paulradcliffe.me

I’m now a licensed Master Electrician!

This was my major professional goal for 2020, and the license finally arrived in the mail last week. I can’t actually do electrician tool work because I don’t have a 309A from the Ontario College of Trades. It is a nice thing to add to my resume and LinkedIn profile. And I am much better versed now in Electrical Code and lots of legislation and regulations. But the biggest reason I pursued this credential was to assure myself that I could still think enough to do my job, even with the brain damage I suffered during my 2019 illness. 

It’s a bit of an odd career move for me because it probably won’t directly improve my career prospects within my section. In fact, Managers had actively discouraged me from getting this License. But, this is the same Management group that ignored corporate policy and initially denied me Tuition Aid when I was getting my Masters Degree. And the same Management group that initially denied permission for me to take courses to get my PMP, even though others in comparable roles were approved. 

Joining the Master Electrician Circuit

Throughout studying engineering in University, I never even knew about the Electrical Code. After I started working, I had to refer to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (OESC) almost daily. There was no training, no mentorship, and no guidance about this and other codes, only an expectation that I would learn it completely and accurately apply it to every design. (On a side note, I now make it a personal point to instruct and guide new engineers in my charge in the OESC and other regulatory guidelines.)

There’s a little-known path to a Master Electrician license: Most are skilled trades, graduating from Apprentice, to Journeyman (Red Seal 309A), and then optionally to Master Electrician. A Licensed Professional Engineer who has experience with Licensed Electrical Contractors can also apply directly for the Master Electrician License. 

I don’t have a 309A from the Ontario College of Trades, so I can’t legally perform electrical Work as a contractor. But, I could work for a larger company that employs several Journeyman electricians. It will probably look pretty nice on my resume and LinkedIn. The License and the pre-exam course are also examples of how I can demonstrate advanced knowledge of Electrical Code and some regulations. 

To qualify for a Master Electrician license, I needed to demonstrate experience with Licensed Electrical Contractors and pass an open-book written test. I registered for a “Pre-Master Electrician course,” but because of the pandemic, it was cancelled and I was reassigned to an “online self-study course.” It wasn’t really a course: I was sent 3000 pages of codes and regulations, a few notes of discussion, a handful of review questions, and a terse answer key. It was many months and many hours of very dry reading.

I spent a lot of hours over a lot of months studying, often 2-3 hours a day for months. At first, I found studying very, very difficult. I had trouble concentrating and remembering. In many ways this was like rehab for my brain to retrain myself in comprehension, analysis, and doing design calculations. 

After all that studying, I am now much better versed in Electrical Code, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Regulations for Construction Projects, Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, Consumer Protection Act, Construction Lien Act, Human Rights Code, Labour Relations Act, and Employment Standards Act. There were also many sections of Electrical Code I wasn’t familiar with, like electrical poles, high voltage ground grids, temporary installations, and renewable energy. 

I was worried I wouldn’t do well at the test. I didn’t write it until October 2020. As an open-book test, it’s asking for very specific things out of a very, very large body of knowledge. But, I was so prepared for the test that I seldom had to touch my reference materials. I’m sure the knowledge isn’t as fresh in my mind anymore, but I know where to find the answers.

“Brain Damaged Genius”

Before my illness in 2019, I considered myself a pretty bright guy. Some people call me “genius” sometimes derisively or playfully because I can be a “smart aleck.” I’ve had IQ tests that suggest I was a “genius,” but I don’t put a lot of stock in IQ tests. I feel like IQ tests merely test your ability to identify patterns the same way other supposedly smart people would. I know I was smart enough to know there were lots of people smarter than me. I was smart enough to know that there was a lot that I did not know, and still needed to learn.

My autoimmune neurological illness manifested in inflammation in my brain stem. As I’ve discussed a few times, I lost all autonomic and peripheral nerve control over everything below my heart. I also had vision problems. And I suffered brain damage. I have the MRI’s to prove it. And several weeks of my memories are missing, or replaced with delusions and hallucinations.

It took significant work to regain the ability to stand, walk, and perform basic tasks (and I’m still not 100%). I don’t know how much damage was done to my brain and I was concerned. Would I still be able to work as an engineer? Would I still be able to manage projects? Giving myself this mental, academic, and technical challenge gave me an opportunity not only to exercise my mind, but also prove to myself that I wasn’t completely broken. 

I’m glad I can file this away, check off that box, and update my resume and LinkedIn.

What’s next? I’m still on Long-Term Disability, and scrambling to improve as much as I can before I am sent back to work. I may be back to work as early as late March, we’ll see.

In the meantime, I’m considering getting a LEED (Low Energy Engineering Design) credential from the Canada Green Building Council. Any other suggestions?