Electrician Career Path

Are you trying to learn more about career paths for electricians or how to become an electrician? This is your one-stop shop. We’ll share everything you need to know. Our hope is to educate more people on opportunities in the trades, like this one.  

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active openings for electricians
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of all electricians are women
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of electricians have a high school diploma

Required Skills for An Electrician

You’ll be a great candidate for a career in electrical work if you've mastered the skills below. If you haven't yet, that’s okay! We’ll tell you how to get there.

Working with hand tools

Electricians must know how to operate power hand tools and other specialized equipment while maintaining safe practices throughout.

Physical strength & Attention to Detail

It’s important that you can differentiate between colors when doing electrical work. Wires are coated in distinct colors for a reason, and you want to make sure you’re able to distinguish differences. Electrical work is also very precise, requiring plenty of attention to the details.

Running Conduit

Running conduit is a frequent practice for electricians. Affixing metal sheathing to walls is essential to protecting wires from interactions with humans or the environment.

Electrician Job Overview

We think you have what it takes to be an electrician... do you?

I think we all understand how valuable electricity is to us today. Without electricians, we wouldn’t be able to utilize this precious resource. Electricians are responsible for installation, maintenance and repair of any equipment used to provide electric power to our homes, businesses, and factories. The work that electricians do is vital to our daily operations, but it can also be hazardous—so it is especially important that they stay up to date on safety codes and approved materials.  

How to Become an Electrician

Not sure where to go next in your pursuit to be an electrician? We are here to help. Follow us as we walk through a potential electrician career path.

Getting Started
Technical Training
Mastering the Trade
Ramping Up
The Future

Electrician Education

Your first step is completing educational requirements and certifications. Most electricians have at least a high school diploma or GED equivalent as a starting point. It’s even better if you can take advanced courses in mathematics or physics. Attending trade school is the next, most effective, step to completing your certification—though it is not always required. You can also receive proper formal education for the job through associate degree programs.

Electrician Apprenticeship

On-the-job training is the most crucial part of gaining the skills needed to be successful as an electrician. The best way to practice what you’re learning is through an apprenticeship or internship, under the supervision of a licensed electrician. There are a variety of available apprenticeships, but most require 144 hours of technical training and 2,000 hours of on-the-job training to obtain your license.

Journeyman Electrician

Typical apprenticeships take anywhere from 4-5 years to complete, but once you have finished, you are eligible to earn a journey worker designation. This opens up more opportunities for you to specialize in the field. With a few more years of experience under your belt, you can easily progress to master electrician.

Taking on Management

After working as an electrician for more than seven years, you will develop new skills, collect more certifications, and have a lot of practice. You might consider advancing from master electrician to lead master electrician, facilities manager, or field supervisor to gain more experience in managing and instructing less-experienced electricians.

Project Manager & Superintendent

Now that you’ve worked your way up through years of experience, you might be ready to take on new challenges with roles like a project manager or superintendent. Positions like these take responsibility for managing a group of electricians on a project for a general contractor or sub-contractor.

Here are some trends we’ve noticed in the Construction industry:

The construction industry landscape has changed a lot over the years, but the needs are ever-increasing. Look at some insights that we found.  

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Electrician Jobs trends

It is projected that electrician jobs will grow by 8% between 2019 and 2029. The best jobs for electricians in the coming years will be those in solar power or alternative energy. Focusing on skills related to those fields might get you ahead of the curve.  

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Hiring Trends in the Construction Industry

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that, on average, there will be about 168,500 construction laborer and helper openings each year until 2031. This growth rate is as fast as the average job growth rate.

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Related jobs

  • Journeyman Electrician 
  • Electrical Apprentice 
  • Lead Electrician 
  • Maintenance Electrician 
  • Master Electrician 
  • Electrical Helper 
  • Electrical Foreman 
  • Electrical Maintenance Supervisor 

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So, how much can you earn?

Let's Talk Electrician Salary

An electrician’s salary can range anywhere from $55,500 to $84,417 depending on certifications, experience, specialty, and geographic location. There are many opportunities in this field, and we know how overwhelming things can be starting out, so we wanted to share our findings on what an electrician is being paid as of 2023. 

Here’s a generic breakdown of an electrician’s salary progression:   

Avg. Entry level (Electrical Apprentice or Helper) salary: $55,500 

Avg. Mid-level (Master Electrician) salary: $73,174 

Avg. Senior level (Lead Master Electrician) salary: $84,417 

These five states have the highest average electrician salary:

  1. Alaska ($80,536) 
  2. Washington ($77,661) 
  3. Massachusetts ($71,067)
  4. Vermont ($71,063) 
  5. North Dakota ($68,879) 

Unsure of next steps to become an Electrician?

We're Here to Help!

NCW Electrician on the job

Let us show you why NCW should be a part of your journey to becoming an electrician:

We specialize in helping construction professionals find projects that they love. Do you have interest, or experience, in the electrical field? We offer a paid electrical apprenticeship program to employees who have worked at least 500 hours on our payroll. Even if you aren’t looking for an apprenticeship, we are here to help you when the time feels right. Have another specialty? Don’t worry, we hire in other industries too.  

Our recruiters have years of experience working with top talent, just like you. Our goal is to get to know you, understand your aspirations, chat through your experience, and connect you with a position that aligns with YOU.  

Connect to Opportunitiy

Our team puts your resume directly in front of hiring managers' eyes.

Expanded Network

NCW expands your network to uncover opportunities that may not have been available otherwise.

By Your Side

Our recruiters prep you for the job and guide you through every step of the way.

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