javna_golina

So I have been thinking something about how my choice of career (currently on the path to being a registered Electrician) conflicts with my carfree lifestyle, as well as the bigger picture of energy dependence.

I mean I'm basically helping people use energy by wiring their houses, keeping the industrial sites running and consuming by fault finding, etc. Added to that is the fact that soon enough I'll be driving a workvan all over the place (will still cycle to work though). I have been going over this recently...I enjoy electrical work, but this part of it does not sit well with me.

Does anyone else here have a career choice that conflicts with their carfree lifestyle? Is it an issue for you or do you take the approach 'well, I can't decided how other people go about their lives, I'm just providing a service' ?

kmcrawford111

I can identify. I've been working as an electronic repairman for 5 years, but only recently has energy become important to me. I work in a steel mill that uses a tremendous amount of energy, up to around 130 MW of electricity. Unfortunately I don't have any real answer for you. I will tell you that I have begun to make peace with the entire issue of peak oil, energy crisis, etc.. I seem to have a tendency to want to carry the world's weight on my shoulders and getting down about the world's problems. But now, I'm more about trying to be positive, doing what I can on my own, and constantly trying to do better, and hopefully setting an example all the while. Plus, I've been using my background to make better choices and help reduce energy usage. I constantly have this in mind when I repair, maintain, purchase, etc.. whether I am at home or at work. You can use your skills to help others do the same. I firmly believe that we are going to have to drastically change the way we do things, especially in North America, but it seems clear that even with that electricity is going to be around for awhile still, even if in much reduced capacity. There will be a desire for people who can maintain, install, and repair wind and solar equipment. Plus I believe there will be a lot more repairing being done instead of throwing repairable "broken" equipment away as is done today. I'm also rather certain that if I quit my job, I would be replaced. Many people would love to have my job.

All that being said, if you have not fully started your career, or even if you have, you may want to think about doing something else that may be more self-fulfilling instead. The longer you wait the harder it will be. I am contemplating doing something else myself, although I am nowhere near close to deciding what that might be yet. Like you I can't deny that I enjoy being able to fix things, build things, etc.. the best I can hope for is that collectively we learn to make better choices.

wahoonc

Couple of suggestions for you, if you really like the electrical work, maybe see if you can get into one of the specialty fields like solar, wind power or something along those lines. They still require someone with electrical experience. And from what I have determined in my part of the US they don't exist. We are exploring the possibility of building a super energy efficient house. One of the items I was considering was wiring it for low voltage and using LED's and CF's for most of my lighting needs. I could not find anyone interested in even quoting something like that. Fortunately I have a inquisitive mind and a strong 12v electrical background from RV repair so other than having to read up on code requirements (and most of it isn't even covered) I will probably end up having to do it myself. It is something that is going to be needed even more in the future.

My current job IS NOT carfree or even car light, which frustrates me to no end. My wife and I have been making plans to get me out of this career and into something that suits me better from that perspective. I currently work as a field project manager for a national roofing contractor. No way to be car free with that job. I unfortunately average around 50k miles a year and I am not happy about it. I can't even bike to work anymore. I made a decision about 15 years ago to take a job in this field because of the money and some other issues at the time. Sometimes I regret the decision but in other ways it has been okay. But it is time to move on and to enforce my own principles

Aaron

javna_golina

I do enjoy electrical work and I don't really want to abandon this. Hmmm...I suppose at the end of the day I am just providing a service, and I think you're right, there will be a bit of boom as prices start to creep up (followed by a bust when we're back to the stone age)

This is second hand information I recieved from people who know alot more than me at a trade expo...BUT from what I can gather LEDs aren't suitable for ambient type lighting and are VERY expensive. Surely someone can quote your CF!?

The big thing in lighting now is appareantly fluroescent and halogen lights connected to a PIR curtain that turns the lights off when someone leaves the room (as I'm told ALOT of power is wasted by people leaving lights on...).

bpohl

Well, I'm car-lite, but I believe my career conflicts with my lifestyle. I'm an urban planner. I was drawn to this profession because of the fact that I thought careful, thoughtful urban planning could do a lot to save people from being required to drive to every destination, and to a great extent, I still believe that. Planning in many cities has taken the form of smart growth and multimodal transit planning. However, that's completely not the case in Indianapolis, where every high density project is railed against for being "too dense" and the main determinant of support for any land use petition is the provision of adequate parking. It's sad. It's horrible. I hate every second of every meeting where neighborhood people come out in droves to oppose a project because it feels "too urban". It's very much a farmer with a pitchfork mentality, and it depresses me. Even among my fellow planners, it's horrible to sit and listen to concerns about parking and maneuverability area for cars over and over and over...

