How To Become A Journeyman Electrician: What It Is and Career Path

Q: Do electricians get paid well?

Yes, electricians get paid well, with a median salary of $56,900 per year, or $27.36 per hour. Electricians are paid the highest out of all the trades. The pay structure for electricians varies greatly based on where you are in your program.

Q: Do journeyman electricians make good money?

Yes, journeyman electricians make good money. The highest salaries for a journeyman electrician are in the six figures. While most positions pay around $80,000 in a year, some journeymen can make over $100,000 a year in their job.

Q: How hard is it to become a journeyman electrician?

It is not hard to become a journeyman electrician. A journeyman electrician apprenticeship takes about 7,000 hours of hands-on work and training classes, or about four years, to complete in most states.

Q: How long does it take to become a journeyman electrician?

It takes about 7,000 hours of hands-on work and training classes, or about four years, to complete a journeyman electrician apprenticeship in most states. To become a journeyman electrician, a person must first be accepted into an apprenticeship program.

Q: What are the different levels of electricians?

The three primary levels of electricians are apprentice, journeyman, and master electrician. A person starts this career path as an apprentice and works to become a master electrician. A journeyman electrician apprenticeship takes about 7,000 hours of hands-on work and training classes, or about four years, to complete in most states. To become a journeyman electrician, a person must first be accepted into an apprenticeship program.

Q: What is the average age of a journeyman electrician?

The average age of a journeyman electrician is around 42 years old. This could cause an increase in demand for journeyman electricians because many electricians are nearing retirement age, and there may be potential for a skilled trades shortage if there are not enough workers with the proper electrician training and skills to replace them.

What is a journeyman electrician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Ronald Widdoss

A journeyman electrician has completed an apprenticeship program and earned a license to work independently in the electrical field. These electricians install, repair, and maintain electrical systems in residential, commercial, and industrial settings. Journeyman electricians read schematics, troubleshoot electrical problems, install wiring and lighting fixtures, and ensure that all electric work is up to code. They must also follow safety protocols to prevent electrocution and accidents whether working as part of a team or independently.

What general advice would you give to a 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.

ScoreJourneyman ElectricianUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $54,526

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.6

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.85%

Asian 2.17%

Black or African American 7.56%

Hispanic or Latino 21.24%

Unknown 4.23%

White 63.96%

Gender

female 3.86%

male 96.14%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a journeyman electrician?

Pros

Good salary and job security due to high demand for electricians
Opportunities for advancement
Possibility of self-employment
Ability to work indoors or outdoors
Option to specialize in a particular area

Cons

Physically demanding work
Risk of electrical shock or injury
On-call work may be required
Need for continuing education and training
May involve working in uncomfortable spaces

Key steps to become a journeyman electrician

Explore journeyman electrician education requirements

Most common journeyman electrician degrees

High School Diploma

34.1 %

Associate

31.6 %

Bachelor's

14.6 %

Start to develop specific journeyman electrician skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	10.91%
Electrical Systems	7.89%
EMT	6.63%
Transformers	6.54%
Electrical Components	5.91%

Complete relevant journeyman electrician training and internships

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

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed journeyman electrician usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed journeyman electrician in most of states. 25 states require journeyman electricians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	State exam required	Licensed Journeyman Electrician
Alaska	-	State exam required	Electrical Worker
Arkansas	-	Third-party exam required	Journeyman Electrician
Colorado	-	State exam required	Journeyman Electrician
Hawaii	Degree required	State exam required	Electrician

Gain additional journeyman electrician certifications

Journeyman electrician certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific journeyman electrician certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for journeyman electricians include OSHA Safety Certificate and Electrical Technician Certification.

More About Certifications

Research journeyman electrician duties and responsibilities

Lead team to retrofit outdate piece of CNC machinery to allow usage for production personnel on a new design part.
Remove, analyze, identify issue install properly working pressure transducers, effectively accomplishing priorities to go underway.
Rewire, install and perform preventative maintenance on electrical panels, switches and distribution systems.
Work on various PLC's, Allen-Bradley, GE, Omron, and Siemens.

Prepare your journeyman electrician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your journeyman 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 journeyman 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 journeyman electrician resume templates

Build a professional journeyman 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 journeyman electrician resume.

Apply for journeyman electrician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a journeyman electrician 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 journeyman electricians rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Journeyman electrician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2023

Pros

Thinking about the job while working the job

Cons

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

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

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022

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.

Pros

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

What is a journeyman electrician and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a journeyman electrician?

What are the pros and cons of being a journeyman electrician?

Journeyman electrician career paths

Key steps to become a journeyman electrician

Explore journeyman electrician education requirements

Most common journeyman electrician degrees

Start to develop specific journeyman electrician skills

Complete relevant journeyman electrician training and internships

Obtain the necessary licensing

Gain additional journeyman electrician certifications

Research journeyman electrician duties and responsibilities

Prepare your journeyman electrician resume

Choose from 10+ customizable journeyman electrician resume templates

Apply for journeyman electrician jobs

How did you land your first journeyman electrician job

Average journeyman electrician salary

How do journeyman electricians rate their job?

Journeyman electrician reviews

Journeyman electrician FAQs

Do electricians get paid well?

Do journeyman electricians make good money?

How hard is it to become a journeyman electrician?

How long does it take to become a journeyman electrician?

What are the different levels of electricians?

What is the average age of a journeyman electrician?

Search for journeyman electrician jobs

Journeyman electrician jobs by state