Industrial Electrician

What kinds of jobs do you
think offer high salaries?
What is the most important
thing you think would help
you get a “good job?” What
would you call a “good job”?

Being an Industrial Electrician is like being a detective. Something goes wrong and you have to sleuth out the problem and solve the mystery; and, like Sherlock Holmes, you have the satisfaction of knowing you were the one who figured it out.

When the electricity goes out in the Dawson school, Mary-Anne Isaac is the person who is called upon to solve the mystery. She is the Industrial Electrician responsible for the entire Northern region, which includes Dawson City, Old Crow, Mayo and the Klondike and Ogilvie camps on the Dempster Highway.

Mary-Anne is responsible for making sure that all electrical and electronic systems, air handling units, sprinkler and fire alarm systems work in all of the government buildings. “All buildings have their own systems, and I maintain those systems. My job is mostly troubleshooting and repairing problems in buildings or machinery. I grease machines and bearings, fix motors and circuits. There is some outside work and I get to travel around the territory.”

Mary-Anne became an Industrial Electrician by chance. She started into university, and got a summer job working for an electrician. “I started out by putting in light fixtures and plugs. After summer was over, I still didn't have enough money to go back to university, so I asked if I could become an electrician's apprentice. I discovered that I was good at it, I liked the work, and when the time came for me to decide whether to go back to university, I chose trade school instead.

“I think this is a great trade for women. It's not heavy physical work. You use your head and you need good motor skills. If you like to work with your hands and enjoy solving mysteries, this is a good job for you.”