I actually had my boss stop by my office on one of my petitions once to ask why I would ask for bicycle racks as a commitment for rezoning a property. Now, this site was within 2 miles of the exact center of our city, was bordered by two officially-declared bike routes, and was within 3 blocks of the major north-south MUP, the Monon Trail, in Indianapolis. He said that the administrator of teh department wanted to make sure that we weren't "overstepping our bounds". HELLO?!?! Most cities require bicycle parking in their zoning ordinances for EVERY PROJECT! And we can't ask for them as a rezoning commitment for a site like this?!?

SO, I guess my profession doesn't conflict with my lifestyle, per se; but it sure does conflict with my ideals and goals, at least the way it's done here in Indianer. It's extremely disheartening, so I completely understand where you're coming from...

maddyfish

Electricty by itself is not evil. It is not your fault if the power coming through the wires you run comes from a nasty coal-fired plant. The problem is where the power comes from, not that the power comes at all. Don't worry about it. Someday we'll go to clean electricity sources.

wahoonc

I was going to use a combination of the two, LED for task lighting and CF for area lighting. My intent is to use a low volatage system to avoid the losses in converting from Xvolts DC to AC. LED and CF are happy being powered by a DC system. I helped a buddy rewire his vintage Airstream travel trailer using LED and CF we were able to cut the 12v DC power consumption for lighting by over 75%. But that is a 25+ year jump in technology. Now instead of having to crank the generator every 3-4 days to top up his batteries he can use a solar panel and stay ahead of the game. Before the solar panel was losing ground due to the high consumption of his lights and water pump. Normally you would add another solar panel, but due to the design of the AS it wasn't possible.

As far as quoting my CF...yes if it is connected to "mains" power at 120volts AC. My tentative house design is based on a 50 amp 240volt system and I think I can get by with less than half that. Most houses now a days use a 200-300amp 240volt main I don't even know it the power company can fathom a 50 am meter base BTW I have had houses in the past with that sized main, you had to chose between using the window air conditioner, dryer or oven

Aaron

donnamb 

Javna, I think Aaron is on the right track. Learn to be a good, mainstream electrician and in your spare time also learn how to be an electrician for non-mainstream applications. While you're at it, you can improve your carpentry skills, and perhaps even explore alternative building (tends to be more energy efficient).

I believe we will need more Renaissance Men and Women in the coming decades...

bragi

I'm no electrician, but I think the newer LEDs are actually pretty good. A friend put them in his boat, and, though you can tell there's a slight difference in light intensity, it's pretty trivial, and well worth the energy savings. He claims he can now go at least four days on batteries without once turning his motor on (to charge the batteries). Of course, they're pretty expensive, but they pay for themselves over time. Imagine the energy savings if everyone in the country put these things in their houses. Compact fluorescents look like energy hogs by comparison.

And as far as the original post is concerned: don't sweat it too much. You're doing good work at your job, you're providing a service that actually improves people's lives (as opposed to, say, lawyers or real estate speculators), you want to do the right thing by others, and you're thinking about the larger social consequences of your actions. You're way ahead of the game.

dejinshathe

As an Insurance Broker, it's expected that as I achieve seniority, I'll be travelling to visit clients on a daily basis. I've made suggestions to my management regarding public transport (which in my mind includes taking cabs) solutions, but they see no other way than driving a car as being both practicable and professional. Fair enough.

It means though, that I'll soon be at the stage of my so-called career where I need to think about either an internal transfer to a related position that won't necessitate travel, staying in my current position (at my current salary); or a whole new industry and career altogether.

Whichever way, what I know I won't be doing is obtaining a driver's licence and buying a car. Some things are just too important.

East Hill

My job is based on using huge amounts of fuel getting things from one place to another. At least the planes are taking passengers...the mail is only a small part of the total load.

I have often wondered when the USPS will return to using trains to move mail. Airplanes don't seem to be very efficient, and the number of carriers seems to be declining. Anyone out there know better than I do about the efficiency of trains versus planes for hauling cargo?

