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What does a roller coaster, your video game console and the fan in your bedroom all have in common?
They are all powered by electricity and electricians are involved in the wiring to help these gadgets run.
Have you ever considered becoming an electrician?
After all, electricians make a huge difference in our everyday lives. Among many other things, they help keep us keep cool, refrigerate our food, and light up our nights!
If you think about it, every single house, office, factory, sports stadium, and school require electricians to construct them and maintain them during the entire life of the building. In fact, it is incredibly difficult to think of places that do not require electricity.
What does that mean for electricians? Opportunities for work are literally everywhere!
Interested?
Read on to find out more about how to become an electrician.
What You’ll Study to Become an Electrician
In order to get accepted, you will need your high school diploma, GED, or equivalent. If you are still in high school, it is suggested to take additional math classes to help you in your electrical training program. Shop classes and other classes where you learn to work with tools, as well as mechanical drawing classes can also be helpful but are not required.
After high school, continue your journey to becoming an electrician by enrolling in a state-approved trade school program to learn the necessary skills to obtain a job in the field.
As a foundation, students will learn about electricity and how it works. From how it is generated and how it is distributed from place to place.
Students learn the national electrical codes to be sure they know how to meet the requirements for wiring, safety, grounding, and installing various types of electrical equipment and components.
They also learn the math required to complete their work. Electricians use basic math to do things like figure out how much wire they need to run electrical conduits from one place to another. It also includes the use of percentages, decimals, and fractions so you can convert various types of power measurements.
Some of the other math involves a bit of higher-level math, but only those principles that are required to complete the work. Don’t let any predisposed fear of math you may have from keeping you from pursuing becoming an electrician. Once your instructors explain the “why” behind the computations and how they are done, you’ll likely get it. Many students over the years can attest to this!
Students also discover the differences in the requirements for doing residential electrical work as well as those for commercial and industrial workspaces.
Students will obtain hands-on training to put what they’re learning into practice. Some of these things will be:
- How to ensure that safety is first and foremost
- How to use the tools and equipment used in the electrical trade, such as electrical meters, power tools, levels, pliers, electrical testers, screwdrivers, Sawzalls, wire strippers, and wire cutters
- How to work with electrical conductors, including their installation, maintenance and troubleshooting problems that may arise
- How to install electrical sockets, light fixtures, circuit breakers, and other electrical components
- How to pull wire through walls during both the construction phase and post-construction phase
- How to calculate electrical circuit quantities
- How to bend different sizes of conduit
- How to work as a team member and on your own
- How to handle live wires in a safe manner
- How to read blueprints and technical diagrams
Additionally, students will learn about the various electrical job options they can pursue in the electrical trade. Some options available to electricians are working in residential homes, commercial property, manufacturing plants/factories, government jobs, or being self-employed.
The versatility in the directions an electrician can take in their career is one of the most exciting factors in choosing this profession!
Why Study to Become an Electrician?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of April 2019, job growth for electricians will be 9 percent between now and 2026. If you think about this, it makes sense. It’s a good idea to look for any sites specific to your field for salary data. These sites may have info on industry average wages, particularly if your field’s a rarer one.
The need for electricians continues to grow and expand into new, emerging industries as technology continues to evolve. For example, solar and wind, two powers we tend to think of as “off the electrical grid” still require electricians to wire them in such a way as to collect the power, and then they have to wire it into the circuitry of our homes and buildings.
The versatility in the directions an electrician can take in their career is one of the most exciting factors in choosing this profession!
How Your Schoolwork Counts in Your Steps to Becoming a Licensed Electrician
After you obtain the necessary education, you may be eligible to take the journeyman test to become a licensed electrician, depending on the college or trade school you attend and the state in which you live.
In order to be eligible to take the test to become a licensed journeyman electrician, you will need to show a minimum number of years of work experience.
For example, in California, you must show four (4) to (6) years of practical experience in order to obtain your license after passing the examination. A background check may be completed by the state licensing agency before the license is issued. You may be required to submit additional information such as evidence of worker’s compensation insurance and general liability insurance in order to work as a licensed contractor. It is suggested that you periodically check with your state’s licensing agency for any changes that may occur in the licensure requirements.
Start Your Journey to Becoming an Electrician Today
There is no better time than today to take your first steps towards becoming an electrician.
You’ll get a solid foot on the ground in this well-respected field and start getting yourself prepared for a job that should provide you with a steady source of work, security for you and your family, and you’ll get paid a good wage.
After you get experienced, you could even be your own boss!
Contact Intercoast College to find out more. Let them help you get started.
