Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had one the other week where I was replacing an outlet in the kitchen. I flipped the kitchen breaker and the lights and appliances all turned off. I skipped the important step of actually testing the outlet and stupidly assumed it no longer had power. Turns out it was on a different circuit from the rest of the kitchen. The outlet was stuck in the wall box so I reached a flathead screwdriver in to try and pry it ou…
I made the mistake of not testing _all_ of the wires in an outlet a couple of months ago. I used a non contact voltmeter, and had shut off the breaker to the outlet I was working on. Little did I know that the jackass that did some previous wiring in the house had run wires from a different breaker in to this box. It was done in such a way that I didn't fully realize it could have separate live. My palm below my thum…
If they are both aligned, the outlet was probably but not necessarily last worked on by a real electrician. If the screws are at odd angles, the outlet was probably but not necessarily last worked on by a DIYer.
Real electricians align the screws, as a sort of professionalism and a nod to any future electrician who might work on that outlet.