East Hill

mike

I dunno. I like the idea of green transportation and all, but if I handed a big insurance premium check to an insurance salesman and then saw him standing with his briefcase at the bus stop, I would feel a little uneasy.

wahoonc

Trains are much more efficient in terms of pounds per unit of fuel...however they are slower and that to many is the sticky point. People want it NOW! Poor prior planning on your part does not mean air freight on my part Just as an example...in my wife's bridal shop typical lead time is about 8-12 weeks on stock item orders. 3-5 weeks of that is shipping time from China to the US. On a full blown emergency rush cut ($150-$250 upcharge depending on vendor) we can cut that to about 2-3 weeks. They "overnight" the product directly to us. It takes about 3 days. The last one I tracked left the plant in China, went to a train depot, then to a major airport, Anchorage Alaska where it cleared US Customs, then to Indianapolis IN, Memphis TN, Raleigh NC then by truck to the smaller hub 35 miles from us, then to our store. Overnight charges were in the $100 range. Years ago it cost much more to airmail something than to send it regular mail. Now from my understanding some regular mail goes by air anyway on a space available basis. I know that the US mail has contracts with most if not all major US airlines to carry a certain amount of mail on every flight.

Aaron

Platy

I'd have no problems with that.

wahoonc

I wouldn't like giving them the check in the first place I realize that insurance is a business, but IMHO it is more a form of legalized gambling...

Aaron

Lamplight

I am the warehouse manager for an electrical supply house. While I don't drive for my job, I do my part in supplying material that goes into furthering urban sprawl and just general wastefulness. I don't consider this a career though, just a job that I won't have forever.

mike

I remember as a teen talking with my friend's father about the insurance business (he was an insurance salesman).

I asked him if it wasn't depressing talking about death and, in essence, working in a business that was gambling on mortality. He asked what did I mean. I said, well, you are essentially gambling on the customers time of death.

His very sharp reply was, "I am not gambling on the customer dying. THE CUSTOMER is betting that he is going to die. I betting that he is going to LIVE! That's how the insurance business works. We are saying that WE think you will be around to pay premiums for a long time. The customer is saying 'nope, I will be dead sooner than you think".

wahoonc

I was thinking along the lines of property insurance...but the principle is still the same

Aaron

East Hill

Not any more. This is just one of the worrisome factors--the USPS has virtually all its eggs in one basket so to speak. Fedex is the basket. Even the airlines which carry mail do not carry mail on every flight.

East Hill

atman

As a reseacher in biofuels, I am letting the company down. By not burning fossil fuels at an accelerated rate, I'm helping to keep the price low, in effect, subsidizing the competition. :-)

Actually I'm the only bike commuter at the company, and sometimes I catch a ride in my coworker's biodiesel-fueled VW. The management was concerned that I wouldn't be able to get to work reliably, but it was easy enough to show that this isn't a problem. My career and my transportation choices are certainly not in conflict....

wahoonc

Ouch! I didn't realize that had happened...I am sort of in the airline industry...wife is a Sr Flt Attendant with 23 years in, and her uncle hit mandatory retirement as a pilot in 2000. He was a 767 jockey.

Aaron

Lamplight

It's pretty ridiculous that so many employers apparently think this way, considering I've never seen a car that's as a reliable as a good bicycle. Even a mediocre bicycle is more reliable than any car I've ever owned.

dejinshathe

I'm property, not life; and I'm a broker, not an Underwriter or salesman, but essentially, you're correct: insurance is just like bookmaking at a racetrack, but instead of naming your bet and the bookie telling you what the payout amount will be if you win, you name the payout amount you want to be paid and the bookie tells you the price of the bet.

Either way, several things are exactly the same: the bookmaker almost always emerges the winner and there are some bets that no bookie will take (no insurer either).

The main difference is that when you bet on a race, you WANT the horse to win, whereas in insurance, my clients very rarely wish for the event they're betting on to actually occur.

Back on topic though, would anyone mind handing a premium cheque to their Broker and then watching him pick up his briefcase and hop into a cab?

KrisPistofferson

I will be honest with you, any construction field is going to present extra hurdles to car-free-whether it's the fact that you will be going to different job sites from week to week or that after your apprenticeship is over, you will be issued a work van and expected to take it to work. Also, I don't know about New Zealand, but you might shoot yourself in the foot by being known as "that oddball," if construction workers are anything like they are here. You might want to save the car-free thing for after you are established and folks know you're a good worker. I know I'll get flamed for not cheerleading car-free but I'm just being honest from loads of personal experience in various construction trades.

I really loved electrical work, but found my color-blindness was a barrier to being very successful. Perhaps with your ability to tell colors apart you will excel at this trade.

Seriously, it's the Cadillac of construction jobs, and look into overseas work for some incredible opportunities.

patc

I would go out of my way to pick a broker who advertised as environmentally responsible (I do, gets me a lot of business). When I got my business insurance, the broker walked over to my office and the appraiser biked over - this was not planned on my part, but made a good impression (I had made a point of picking someone nearby).