The highest electrician license: can design systems, pull permits, and supervise other electricians.
You lay out the electrical plan for a new restaurant, sign the permit, and assign two journeymen and an apprentice. Later you troubleshoot a tricky panel problem no one else could solve.
Masters supervise jobs and pull permits; union masters in big cities earn more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Apprenticeship, about 7 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 2+ years as a journeyman and a master exam.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, Trade school. 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). Electrician demand is booming with data centers, EVs, and solar.
Low risk for 10 years. AI speeds up load calcs, code lookups and estimates; designing, signing permits and solving field problems stays with a licensed human.
Classes: Algebra II, Physics, Electrical/construction CTE, Drafting or CAD.
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.