How Long Does It Take To Become An Electrician?

The article aims at giving you an idea about how many years you usually spend on becoming an electrician by breakdown time consumed at every level.

Updated by Rakshitha.N on 14th September 2020

A career in the electrical field is rewarding but the path to become an electrician could be confusing and challenging. With an average growth of 10%, there is a demand for electricians in the industry. If you are interested in becoming an electrician, you must be well aware of how to start and what comes on your way. First, your question of how long it takes to become an electrician? To help you, this article acts as a guide on making you understand the timeframe distributed to meet the requirements and become a qualified electrician. 

How many years to become an electrician?

There are many people who are passionate about getting into the electrical field as a long-time profession. If you are one of them, you are at the right place to research about an electrician’s career. The career paths have various challenges and take about 3 to 5 years to become a successful electrician. Also, there are a number of qualifications to work as an electrician.

After completing your education from high-school you should start training yourself in an apprenticeship or a vocational program that takes about 4 years. Preparing for a license and clearing the exams could take a few months till you get employed and work as an electrician. 

 The overall time consumed to complete apprenticeship can be accelerated by transferring credits from the pre-apprenticeship program. 

However, ensure you choose the right path that aligns with your goals and choose the right training program as technically, there is no degree level required to get into the job profile. Also some students choose to get an associate's or bachelor's degree at a traditional college but we recommend you to get trained at an organization like IEC with suitable specializations. 

  • Complete your high school education or an equivalent diploma to become eligible for a training program. These programs give you the basic skills to pursue further studies and training. 

  • An electrical apprenticeship program takes about 4 years or 80,000 to 100,000 hours. Also, the program includes 8,000 hours of hands-on training and 500 hours of classroom instruction. The period of completion can vary based on the specialization you choose. For instance, Residential and installer tech within taking about 3 years, Inside wireman program takes  5 years, Outside lineman takes 3.5 years. 

  • After getting well trained, you are eligible to take up the exam and earn a license, this takes about a few months.

  • To advance your career and attain higher positions, you may choose to continue education and become a master electrician. You'll need to complete 4,000 hours or 2 years or more and gain experience, clear an exam and land as a licensed master electrician. 


Conclusion

If you are willing to become an electrician, make sure you plan a solid career path and make long term goals. Even if the career path consumes time, it will yield results and helps you increase your earning potentials and settle at a high paying job. Due to the increasing demands for electricians, it would be the right decision to choose this profession. 

Choosing to become an electrician puts you on a solid career path. It may take some years to complete, but the bonus for all the hard work you put into your training will be working in a well-paying field where employers need you!