Electrician Schools and Training in Texas

Welcome, Texans, to The Electrician Careers Guide! We have all the information you'll need to get started as a high-paid professional electrician, including:

Are you ready to learn about a high-paying career that helps keeps our nation prosperous and productive? Let's get to it.

How To Become An Electrician In Texas​

​People enter the trade in a number of different ways. Typically, they do one of two things:

1. Enroll in one the electrician schools in Texas; or

2. Find an apprentice program and apply.

Let's take a closer look at each of those options, and see if we can find the right one for you.

Electrical Schools. Many electricians get their start by going to school. Some attend an electrician program at a community college; others enroll in a private technical institute and receive workplace training.

Schools are a fantastic option because they allow students to practice job-related skills in an environment that is free of danger. As you would image, the work that electricians do can be hazardous, so electrical schools offer hands-on training in a laboratory setting so that the learning environment is safe and secure.

Students are taught a broad range of electrical job tasks, including how to:​

Schools also provide a basic understand of electrical theory and the physics of electricity, and introduce students to electrical safety regulations.

Apprenticeship Programs. Many electricians enter the field through an apprentice program, and are paired with an electrician who "knows the ropes"--someone who is licensed and has practiced for many years--and are given small tasks to start, and gradually given larger responsibilities as they learn the trade.​

Apprentice programs are lengthy, and they usually last anywhere from four to five years. The two best aspects of the program are 1) by the time the program is over, participants are fully trained and able to take the state's licensing exam, and 2) participants earn a living wage and are paid for every hour they work.

The only problematic issue with these programs is that there can be a very long waiting period for people to be selected and begin. Because apprenticeships are a popular option, many people sign up for them, and a waiting period of a couple months to two years is not uncommon.

A Quick Note About Licenses​

One of your ultimate career goals should be to get an electrician license. Electricians who work with a license tend to earn higher salaries (a lot higher, in fact), get better benefits, and enjoy more job security. They're also able to take on a wider range of jobs, and take jobs they find interesting.

In Texas, you can get any of the following licenses:​

and...

To get a license, you have to have to accrue a certain number of work hours, and pass a licensing exam.

​Here's the important part: when you find work, make sure that the hours you accrue count towards getting a license. Texas has strict requirements on what counts towards your license and what doesn't, so make sure that the work you do counts towards a license. You can check some of the requirements for different licenses here. It would be an awful shame to work hard and not have that work result in a license, so when you start working--check and make sure!

Electrician Salary In Texas​

Every couple of years, the United States government releases information about the salaries of residents from each state. We checked with their latest figures, and collected the following data about tradespeople in Texas:​

Of the professions reviewed, licensed electricians earned the highest salary, taking in an average of $45,130 per year. Their income was relatively similar to plumbers and HVAC workers, but much higher than carpenters and significantly higher than construction workers (which is most likely because the training period for electricians is much greater than the training period for construction workers).

Here are some things you'll want to keep in mind when reviewing the salary data:​

Various Work Settings for Different Electrician Types

Above, we mentioned the different types of licenses that electricians can get. We'd also like to mention the different types of environments that electricians can work in: private homes and apartment complexes, commercial buildings, industrial factories and warehouses, telecommunications centers, and, of course, when they're setting up cable and phone lines, the great outdoors!

Here's a quick video of a commercial electricians working on a couple of job sites, both large and small:

Electrical Schools and Training in Texas

​We've combed through all of the apprentice programs and electrician schools in Texas and put together the list below. Take a look, and see if there's anything near you.

If you make the decision to become an electrician, we're pulling for you! Our country needs more electricians, and you'll be helping us remain strong in the years to come.