Becoming a Master Electrician
This professional will usually oversee a staff of electrician apprentices, laborers, and journeymen electricians on industrial, residential, and commercial jobs. To meet predetermined deadlines they are responsible for scheduling each phase of the job. A master electrician will order all the necessary materials, parts, and components for a particular job. At each stage of completion, he will often check the work of the crew for quality and to make sure that it is in compliance with the industry standards and codes. With new projects they will usually review the blueprints with the general contractor or the crew before they start work on the project. They will examine each wiring diagram and sketch to make sure that the correct specifications are in place, and that the electrical terms and symbols on the plans are correct and clean. By doing all of this before the job is started can help to reduce incidents of error when the project is being worked on.
To become a master electrician you can do it through a combination of on the job experience and formal education. First thing that you will need to do is obtain a license and training to become a journeyman electrician. Once you are working in this position you will have to work for a set amount of time, which could be months or years. Then you can take the exam to get your master electrician’s license. To become a journeyman electrician you will have to meet specific schooling requirements and take an exam to get a license.
Once you have your journeyman electrician license you will have to work for either a master electrician or for a company that is run by them for a set amount of time. On average this is two years but it can vary based on where you live. While working in an apprenticeship you will most likely be allowed to work without any type of supervision but you are not allowed to do work as a self-employed electrician or start your own company.
Once you have worked for the required amount of time it will make you eligible to take the exam to become licensed as a master electrician. Make sure that once you have your license that you check to see if you need any additional licensing in other areas in order to do business. Some areas have different criteria for working as a master electrician so you may need to take more classes or tests. You will also need to renew your license at certain times to be able to maintain your master electrician status.
