What are some pros and cons of being an electrician?
pros: lots of troubleshooting problem solving compared to other trades. lots of specialization (fire alarms, PLC, motor controls, teaching, inspectors) pretty much the same pay everywhere you go. skilled trades are needed everywhere you go. cons: if you dont like problem solving not for you. heavy lifting. moving around job site to job site
Why you should consider becoming an electrician?
Why Becoming An Electrician Is A Safe Career Move In 2021
- The Electrical Trade Needs New Apprentices. Skilled tradesmen are reaching retirement age and leaving the workforce before they can be replaced.
- Working as an Electrician. Becoming an electrician means being exposed to a various risks. ...
- Typical Career Path of an Electrician. ...
What can you expect from a job as an electrician?
The generally defined work of an electrician is to install and repair wiring and electrical control systems in buildings for homeowners, commercial businesses and government institutions. However, the daily electrical work and design that goes into projects is different depending on the specific needs and requirements of the building.
What are the benefits of hiring an electrician?
What are the benefits of hiring an electrician? You will be able to save money by hiring an electrician. An electrician can perform electrical work and allow you to avoid paying expensive fines for having faulty wiring in your home or business.
What are some examples of electrical workers struggling to adequately provide for their families and for their own futures?
The cost of deductibles and premiums for health insurance and inability to properly invest in a retirement plan are two prime examples of how electrical workers struggle to adequately provide for their families and for their own futures.
Do electricians have to pay deductibles?
By working for the one of the region’s premier electrical contractors, many electricians will pay smaller health insurance premiums and deductibles because they are on a better plan, which also includes prescription drug, dental and vision coverage.
1. Job Demand Is Always High
One of the best things about becoming an electrician is continued job security. This field always needs new employees because everyone needs electrical work completed.
3. You Can Become Self-Employed
Other electrician benefits include the opportunity to be self-employed. If you want to own your own business, you have that opportunity when you become an electrician.
4. You Can Earn as You Train for the Job
If you choose to take the apprenticeship program path, you can earn money while you train. Getting this hands-on experience will look great on your resume when the time comes to apply for a job in the field.
These Are the Benefits of Being an Electrician
There are many benefits to being an electrician. Entering this field provides job security and challenging work each day.
Why is being an electrician so attractive?
A career as an electrician is attractive for many reasons. It's a field that's relatively easy to enter, because you can begin apprenticing with just a high school diploma. In addition, electricians earn higher-than-average salaries, and the field is expected to see above-average job growth.
How long does it take to become an electrician?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most electricians receive their training through apprenticeship programs that last four to five years. Along with classroom training, each year of apprenticeship includes 2,000 hours of on-the-job training for which apprentices are paid -- the equivalent of 50 40-hour weeks.
What was the median salary of an electrician in 2012?
As of 2012, the median wage for electricians was $49,840 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's 43 percent higher than the median wage of all workers in America, which was $34,750 a year in 2012. It's also 28 percent higher than the median wage earned by construction trade workers as a whole.
Can electricians work independently?
Electricians may work independently as self-employed contractors or for larger companies that offer greater job security. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 9 percent of electricians were self-employed in 2012. These individuals typically work as residential electricians and can set their own hours. Other electricians work in ...
Why is it important to be an electrician?
It creates the opportunity to do so cash jobs. Your skills as an electrician will be very useful for your neighbors. They might want to put in a hot tub or upgrade their hot water heater and need your skills to finish the work. Those circumstances create an opportunity to do cash jobs that can boost your income.
What are the pros and cons of being an electrician?
1. The work you are doing remains challenging and varied. Your work as an electrician means that no two days will usually be the same. Your career is going to be in a highly-skilled trade where a variety of jobs are available each day.
How much does an electrician make?
The median pay for an electrician in the United States is about $50,000 per year. If you find yourself in the top 10%, then you can earn about $100,000 per year. Apprenticeship programs typically pay in the $10 to $15 per hour range. 3. There are opportunities for self-employment as an electrician.
