Post job

What is an industrial journeyman electrician and how to become one

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

Industrial journeyman electricians oversee various technical functions, and most of them are related to maintaining electrical controls and wiring industrial plants or worksites. A journeyman electrician's job involves the installation, maintenance, and repair of electrical setups.

This electrician studies blueprints so that they can effectively repair electrical systems. The primary job duties involve making repairs and troubleshooting issues. They examine electrical systems with tools like oscilloscopes, voltmeters, and ohmmeters to determine technical faults.

You must have solid industrial training and experience in this job. As an Industrial journeyman electrician, you must have completed an electrician apprenticeship and be proficient with both the national electrical and local codes.

Employers prefer individuals with previous experience as electricians, while most require a level 3 diploma in electrotechnical services. It typically takes up to four years for you to become a fully qualified Industrial journeyman electrician. Nonetheless, you will receive an average salary of $59,407 yearly.

What general advice would you give to an industrial journeyman 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.
ScoreIndustrial Journeyman ElectricianUS Average
Salary
4.9

Avg. Salary $63,203

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 2.23%

Black or African American 8.29%

Hispanic or Latino 20.69%

Unknown 4.26%

White 63.68%

Gender

female 3.11%

male 96.89%

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

Industrial journeyman electrician career paths

Key steps to become an industrial journeyman electrician

  1. Explore industrial journeyman electrician education requirements

    Most common industrial journeyman electrician degrees

    Associate

    37.2 %

    High School Diploma

    27.6 %

    Bachelor's

    14.1 %
  2. Start to develop specific industrial journeyman electrician skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Electrical Systems6.65%
    OSHA6.64%
    Hand Tools5.90%
    Electrical Equipment5.60%
    Control Systems5.23%
  3. Complete relevant industrial journeyman electrician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New industrial journeyman 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 an industrial journeyman electrician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real industrial journeyman electrician resumes.
  4. Obtain the necessary licensing

    Becoming an licensed industrial journeyman electrician usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed industrial journeyman electrician in most of states. 25 states require industrial journeyman 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 industrial journeyman electrician duties and responsibilities

    • Manage installation and termination of transfer switches.
    • Follow schematic diagrams, blueprints and other specifications to meet NEC code regulation.
    • Terminate devices and motors in the field according to customer specifications and NEC.
    • Experience with control wiring termination, rigid and EMT conduit bending and routing.
  6. Apply for industrial journeyman electrician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an industrial journeyman 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 industrial journeyman electrician job

Zippi

Are you an industrial journeyman electrician?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average industrial journeyman electrician salary

The average industrial journeyman electrician salary in the United States is $63,203 per year or $30 per hour. Industrial journeyman electrician salaries range between $44,000 and $89,000 per year.

Average industrial journeyman electrician salary
$63,203 Yearly
$30.39 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do industrial journeyman electricians rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Industrial journeyman electrician reviews

profile
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


profile
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


profile
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.


Working as an industrial journeyman electrician? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

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.

Browse construction and extraction jobs