How to Become an Electrician in Texas
Electrician careers are often in high demand, especially in large, densely-populated areas like Texas.
With the proper education, experience, and credentials, you can qualify for various electrician jobs in Texas, from installing or repairing lights and alarms in homes to wiring entire buildings throughout your city.
Training and Education
Usually, electrician trade schools in Texas offer diploma programs to teach students the basics of the profession.
Like most skilled trades, courses include traditional classroom instruction and hands-on training.
You’ll learn to read blueprints, work with motor and transformer systems, understand electric current reactance, impedance and conduit bending, and comply with national safety codes.
How Long Does it Take?
It can take anywhere from 14 months to two years to complete some electrician training courses. However, there are programs that many students finish in as little as nine months.
Texas Electrician Requirements
License
Before you can work as an electrician in Texas, you must obtain a Texas electrician license. A journeyman license is the standard electrician certification in Texas.
To qualify for this license, you need to complete at least 7,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician. Most aspiring electricians complete their hours during a four- or five-year apprenticeship.
Apprenticeship
An Electrical Technician diploma from a Texas trade school can prepare you for an entry-level electrician job, like working as a computer service tech, wiring cars at an auto mechanic shop, or repairing and maintaining agricultural or factory equipment. However, you’ll need to complete an apprenticeship and obtain a license to qualify for an official electrician job in Texas.
Apprenticeship Programs
In some cases, your chosen trade school might work with local organizations to help students find apprentice electrician jobs in Texas. Programs like these offer full-time positions in the electrician field so you can make money and earn the hours you need for certification. Some programs even help cover your tuition costs as long as you maintain good standing with the school and your employer.
Certifications
Earning 7,000 hours of experience during an apprenticeship allows you to qualify for the electrician certification exam. However, you’ll need to complete another 1,000 hours before you can qualify to receive your official license. Each master electrician who supervises you during your apprenticeship must document your hours to ensure you meet the 8,000-hour requirement.
Experience Verification
Your supervisors must sign an Experience Verification Form, certifying that you’ve completed the necessary apprenticeship hours. Once you submit these documents, complete the application form, pass a background check, and pay the non-refundable fee, you must wait for the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration to confirm your eligibility.
The Exam
From there, you have one year to schedule, prepare for, and pass your exam. Those who score 70 percent or higher on the test can become certified journeyman electricians in Texas.
Texas master electrician qualifications are similar, though you must have your journeyman certification for at least two years and complete 12,000 hours of on-the-job training to be eligible for this credential.
Salary
How Much Does an Electrician Make in Texas?
While the average journeyman electrician salary in Texas is $66,643, exact wages vary depending on your experience, as well as where you work and live.
Certified electricians who complete a two-year degree program generally have a deeper understanding of the correct methods and requirements of the industry, so they can sometimes negotiate a higher salary than those with a certificate or diploma.
Qualified professionals who obtain a state or local government electrician job in Texas usually make more than electricians who work on construction sites or for private businesses.
Average Salary by Location
However, the city you work in can affect your wages. The following table showcases the average electrician salaries in Texas, based on location:
- Amarillo $68,721
- Austin $64,299
- Corpus Christi $71,977
- Dallas $65,101
- El Paso $65,030
- Houston $71,465
Job Description
What Do They Do?
An electrician is responsible for installing and repairing circuit breakers, conduits, wiring systems, and other electric hardware and fixtures in a home or business. If storms or accidental damages cause power outages in a particular building or neighborhood, these professionals work to restore electricity to the affected areas.
Where Can They Work?
Certified electricians in Texas can qualify for jobs at an electric company or work for their state or local government, performing building maintenance tasks in public spaces and buildings. Some electricians get jobs with construction teams or go into business for themselves and offer their services to nearby home and business owners.
Whichever settings they choose to work in, electricians must take proper safety measures to avoid accidents and injuries while on the job. Electricians typically wear protective glasses and goggles, face shields, and hard hats while on a job site. Fire-resistant clothing and gloves with rubber insulation and shoes with static electricity protection can also help prevent accidental shocks and burns.
Some Job Requirements
To do their job well, an electrician must have steady hands and exceptional attention to detail.
Workers in this field also need the strength to lift 50 pounds or more and the endurance and focus to perform their duties in cramped indoor spaces or outside in the rain, snow, heat, or other inclement weather.
Career Outlook
Over the next decade, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a seven-percent increase in the demand for electrician jobs in the United States. Qualified professionals across the nation can take advantage of this industry growth by applying for one of the roughly 79,900 jobs that are likely to become available each year between 2021 and 2031.
Many of these new employment opportunities are the result of experienced electricians pursuing other careers in electrical engineering and solar and electrical power plant operation. More positions will likely become available as more journeyman electricians become master electricians and open their own private businesses.