11 Future Benefits of Becoming an Electrician (Must Read)

Right now, you are maybe considering if you should become an electrician. You might also be wondering if the electrical trade will continue to exist in ten, twenty, or even thirty years. There are numerous factors, that you should consider when choosing the right career for the future. But what about electricians? Is becoming an electrician a good career choice for the future?

There are multiple facts indicating that becoming an electrician is a safe career for the future with promising job prospects. These reasons include a high rate of future job prospects, opportunities for career advancement, the emergence of new electrical industries, and the increase in global electricity consumption.

This article will outline key reasons why choosing to become an electrician could be a great choice as a future career. The trade of electricians is a highly specialized trade, that is currently in demand. Many of the things that will be mentioned in this article are strong indicators that electricians will exist also many years from now.

Is Being an Electrician a Good Career Choice for the Future?

Is it too late, or has the electrical trade already had its peak run? It seems to be far from it, as many indicators are showing that the electrical trade could be one of the safest bets for both job security and career opportunities. When I wanted to pursue a new career myself, I wanted a job that would be able to provide me with a solid future in terms of salary and job security. That was three years ago, and I’m glad, that I started.

After contemplating for a long time, if whether or not I should become an electrician myself, I chose to pursue this career, as there were notable and exciting reasons showing that this career would actually be one of the safer bets for the future. In this article, I will explain to you the reasons why I came to that conclusion.

Before I decided to become an electrician, I had some concerns of my own about the electrical trade. Will the trade still exist many years from now? Are electricians in actual demand, and what about robots and automation? In this article, I will examine the top reasons why the trade of electricians could actually be one of the best choices in terms of future career opportunities. The following are 11 key points to bring forth, in order to argue, that being an electrician could very well be a bright future career.

1. Electricians Are in Future Demand

Electricians are in demand due to a number of reasons. Some of which are more obvious than others. In overall terms, electricians are currently in demand. In future terms, this also looks to be the case. By looking at future projections, the U.S. Labor Statistics, predict that the employment of electricians will continue to grow by 9 percent by 2030.

Compared to all occupations and even related construction trades, 2030 projections conclude that the electrical trade will experience higher growth in employment opportunities.

Each year we see an average of almost 85.000 new job openings being listed by employers. New openings are made possible due to reasons like retirement or employees moving to other occupations. The exciting thing, however, is that job growth is also due to new and emerging technological fields. Technological fields, that electricians will become a big part of.

2. Emerging Electrical Industries

Since Edison in 1882, with his invention, brought the first electric lights to life in Manhattan, the world has looked a lot different. In other terms, electricians power up every industry that exists in society today. The impact of the daily work of electricians can even be looked upon by satellites flying around the globe. And the development of new and emerging electrical industries only seems to be gaining momentum.

Another key reason why electricians will be in future demand is emerging electrical industries. These new industries bring with them the development of a variety of technological breakthroughs and innovations. These fields are especially in the form of alternative power generation like solar, wind, and maybe even nuclear systems. Electricians are a key part of bringing these new industries to life by installing, maintaining, and planning the best electrical solutions.

3. Skilled vs Unskilled Labor

As the common saying goes: “If it was easy, everybody would be doing it”. Becoming an electrician requires an individual to attend a yearlong commitment to learning a skilled trade. First when fully educated a person will be certified to do electrical work. Being an unskilled worker does not provide the same job opportunities, as they can easily be replaced by the person standing next to them.

Opposite to an unskilled workers, electricians get legally certified to do electrical installation and maintenance. In the education of an electrician, we gain knowledge of electrical theory, safety regulation, and the use of tools. Even though some tasks can seem “simple”, there are many important things to consider in doing electrical work.

An electrician needs to be well-rounded in general as a craftsman. One might think that all we do is install and maintain electrical components, but many other tasks are included in the daily work. Oftentimes electricians will be preferred instead of other craftsmen. The reason is that an electrician already knows many of the tasks of for example a carpenter. But the assignment is to also install or replace a power outlet, which carpenters are not certified to do.

4. Career Advancement Opportunities

Electricians work in multiple industries, where electrical work is needed. Also, electricians can specialize in various disciplines that make them suited for different tasks. Not all electricians pull cables and do hard physical labor on a construction site until they reach retirement.

In the course of your electrician apprenticeship and in electrical trade school you will decide which path you want to take. However, you will, later on, be able to move to other departments to learn other exciting skill sets required for particular electrical tasks.

If you decide to try something new, there are various opportunities for advancing your career as an electrician. You could decide to shift industries or become an electrician technician later on. An electrician’s salary can also prove to be very different depending on which industry you are currently working in.

5. Work Everywhere You Want

By working as an electrician, you will have the opportunity to move to any place in the country. Although some regulations could be different, the type of electrical work will be mostly similar. If you were to get tired of maintaining outside lamps at degrees below zero, you could easily move to warmer conditions and still be doing the same type of assignments.

Not all professions have the same option as electricians, as certain jobs can only be geographically managed within a particular location, such as the film industry, software developers, and specialized health workers. After you’ve received your full certification you could in theory apply to electrician positions anywhere you want.

6. Be Your Own Boss (Later On)

Many electricians decide to become self-employed after some experience in the trade. This provides one with the opportunity to manage your own hours while potentially also earning more money as an electrician. There are various requirements to become self-employed as an electrician depending on which state you live in.

With the required experience, certification, and determination, an electrician could potentially become self-employed in the future. By becoming a self-employed electrician you could have a potentially higher future earning power, while also being able to prioritize important things like family, friends, and hobbies outside work.

