SPARKYS NEWSLETTER

⚡ SPARKY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER #2

Date: September 4, 2026

Apprentice Electrician | Learning the Trade the Right Way

Permanent link:
https://www.JoshTheSparky.com/newsletter/sparky-monthly-newsletter-issue-2

Opening Note from Josh

Welcome back to the second Sparky Monthly.

The first issue was really about getting the foundation in place and looking at the things that matter when you're learning the trade, from studying the right Code book and keeping track of your hours to building your network, understanding how to actually navigate the NEC, and continuing to learn even when you're not on the jobsite.

August was a pretty busy month on my end. The website continued growing, Brain Busters started turning into something much bigger than just questions posted on social media, I got deeper into the 2026 NEC, Bay Path Module 5 got underway, and a lot of the different things I've been working on are starting to connect more than they were before.

I'm still an apprentice, still learning, still figuring things out, and still trying to build something useful along the way. That's really what JoshTheSparky.com is about for me. I'm not trying to pretend I know everything already, because I definitely don't. I'm documenting the process, learning as I go, and hopefully making some of that information useful for somebody else who is somewhere along the same road.

Let's get into September.

1. Massachusetts, the 2026 NEC & Studying the Right Code

One thing I need to correct from the first newsletter is the Massachusetts Code situation.

When I wrote Issue #1, I stated that Massachusetts was still working from the 2023 NEC with Massachusetts amendments. That has changed. Massachusetts is now on the 2026 NEC, with the applicable Massachusetts amendments under 527 CMR 12.00.

This is actually a pretty good reminder of why you need to verify the Code edition you're working from instead of assuming the newest book, an old study guide, or something somebody posted online automatically applies to you.

Code adoption happens on different timelines depending on where you are; amendments can change what actually applies, and school material or exam preparation can sometimes be based on a different edition than the one currently being enforced.

For me, that means I need to pay attention to both sides of it. I'm working through Bay Path material while also studying the 2026 NEC and making sure I understand what Massachusetts is actually enforcing.

A few apprentice action items:

• Confirm the NEC edition your state or jurisdiction currently enforces.

• Get the applicable state amendments and treat them as part of the Code.

• Know what edition your school material is based on.

• Know what edition applies to the licensing exam you're preparing for.

• When you find an answer online, open the Code and verify it yourself.

• Keep older Code editions around when they are still relevant to your education or experience.

The newest Code book isn't automatically the right Code book. Knowing which one applies to the situation you're dealing with is what matters.

2. Career & School Progress

August was a pretty important month on the career side.

The restaurant remodel is behind me now, and I've got 215+ commercial hours banked from that experience. I'm continuing to keep track of my hours and the documentation behind them because I don't want to get years down the road and realize I can't prove something I should have been keeping records for.

I've also been working on the resume, looking at future opportunities, building the network, and trying to figure out where I want to go with the electrical side of things.

At the same time, Bay Path Module 5 is underway, and this is one of the modules I've been looking forward to because it gets much heavier into calculations and the math side of the trade.

I've also been working through advanced algebra and teaching myself some geometry tied to pipe bending and other electrical applications. I don't want to just be able to get through a calculation because I memorized a process. I want to understand what I'm actually doing and why the calculation works the way it does.

The final stretch of the formal education side is getting closer, and these modules are ones I'm really going to have to dwell on and take seriously.

When field hours slow down, the work toward becoming a licensed electrician doesn't stop. It just changes form.

3. JoshTheSparky.com Has Become Much More Than a Website

If you've been following JoshTheSparky.com lately, you've probably noticed that the site has gotten considerably bigger.

I'm trying to make it the central place for everything I'm building instead of having every piece of information scattered across different social media platforms.

The site now has places for education, Quick Hits, Sparky's Journal, Sparky Weekly, Brain Busters, Question of the Week, videos, the video archive, the Watch page, Radio, Broadcast, Webinars, Tutorials, Reviews, Featured Sparkys, Community, Projects, Sparky's Feed, the Electrician Knowledge Iceberg, AI, the Schedule, the App, and more.

Each section has a different purpose.

Learn is where the larger educational material lives.

Quick Hits is for shorter electrical and NEC information.

Sparky's Journal gives me room to go deeper into a subject, document something I'm learning, talk about the trade, or write about something that doesn't really fit into a quick post.

Sparky Weekly is the week-to-week progress report.

