Tricks of the Trade: The Ultimate Guide to Electrician Career Path Opportunities

When it comes to skilled trades, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that is more rewarding, lucrative, and stable than that of an electrician. Best of all, the career path options available to electricians are so varied that you’ll discover a realm of opportunities, allowing you to tailor your journey to your unique interests and ambitions.

Whether you aspire to work in residential or commercial settings, ascend to the prestigious role of a master electrician, own your own business as an electrical contractor, brave the heights as an outside lineman, or explore an innovative field as a car electrician or in the renewable energy sector, the electrician career path offers a dynamic landscape with endless possibilities for growth and success.

With these varied opportunities also come high-salary electrician career choices. According to ZipRecruiter.com, the best electrical jobs can pay up to $135,500 per year, and according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, electricians earn, on average, $28.87 per hour and $60,040 per year.

Whether you are working toward or considering an entry-level electricity technician diploma or an associate degree in electrical technology, you must understand all available career path options.

In this post, we’ll break them down.

Training Programs and Apprenticeships: Pathways to Success

The journey toward a career as an electrician begins with training. One of the popular pathways involves becoming an apprentice. Typically, a student will take classes on weekends and at night while working directly with a master electrician as an apprentice.

The Journeyman Electrician

As in many states, becoming a journeyman electrician in Florida requires obtaining a license. To be eligible, you generally need to:

• Complete a state-approved electrical apprenticeship program.
• Accumulate a certain number of work hours under the supervision of a licensed electrician.
• Pass a journeyman electrician exam, which assesses your knowledge of electrical codes, regulations, and safety procedures.

You may need to decide if you would like to work in residential or commercial settings, as this may require specific licensing requirements.

The distinction between a residential and commercial electrician is simple. Commercial electricians are licensed to work in commercial settings, while a residential electrician works in homes or small apartment buildings.

The Master Electrician

Once an individual has worked as a licensed electrician while supervised by a master electrician, they can apply to become a master electrician, meaning they are specially licensed to work unsupervised, obtain permits, and guide or supervise other electricians. A master electrician can also train apprentices. The exact number of years required to become a master electrician varies by state, but it’s typically around four to five years in Florida.

The Electrical Contractor

Becoming an electrical contractor is the way to go for the aspiring electrician with entrepreneurial drive. Although each state differs, Florida issues electrical contractor licenses through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s (DBPR) Electrical Contractors Licensing Board (ECLB).

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that eight percent of all electricians in the United States are self-employed.

The Outside Lineman

An alternative path that many electricians often consider is that of an outside lineman. These individuals are tasked with the installation, maintenance, and repair of outdoor electrical lines. This is an incredibly important job as these lines carry electricity from our nation’s power plants to communities, both large and small.

As an outside lineman, you must work outside in all weather conditions and at great heights. It is considered one of the most dangerous types of electrical careers because of the high risk of electrocution from high-voltage power lines and the risk of falls.

Other Types of Electrician Career Path Options

The above reference career options are just a few of the many available to trained electricians. Others include:

• Electrical inspector: Homebuyers rely on professional electrical inspectors to make sure that the electrical components and wiring in the homes they purchase are code-compliant and safe.
• Construction foreman: If you like leading teams of people, you might consider a job as a foreperson, which would have you supervising those working on a construction site in a wide range of capacities.
• Project manager: Commercial and residential construction projects often include complicated electrical systems. Project managers with electrical training can help plan and implement electrical plans on job sites.
• Renewable energy consultant: With additional training, electricians can specialize in wiring solar, wind, and other energy systems that use alternative energy.
• Car electrician: Some specialized mechanics deal with the complex electrical systems keeping our vehicles running. They use multimeters and diagnostic equipment to detect glitches and fix or replace faulty components.

Career Path Options for Electricians

There is no single path for those considering a career as an electrician. While it is ultimately up to you to ensure that you get the training and licensing you need to move toward a career that is right for you, it all starts in the classroom.  

CBT Technology Institute is a premier electrician school in Miami, Florida, offering an 8-month technician diploma program providing entry-level proficiency and basic skills needed to enter the field and a 20-month associate degree program that prepares students with hands-on training to become knowledgeable and competent electrical technicians.

Contact CBT Technology Institute today to find out which career path is right for you.