Although becoming your own boss sounds like a dream for many people, there are also some things to consider. For example how to acquire new customers, get investment, insurance, hire electricians, and many more things. However, if you’re the type of electrician, who wants to also manage people and is committed, becoming self-employed also has a lot of advantages. By working on your own, you will obviously be more flexible, have a higher income, choose your own vacations and work on your own terms in general.

7. Earn a High And Reliable Income

Electricians belong to a trade that provides a wide range of salary opportunities. You could potentially be making a much higher salary compared to other electricians depending on the sector or industry you work in. The electricians that on average get paid the most are working for the government.

On average, a standard electrician receives an annual salary of $56.900 compared to an electrician working in the government, who will get paid $64.490. The highest-paid workers are currently electricians working on power- and substations. These electricians earn on average $83.150 annually.

TYPE OF ELECTRICIAN	HOURLY WAGE	ANNUAL WAGE
Powerhouse Electrician	$39,98	$ 83.150
Powerline Electrician	$35,78	$74.410
Electrical Repairers in Transportation	$33,87	$70.440
Industrial Electrical Repairers	$30,46	$63.350
Telecommunications Installers	$29,8	$61.980
Standard Electrician	$29,59	$61.550
Radio, Cellular, and Tower Electrical Installers	$29,23	$60.790
HVAC Electrical Technicians	$25,68	$53.410
Security and Alarm Installers	$25,07	$52.150
Electric Motor Repairers	$23,68	$49.250

These salaries for electricians reflect the money earned for a full-time wage. If the choice was to work more on weekends and on overtime projects an electrician’s salary could easily exceed these averages. It is also worth mentioning, that choosing certain specialties could potentially also bring with it a higher salary than most electricians.

8. Out With the Old, In With the New

Electricians can have many types of tasks in a typical workday. A lot of these assignments include the replacement of old electrical components for new ones. Every year the electrical industry is setting new standards for both user experience and safety requirements. Industries, governments, and businesses, therefore, need to keep up to date with these new requirements. Added to that, electricians are most often than not hired to do either maintenance or troubleshooting of electrical material.

As electricians, we are helping with the constant replacement of old electrical material for new and improved technology. In the future, when technological innovation does not seem to slow down, there will be a high demand for electricians to do this type of work.

Things break down over time. And so does electrical parts. Electricians will as a consequence always be in demand. And as the electrical industry will be emerging in the future so will the demand for new skilled electricians. Ironically, as most other people are working in offices, we are the ones who are installing the working space for the sedentary workforce. It’s just a win-win. While office workers are melting their faces off in front of a computer screen and attend boring meetings all day, we as electricians do the fun stuff – while also getting paid!

9. Electricity Consumption On the Rise

The amount of electricity consumption and use of electrical appliances is increasing each year. The rise of new technology and the demand for energy consumption increasing are especially the top reasons why. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), there are reports of a 5 percent rise in demand for electricity. This is good news for electricians all over the world.

The slow but steady shift from coal-based electricity to renewable energy is something that is greatly benefiting the trade of electricians. As many of the countries of the world have a shifting focus on climate-friendly solutions, there are several related industries where the skills of electricians are needed.

In order for the world to keep up with increasing electricity demand, entire infrastructures of power distribution has to be updated as well. For example, the electric car industry brings with it an increased demand for power stations for these types of vehicles. However, in some places, this technological development also has a bigger implication for the entire power grid responsible for fueling electrical cars.

Over the coming years, we will surely see more technological innovations, that will also increase the demand for electricity even further. The development of these and the transition from old technologies will force the demand for electricians even higher.

10. What About Robots and Automation?

If you were to choose a career in transportation as a truck driver, you might find yourself being without a job soon enough. Self-driving vehicles, AI, and automation, in general, will most certainly disrupt many industries such as truck, bus, and taxi drivers. Already today, there are jobs that machines are doing, that humans were previously managing. There are multiple factors, that point to the fact, that electricians will likely not be replaced by robots in the near future.

Electricians are primarily managing work tasks that are most likely not going to be replaced with robots. This was the overall conclusion of consulting firm McKinsey and Professor of Economics, Michael Jones.

Electricians are mostly working in a complex and shifting environment. As robots and automation mostly can be applied to predictable circumstances, electricians work daily in environments completely opposite to that. Added to that, electricians are constantly doing problem-solving, while communicating with both customers and colleagues.

With that said, there are some job assignments, that a robot will likely be able to do. Although that could be seen as a negative statement, they could actually become a great help in assisting the electrician to do the more repetitive tasks. These tasks include the transportation of electrical material, calculation of production costs, and even training of new administrative employees.

11. Becoming a Well-Rounded “Handyman”

Ok, so I’ve saved the best one for last, as this is just an overall benefit of becoming a worker in the trades. Mostly by becoming an electrician, but also in general as a craftsman. By learning the skills to become an electrician, you will be able to build and create electrical solutions for yourself and your family. I can’t tell you how many times, I have visited a friend or been to places where the good care of an electrician would be much appreciated. People are regrettably going years on end without proper lights or power outlets where they really should be implemented.

By becoming an electrician you will first of all learn to set up electrical components for yourself. However, you will also learn how to use a variety of tools and craft skills, that come in handy in your everyday life. These are all skills that you can use in your own life, and by consequence bringing down the cost of bills for certified craftsmen, as you now are one yourself.

My Final Thoughts On the Future of Electricians

Unfortunately, I do not have a crystal ball that enables me to look into the precise projections of the future. I can’t tell you if the next recession is coming, or if Elon Musk will develop artificial intelligence that will replace electricians in all industries. However, I think that is highly unlikely. Instead, I see a future where the demand for electricians will be on a steady rise.

As examined and explained in this article, I have given some key reasons why electricians will most likely exist many years from now. I’ve chosen to become an electrician based on these reasons, and I think that anyone who decides to pursue this path will be having a bright future with lots of job opportunities as well.