Why do apprenticeships have reinforcement?
This advantage receives reinforcement because most apprenticeship programs are under the supervision of experienced electricians. These mentors will guide you through the development process while teaching you what you must know to have a successful career in the future.
How many hours do you need to be an electrician?
There are union and non-union choices in most communities, but both of them require up to 10,000 hours of on-site training and experience before you’ll receive clearance to work independently. There can also be up to 1,000 hours of classroom work to complete. 2. The work you do as an electrician is often dangerous.
How long does it take to become an electrician?
1. It can take several years for you to complete your apprenticeship.#N#You don’t need to have an undergraduate degree to begin working as an electrician. You’ll be spending that time in an apprenticeship program instead. Most people need between four to five years to graduate from this learning process. There are union and non-union choices in most communities, but both of them require up to 10,000 hours of on-site training and experience before you’ll receive clearance to work independently. There can also be up to 1,000 hours of classroom work to complete.
Why do people get an undergraduate degree before becoming an apprentice?
Some people have even decided to obtain their undergraduate degree before applying to become an apprentice because their education can be a deciding factor. Most programs want to see commitment before anything else, so think about the ways that you can promote yourself in this area to get a foot in the door.
How much do electrical engineers make?
In May of 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics completed a survey and determined that electrical engineers made an average of $87,770 a year. The report is based on an estimated 148,770 electrical engineers working around the country, most of whom fell into the middle 50 percent and earned between $66,880 and $105,860 a year. The lowest paid engineers, those in the bottom 10th percentile, reported annual salaries of less than $54,030. However, electrical engineers with experience and the right credentials had the chance to climb into the top 10th percentile and earn over $128,610 annually.
What is the average salary of an electrical engineer in California?
Engineers working in California averaged $99,120 a year while those in Alaska brought home an average of $102,120 annually. Massachusetts was the highest paying state in the U.S., boasting an annual mean wage of $103,350. However, the best city for electrical engineers was the Sherman-Denison metro area of Texas, paying $123,650 a year on average.
What is electrical engineering?
Electrical engineers work hard to design, test and repair these electrical devices and systems. Some may focus on the electrical technology in transportation while others work exclusively in radar communication.
Do engineers get government benefits?
Those working for the military or government are entitled to typically government benefits, and engineers working for educational institutions may receive packages similar to professors and other faculty members.
Is an electrical engineer self employed?
Some electrical engineers are self-employed and must pay the full amount for their insurance and retirement plans as well as cover the full income tax burden. Kara Page has been a freelance writer and editor since 2007. She maintains several blogs on travel, music, food and more.
What are the benefits of becoming an electrician?
Another benefit of becoming an electrician is that you will also have pretty decent job security.
What are the disadvantages of being an electrician?
Disadvantages of Working as an Electrician 1 Teleworking is not possible for electricians 2 You will not get rich as an electrician 3 You may be liable for mistakes 4 Working as an electrician can be risky 5 You will not learn many digital skills 6 Hard to get out of this field 7 You will always have to help people out 8 Electricians have a rather low social standing 9 You always have to improve your skills 10 Working as an electrician may become boring 11 Promotion opportunities are rather limited 12 May cause problems once you get older
What happens if you are the electricity expert in your circle of friends?
Since you will be the electricity expert in your circle of friends, you will always have someone who needs your help.
Do electricians have a good work life balance?
Most electricians also report a pretty good work-life balance. Barely any electrician complains about the workload he or she has to achieve and this is a sign that electricians indeed have plenty of leisure.
Is it safe to work as an electrician?
While many jobs in other industries will vanish due to machine learning and artificial intelligence, your job as an electrician will be relatively safe for many years to come since electricians often do work for private households which cannot be carried out by machines anytime soon.
Can an electrician change jobs?
You should also not expect that your work as an electrician will never change.
Do electricians work in commercial buildings?
