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

What is a maintenance electrician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A maintenance electrician is an individual responsible for ensuring that electrical systems and equipment are functioning correctly. They perform regular maintenance, troubleshoot problems, and make necessary repairs to electrical equipment and systems. In addition, they may also install new systems or upgrade existing ones. Maintenance electricians work in a variety of settings, including factories, hospitals, offices, and homes. They also may work in confined spaces or at heights, so physical fitness is essential.

ScoreMaintenance ElectricianUS Average

Salary

4.9

Avg. Salary $62,112

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.6

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.87%

Asian 2.30%

Black or African American 9.09%

Hispanic or Latino 18.42%

Unknown 4.30%

White 65.03%

Gender

female 3.16%

male 96.84%

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 maintenance electrician?

Pros

Good job security
High earning potential
Opportunity for advancement
Variety of tasks and challenges
Potential to work with cutting-edge technology

Cons

Physically demanding work
Exposure to hazards (electric shock, burns, etc.)
Potential for on-call work and long hours
Need for continuous learning and staying current with technology
High level of responsibility and pressure to perform repairs quickly and effectively

Key steps to become a maintenance electrician

Explore maintenance electrician education requirements

Most common maintenance electrician degrees

Associate

44.4 %

High School Diploma

21.7 %

Bachelor's

13.8 %

Start to develop specific maintenance electrician skills

Skills	Percentages
Electrical Equipment	7.33%
Hand Tools	6.67%
Preventative Maintenance	6.43%
Electrical Systems	4.93%
Ladders	3.52%

Complete relevant maintenance electrician training and internships

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

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed maintenance electrician usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed maintenance electrician in most of states. 25 states require maintenance 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 maintenance electrician certifications

Maintenance 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 maintenance electrician certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for maintenance electricians include Electrical Technician Certification and Electrical Maintenance Technician Certificate.

More About Certifications

Research maintenance electrician duties and responsibilities

Calibrate emission transmitters, gas leak detectors and O2 analyzers.
Change any bad solenoids on machines.
Maintain and repair machinery operate on high voltage DC.
Maintain CMMS program and obtain data for continuous improvement.

Prepare your maintenance electrician resume

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

Build a professional maintenance 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 maintenance electrician resume.

Apply for maintenance electrician jobs

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

4/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Maintenance electrician reviews

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

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2022

Pros

Is to keep lights burning to satisfy customers

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 maintenance electrician and how to become one

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

Maintenance electrician career paths

Key steps to become a maintenance electrician

Explore maintenance electrician education requirements

Most common maintenance electrician degrees

Start to develop specific maintenance electrician skills

Complete relevant maintenance electrician training and internships

Obtain the necessary licensing

Gain additional maintenance electrician certifications

Research maintenance electrician duties and responsibilities

Prepare your maintenance electrician resume

Choose from 10+ customizable maintenance electrician resume templates

Apply for maintenance electrician jobs

How did you land your first maintenance electrician job

Average maintenance electrician salary

How do maintenance electricians rate their job?

Maintenance electrician reviews

Maintenance electrician jobs by state