Electrical systems installation and maintenance workers have a bright future in California. Here's why.

By Gabby Hyman
RWM Columnist
Apr 10, 2007

Job opportunities for well-trained electricians are expected to be strong in the years to come, according to federal government predictions. Classroom training in electrical theory, installing and maintaining electrical systems, mathematics, and blueprint reading are all requirements for gaining a job as an entry-level electrician, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports. California vocational and technical schools currently offer comprehensive electrical programs that can accelerate your progress into the profession.

Nearly two-thirds of all working electrical technicians in the country hold jobs with the construction industry, according to the BLS. Other electrical professionals work in private companies, manufacturing, healthcare and educational facilities, and in other industries. Electrical specialists and technicians will be needed to install and maintain both residential and commercial systems in the immediate future. Employment of maintenance electricians will be better than that for electricians in the construction trades, the BLS concludes.

California Vocational Schools Offer Electrical Specializations
In the Golden State, trade schools offer classroom and hands-on training leading to an associate's degree in electrical technology. Classes are job-specific for residential and commercial electrical installations and system maintenance. They focus on state and national electrical codes, math for electricians, job safety, blueprint reading, and business skills marketing.

Your vocational school classes may also include detailed skill studies of conduit bending, wiring and circuitry, power distribution, motors, computerized-control systems, remote I/O, logic controllers, and more.  You can also supplement your learning, on your own time, by enrolling in a variety of classes offered through online schools.

Apprentices take positions with licensed electricians who continue to mentor their career development following graduation. California labor laws require electricians to pass a state certification examination that covers vocational topics in grounding, hazardous locations and materials, calculations for single and three-phase transformers, and load formulas.

California Salaries for Electrical Professionals
Salaries for electricians are similar, whether you're working in the trade in Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Sacramento. For an entry-level electrician with an education and fewer than two years in the trade, annual wages range from $38,411 to $51,842 in Los Angeles, from $40,138 to $54,173 in the San Francisco Bay Area, and from $36,753 to $49,604 in Sacramento.

Following five years of on-the-job experience, electrician wages range from $52,684 $66,498 to $73,409 in Los Angeles, $55,053 to $76,709 in San Francisco, and from $50,410 to $70,240 in Sacramento.

Sources
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Electricians"
Salary.com

About the Author
Gabby Hyman has created online strategies and written content for Fortune 500 companies including eToys, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems, Microsoft Encarta, Avaya, and Nissan UK.