KSPARKY on Finding His Path in the Trades and Inspiring the Next Generation

Kevin Martinez, better known as KSPARKY, has spent more than a decade working in the electrical trade and has built a following by sharing his experiences from the field. From working with some of the biggest manufacturers in the electrical industry to mentoring apprentices and creating content for electricians, Kevin has seen firsthand how the trade continues to evolve.

At NECA, Trade Hounds sat down with Kevin to talk about his journey into the electrical trade, what it’s like working with major tool manufacturers, and why he believes the industry needs to do more to introduce young people to skilled-trade careers. He also shares his perspective on the importance of mentorship and why it’s never too late to start a career in the trades.

What does it look like to work closely with major tool manufacturers and help them showcase their products?

I work closely with the top-tier companies. They're pretty much the companies that are on every job site. Every job site you go to, you're going to see these companies—Greenlee, Milwaukee, IDEAL, Fluke. I've gotten the opportunity to work with them closely for the past few years.

All of them are pretty different as far as the way that they work and what they want to highlight. I'm privileged enough to either work with them, creating content they want to highlight—either a new tool, a new feature in their app, for example, or something that's coming up in the market pretty soon that's going to change the way electricians work in the next upcoming years.

We're the ones that are out there in the field every day using these actual tools, and they take criticism pretty seriously. Being honest with them as far as how we can use that tool, if we would actually use a tool or not.

I just get to go around and enjoy myself and try out new tools.

How does your experience as an electrician shape the way you create content for tool brands?

I've been an electrician for almost 11 or 12 years, so I've kind of gained that respect as far as always trying to do a good job as far as installations. Now, when we go to working with these brands, we're showing that from either opening the box to the actual product and how to use it.

Using the language that electricians know, and also kind of narrowing it down to where a homeowner will understand what we're doing, right? And the installation as far as keeping up and following NEC code, for example. Sometimes you see these videos on YouTube, on whatever network you're using, and you see other people kind of doing it wrong.

We try to just show people the way that we work, the way that we've come up in this field, doing things the right way, not cutting corners, and solve everything the right way. And like you say, we get to work with brands where we're able to show the product from opening the box to how it works, and I think they love it.

Why is mentoring apprentices and helping the next generation of electricians important to you?

We have always been close to apprentices, and they've always kind of looked up to or tried to follow the path that we've been on. I always try to be a good role model, just be the person that I aspire to be, whether it's working inside the field or outside. We work closely with them as far as what to do right when you join the apprenticeship.

A lot of people see all these brand deals, things like that. But you have to understand, we also started from not knowing anything about the electrical field. We did things the right way as far as going to school, getting our journeyman license, then from there getting our contractor's license. Just teaching them what to do, how to get in the field.

A lot of these kids are coming out of high school. They don't have that person telling them what to do. They don't have somebody that's in the trades. So we try to really communicate with them and try to tell them how to do it, even though sometimes, obviously, we get busy ourselves.

But I always try to guide them in the right direction as far as doing things, going to school for the trades, because obviously it's not like high school. There's different ways to do it. Every day is different, but I'm really happy that a lot of them take the steps to want to be electricians.

I meet a lot of them that they joined the trade because of me, which, to me, is crazy because I would have never thought that I could inspire people that way. It really makes me happy to have them follow those steps.

You didn't originally plan to become an electrician. What ultimately led you to pursue a career in the electrical trade?

My dad has always been in the blue-collar trades. He does—mostly, he's a glazer, which is a window installer. He does anything from commercial to residential. Even though, as a young kid, I would go to jobs with him, and I would just goof around. I was never interested in the trades.

I was never thinking of myself working with my dad. I would just go do it for fun or for some money and then just go back to school.

I don't think it was until I fell into being a driver for an electrical company. I would go to job sites every day, see kids in the field, and my mentality was, "Well, if he's doing it, I can do it too."

I started asking questions like, hey, how can I get into the apprenticeship? And next thing you know, they got me in the office. "You want to be in the apprenticeship? Here's the test. I'll have you in a job in, like, a month." And that was it. I started doing electrical. 

Now I talked to my dad, and I was like, it's crazy. If I would have never started, I would have never known. He and my mom are really inspired that I continue to do this, and I can motivate other people with the opportunities that I get to work with these companies.

What can manufacturers, distributors, and contractors do to introduce young people to careers in the skilled trades earlier?

I feel a lot of brands are already reaching out to apprenticeship programs and showing them that they can be there for apprentices. But also, obviously, doing that during high school. I think trying to get to the younger generation earlier on is important.

For them, sometimes they didn't know they could be an electrician; that they could be in the trades. Maybe they're good with their hands, and they never knew that. But that's where I feel companies should focus more on high school students.

So not only focusing on the apprenticeship programs where kids are already in there working on their trade, but we're also seeing how can they get to the communities that are not in those programs yet and get more people involved.

There are a lot of people retiring and not a lot of supply.

How did the earning potential and opportunity for career growth influence your decision to become an electrician?

It was a big factor. When I saw the electrical field, in my head I was like, that's a career. That's something where I'm gonna get a raise every year, where you have to be a journeyman. And I knew I was going to make way more money than, you know, trying to do a career out of college.

What would you say to someone who is considering a career change but thinks it's too late to start a career in the trades?

It's never too late to start, to change your career, to find something that you really enjoy. I feel like I talk to a lot of people, not only the young generation, but also older people. They are struggling to find a career, are currently in a job that they do not enjoy, where they're not making money, where they're just trying to work their 40 hours, and they hate it.

Just know that it's not too late to start in the field. It's worth it. There are guys that I see that are way older and way hungrier than these kids. They're the guys that stay until the end of the job, because they want to learn and grow in this trade.

Final Thoughts

Kevin’s story is a reminder that there isn’t just one path into the skilled trades. As the electrical industry works to bring more people into the workforce, stories from experienced tradespeople like Kevin can help show the next generation what’s possible.

Watch the full conversation with Kevin Martinez, aka KSPARKY, to hear more about his journey, his life as a content creator, and his advice for the next generation of electricians.