How to become an electrician

How to become an electrician, step by step

1. Finish high school or get a GED. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as required.
2. If you want a head start, take a technical school program or a pre-apprenticeship. Technical school graduates usually get credit toward an apprenticeship.
3. Get into an apprenticeship with a union, a contractor association or an electrical contractor, and work about 2,000 paid hours a year while you take classes.
4. Finish the apprenticeship and pass your state or local exam to work as a journeyman.
5. Keep working, meet your state's experience rules and earn a master license.
6. Get the contractor license your state asks for, then start your own shop.

Apprenticeship and on-the-job training

Most electricians learn the trade in a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship. Each year brings about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training plus some classroom instruction.

Classes cover electrical theory, blueprint reading, math, electrical code requirements, and safety and first aid. Some programs add soldering, communications, fire alarm systems or elevators.

Unions and contractor associations are among the groups that sponsor programs, and the rules vary by state and city. Workers with electrical experience from the military or construction may qualify for a shorter apprenticeship based on experience and testing.

Apprentices earn less than fully trained electricians, and the pay goes up as they learn to do more.

Find registered openings near you in the Apprenticeship Job Finder. In each state page below, we note whether the state runs its own apprenticeship agency or works through the U.S. Department of Labor.

Trade school and other ways in

Technical school. Many technical schools teach circuitry, safety practices and basic electrical work. Graduates usually get credit toward their apprenticeship, so school can shorten the road rather than replace it.

Pre-apprenticeship. A pre-apprenticeship is a program built to prepare people to get into and finish a Registered Apprenticeship. It is a good fit if you have no trade experience and want to show a sponsor you are ready.

Contractor training programs. Some electrical contractors run their own training that mixes classroom and on-the-job work. BLS notes these are not recognized apprenticeship programs, so ask how the hours count toward your state license before you sign on.

Starting as a helper. Some people work as an electrician's helper first and then move into an apprenticeship.

Licenses and exams

Most states require electricians to pass a test and be licensed. The tests cover the National Electrical Code and state and local electrical codes.

Many states keep separate journeyman and master licenses, each with its own exam and experience rule. Your state's row below shows what it asks for.

You may need continuing education to keep the license, usually on safety, changes to the electrical code and manufacturer training.

Of the 50 states and DC we have checked against the official boards, 41 require a state electrical license, 4 license only part of the work, and 6 leave it to cities and counties. Every state, with fees and forms: electrical licenses by state.

Certifications

Specialty certifications. Optional certifications show skill in areas such as solar photovoltaic, electrical generating or lighting systems. They are not required, and some employers look for them.

EPA lead-safe firm certification. Anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes or child-occupied facilities built before 1978 must be certified under the EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. That covers every firm, sole proprietors included, so it matters the day you go out on your own.

What electricians earn

Electricians earned a median $30.38 an hour in May 2025. The lowest-paid tenth earned under $20.50 and the top tenth over $52.17.

Among the states with a page below, the highest medians are in Oregon ($48.71), Illinois ($47.87) and Hawaii ($46.38).

BLS counts 821,000 jobs for electricians and projects 9 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, with about 72,700 openings a year.

Pay in every state: electrician salary by state.

From the truck to your own shop

After an apprenticeship, electricians are journey workers and can work on their own, subject to state or local licensing.

With more experience and further requirements, journey workers can become master electricians, then supervisors or project managers.

Self-employed electricians often work in residential construction and may be able to set their own schedule.

Before you go out on your own, price your hours. At the national median of $30.38, the labor rate calculator gives $123.94 per billable hour on its starting numbers.

The full checklist: how to start an electrical business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.