This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

How Electricity Powers our World

As a general contractor, Forest Glen Construction Company manages your remodeling project from design idea, to architectural drawing, to permit application, to construction and completion. Forest Glen hires sub-vendors to complete the construction. Our project manager schedules and coordinates the work of the various tradespeople including plumbers, electricians, drywall installers, and carpenters, among others. Our project manager is available to you, the homeowner, throughout construction and offers confidence that your project is well managed and completed efficiently.

Today we will introduce you to one of those trades, the electrician. An electrician brings electricity into factories, businesses and homes. This work includes connecting all types of wires and circuit breakers, outlets and appliances.

If you have ever lost power, you already know that without electricians, we would all spend our nights playing board games by candlelight. Sure, it's entertaining to "rough it" for a little while, but going without conveniences like heat, lights, and our electronic gadgets (cell phone anyone?) gets very old, very fast. Electricians are the people who keep us plugged into the conveniences and essentials of modern life.

Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Some needed skills, interests, and values for this trade are:

  • Reading architectural drawings and specifications to determine layout of electrical wiring
  • Solving complex math problems while enjoying the “science” of electricity
  • Detecting faults in electric appliances and systems, and correctly diagnosing their causes
  • Installing, repairing and maintaining electrical fixtures, smoke detectors
  • Locating and marking positions for passage holes and fixtures in walls, ceilings and floors
  • Awareness of legal regulations (National Electric Code 2011) and safety issues
  • Ensuring safety standards and building code regulations are met

Years of training and/or experience are necessary to become a skilled electrician. Shockingly, Illinois does not require that electricians have a state license. One of our suburban neighbors, the Village of Libertyville, offers an exam and license. Here are their requirements:

Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

You must have at least 8,000 hours of verifiable work experience and bring it with you to the exam. Examples of this verification may be in the form of:

  • An approved apprenticeship program certificate
  • Pay stubs from an electrical contractor who employs a licensed supervising electrician
  • A current journeyman or master electrician license from another state
  • An original letter (no faxes or copies) on company letterhead of your present or past employer verifying your hours, signed by the licensed supervising electrician including their licensing body (municipality) and license number

You must be at least 21 years of age to be eligible for the exam.


We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?