Maybe you're stuck in a job that pays the bills but doesn't go anywhere. Maybe you're good with your hands and want a trade with steady demand and a shot at better pay. Becoming an electrician fits that, and you can get there without a four-year degree or a pile of student debt.
There are a handful of steps, and it helps to know them before you start. This guide walks through each one: finishing high school, picking how you'll train, completing an apprenticeship, earning journeyman status, and getting licensed. You'll also see what the work pays and how to find training that fits your budget and your schedule.
Is Becoming an Electrician Right for You?
Before you commit years to any trade, it’s a good idea to figure out whether the work matches how you're wired (pun absolutely intended).
Electricians spend their days solving practical problems: figuring out why a circuit keeps tripping, wiring a new build to code, getting equipment running again after it quits. If you like seeing a result you can point to, and you enjoy puzzling things out, you'll probably feel at home here.
If you've taken SkillUp's Work Styles Quiz, this trade lines up well with the Realistic and Investigative styles. If you haven't, it takes a few minutes and points you toward careers that fit your strengths, so you're not stuck guessing whether a path suits you.
Why the Demand for Electricians Is Strong
Electrical work isn't going anywhere. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median wage for electricians at $62,350 as of May 2024, with the top 10% earning more than $106,030. Employment is projected to grow 9% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average across all jobs, with about 81,000 openings a year over the decade. (See the BLS data here.)
A lot of those openings come from workers retiring, so the demand holds steady instead of riding on one boom. On top of that, EV charging, solar and wind, data centers, and grid upgrades all need trained electricians. The work stays busy when other industries slow down, and it rarely asks for a four-year degree to get going.
Step 1: Finish High School or Earn a GED
Most apprenticeships and trade programs require a high school diploma or a GED.
If you're still in school, classes in algebra, geometry, and physics build the math and reasoning you'll need on the job, and any shop or electronics elective gives you a head start.
If you left school a while back, a GED clears the same bar, and plenty of electricians start training years after graduation.
Step 2: Choose How You'll Train
There are a few common ways into this field. Some people head straight into a paid apprenticeship. Others spend time in a trade school or community college first to strengthen their application or build their knowledge base. Here's how the three routes stack up.
Union Apprenticeship (IBEW)
- Typical time: 4 to 5 years
- Typical cost: Little to no tuition; paid from day one
- What you get: Paid on-the-job training, classroom hours, and a structured pay ladder
- Good fit if: You want to earn while you train and skip tuition
Trade School
- Typical time: 8 to 24 months
- Typical cost: ~$1,000 to $15,000+
- What you get: Foundational skills that can strengthen an apprenticeship application
- Good fit if: You want classroom grounding first and can fund tuition
Community College
- Typical time: 1 to 2 years
- Typical cost: Often under $5,000/year
- What you get: Certificate or associate degree plus general coursework
- Good fit if: You want an affordable credential and broader education
What If I Don’t Want School at All?
Trade school and community college are optional. Plenty of electricians go straight from high school into a paid apprenticeship and never pay tuition. Others do a short program first to stand out when they apply or to shave off some apprenticeship hours. There's no single right order.
Whichever way you lean, you can compare electrical training programs on SkillUp by cost, length, and whether they're online or in person. The catalog sticks to low-cost and free programs that lead to livable-wage work, so you're not wading through options that would put you in debt.
Step 3: Land and Complete an Apprenticeship
For most people, the apprenticeship is the heart of becoming an electrician. It's paid work from day one, so you're earning while you build skills instead of borrowing against your future. If apprenticeships and earn-and-learn programs are new to you, here's how they work.
What Does an Electrician Apprenticeship Involve?
A typical apprenticeship runs four to five years and pairs roughly 8,000 hours of on-the-job training (about 2,000 a year) with classroom instruction, usually around 144 hours a year on electrical theory, safety, and the National Electrical Code.
What Will I Make as an Apprentice Electrician?
Pay climbs as you go. First-year apprentices often earn $15 to $22 an hour, around 40 to 50% of a journeyman's wage, and that rate steps up every year. By the last year, many apprentices are pulling $25 to $30 an hour before they ever sit for the licensing exam.
How Do I Find an Apprenticeship?
You'll find apprenticeships through a few channels:
- Union programs run by the IBEW through Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees
- Independent or merit-shop contractors and their associations
- The U.S. Department of Labor apprenticeship finder
- SkillUp's training catalog, where about 90% of listed apprenticeships are free
It also pays to pick a credential with a track record. Through SkillUp's partnership with the Burning Glass Institute, the Credential Value Index measures how much a credential moves workers' wages, drawing on millions of career records. The NCCER Electrical certification, for instance, is tied to wage gains of up to $14,600. When your training leads to a credential like that, the years you put in point toward stronger pay, and you've got proof to show for it.
Step 4: Become a Journeyman Electrician
Once you've logged the hours your program asks for and passed your state's journeyman exam, you're a journeyman electrician. That's when you can work on your own, without a licensed electrician checking every task. It's also usually when pay takes a jump, since you're off the apprentice rate.
Journeyman is the second rung on a three-step ladder: apprentice, journeyman, then master. You don't have to climb all the way, but it can help to know the ladder's there.
Step 5: Get Licensed (and Plan Your Next Move)
Licensing rules change from state to state, and sometimes city to city, so what you need depends on where you live.
- Some states license electricians at the journeyman and master levels.
- Others want you registered as an apprentice or trainee before you set foot on a job site.
- A few leave it to local jurisdictions.
Your state's licensing board is the place to confirm what applies to you, including any continuing education to keep a license active.
From journeyman, the next rung is master electrician, which usually takes a few more years of experience and another exam. Master electricians can run their own contracting business, lead crews, and design electrical systems, and they tend to earn the most.
You can also specialize along the way in things like solar installation, industrial systems, or low-voltage work, each of which can open higher-paying roles.
Start Your Path with SkillUp
Becoming an electrician is a series of steps, and SkillUp's designed to help you take them one at a time:
- Get a feel for whether the trade fits with the Work Styles Quiz
- See what the day-to-day looks like on the electrician career page
- Compare electrical training programs by cost, length, and format
- Browse open electrician roles that don't screen by degree
- Create a free profile to save programs, set a goal, and track each milestone from your first application to your license
You don't have to map out all five steps today. Start with one you can finish, and let it lead to the next. Create your free SkillUp profile and start where you are.
FAQs
How long does it take to become an electrician?
Most people reach licensed journeyman status in four to five years through an apprenticeship. The good part is you're earning from day one, so you're paid the whole way through instead of waiting until the end.
Do you need a degree to become an electrician?
Nope, no four-year degree needed. You'll want a high school diploma or GED and a completed apprenticeship. Trade school or community college can help your application, but you don't have to do either.
How much does electrician training cost?
An apprenticeship is paid and usually comes with little to no tuition. Trade school runs roughly $1,000 to $15,000, and community college programs are often under $5,000 a year.
Do electrician apprentices get paid while training?
Yep. Apprentices earn wages from the first day, usually starting around $15 to $22 an hour and rising each year as they pick up skills and hours.