Electricians make sure that electric systems inside private homes or commercial buildings work properly.
What is the job of an electrician?
Comply with all safety standards and regulations of the National Electrical Code. Supervise and train others in the installation and repair of electrical components. Electricians get electrical power from its source to end-users, install it safely, and perform testing, maintenance, and repairs to keep it functioning properly.
How much do electricians make?
Electricians who work for the government tend to be the most highly compensated, followed by manufacturing, contracting, and employment services, but compensation across all sectors is: Median Annual Salary: $55,190 ( $26.53/hour) Top 10% Annual Salary: More than $94,620 ($45.49/hour)
What are the skills required to be an electrician?
Working as an electrician requires multiple skills, traits, and abilities: 1 Manual dexterity: An electrician must have good manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination. 2 Color vision: They must be able to identify wires by color, so normal color vision is critical. 3 Physical fitness and a good sense of balance: They may be on their feet all day and work at high elevations, in addition to routinely lifting objects that weigh up to 50 pounds. 4 Troubleshooting and analytical skills: They need to decide which device is the right one for testing a wide variety of problems and then figure out the best solutions. 5 Ability to work on a team: Many electricians work on crews with limited supervision.
How old do you have to be to become an electrician?
Apprentice electricians must be at least 18 years old. Education: A high school diploma or GED is required. Apprenticeship: Electrician apprenticeship programs generally last four to five years and include a minimum of 576 hours of classroom instruction and 8,000 hours of on-the-job training.
What do you need to know to become an electrician?
They must pass an exam that tests knowledge of electrical theory, the National Electrical Code, and local electrical and building codes.
Where do electricians work?
Work Environment. Electricians might work indoors in residential and commercial buildings or outdoors on construction sites, sometimes in inclement weather. Working as an electrician can be uncomfortable and, at times, dangerous. Electricians work in cramped spaces and spend a lot of time standing or kneeling.
Is the job outlook for electricians good?
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of electrician jobs will increase by about 9%, or about as fast as the average for all occupations, between 2016 and 2026.
How much does an electrician make an hour?
The average salary for a electrician is $25.17 per hour in the United States and $8,109 overtime per year.
How much should you be earning?
Get an estimated calculation of how much you should be earning and insight into your career options. See more details
How to become an electrician?
To minimize risk most companies that employ electricians (assuming that you don’t wish to become self-employed as one) require that: 1 You demonstrate that you have the ability to do the job (either by written or hands-on testing) 2 You be certified or licensed to be an electrician ( however, in industrial maintenance settings in the US, you can be titled as bein
How much do guys make in a prevailing wage job?
It depends on a lot of factors. Just like many other jobs, you need to have knowledge, integrity, and skills. I’ve seen guys making $68/hr for prevailing wage jobs and guys make $10/hr. The biggest problem I see are experienced guys too stubborn to learn something new. They are so attached to their ways. Sure, they learned a lot of shortcuts along their career, but I see them inhibiting their own growth by refusing to learn anything new.
Do we need human labor?
Yes, we will always need human-labor but not in the same numbers that we have needed in the past. When I got started in the 80’s I was on a job that had 100 electricians for a 7-story hotel remodel, now we can do a 5-story medical office building (MOB) with a dozen-twenty guys.
Can I work in all areas of the trade?
At times, you may work in all the different settings in 1 work day. So, that type of experience is extremely valuable and you can pretty much stay as busy as you want to, with 1 employer or several.
Can money make up for a broken body?
And no amount of money can make up for a battered and broken body, and believe me in the last 30+ years, I’ve seen a bunch of those gimpy guys.
Do unions recruit more members?
Yet unions are still recruiting more members and making it more difficult for existing members to retire.
Can a non union electrician make more than a union electrician?
A Non-Union Electricians pay is almost always negotiable. Once you get to the Journeyman level you can usually make more than a Union Electrician. The work is way more broad. You can work in all areas of the trade like I mentioned above, low voltage, residential, commercial and industrial.