Brain Busters are the questions and study challenges.

Question of the Week keeps the NEC discussion going.

Tutorials are for specific how-to and study material.

Webinars are where I'm putting public educational webinar announcements, whether that's an EC&M webinar, a Code presentation, manufacturer education, or another free educational event that I come across and think people should know about.

Reviews is for book reviews and other things I want to take a closer look at.

Featured is where I can put people in the trade on and give them some attention.

Community is the community side of the site, including NECChat, Reddit, ForumBoard, and other discussion areas.

Radio is where the podcast and audio programming live.

Broadcast is where the live programming and livestreams go.

Videos, the Watch page, and the Videos Archive handle the video side.

Schedule brings the upcoming programming together.

Projects is where I'm documenting actual projects I'm working on, including the restaurant remodel and projects related to building JoshTheSparky itself.

The whole point is to make the information easier to find and keep it around instead of letting everything disappear into a social media feed after a couple of days.

Main Site:
https://www.JoshTheSparky.com/

Start Here:
https://www.JoshTheSparky.com/start-here

Network:
https://www.JoshTheSparky.com/network

4. Brain Busters & Deep NEC Web Browsing

The Brain Busters have been changing quite a bit.

At first, the idea was pretty simple. Make a question, post it, let people answer it, and move on.

But the more I've worked with them, the more I've realized that one good question can turn into a lot more. You can research the Code section, figure out why the correct answer is correct, explain why the other answers aren't, look at the theory behind it, turn the discussion into a video, and then archive the whole thing so somebody can find it later.

That's where I'm trying to take the Brain Busters.

I've also been experimenting with Deep NEC Web Browsing, where the focus is on actually showing the process of finding something in the Code rather than simply giving somebody the final answer.

That's important because the NEC isn't really a book you're supposed to memorize cover to cover. You need to know how to navigate it.

Start with the question, figure out what you're actually being asked, find the right article, check the scope, definitions, tables, notes, and exceptions, and then make sure the section you're using actually applies to the situation.

If somebody asks you on a jobsite, "Where does it say that?" you want to be able to open the book and find it.

That's the skill I'm trying to build, and it's one of the things I want the Brain Busters and Deep NEC Web Browsing content to help other people practice too.

Brain Busters:
https://www.JoshTheSparky.com/brain-busters

Question of the Week:
https://www.JoshTheSparky.com/question-of-the-week

Videos:
https://www.JoshTheSparky.com/videos

Watch Page:
https://www.JoshTheSparky.com/videos/watch-page

Video Archive:
https://www.JoshTheSparky.com/videos/videos-archive

5. Recent Quips & Lessons From the Trade

One of the things I've been coming back to is how much more complicated the stuff inside a panel can be than it looks from the outside. That ground hole on the back of a panel isn't just another screw point. It's part of the bonding path, and understanding why that connection matters when a fault occurs is one of those things that makes the Code make a lot more sense.

That's one of those things where understanding the reason behind the rule makes the Code make a lot more sense.

Another thing I've been thinking about is the difference between memorizing the NEC and actually knowing how to use it. I don't think you're supposed to carry the entire Code in your head. Learn how to navigate it, use the index, understand definitions, look at scope, check tables and exceptions, and pay attention to why the wrong answers in a question are wrong too.

I've also continued to come back to Basic Electricity, the U.S. Navy / REA material. It's still one of the better inexpensive foundational resources I've found for learning the basics behind what we're actually doing, from safety and theory to series and parallel circuits, motors, generators, batteries, and the math supporting it.

The NEC tells you the rules, but having a good electrical foundation makes those rules easier to understand.

From Sparky Weekly, the same themes keep coming up. When field hours slow down, the work doesn't stop. It just moves into studying, networking, documentation, content, and building systems.

I'm also still big on keeping your hour records together. Timesheets, pay stubs, signed forms, company information, job information, locations, and whatever other documentation you can legitimately keep should have a place. Don't assume you'll remember all of it years from now.

6. The Electrical Community I'm Paying Attention To

There is a lot going on in the electrical education community right now, and I've been trying to pay attention to people who are actually putting useful information out there.

EC&M continues to be one of the publications I keep an eye on for Code coverage, electrical construction, safety, technology, and contractor-focused information.

