Electrical services are essential to everyday life. From installing lighting and appliances at homes and offices to installing electrical systems in buildings and power plants; These services cannot be overlooked.
An electrician’s job is to ensure that all electrical systems are running as they should. This is ensured by reading electrical system blueprints as well as installing and troubleshooting electrical systems as often as required.
Contrary to popular belief about blue-collar jobs, such as being an electrician, you can make a lot of money working in this line of work. You only need to be equipped with the right skills and expertise in your area of work and you are well set to earn money.
Where do electricians make the most money
The average annual pay for an electrician is estimated to be about $58,000. This, of course, is dependent on many factors such as hourly rates, level of expertise, and the geographical location where the work is being carried out from.
As an electrician, thinking of where to set the base of your career is an important decision. In as much as electrical services are required everywhere, you will be puzzled to know that in some states, electricians are paid higher rates than in other states. A good example of a city with high pay rates for electricians is New York City.. An electrician working in New York City earns an average of $77,300 annually. Other states that pay their electricians well include;
- Alaska with an annual rate of about $76,000
- Illinois with a rate of about $75,400
- Hawaii about $75,000
- In New Jersey, electricians are reportedly paid an annual rate of about $71,600
- California with an annual rate of about $69,300
- In Washington DC the annual rate is about $68,500 and finally, in Massachusetts, the annual rate is about $68,000.
How much do electricians make an hour
There are different levels of being an electrician namely; entry-level, journeyman, and master electrician.
An entry-level electrician is one who is starting on training. Entry-level electricians can only work under instructions from licensed electricians. They assist in the installation and maintenance of electrical systems. Electricians at this level are rarely highly paid with the average pay per hour being about $11 to $15.
The journeyman electrician is one that is done with their training and is capable of working independently. They however are not yet licensed to work as a master electrician; they can do all sorts of electrical duties but cannot yet design the initial electrical systems of buildings. The average hourly pay rate of an electrical journeyman is about $24.
The third and highest-paid level is master electrician. These are people with years of experience working in this field and have with time advanced their skills and have thereby been given the master electrician license. The minimum requirement of becoming a master electrician is that you must have worked for more than two years as a journeyman electrician and thereafter you need to pass the Master Electrician exam.
As a master electrician, you are permitted to install, maintain, and repair even the most complex electrical systems. The average hourly pay rate of a Master Electrician ranges from $40 to $100.
How to become an electrician
An electrician is someone who installs and maintains power supply in a commercial or residential building. To become an electrician one needs to be conversant with electrical codes, blueprints, tools, and equipment necessary for the job. To have adequate knowledge of this you will be required to have on and off class training and obtain a relevant license to grant you the go-ahead to start working as an electrician.
Earn your certificates
In high school, there are several subjects you could take that will help you in your future pursuit of electrical studies such as algebra, physics, and mechanical drawing.
After high school, you could choose to advance your studies either in college or a technical school. Here, you are going to learn about electrical power systems both in theory and practical form. The content of your program will include aspects such as wiring techniques, electrical drafting, and a couple of practical work.
If you are enrolled in a college, the program on average runs for about four to five years while in technical schools it runs for about two years. Thereafter, you will be required to work as an industry apprentice.
On-the-job Training
This is the second and most important step to becoming a qualified electrician. It is during this time that you get to experience the real work on the field and it is also at this time that you get to network with accomplished and upcoming electricians. After you are done with classwork you will be required to do on-the-job training with a qualified electrician. He/she will guide you on how to go about the business in the field. You will get to practice what you learned in school.
Fieldwork is expected to take about two to three months of supervised work. At first, you will only be required to do light duties such as testing wires and installing conduits. As you progress, more complex work might be assigned to you depending on the assessment of your capabilities by your mentor.
Obtain a License
Having successfully gone through school and field training, the last step to get you to start working is obtaining a license. In most regions, you will need to pass a National Electrical code exam before you are certified. However, check the requirements of your region to learn more about this. After you are licensed, you will need to continually take refresher courses to keep up with new regulations, raw materials, and procedures that might come up in the line of work.
In Conclusion
A blue-collar job; Not what exactly comes to mind when thinking of career opportunities that can make you a lot of money. The fact is, many of the services offered by blue-collar workers such as electricians are services vital to everyday modern life. As such, they are quite on demand and their demand is likely to rise in the coming years. With the right skills and unique expertise, you can earn as much, or even more than some people working in white-collar jobs.
