Also called: Electrician, Inside Wireman
Installs and repairs wiring, panels, lighting, and power systems in homes and buildings.
You bend conduit, pull wire through a new office building, and install a 400-amp panel. After lunch you track down why half a warehouse lost power, using a meter and some detective work.
BLS May 2024 median $62,350; top 10% earn over $106k. Union and overtime pay push many higher.
Apprenticeship, about 5 years after high school. Paid apprenticeship (4-5 years, about 8,000 hours on the job plus classroom), often through IBEW/NECA or ABC/IEC programs: earn while you learn, with no college debt. Then a state journeyman exam.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, Trade school, Military. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Electrical Technology (trade school), Electrical Apprenticeship.
Growing much faster than average (about 9% over 10 years). BLS 2024-34, much faster than average, about 80,000 openings a year.
Low risk for 10 years. Apps help with code checks and troubleshooting tips; pulling wire, bending conduit and diagnosing real buildings stays hands-on.
Classes: Algebra, Physics, Electrical CTE class, Shop or construction tech.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-2111.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.