Paul Abernathy, Mike Holt, Ryan Jackson, Thomas Domitrovich, The Young Electrician, NECChat, FastTrax, Electrical Code Academy, and a lot of other electricians and educators are putting information out there in different ways.

I'm still early in my own career, so I'm not trying to pretend I'm already at the top of the mountain. I'm trying to learn from the people who have already climbed further than I have while contributing whatever I can along the way.

The Young Electrician podcast was a good example of that. I got to sit down for roughly an hour, talk about my journey, talk about the trade, and talk about what I'm trying to build.

That's the kind of networking I want. Actual relationships around the trade, not just collecting followers.

7. Featured Sparkys

I'm making Featured Sparkys a regular part of the Monthly.

This isn't a ranking, and I'm not trying to decide who the "best electrician on the internet" is. There are a lot of people in this trade doing good things, whether they're electricians, educators, inspectors, business owners, or creators, and if I come across somebody who I think is worth following, I want to put them on.

Here are five people I'm highlighting this month.

⚡ Our Featured Educator — The 360 Electrician

https://www.the360electrician.com/

The 360 Electrician has been doing a great job with business education and helping people understand the side of the trade that doesn't always get talked about when you're learning the actual electrical work.

Estimating, operations, business practices, finances, marketing, and all of the other things that become important when you eventually want to run a company are skills too.

Beyond the education, they're also somebody who continues pushing people in the community to be the best they can be, and that's something I respect.

⚡ Featured Sparky — @its_electricaltime

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/its_electricaltime/

@its_electricaltime consistently puts out electrical knowledge and quick bits on social media, while also providing education through video tutorials and online classes.

I like seeing people take electrical concepts and make them easier to consume while still keeping the educational side there. If you like quick electrical information and want opportunities to go deeper into some of those subjects, give the page a look.

⚡ Featured Sparky — @thepreachingelectrician

TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@thepreachingelectrician

The Preaching Electrician mixes electrical trade content with faith, motivation, and the idea of doing the best work you can every day.

The trade isn't only about whether you can do the installation correctly. How you carry yourself, how you treat people, your attitude, and the standard you hold yourself to all become part of your reputation.

That's a message worth getting behind.

⚡ Featured Sparky — @new_mexico_sparky

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/new_mexico_sparky/

@new_mexico_sparky shares opinions and perspectives as an inspector in the electrical trade, which gives you a look at things from the other side of the inspection process.

I think that perspective is useful because electricians don't always get to see what the inspector is looking at or why certain discussions keep coming up.

Even when you don't agree with somebody, understanding why they're looking at something the way they are can make you better at your own work.

⚡ Featured Sparky — @johnny.the.electrician

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/johnny.the.electrician/

TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnny.the.electrician

Johnny brings electrical memes, workplace humor, faith, and motivation together in a way that makes the trade a little more relatable.

There's plenty of serious stuff in electrical work, so sometimes a good laugh about something that happened on the jobsite is exactly what you need. At the same time, the message about pushing yourself harder and doing better every day is something that fits right in with the trade.

Want to be considered for a future Featured Sparky?

Send your information to:

request@JoshTheSparky.com

You can also send somebody else's name in if you think they deserve some attention.

Featured Sparkys:
https://www.JoshTheSparky.com/featured

8. Product of the Month — Wire Waffle

Wire Waffle

https://wirewaffle.com/

Wire Waffle is this month's Product of the Month.

It's one of those products that caught my attention because it addresses an actual field problem and gives electricians another option when dealing with multiple NM cables entering a panel through a 2.5-inch knockout.

As always, the product itself doesn't replace the manufacturer's instructions, listing requirements, the NEC, or the applicable AHJ. Verify that the product and installation method actually work for the application you're dealing with.

9. JoshTheSparky Fully Endorses TradeHog

TradeHog.net

https://www.TradeHog.net/

I want to make this one very clear because TradeHog has become part of the larger ecosystem I'm building.

JoshTheSparky fully endorses TradeHog.net.

TradeHog is built around AI-assisted answers for construction-trade questions, including electrical and Code-related subjects. It's one of the tools I'm using as I continue building out the JoshTheSparky education and study system.

I think AI can be extremely useful for people learning the trade when it's treated like another tool in the toolbox instead of something that replaces actually learning.

Ask the question, investigate the answer, find the Code section, compare the information, and verify it yourself.

That's how I think tools like TradeHog are most useful.

