Electricians, what they do, what training they must have, and how much they make. Also you will read about the different levels of Electricians, including Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master.

1. Introduction

2. What they do

3. How much the get paid

4. Education/How to get the job

5. Pros and cons

6. Bibliography

1. Electricity is needed for light, power, air-conditioning, and refrigeration. And with almost everything in this century requiring power, the Electrician is in higher and higher demand. Electricians generally specialize in construction and maintenance work, although a growing number do both construction (wiring new homes and businesses), and rewire or upgrade older building’s electrical systems. Generally when Electricians work they use blueprints that indicate the locations of outlets, circuits, load-centers, panel boards, switch boxes, etc, . . . This short essay will give you some basic information on the job of an Electrician.

2.Electricians must follow the National Electrical Codes to ensure that the systems they install are safe and up to date. The systems must match or exceed the specified acceptable loads set by the code, or the system won’t pass the required electrical inspection.

Apprentice Electricians are usually given simple tasks like: drilling holes, setting anchors, attaching conduit, and installing, connecting and testing outlets, and cleaning up.

Journeyman Electricians use their experience to complete more advanced tasks like: installing circuit breakers, transformers, switch boxes, and other components, rewiring older buildings, wiring new buildings, etc.

Master Electricians are usually the foreman of electrical installations and are assigned tasks like: setting up and drawing electrical diagrams for entire electrical systems, estimating costs and amounts of wire, fuses, outlets, etc, . . ., supervising installation and testing of systems, and inspecting the electrical systems in old and new buildings.

3. Because of the working conditions and nature of their work, Electricians generally receive good pay. In May 2004 median hourly earnings of Electricians was $22.90. The lower 50% earned between $15.43 and $26.90. The lower 10% earned less than $12.18, and the highest 10% earned more than $30.63. Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest amount of Electricians in May 2004 were as follows:

Motor vehicle part manufacturing $30.04

Local government $22.24

Nonresidential Building construction $19.99

Building equipment contractors $19.76

Employment services $15.62

4. The job of an Electrician does not require a college degree, although some community colleges offer courses in Electrical engineering, and other similar courses. To become an Apprentice Electrician one must first buy an Apprenticeship License (Approx. $20.00-$50.00 depending on the state), then one could get classroom training. Although it isn’t required, it is helpful. Sometimes the only training Apprentice Electricians receive is on-the-job training from experienced Journeyman Electricians. Apprentice Electricians should have good math and English skills, and be 18 or older, and have a high school diploma or G.E.D. Apprenticeship programs usually last 4 years and each year include at least 144 hours of classroom instruction, and 2000 hours of on-the-job training. Once this training is complete the Apprentice can take a test and become a Journeyman Electrician. Skills needed to become an Electrician include manual dexterity, eye-hand coordination, physical fitness, and a good sense of balance. The ability to solve mathematical calculations quickly and accurately is also required, as well as having good color vision as most things in the electrical field are color-coded.

For a Journeyman Electrician to become Master Electrician he or she must have been a Journeyman Electrician for at least two years, and must be further trained in estimation, layout, and design of complete electrical systems. After this training is passed one can get an Administrative license and start their own electrical business 5. Some pros and cons for this job are as follows: Injuries are more common than other similar jobs like construction, possible injuries include electrocution, falling from scaffolding, high buildings or ladders, etc… Sometimes Electricians (especially specialist Electricians) have to travel long distances to get to job sites, and may have to live away from home for months at a time to complete jobs across the country or in foreign countries. The job of an Electrician is time consuming and more like a career than a job. It takes a while to get in, and time to gain rank and experience. Most Electrical companies require you to join a union like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers or the National Electrical Contractors Association. Also, most Electrical companies do contract work only, so Electricians may have to be without work for a few weeks at a time until the company they work for can sign onto another contract. The pros include: Good pay, doesn’t require college, offers a door into similar work like construction, employment for Electricians is expected to increase as fast as all occupations through the year 2014. New technologies also are expected to continue to stimulate the demand for these workers.

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