I trained on 14th edition then in 1983 went back to college for 3 months for the 15th edition. 16th edition was about 3 days college as was 17th which i took in 2008.
Worst for me was learning all the imperial cable sizes then it all went metric 1/044 became 1mm. 3/029 became 1.5mm. 7/029 became 2.5mm. 7/036 became 4mm. 7/044 became 6mm. 7/064 became 16mm.
Strictly, i am no longer allowed to touch house electricals now but i know 3 Nephews who can. The testers certificate is hardest and not many achieve it. One Nephew with that ticket earns a basic 50k.
When i worked at the new schools for 3 years in Exeter, they had been wired by some Europeans so i spent a lot of that time rewiring their work. Considering the size of those buildings, it was not too bad.
I enjoyed the job which earned me enough to buy a house aged 20. New motorbike at 21. Always had cars and a brand new one when i reached 29.
Lucky to get my current house and that car from the insurer of the car that smashed my leg.
I was also lucky to be involved in a lot of plumbing so i learnt that but not every bit of plumbing. Brother was the Plumber and he had a nice Jaguar S type at age 19.
Brother who started the business did very well but sometimes had to pay a tax bill when it appeared he had not earned anything in one year.