Becoming an Electrician

If you love working with your hands and perhaps have ever had a dream of one day owning your business and working for yourself then take a look at becoming an electrician. Every state will have different requirements regarding how to become licensed but it usually involves training and experience. The electrical training can be done at one of your local trade or vocational schools and can be completed usually in less than a year. These programs are all hands-on and are set-up to work around your busy schedule. If you already have a contractor’s license then often that experience alone will help qualify you to take the state exam. After graduation you’ll need to obtain the proper number of training hours required by the state. These hours are under the supervision of a trained electrician so you can learn the ropes and trade.

When evaluating a school look for one that is not only close to your home or work but one that is fully accredited and has a good student completion and pass rate. This is very important as you want to attend a school that not only graduates their students but also has the resources in your area to help you get a job.

Some of the courses you’ll take during your training include digital electronics, circuits, how to read blueprints, electric motors and transformers. Many electricians also end up working in the solar and wind trade as well (which might require additional courses).

Salary
Most electricians work on a per hour basis unless they are full time employees hired by a major company to do continuous electrical work. Often home builders will hire and have groups of electricians on their payroll in order to get track homes built. They might spend years working in the same location for the same builder. Electricians earn over $50,000 per year and up and the higher paid electricians work in California, Texas and Florida.

 

 

 

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Sources:
https://www.ieee.org/index.html