How To Become a Journeyman Electrician in 2020

Electrical faults occur spontaneously. Most times, fixing them requires an expert with experience. Over time, journeymen electricians have helped solve this problem. And you can learn how to become a journeyman electrician to be of service in your community.

According to Electronics Hub, the most common causes of electrical faults include joint failures of cables and overhead lines, and failure of one or more phases of the circuit breaker, and also due to the melting of a fuse or conductor in one or more phases.

While we can’t stop certain faults from occurring, we can prevent others. A good start will be procuring quality materials that hardly wear out.

This article will basically show you how to become a journeyman electrician. However, it will also highlight key areas of this job description and the demands. The table of content below can give you more insight.

Table of Contents

Who is a Journeyman Electrician?
Why Become a Journeyman Electrician?
How Long does it take to become a Journeyman Electrician?
What is the Salary and JobOutlook of a Journeyman Electrician?
What are the Career Paths of a Journeyman Electrician?
Inside Journeyman Wireman
How to Become a Journeyman Electrician
Start Apprenticeship
Get a License
Practice & Grow
What are the Journeyman Electrician Apprenticeship Programs?
FAQ on How to Become a Journeyman Electrician
Is being a electrician easy?
What is the highest level of electrician?
What’s the difference between master electrician and journeyman electrician?
What are the different levels of an electrician?
Conclusion
References
Author’s Recommendations
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Who is a Journeyman Electrician?

A journeyman electrician is a professional with quality knowledge of installations and repair of electrical systems whether light bulbs, transformers, etc.

As professionals, their job demands a strong level of attention to detail. You need to be meticulous so you never get two wires entangled and ultimately cause a fire.
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Before you can become a journeyman electrician, you must undergo a series of training. On the other hand, if you’re considering this job title, you will know why you should start your training immediately.
Why Become a Journeyman Electrician?

A lot of people invest time to make decisions when it comes to choosing a career. Generally, we can agree that no one wants to make a mistake in that area.

As important as data is and can help you, a lot of things change with time. For example, the emergence of drones signaled the end of a cameraman and a helicopter capturing happenings/events.

Truth be told; the growth of technology in the world is tied to electricity. The current range of electrical cars in production will need charging at certain points. Hence, a terminal will be installed and this has to be done by a journeyman electrician.

We can go on and on talking about different ways electricity will influence the world but we would only be wasting time. There’s a lot of prospects ahead when you choose to become a journeyman electrician.
How Long does it take to become a Journeyman Electrician?

Due to the nature of the job that journeymen electricians do, a lot of questions remain unanswered. Unlike other programs with a stipulated timeline, the pathway to becoming a journeyman electrician is different.

Instead of attending an academic institution, you attend apprenticeship training. In this training, you get practical experience in electrical systems and their processes.

Generally, it takes about 6-7 years to fully become a journeyman electrician.
What is the Salary and JobOutlook of a Journeyman Electrician?

Journeyman electricians work hard. In fact, their work is so technical that it demands a lot of time and rapid attention. We can call them surgeons of electricity.

Working so hard demands a good paycheck for these professionals. According to Indeed, the average salary for a Journeyman Electrician is $27.69 per hour in the United States. Furthermore, they get compensation of $10,500 per year.
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On the other hand, BLS projects employment of electricians is projected to grow 8% from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Homes and businesses continue to require wiring, and electricians will be needed to install the necessary components.

Are you still wondering how and why you can become a journeyman electrician?
What are the Career Paths of a Journeyman Electrician?

The work of a journeyman electrician is vast. Hence, there are different branches wherein you can specialize as a journeyman electrician.

The two branches of the journeyman electrician career include:

Journeyman Lineman
Inside Journeyman Wireman

A Journeyman lineman basically maintains electrical power systems, from the point of generation to the power meter. Furthermore, they work on street lights and traffic signals.

Some of their core job descriptions include:

Assembling and erecting substation
Installing and maintaining insulator
Maintaining and repairing overhead distribution or transmission line
Installing and maintaining underground distribution system
Setting electric towers and poles
Installing and maintaining transformers and other equipment
Stringing new wire and maintaining existing wire

Inside Journeyman Wireman

An Inside journeyman wireman focuses on the distribution and connection of electrical equipment to the power source for commercial and residential customers.

Furthermore, this professional maintain all types of electrical systems within industrial and commercial facilities that connect to lighting, receptacles, heating equipment, motors, etc.

Finally, the inside journeyman wireman can install and maintain fire alarm and security systems.

Some of the core duties of this professional include:

Establishing and maintaining power distribution equipment, including transformers, breakers, and switches.
Installing and maintaining main service panels, including circuit breakers and switching gear
Installing and maintaining power feed and control wiring systems
Establishing grounding systems
Installing and maintaining process control systems, including energy management systems
Installing and repairing telephone and data systems
Building and assembling power generation equipment
Installing conduit and junction boxes
Installing new wiring and repairing existing wiring
Maintaining and repairing temporary power systems during construction
Installing receptacles, lighting systems, and fixtures
Installing service to buildings and other structures
Troubleshooting and repairing electrical systems

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How to Become a Journeyman Electrician

Becoming a joruneyman electrician demands a lot of practical skill. It isn’t something you necessarily study as you practice more.

So, now we have established that, you can now learn how to become a journeyman electrician. The process includes:

Start Apprenticeship
Get a License
Practice & Grow

Start Apprenticeship

Becoming a journey electrician demands that you start and complete an apprenticeship program.

This apprenticeship course is a pratical and theoretical training with about 700-1,000 hours of classroom work. Generally, you spend about 5-6 years in this supervised on-the-job training.

For a lot of people, they prefer getting an electrician diploma or associate degree which can make up for the classroom work. The only thing they would have to focus on would be the on-the-job training.

A lot of institutions can offer you a journeyman electrician apprenticeship program. However, we will discuss that in the later part of this content.
Get a License

After you have completed your apprenticeship program, you would have to get your license as well. Without a license, you cannot effectively practice as a journeyman electrician.

The licensing for this career path differs state by state.

For instance, to qualify for the competency examination, Texas demands its candidates for a journeyman lineman license to have up to 7,000 hours of training through an apprenticeship program (approved by the Department of Labor) or close to 4 years of experience working as a journeyman lineman in either an electric utility, electrical cooperative, municipally owned utility, or as an electrical contractor.

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