How to Become an Electrician: Training & Certifications

There are many benefits to joining the electrical industry, such as job security and comfortable pay. It may be difficult to know exactly where to start, however. That is where NTI comes in.

Why Become An Electrician?

Before diving into how to become an electrical technician, it’s worth considering why. It offers a wealth of benefits, each of which is worth diving into. Electricians boast one of the highest potential wages without a degree nationwide. Even entry-level salaries are competitive when compared to other industries. The electrical field is constantly in demand. The industry is continually expanding and evolving, making a career as an electrician comfortable regarding job security. It’s also worth noting that being an electrician can be a risky job. After all, you’ll be dealing with electrical currents, so certain dangers are inherent in the field. To minimize these, you’ll need the proper electrical technician education.
If you’re wondering how to become an electrician, the following guide will help you.

How to Become an Electrician: 4 Steps To Take

1. Know Your Interests

Not all electricians are the same, as there are multiple specializations to consider when working as an electrical technician. You’ll need to determine your interests to determine which areas you should focus on with your training.

You might also need specific certifications to specialize in these areas with different prerequisites. Figure this out early so you know what you’re doing, and don’t waste time. The three main areas for this are:

• Electrician’s Assistant or Tech
• Electrical Technician
• Licensed Electrician

Focus on one of these areas before you move on to any other steps to becoming an electrician. It lets you focus on what you must do going forward and make the right decisions.

2. Meet Requirements

When you’re thinking of how to become an electrician, what requirements come to your mind? There’s a decent chance they could be much higher in your head than in reality. At least, that’s the case when it comes to starting your electrical technician education.

Most states have the same basic requirements for this:

• Having a high school diploma or GED
• Being 17 years old or older
• Possibly passing an aptitude test focused on math and reading comprehension.

The aptitude test part of this might seem complicated, but it should be more straightforward than you’d think. It usually entails asking a series of questions focused on how well you can read, as well as highlighting your algebra skills. These shouldn’t be as complicated as you could’ve thought.

Reading comprehension is tested because you’ll need to understand technical documents and communicate effectively with others. Your math will be tested because you’ll need to do specific calculations when carrying out your work.

3. Get Trained

Once you’ve gotten the minimum requirements outlined above, it’s time to get trained. This is one of the more time-consuming and difficult parts of the process, as we already mentioned. That doesn’t mean it’ll need to be complicated, however. You’ll have to go through a course before doing an apprenticeship with this.

You can go about this in various ways, and it’s worth diving into what an electrical technician education and apprenticeship entails:

• Trade School – Usually taking place on-campus, schools and courses give you all the skills you need to pass your licensing exams and similar requirements. How long these take depends on the program itself, but can range from three months to two years.
• Apprenticeship – Even after you’ve gotten the necessary skills to become an electrician, you’ll still need to get hands-on experience. That’s where an apprenticeship comes in. With these, you’ll work alongside a fully trained and licensed electrician to obtain the hours you need to meet legal requirements.

Electrical courses and schools can be found across the country, and you shouldn’t have a problem entering these once you have the minimum requirements. Apprenticeships can be more difficult to find, but the course or school you attend could help with this.

4. Get Licensed

Most states have license requirements for all tradespeople, and electricians are no exception to this. Since the exact extent of this varies slightly from state to state, you’ll need to put a little research into which licenses you have to get. The most notable reason for this research are the eligibility requirements.

Some states will be much stricter than others, so you could end up needing to spend more time training and going through an apprenticeship than you would in others. Other states will even expect you to go through an exam when you’re applying for this license. If you’ve gotten quality electrical technician education, passing this shouldn’t be a problem.

Once you’ve gotten your license, you’re officially and legally able to practice your trade. You’ll now have the choice to go work for a firm or strike out on your own. Both of these offer pros and cons, so consider both of them.

It could be worth working for someone else as you gain more experience before going it alone, however. It’ll let you find your footing much better once you eventually start your own electrical business.

Certifications

One of the more fundamental aspects you could overlook when figuring out how to become an electrical technician is your certification. There could be much more of this than you’d expect, and these are spread across quite a few areas.

Some of these will be related to the type of electrician you want to be, so spend some time figuring out what you’d like to specialize in. Once you’ve made this choice, you can start getting the certifications you need for it. These could include exams, so be prepared for them.

You could also need a few prerequisites before taking these exams, such as a certain amount of hands-on experience. Once you’ve gotten this, you’ll usually have to go through a written exam followed by some short practical exams.

Get Trained To Become An Electrician With NTI

As we mentioned above, you’ll need to be trained to become an electrician. It’s one of the most important steps in starting the career, and is even mandatory. It can also be one of the more complicated steps to go through. Where do you even start with your electrical technician training?

At NTI, we have an exceptional Entry Level Electrical Technician course that’s been trusted and used by countless people in the past. We’ve helped more than a few people start their electrical technician career, and we know we can help you, too. Taught in high-tech classrooms and industry standard practice labs, our three-month course gives you the hands-on experience you need.

We don’t just focus on the hard skills you need to learn, but also the soft skills. They’re essential components of an electrical technician education, and we make sure to put a lot of emphasis on them. Dealing with clients once you’re an electrician will be a breeze after you’ve graduated from our course.

We also fit our program around your life and needs. We know you mightn’t be able to take three months off work without earning anything, so we’re happy to adjust our schedule to fit your needs. Weekday, weekend, morning, and even evening classes are all available, so you can perfectly suit your electrical technician education to your needs.

Interested? Get in touch with our admission’s office.

Wrapping Up

Figuring out how to become an electrician can be more complicated than many people could assume. It’s not something you can dive straight into without any training. It doesn’t need to be an overwhelming process, however. All it takes is the right training and following a few specific steps.

Getting trained and licensed, knowing your interests, and meeting all the requirements are the most notable of these. Make sure you go through them carefully so you’re as capable as possible when you become an electrician.

If you want to become an electrician, get in touch with NTI today. Our Entry Level Electrical Technician program gives you all the skills you need to start your electrical career. Contact our admissions office to get started with your new career.