How To Become An Electrical Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an electrical specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Steven Schennum Ph.D. P.E.

When it comes to anything related to electricals in a house, building, or factory, the electrical specialist is the one working behind the scenes. These industry professionals evaluate, assemble, install, and maintain electrical systems in structures, machinery, and equipment to ensure that they work accordingly.

An electrical specialist also plays a big role in maintaining the safety of structures and equipment. Since electricity is an extremely harmful hazard, checking for dangers and mitigating risks make up a big chunk of an electrical specialist's daily tasks.

A two-year electrical, technical, or another relevant degree and an electrical apprenticeship are the two requirements for most electrical specialist jobs. Under these programs, an electrical specialist will learn essential mechanical skills required for the job, such as installing wiring, using equipment, soldering, wiring, and fault-testing equipment. And given that the job is physically-demanding, an electrical specialist must have the strength and stamina to stay mobile for most of the day.

On average, an electrical specialist earns around $63,839 a year--not bad compensation for a demanding and potentially hazardous job.

What general advice would you give to an electrical specialist?

Steven Schennum Ph.D. P.E.

Professor of Electrical Engineering, Gonzaga University

Make sure electrical engineering is something that YOU want to do and not something you are doing for someone else (a friend, a relative, etc.). I’ve had students who were pursuing an EE degree just to make their parents (or uncle, or whomever) proud, and weren’t really interested in what they are studying. If you do not have the passion to be an engineer, then do something else. In addition to passion, engineering requires a lot of math, reason, and logic. If you are easily frustrated, struggle with mathematics, and are inclined to give up, then don’t waste your time. Find a more suitable way to live your life. If you live your life by disregarding your own interests while trying to gain the approval of someone else, you will wind up being miserable.

ScoreElectrical SpecialistUS Average

Salary

5.9

Avg. Salary $75,131

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 8.05%

Black or African American 6.26%

Hispanic or Latino 10.43%

Unknown 4.32%

White 70.79%

Gender

female 8.77%

male 91.23%

Age - 52

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 - 52

Stress level

5.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an electrical specialist

Explore electrical specialist education requirements

Most common electrical specialist degrees

Bachelor's

35.6 %

Associate

30.4 %

High School Diploma

20.7 %

Start to develop specific electrical specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Electrical Equipment	9.82%
PLC	6.81%
Electrical Systems	6.00%
Control Systems	5.66%
Transformers	5.10%

Complete relevant electrical specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New electrical specialists 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 an electrical specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real electrical specialist resumes.

Research electrical specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage load/unload operations for rail base raw material (HDPE and PPE feedstock) delivery.
Climb ladders and utility poles.
Install control distribution apparatus, such as switches, relays and circuit breaker panels.
Assemble DC drives, electronic motion control finish product, wiring harnesses and cables.

Apply for electrical specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an electrical specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

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

How do electrical specialists rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Electrical specialist reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

I would like to be specialist in specific industrial equipment

Cons

I will not be comfortable when I do not know about industrial equipment.