It was the theater that brought Electrician Trainee Dale Canyon to the electrical industry.

“I was working as the technical director of a local theater company,” says Dale. “They couldn’t afford to pay me, so I decided to make more money and expand my knowledge base as an electrician.”

As an Electrician Trainee, Dale works for WECA Member Contractor Fort Bragg Electric during the day and completes self-paced GetWired courses by night.

“I’ve been progressing through the self-paced GetWired courses online. Currently I’m finishing up GetWired 103 and looking forward to starting GetWired 104 and eventually the GetWired 200 series. Doing school and work concurrently takes a lot of discipline, but I’ve found a good rhythm,” says Dale.

Additionally, as an Electrician Trainee, Dale has enjoyed seeing her coursework and experiences on-the-job merge occasionally.

“Sometimes the course work is easily synchronized with my field work,” says Dale. “It’s pretty cool to see concepts I’m learning about come to life on-the-job.”

Speaking to being a woman in the electrical industry, Dale reports that the experience is mostly the same as that of her male coworkers, but adds that it does come with perks, both unexpected and expected.

“Nice old ladies get really excited when you show up to do their electrical work. I also enjoy the money and having an expanded skillset,” says Dale.

Dale attributes her success in the Electrician Trainee Program to myriad people.

“I’d like to shout-out to WECA Online Education Manager Galen Eckert for taking the time to answer my questions, my employer Fort Bragg Electric for giving me a shot, and to Ron Grapp for being a rockin’ mentor,” says Dale.

We are glad that you have brought your unique background and outlook on the industry to WECA’s Electrician Trainee Program, Dale, and are excited to see where it continues to take you on this journey! Break a leg!