Introduction:

I am setting up this page because when I first decided to go into the electrical wiring field there was a great deal of confusion on the exact process, and there was some confusion on some of the terminology, and to make it more confusing different states have different procedures and different terms. So I am going to explain the exact procedure to become an apprentice electrician, a Certified Journeyman Electrician, and a finally a Licensed Electrician.

I just recently completed the California General Electrician Certification Exam so I will pass on to others who are just entering the field what I did to get this far. This is a work in progress. I just got the site up and running so I will be adding to it soon. So check back 

 

Step One: Apprentice Electrician

 

the first step in a career as an electrician is to become an apprentice electrician. You will be working in the field under close supervision of a trained electrician as well as taking course work in electrical theory and applications. there are two primary schools in the San Diego area for this. ABC electrical training school in Poway and the Electrical training Center near Qualcom stadium. Both schools are free to those who qualify. Both take five years to complete. Both will place you in a paid (yeah) position working daily with an electrical contractor, and both require classroom instruction a few evenings each week. The only difference is that the ETC will place you with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union (IBEW 569) and ABC will not, as far as I understand.

I attended an apprenticeship program similar to these but it was in the state of New Jersey sponsored by the United States Department of Labor so I do not have personal experience with either of these two schools. I only write what I have read about them.

San Diego City College has a core of electrical classes but I don't know how they would fulfill the field requirement. this is now all closely regulated by the state Division of Apprenticeship Standards. Apprentices are required to have 8000 hours of field work to complete the program.

Another possibility is if you have already been working independently with an electrical contractor you can write the Division of Apprenticeship Standards (www.dir.ca.gov) and see if they will approve what you have done fulfilling the field requirements .

Once you are an apprentice electrician, you will be given an Electrician Trainee card (E.T. card) This you must have to work in California.

Step Two: The Electrical Certification Exam

After you complete your apprenticeship program successfully, you can then apply to the division of Apprenticeship Standards to take the California Electrician Certification Exam. there are four categories for certification: the two we are concerned with here are the Residential Electrician and the General Electrician. the General Electrician do most any work for an electrical contractor whether it is residential, commercial, low voltage, or data and communication. The test is more difficult but it allows more opportunities for employment. I took the General Electrician Exam.

This exam consists primarily of questions related to the National Electric Code. It is very intense and you must have a very thorough knowledge of the code. I recommend the Mike Holt study guides for preparing for this. One should also know their electrical theory principles, too.

There is a test center right in San Diego which is nice. Once you pass the test, you will receive a very nice Electrician Certification card. If you do not pass, all is not lost. You can take it again in two months.

 

Step  Three: The Licensed Electrician

The licensed electrician can make bids on electrical jobs, contract work, and get permits from the city or county to allow the work to be done. The licensed electrician will often higher apprentice, or certified electricians to help do the work. To get the electrician license requires yet another test. This test will be more extensive than the certification test. It will include electrical load calculations for residential homes and commercial businesses. It will also include the business aspect of running your own business, hiring employees, and paying salaries and taxes. There are classes available to help you prepare for this test.

A certified electrician must work under the employment of an electrical contractor for five years before being eligible to take the exam to become a licensed electrician. The exception is that if the certified electrician completed an accredited electrician apprenticeship program than after one full year of employment with an electrical contractor they will be eligible to  take the exam. This is a huge reason to consider enrolling in an apprenticeship program in your state.

Please feel free to ask any question, make any comments, or point out some errors in my document (I'm still learning myself).