When I started in the electrical trade in 1996, I thought learning the job meant learning how to install things correctly. Nearly three decades later, I still believe the technical foundations matter enormously, but I have also learned that some of the most valuable knowledge sits between the drawing and the finished installation. It is the judgement to notice when something does not add up, the confidence to ask a question, and the discipline to test rather than assume.
My work has taken me through domestic, commercial, industrial and agricultural settings: houses, factories, farms, swimming pools and larger plant installations. More recently it has expanded into solar PV, battery storage, EV charging, heat pumps, MVHR, design review and project coordination. The equipment and technology have changed considerably, but the habits that make work safe and reliable have remained remarkably consistent.
Experience is more than repetition
Years in a trade are useful only if we continue to think about what those years are teaching us. One of the best habits I developed as an apprentice was asking why. Why has that cable size been selected? Why is the protective device appropriate? Why has the route been chosen? Why did that test result differ from what we expected? Copying a method might get one job completed; understanding the reason behind it helps with the next hundred.
Fault-finding makes this especially clear. A meter reading is evidence, not a diagnosis. The process begins by understanding the complaint, making the situation safe and establishing known facts. From there, I test methodically and change one variable at a time. It is tempting to jump to the most familiar answer, particularly under pressure, but assumptions can waste time and sometimes introduce risk. My shorthand for younger electricians is simple: test, think, do not assume.
The environment is part of the design
Agricultural work taught me that an installation cannot be separated from the place in which it operates. On one pig farm, around a hundred fluorescent fittings had suffered badly from moisture, dirt and the general punishment of the environment. The lesson was not simply to replace failed fittings; it was to think properly about ingress protection, materials, cleaning methods, corrosion and maintenance before choosing equipment. A product that looks suitable on a wholesaler's counter may have a very different life on a working farm.
Urgency also has to be treated as an engineering condition, not an excuse to lower standards. I remember an urgent supply for a strawberry-farm chiller involving roughly 80 metres of 25 mm² five-core cable for a three-phase motor. The crop and the programme created genuine pressure, but the electrical requirements did not change because everyone wanted the system running. The correct response was to plan the route, confirm the design, organise the labour and materials, and complete the work safely. Pressure should sharpen the plan, not replace it.
When drawings meet real buildings
Drawings are essential, but buildings do not always behave as neatly as drawings. Routes become restricted, ceiling voids fill up, structures appear where services were expected to pass, and different systems compete for the same space. I have learned to treat buildability, access and future maintenance as part of the engineering rather than as problems to be left to the installer. If something cannot sensibly be installed, tested or maintained, the design is not truly finished.
That is increasingly important in modern homes. Electrical distribution now has to coexist with solar generation, batteries, EV charging, heat pumps, ventilation, data, security and sophisticated lighting controls. An individual system can be correct in isolation and still create difficulty when combined with everything else. MVHR is a good example: duct routes, electrical supplies, controls, ceilings, structure and maintenance access all interact. The cheapest clash to resolve is the one found while it is still a line on a drawing.
This is where practical site experience can add real value to design review and coordination. Installers see how details translate into physical work. Designers see the wider intent and performance requirements. The best result comes when those perspectives are shared early, with clear questions and recorded decisions, rather than being defended as separate territories.
People are part of engineering
Some career lessons arrive through calculations and test results; others arrive through people. I once worked for a particularly grumpy boss who put his arm into a cavity wall and then discovered he could not get it out. The team finished its tea break before passing him the pad saw. Nobody was hurt, and it became a story that lasted for years, but the message underneath the humour was useful: how you treat people affects how they communicate, cooperate and respond when work becomes difficult.
Another memorable lesson involved a ginger cat called Brian, who decided to climb my ladder while I was fitting a PIR security light in Retford. It was funny afterwards, but it was also a reminder that situational awareness includes the unexpected. On a site, the hazard is not always the one listed first on the method statement. Animals, occupants, other trades, changing weather and shifting access arrangements can alter the situation quickly. Good practice means continuing to look around, not simply completing a checklist and switching off your judgement.
Communication becomes even more important as projects grow. Work on pool controls and larger industrial plant showed me the value of understanding the full sequence of operation, agreeing responsibilities and planning isolations. A technically correct action can still cause trouble if somebody else does not know it is happening. Clear information, defined ownership and the willingness to speak up are safety measures in their own right.
A trade that keeps changing
Since establishing Drayton Installations in 2011, my role has gradually moved beyond installation alone into design, management, testing, commissioning and technical coordination. Since 2023 I have also supported high-end residential developments as a senior electrical and renewable-energy engineer. I still value time on site because it keeps decisions grounded in reality, but I increasingly enjoy identifying issues before construction and helping teams arrive at safe, efficient and buildable solutions.
The growth of low-carbon technologies makes continued learning unavoidable. Solar PV, batteries, EV charging, heat pumps and smart controls cannot simply be added one by one without considering supply capacity, distribution, protection, control philosophy and future expansion. Experience is useful, but it should never become an excuse to rely on yesterday's answer. The more responsibility we take on, the more willing we must be to read, train, verify and admit when specialist input is needed.
Why I wrote the book
These experiences eventually became the reason I wrote 30 Years on the Tools. I did not want to rewrite the Wiring Regulations or pretend that personal stories replace formal training. I wanted to preserve the practical lessons, characters, mistakes and moments of judgement that are easy to lose when a job is reduced to its final drawing or certificate.
The book is partly for apprentices who are still building confidence and partly for experienced people who will recognise how much of working life happens outside the textbook example. If a reader comes away more willing to ask why, challenge an assumption, consider the next person who must maintain the installation, or treat a colleague better on a difficult day, then the stories have done something worthwhile.
Keep the stories, and keep learning
Looking back, experience is not simply remembering how a previous job was done. It is recognising patterns, noticing when information is missing, understanding the consequences of a choice and knowing when to pause. It also means remaining curious enough to update your judgement as the industry changes.
The electrical trade has given me nearly 30 years of technical challenges, memorable characters and more than a few unexpected moments. The tools and technologies will continue to evolve, but the essentials remain: work safely, think methodically, communicate clearly, take pride in what you leave behind and never become too experienced to learn.
Keep the stories. Keep the lessons. Keep learning.