If you're studying something and want another way to work through a question or explore a subject, check it out.

TradeHog:
https://www.TradeHog.net/

10. Study Focus for September

September is going to be a big calculations month.

With Bay Path Module 5 underway, I'm spending more time working through the math behind electrical systems instead of just looking at the final answer.

The main goal is getting better at recognizing what a problem is actually asking before jumping into the calculation.

What type of load is this? Which calculation method applies? Which table controls? Is there a demand factor? Is this load included or excluded? Are there noncoincident loads? What assumptions are actually allowed?

Those questions matter just as much as the arithmetic.

I'm also continuing to work through the 2026 NEC and getting more comfortable with its organization, including the 120-series load calculation material.

If you're studying the 2026 NEC after using an older edition, don't be surprised when article numbers have moved around. The Code has been reorganized, so older study material may point you toward Article 220 while the 2026 edition puts load calculation material in Article 120.

That's another reason to make sure you're actually studying the edition you're supposed to be studying.

11. Question of the Week — 2026 NEC

Here's one from the current Question of the Week series.

An electrician is installing a dwelling-unit branch circuit supplying receptacle outlets. During the installation, they encounter a location where the required receptacle spacing rules apply.

According to the 2026 NEC, which statement is correct?

(A) Receptacle outlets are required to be installed no more than 6 ft apart in all dwelling-unit rooms.

(B) Receptacle outlets must generally be installed so that no point measured horizontally along the floor line of any wall space is more than 6 ft from a receptacle outlet.

(C) Receptacle spacing requirements apply only to exterior walls of dwelling units.

(D) A receptacle outlet is not required if the wall space is less than 8 ft long.

Answer: B

The controlling concept is found in the dwelling-unit receptacle spacing requirements. But don't just take the answer and move on.

Open the Code.

Read the definition of wall space.

Read the exceptions.

Look at the actual wording.

Then figure out why A, C, and D are wrong.

That's the point of the Question of the Week. Don't just know the answer. Know where the answer came from.

Question of the Week:
https://www.JoshTheSparky.com/question-of-the-week

12. Looking Back at August's Questions

August had a number of good discussions through the Question of the Week series and NECChat.

One of the questions asked how many #12 AWG THHN conductors could be installed in a 4" × 4" × 1½" metal box with no devices, no internal clamps, and no equipment grounding conductors.

The answer was 9, based on the applicable box-fill volume in Table 314.16(A).

That was a good example of why you need to actually understand what you're counting instead of just grabbing a number from memory.

Another question involved a 2026 NEC optional dwelling calculation with a 2,400-square-foot single-family dwelling, a 200-ampere 120/240-volt service, appliances, range, dryer, air conditioning, and electric heating.

There was also a motor calculation involving a 5 HP, 230-volt single-phase motor and the conductor and overload requirements.

These are exactly the kinds of questions I want Brain Busters to keep getting better at.

Not just asking a question and answering, but actually working through the reasoning behind it.

This is something I actually want to encourage more of.

If you have a question about the NEC, electrical theory, the trade, calculations, or something you've run into in the field, send it to me.

ask@JoshTheSparky.com

And don't be afraid to send me something difficult.

If you want to challenge my knowledge, send me the question you think I might get wrong.

Seriously.

I'm still learning, and I'm not going to pretend I know everything. If I don't know the answer, I'll say that. Then I'll go find it, work through it, and learn something from it.

Some of the best questions are the ones where you look at the situation and think, "Wait, why does it work that way?"

Those are the questions worth digging into.

And if your question turns into a Brain Buster, a Question of the Week, a video, or a deeper Code breakdown, even better.

Looking Ahead

September is going to be a big month for calculations, school, NEC study, and continuing to build everything around JoshTheSparky.com.

I'm still learning the trade. I'm still working through the math. I'm still figuring out the Code. I'm still building my hours and trying to figure out where I want to take my career.

And at the same time, JoshTheSparky.com keeps growing into something bigger than what I originally started with.

I don't really know exactly what it's going to look like a year from now.

But I know what I'm trying to build.

A place where apprentices and electricians can come to learn something, work through a question, find a resource, follow somebody in the trade, or just see what somebody else is doing while they're working through the same process.

I'm learning as I go, and I'm going to keep documenting it.

That's it for this month's Sparky Monthly.

Thanks for reading.

— Josh

www.JoshTheSparky.com