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What is a control electrician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Expert
Ronald Widdoss

Control Electricians install, maintain, and repair their clients' electrical systems. They are familiar with all kinds of hand tools, test equipment, and electrical machinery. They will often have to build electrical control panels by hand and thus, have to know the industry standards and where to source reliable parts.

Control Electricians don't need to have a college education. A high school diploma or GED is enough to get you through the door. However, degrees in Electrical Engineering, Electrical and Power Transmission Installers, and Industrial Technology tend to give you an edge. Still, prior experience as an electrician will often give you a more significant advantage in the job market.

On average, Control Electricians in the United States earn a yearly salary of roughly about $46,460. That's more or less $22 an hour. Suppose you want to cash in a bigger paycheck. In that case, there are plenty of opportunities for career advancement. Control Electricians often move on to more lucrative positions such as Electrical Foreman, Maintenance Supervisor, and Maintenance Manager.

What general advice would you give to a Control Electrician?

Ronald Widdoss

Be a sponge. Learn all you can and prove to your employer you can be taught and that your up for the challenge.
ScoreControl ElectricianUS Average
Salary
4.6

Avg. Salary $59,247

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
7.6

Growth Rate 7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
8.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 2.24%

Black or African American 8.38%

Hispanic or Latino 18.25%

Unknown 4.26%

White 66.01%

Gender

female 2.70%

male 97.30%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress Level
7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
6.8

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
5.5

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Control Electrician career paths

Key steps to become a control electrician

  1. Explore control electrician education requirements

    Most common control electrician degrees

    Associate

    42.7 %

    High School Diploma

    19.8 %

    Bachelor's

    18.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific control electrician skills

    SkillsPercentages
    PLC14.17%
    Electrical Equipment11.42%
    Hand Tools7.57%
    Ac Dc5.16%
    Control Panels4.81%
  3. Complete relevant control electrician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New control electricians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a control electrician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real control electrician resumes.
  4. Obtain the necessary licensing

    Becoming a licensed control electrician usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed control electrician in most of states. 25 states require control electricians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.
    StateEducationExamLicense Url
    Alabama-State exam requiredLicensed Journeyman Electrician
    Alaska-State exam requiredElectrical Worker
    Arkansas-Third-party exam requiredJourneyman Electrician
    Colorado-State exam requiredJourneyman Electrician
    HawaiiDegree requiredState exam requiredElectrician
  5. Research control electrician duties and responsibilities

    • Install electrical conduit (e.g., rigid and EMT piping) and commercial HVAC systems.
    • Inspect, diagnose and repair substations and motor control centers, Allen-Bradley PLC's and ac/dc drives.
    • Bend and install EMT, rigid, PVC, boxes, cabinets, and gutters.
    • Pull wire, hang cable tray, runconduit (robroy, rigid, emt).
  6. Prepare your control electrician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your control electrician resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a control electrician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Control Electrician Resume templates

    Build a professional Control Electrician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Control Electrician resume.
    Control Electrician Resume
    Control Electrician Resume
    Control Electrician Resume
    Control Electrician Resume
    Control Electrician Resume
    Control Electrician Resume
    Control Electrician Resume
    Control Electrician Resume
    Control Electrician Resume
  7. Apply for control electrician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a control electrician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Control Electrician Job

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Average control electrician salary

The average Control Electrician salary in the United States is $59,247 per year or $28 per hour. Control electrician salaries range between $43,000 and $81,000 per year.

Average Control Electrician Salary
$59,247 Yearly
$28.48 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do control electricians rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

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1 Star

Control Electrician reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2023
Cons

Bending pipe,cause it cost me money if the measurements is off

Pros

Thinking about the job while working the job


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A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2022
Pros

Is to keep lights burning to satisfy customers

Cons

The customers siting on the dark


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022
Pros

Nothing? Its the worst job on site and you have to put up with working with uneducated divs. And thats just the management.

Cons

Retarded trades who think they are special. They don't realise to be an electrician requires superior brain power, something they can only dream about. Hence the continual flapping of their gums trying to make us believe their dull useless lives are interesting.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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