Four Reasons to Become an Electrical Worker

Four Reasons to Become an Electrical Worker

For electrical workers, the future looks bright. With new infrastructure projects, emerging technologies, and the push for alternative energy sources, the licensed professional electrician will have plenty of prospects in the coming years.

It’s no secret that the career journey to becoming an electrician is a long one. It does, however, follow a clear path from an initial electrician training program to an apprenticeship to journeyman and beyond. So, what better time to break into one of the fastest growing sectors in the country?

If you’re considering a career in the electrical trade, here are four reasons you should start an electrician training program:

1. Professional electrical workers earn great pay.

Among the different skilled trades in the United States, electricians are one of the highest earners. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), professional electricians have a median annual salary of $54,110.

This is almost $10,000 more than the average of all construction and trade jobs, and roughly $16,000 more than the average for all occupations. The BLS also reports that the top earning electricians make more than $92,000 per year!

Like most industries and career paths, there are different earning levels depending on where you’re at in your career. Licensed master technicians are generally the top earners in the profession. These industry veterans often own their own business or act as project manager on construction projects.

2. Electrical jobs are growing.

The BLS estimates that jobs for electrical workers will grow by about 9 percent through 2026, which comes to about 60,000 new jobs.

One of the biggest reasons for job growth is construction. In the United States, the population is projected to grow by approximately 2 million people per year until 2030. This equates to a need for more residential and commercial construction to support the growing population.

So, what does more construction mean for electrical workers? When it comes to construction projects, electricians are often the first in install electrical systems.

Infrastructure development also comes with new residential and commercial projects. Older buildings need to be retrofit for emerging technologies and alternative energy sources. So, electrical technicians play a key role in installing, maintaining, and servicing the country’s new electrical systems.

3. Becoming an electrical worker opens up various career paths.

Saying someone is a “professional electrical worker” is a broad way to describe a complex career.

Within the electrical industry, there are numerous specialties that fall under the electrical worker banner. However, each specialty offers its own growth opportunities. For example, an industrial electrician will have a very different set of responsibilities than a commercial technician. And like other industries, once you find your niche you can become more and more specialized.

Moreover, the more complex your skill set, the more you can earn.

4. As a electrical worker, your skills are always in demand.

At the heart of the electrical trade is skill.

As your career progresses, your skills properly installing, maintaining, and repairing electrical systems will make the difference between a safe environment and an electrical fire or some other disaster. In fact, the National Fire Protection Agency reported that fires caused by electrical failure or malfunctions resulted in some 400 deaths and $1.2 billion in property damage annually between 2010 and 2014.

Electrical failures could have been spotted and corrected by a professional electrical worker before any problem occurred. Electricians keep the lights on and the electricity flowing, literally. This is exactly why skilled electrical workers are and will always be in demand.