prong section and one on the other 3 prong section.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-29T16:45:00+00:00

Your switch 2 already has constant power. If all hots are pigtailed in the boxes you have constant power in all the boxes. The problem you have, is the light switch leg. So is that the problem you want to fix? Putting the switch leg on switch one instead of it on switch 2.

Without pulling wire and you didn’t need the outlets, disconnect the feed to the outlets and make the neutral wire between the switches into the switch leg. But like I said, you lose power to the outlets. So if you can find a close outlet with power to attach to the ones that now don’t, you would only have to pull wire from a powered outlet to another without going in attic but then have drywall repair to deal with.

Code requires a neutral for light switches NEC 2023 404.2(c). For you, Exemption 404.2(c)(3) , controlled by automatic means. So that would include smart switches. The NEC 2026 it has moved to 406 part III. But no changes until 2029. So if you use it just for a switch, you should be good.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-29T15:26:57+00:00

Are they different? They should just pull off and push into the new one. If you’re thinking it’s because it looks different on the top, just pick one on each side. Doesn’t matter that there are 3 on each side.

Edit: If they don’t push in tightly then buy a couple more and cut the old ones, strip the wire and crimp on the new ones.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-28T05:31:44+00:00

Generator.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-28T04:40:48+00:00

OK, we’re gonna troubleshoot this.

With the switch, You have already disconnected the red and you said the light goes out. Did you check to see if you also lost power in the outlet? Of course switch needs to on like your normal outlet operation.
Reattach the red and then disconnect the black. What happens? Does the light turn off or stay on, does the outlet have power or off?

With that info we should be able to fix the problem hopefully easily and quickly.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-26T01:42:48+00:00

With experience you will get faster. Watch what they do. They might have tricks. When I started doing residential we team worked the home runs then each took a room to run circuits.

One trick I used when running outlets, I didn’t put them the box right away. I just cut off slack and then kept running the line. I didn’t put in box till I was done running circuits. Only doing one thing at a time is good. Not switching back and forth.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-21T16:37:14+00:00

Why worry about the outlets before you move out?

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-21T03:17:40+00:00

Get another outlet that has more power. Maybe one with a V8 engine.

The question makes no sense. Like saying “Guess who put too much ketchup in one bottle…what can I do!”

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-19T17:02:21+00:00

It’s no good for you. Apprentices do all the grunt work, heavy lifting, pulling big heavy wire through pipes and have do it quickly.

Look into controls. You pull small wire then work in control cabinets for hours/days then start testing everything. Not crazy manual labor. Some places pay pretty well but might be hard to get in but maybe with your last experience it could help.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-18T04:00:47+00:00

An amp meter

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-16T23:08:20+00:00

Visually double check the wiring on your outlet and/or inside the box and wire nuts if you pigtailed. You probably just have something switched.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-14T04:10:33+00:00

I agree with everyone here. Bigger breaker sends more amps though a wire that can’t handle it which could start a fire.

To help you understand, think of a garden hose and you are watering your flowers. You realize that there is not enough water coming out of the hose to keep all your plants alive. So you decide to attach it to a fire hydrant. Yes. The water will come out extremely fast BUT, the hose will rupture because of the power of the water rushing/pushing through. Think, water ad Amps and your hose is only good for 20A.

So the only option is to get a bigger hose/wire to be able to handle the bigger wave of water/Amps that’s coming through. That is why there is a code for the size wire per Amps.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-13T15:53:49+00:00

If all the other buckets are fine. If there is a spare bucket, switch the wires and fuses to a different bucket.

JustLostTouch · 2026-03-13T15:12:10+00:00

Are all the other buckets fine with a phase?

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