BECOMING AN ELECTRICIAN

Here at Shocking Difference in Olympia, WA, we do mostly work in the homes of people. We hire young people, often just out of high school, and train them in-house to become Specialty Residential Electricians. We are not a union shop. Because of current legislation promoted by the union our small non-union shop is no longer allowed to train for someone to become a Commercial Electrician. At our shop, we offer healthcare, 401k with matching funds, paid vacation, and work 4 10’s a week, no weekends and no nights. We strive to be a place that you want to come to. We spend about an hour a week educating you on the code and all the laws that pertain to our current code. We pay for the state-mandated 48 hours of class per 2 years. Although the state allows 1 journeyman with 2 trainees, we mostly staff with 1 journeyman to 1 trainee so you have time to learn and develop your skills in an environment that promotes learning. We want to do the best we can for our employees because we know that when we treat our employees great, they will treat our customers great. We are excited you are thinking about becoming an electrician and we wish you the best on your journey. If you have any questions do not hesitate to call us at (360) 754-4542.

There are many paths to become an electrician in Washington state. Some electrical fields require more learning and training but all have a minimum of 1 years (2000 hours). Some are union shops which enroll you in an apprentice program to become a commercial or industrial electrician and you go to the union hall and you get called to go to work for many different companies building your skills and going to apprentice training. Some are non-union shops which used to be able to train you at their shop and send you to school for education but are now required by recently passed legislation to enroll you in an apprenticeship program if you want to become a commercial or industrial electrician. When you enroll in an apprentice program you are required to attend the classes after work or on your weekends off. There currently are no apprentice programs in Thurston County and you will need to drive to Bellevue for your classes. There are no online classes for apprentices or trainees and all must be attended in person. There are also trade schools you can attend that will charge you for your two years of training and then you will need to find a job with a commercial/industrial company to finish your final 2 years of training to become a commercial/industrial electrician.

If you want to become a residential (working in people’s homes) electrician you can have an exciting career helping people make their homes their castle. Residential electricians wire new homes, fix electrical things that are not working right, wire in hot tubs, add electrical to sheds, help add wiring to remodeled homes, and other home based electrical. You may do solar and the newest in WIFI tech. in the residential world. They can also wire apartments but not the common spaces. This is a demanding job where you will be required to know the electrical code. This training requires 2 years of working(4000 hours) with a journeyman and then 48 hours of classes per 2 years. You will need to pass the test to become a residential electrician.

If you want to become a low voltage specialty electrician you can learn to wire in all forms of low voltage equipment such as smoke and fire systems, hospital call bell systems, security systems, data networks, and other forms of low voltage wiring. This training requires 2 years of working (4000 hours) with a journeyman and then 48 hours of classes per 2 years. You will need to pass the test to become this type of low voltage electrician. There are many opportunities for advancement in bigger companies so that in the future you can take off the tools and be in management.

If none of these strikes your fancy you can become a commercial electrician. If you want to become this type of electrician you will need to work 8000 hours (4 Years) on a one-to-one basis with a journeyman and enroll in an apprentice program. You can choose a union or non-union path to become a commercial electrician. With the passing of this new legislation, you will not be able to transition from a specialty such as residential or low voltage without restarting your training. These electricians work in high rises, apartment complexes, new business structures, hospitals, shopping malls, and other types of commercial spaces. These electricians wire new buildings for commercial space and do updates and upgrades to current commercial space and can sometimes be working with brand new electrical technology such as lighting controls etc. They often work weekends and nights to accommodate the commercial customer’s needs. You will need to pass the test to become a commercial electrician.

You can also go big or go home and you can become an industrial electrician. If you want to become this type of electrician you will need to work 8000 hours (4 Years) on a one-to-one basis with a journeyman and enroll in an apprentice program. You can choose a union or non-union path to become an industrial electrician. With the passing of this new legislation, you will not be able to transition from a specialty such as residential or low voltage without restarting your training. These electricians work in dams, steam plants, lumber mills, and power plants and other big industrial situations. These electricians take care of big industrial electrical equipment. They often work weekends and nights to accommodate the company’s needs. You will need to pass the test to become an industrial electrician.

There are some other specialty electricians that do just signs, pump and irrigation systems, nonresidential maintenance, and HVAC that also require 4000 hours and because they are also specialized you can only do that type of work with that license. So, if you are a sign specialty license you can only do sign work etc.

There is a specialty license with 2000-hour experience and 24 hours of class instructions for domestic wells, HVAC less than 30 volts, nonresidential maintenance, appliance repair, door/gate electric, equipment repair, and residential maintenance for limited device and equipment replacement. They are also required to write and pass a test.

No matter which path you choose this industry is challenging, fun, and requires you to know the rules and follow them to maximize your potential and not waste your valuable time. There are many opportunities for advancement in bigger companies so that in the future you can take off the tools and be in management or even own your own company.