Sparky's Journal

📅 April 17, 2026

Am I the Right Age?

I used to think I was late to everything.

Like I was supposed to be further along already, already “figured out,” already ahead of where I actually am. And when I look around, it reinforces that feeling. Most electricians I see aren’t my age. They’ve been doing this for years. Some are close to retirement. Some already know everything; I’m still learning.

I’m 23.

And for a while, that number didn’t feel like an advantage. It just felt like I was behind.

But the longer I stay in this, the more that starts to shift.

The electrical trade doesn’t really care about where you think you “should” be. It cares about time. Hours. Reps. Experience. You don’t skip steps, you don’t rush it — you just build it over the years, whether you like it or not.

Even the licensing through the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians is basically built around that idea. You need time on the job. You need school. You need exams. There’s no version of this where you just jump ahead because you feel ready.

And that’s what I didn’t get at first.

I thought being younger meant I was behind. But now I see it more like… I just started the clock earlier than a lot of people still in the trade.

So if I stay in it, keep learning, keep showing up, this is what it turns into:

I’ll build enough hours to become a journeyman. Then I’ll build enough experience to actually be useful in harder situations. Then one day I’ll look back and realize I’ve been doing this long enough that things that used to confuse me are just normal.

Nothing about that happens fast.

It just stacks.

And maybe that’s the part I was missing — there’s no “right age” where you’re supposed to suddenly feel ready. There’s just the age you start, and everything that comes after it.

And if anything, I’ve also had another thought lately.

Maybe I’m not even “ahead” or “behind” anyone.

Some guys grew up around this. Learned from their fathers. Picked things up in ways I didn’t. Some of them have been around it since they were kids. In some ways, I probably have catching up to do. And I don’t see that as negative — just reality.

I don’t see myself as greener or more knowledgeable than anyone else. I’m just someone who wants to be the best version of myself I can be with the tools I have.

So I don’t really think about it the same way anymore.

I’m not early.

I’m not late.

I’m just in it.

And if I keep going, the age I started won’t matter nearly as much as the time I stayed.