Lead electricians assign and inspect the work of electricians and trades helpers. They plan and develop work schedules, equipment usage schedules, and procedures for equipment maintenance. They also utilize knowledge, skills, and electrical testing equipment to evaluate systems accurately for maintenance, warranty repairs, design, and other purposes. Lead electricians earn a median sum of $58,000 annually or $27 per hour.
Lead electricians coordinate the daily operation of the electrician's shop. They are responsible for leading and coordinating the work of electrician positions in installing, maintaining, repair, and removing electrical systems. They also lay out and estimate the cost of construction projects and electrical maintenance work related to electrical.
In terms of academic qualifications, lead electricians hold a high school diploma or its equivalent. Although, earning a higher degree may prove advantageous in the long run. They are expected to have some years of experience as an electrician. Some states require that lead electricians have a valid driver's license to practice.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a lead electrician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.79 an hour? That's $53,643 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 74,100 job opportunities across the U.S.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a lead electrician, we found that a lot of resumes listed 29.1% of lead electricians included electrical systems, while 10.1% of resumes included hand tools, and 6.9% of resumes included emt. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the lead electrician job title. But what industry to start with? Most lead electricians actually find jobs in the construction and manufacturing industries.
If you're interested in becoming a lead electrician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 9.0% of lead electricians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 2.1% of lead electricians have master's degrees. Even though some lead electricians have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a lead electrician. When we researched the most common majors for a lead electrician, we found that they most commonly earn high school diploma degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on lead electrician resumes include bachelor's degree degrees or diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a lead electrician. In fact, many lead electrician jobs require experience in a role such as electrician. Meanwhile, many lead electricians also have previous career experience in roles such as journeyman electrician or apprentice electrician.