Like father, like daughter! WECA Electrician Trainee Ariana Beltran has her father to thank for the career journey she’s currently on.

“My dad is an electrician, and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps,” says Beltran. 

Aside from having that much more in common with her father (shop talk during get-togethers, anyone?), Beltran says that studying to become an electrician—and working in the electrical field—comes with some major perks.

“Becoming an electrician has given me a new confidence in that I can achieve anything,” says Beltran. “It has also given me a sense of security; in that I can afford to give my son a comfortable life. And, I can work all day and take my classes at night, while still caring for my son and learning more about my career.”

However, we think the confidence was already there for Beltran, and that perhaps embarking upon her electrical career made it just that much more apparent.

“I started doing electrical five years ago as a single, breastfeeding mother who knew (almost) nothing about electrical,” says Beltran. “But it’s a very rewarding career—seeing your progress, whether it’s on a job or in seeing how much you have learned—and more women should join [the trade] because we come at the job with a whole different approach and different train of thought, and that can teach these men a thing or two.”

Plus, Beltran says that compared to a traditional four-year college education, “[Electrician Trainee program] classes are a whole lot cheaper, and we can actually work in the field while taking classes, so we are getting hands-on experience while learning code, electrical calculations, etc.”

And for readers thinking of tackling a career change and pivoting over to the electrical field, Beltran says that “[You should] do it. It’s rewarding, pays well, and isn’t as hard on your body as the other trades.”

Thank you, Ariana, for sharing your story with us. Your story of taking on a new career while navigating early motherhood—and dominating it—embodies the spirit of Women in Construction Week, and we are excited to see what you continue to achieve as you progress in the field!