Electrician Wages: How Much Does an Electrician Earn?

Before becoming an electrician, everybody wants to know the estimated electrician wages.

As long as we have electricity, we will need an electrician.

From areas of repair, construction, house wiring, inspection, troubleshooting and motors, and with each new development comes the need for an electrician.

The wages for an electrician can start from $18 an hour and rise up quite significantly, depending on your career path.

The average journeyman electrician wages are around $38 an hour, and grow each year based on inflation. Health plan benefits come along with the package and make the actual pay rate even higher.

Growth in Demand for Electricians

The demand for electricians is expected to keep growing, particularly for those electricians with the most sought-after skills, including data, voice and video wiring.

There is expected to be an increase of 12 percent by 2018 in the demand for electricians, making it one of the fastest-growing occupations.

The population is constantly growing, as is the building industry for homes, schools, restaurants, and other structures needing to be outfitted with electricity. Older buildings need electrical improvements to meet with modern code laws. The consumption of electronic equipment at home and work grows every day.

New technologies continue to increase the demand for more professionals in this field. Robotics and a large assortment of automated manufacturing processes in factories require maintenance and repair on a regular basis, as well as new installations.

The efforts to boost the conservation of energy in all public buildings require more electricians. Some of the newest energy savers, like motion sensors and solar panels, need electricians with up-to-date knowledge.

Job opportunities will be created in many fields over this next decade, pushing up electrician wages along with demand for their services.

Is This Career Right for You?

There are a few questions to ask yourself before looking into an apprenticeship program. Most electricians have well honed skills and enjoy working with their tools of the trade.

• Do you enjoy working with tools?
• Are your math skills above average? You don’t have to claim genius in math, but you do need to be comfortable with complicated mathematical equations.
• Are you physically fit?
• Would you like to earn electrician wages?

If you answer yes to these questions, you most likely have what it takes to become a successful electrician.

Training and Apprenticeship

The next steps are to check into training programs and look for any opportunities in apprenticeship. Many people decide to take a course or class, before they experience any on-the-job training. Others decide to do both at the same time.

There is no right or wrong way. Once you have found what training and apprenticeship opportunities there are, you should choose one and submit an application. Some have a waiting list.

If you enjoy what this career offers, it is well worth going the extra mile to become qualified in different areas. With wider knowledge come opportunities to earn better electrician wages.

As an apprentice, you will start anywhere between 30 to 50 percent of the rate for a fully trained electrician wages. As you add more skills, there are usually periodic pay increases throughout your training.

Each day you will learn and refine your skills along with the input that your teachers will give you. Over a period of time, you will have learned the basic skills needed to move on towards being a certified electrician.

Life as an Electrician

Life as an electrician is not easy. That is one of the reasons why workers are in such high demand. Not too many people can handle the extreme working conditions. It a takes a special person with the right attitude.

Your life is in constant danger. You may be required to work in less than perfect, if not downright harsh conditions.

Many working days are long. You may have to go out in the middle of a blizzard, or in the middle of the night. Storms wreak havoc on power lines. An electrician must go out and repair these lines in spite of terrible weather conditions.

People that thrive on this type of environment make the best electricians, and usually garner the highest electrician salary.

You also have the option to start a business of your own as an electrician contractor. In this case, your working environment can be quite pleasant but bear in mind that this also involves the many additional responsibilities that come with being a business owner/manager.

There are pros and cons to every option. Your personality has already driven you to explore the possibility of becoming an electrician. Where you go from here, and what type of electrician wages you wish to earn, are all up to you.

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