What It Takes to Become an Electrician: They Told Me I Wouldn’t Make It

I think it is difficult to explain exactly how you end up where you are in life. Sometimes, you simply have to walk the road in front of you and see where it takes you.

I certainly didn't plan on becoming an electrician.

When I reached Grade 11, I moved from an academic school to HTS Ficksburg, and suddenly I had to decide what direction I wanted to take. At first, I thought I would become a mechanic because I grew up on a farm and thought it would be useful.

Then the school principal asked me:

“Gert, Petrol or diesel?”

I didn't even know there were two!

I spent a week learning about petrol engines and another week with diesel. After three days in the diesel section, I knew it wasn't for me. I didn't like the idea of my hands smelling like oil all day.

Then I met Wessel, who was studying electrical work.

I went to see what they were doing and everything just felt right.

“They told me I wouldn't make it”

My teacher wasn't convinced. He told me that electrical work was difficult and that I wouldn't make it.

I was even called into the principal's office and warned that I had started too late and wouldn't manage the mathematics and formulas.

But I was stubborn.

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Mr Gert guiding and teaching in the workshop

I told them I wanted to do it.

Eventually, the principal made me sign a letter acknowledging that, if I failed, I could not hold the school accountable.

I signed it.

When I went home and told my family and friends what I had chosen, people started giving me things to fix.

One of the first was a radio. I opened it up, looked at it and eventually found a loose connection.

I fixed it.

That was when the bug bit me.

I realised I could work with something I couldn't actually see. I, Gert van der Walt, could understand what was happening and make something work again.

I was hooked.

Mr Gert demonstrates how to strip electrical wire

Learning the hard way

After school, I actually wanted to go farming, but my father told me I first needed to get a qualification behind my name.

I applied for apprenticeships and eventually qualified in May 1985.

My early years in the trade taught me some lessons the hard way.

I remember I was unscrewing a geyser element one Friday. The drain tap was blocked and when I opened things up, water came pouring out and flooded the area. The person working with me disappeared, leaving me to sort it out myself.

I was furious.

When I asked him afterwards why he hadn't helped me, he explained that his job was to hand me the tools — not to do the work for me.

At the time, I didn't appreciate the lesson.

Looking back, I realise it taught me something important:

I would never be too old to learn.

I also realised that some of the best practical knowledge comes from the people around you. Experienced tradespeople have already made mistakes, found solutions and learned lessons that you don't have to learn the hard way if you are willing to listen.

So I started asking questions.

A lot of questions.

From electrician to business owner

In 1997, I started my own business.

It wasn't glamorous in the beginning. I took whatever work I could get and often had to figure things out as I went.

Whenever I wasn't sure what the regulations required, I asked experienced electricians for advice. Sometimes I received completely different answers.

So I started researching for myself.

I took photographs, looked up regulations and wrote the regulation numbers next to the pictures. Eventually, I started memorising them because I didn't want to waste my students' time while searching for answers.

That desire to understand the why, not just the how, eventually led me into teaching and presenting Installation Rules.

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Why I still love electrical work

After more than 30 years in the industry, I still believe electrical work is one of the most interesting trades you can choose.

The field is incredibly wide. You can work with homes, factories, farms, agricultural equipment, heating systems, solar installations, refrigeration, machinery and so much more.

You never necessarily know what the next job will bring.

And the more you think about it, the more you realise how dependent the world is on electricity.

Hospitals need it. Airports need it. Factories, farms, businesses and homes all depend on it.

If you fly over a city at night, look at all those lights.

Every one of them depends on electrical work.

That is something I find incredibly rewarding.

A career that keeps you learning

I believe choosing a career is an important decision because you could spend 40 years or more doing it.

The electrical field gives you the opportunity to keep learning, develop new skills and work in different industries. You can specialise, start your own business, teach or assess others.

And you rarely work completely alone. On a building site, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, builders, mechanics and many other trades all have to work together before the finished project can stand.

For me, electrical work became much more than a job.

It became a career, a challenge, a way of helping people and a lifelong journey of learning.

If there is one thing, I would tell someone considering becoming an electrician, it is this:

Don't be afraid to choose something that seems difficult. You may discover that you are capable of far more than you thought.

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Thinking about becoming an electrician?

A career in the electrical trade offers the opportunity to work with your hands, solve problems and keep learning throughout your career. If you're ready to explore where this career could take you, learn more about our Occupational Certificate: Electrician at Qualitas Career Academy.

Click here to book your free campus tour and take the first step towards your future in the electrical trade.