Launch League

Skilled trades and making things · Ohio

Electrician: what the job actually is

Installing and fixing the wiring, panels and controls that carry power through houses, stores and factories, to a code an inspector will check.

By , founder, U.S. Air Force veteranChecked against official Ohio sources Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

The work

What this job actually is

  • Running conduit, pulling wire, mounting boxes and panels, and connecting it all so power gets where it is supposed to go and nowhere else.
  • A lot of it happens before the walls are closed: bending pipe, drilling studs, climbing ladders, crawling through attics and ceilings that are hot in summer and cold in winter.
  • Troubleshooting is the other half. Something is dead, tripping or buzzing, and you work out why with a meter, a drawing and a process of elimination.
  • You work to the electrical code, and an inspector checks your work before anybody gets to use it. Mistakes here can start fires or hurt people, so the job rewards being careful more than being fast.
  • The work splits into residential, commercial and industrial. Houses, office buildings and factories feel like three different jobs with the same tools.

A Tuesday

What a normal day looks like

Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.

  1. 6:30: On site, boots and glasses on, a quick safety talk with the crew about what is live today and what is locked out.
  2. 7:00: Pull wire through conduit you bent yesterday. One person feeds, one person pulls, and nobody's phone is out.
  3. 9:00: Mount and level boxes along a new wall. Measure, mark, drill, repeat, forty times.
  4. 11:00: Ask the journeyman why the drawing shows a circuit going somewhere that makes no sense. Sometimes the drawing is wrong.
  5. 12:00: Lunch on an overturned bucket.
  6. 12:30: Terminate devices in a panel: strip, land, torque, label. Slow, tidy, and checked twice because the inspector will check it once.
  7. 2:30: Clean up the scraps, roll up cords, write down what got done so the next shift knows where to start.

Honestly

Who loves this, and who should not do it

You may like this if
  • You like puzzles that have one right answer you can prove with a meter.
  • You are fine with ladders, tight spaces and a lot of standing.
  • You are careful by nature and do not mind checking your own work before anyone else does.
  • You want to earn while you learn instead of paying for years of school first.
You may hate this if
  • You get bored doing the same physical task many times in a row. Pulling wire and mounting boxes is a big part of the first years.
  • Heights, crawlspaces or working outside in January are a real problem for you.
  • You are color-blind in a way that makes telling wire colors apart hard. Ask about this early rather than late.
  • You hate studying. The code and the math do not stop after school; apprentices go to class for years.

The route in

How you actually get there in Ohio

  1. Finish high school with as much math as you can stand

    A high school diploma or equivalent is the usual starting requirement. Algebra and basic physics show up constantly: voltage drop, load calculations, bending conduit at the right angle.

  2. Get into a registered apprenticeship

    Most electricians learn the trade in a four- or five-year apprenticeship, typically about 2,000 hours a year of paid on-the-job training plus classroom instruction. In Ohio, registered apprenticeships are overseen by ApprenticeOhio at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Search the federal Apprenticeship Finder for programs near you.

  3. Know what Ohio licenses and what it does not

    The state license, issued by the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), is a contractor license (also called a master license) for commercial electrical work. There is no separate state journeyman card. Residential contractors are regulated by local building departments, which can also require the state license, so check the city or county where you work.

  4. Work toward the contractor license if you want to run jobs

    To sit the OCILB exam you must be at least 18, have worked in the trade for at least five years right before you apply (or have other experience the board accepts), carry contractor's liability insurance, and pass the PSI licensing exam.

While you are still in high school

  • Every Ohio city, local and exempted village school district has to offer career-technical education in grades 7 through 12. Ask your counselor where your district's electrical or construction program is, often at a joint vocational school or career center.
  • Ohio counts some electrical credentials toward graduation, including the NCCER Electrical credential and OSHA 10-hour safety training. Ask whether your career-tech program offers them.
  • Ohio has pre-apprenticeship programs for students aged 16 to 20 that partner with registered apprenticeships. Ask your career-tech teacher or contact ApprenticeOhio.
  • College Credit Plus lets students in grades 9 to 12 take Ohio college courses for high school and college credit at no or low cost. Ask your nearest community college if it offers an electrical or construction course you could take.

Where this comes from: Ohio Department of Commerce: Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) · Ohio Revised Code 4740.06: who can sit the state contractor license exam · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: How to become an electrician · Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: ApprenticeOhio · U.S. Department of Labor: Apprenticeship Finder · Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: pre-apprenticeships for students and adults (news release) · Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: career-technical education admissions FAQ · Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: industry-recognized credentials · Ohio Revised Code 3365.03: College Credit Plus eligibility (grades 9 to 12). Rules change, so check the official page before you rely on a detail.

The money

What it pays in Ohio

Last on purpose. Pay matters, but it is a bad reason to pick a job you would dislike for thirty years.

$64,700
Median pay in Ohio, a year
$31.11
Median pay in Ohio, an hour
28,950
People doing this job in Ohio
$77,360
Median pay in the Akron area, a year

Most people in Ohio earn between $40,750 (the lowest-paid tenth, usually new starters) and $99,280 (the highest-paid tenth) a year.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Ohio and Akron, OH metro area. Median means half earn more and half earn less.

Try it this week

Wire a circuit you can hold in one hand

  1. Get a battery, a small bulb or LED, a switch and some wire. A cheap kit or parts pulled from an old toy both work.

  2. Draw the circuit on paper first, the way an electrician reads a drawing before touching anything.

  3. Build it, then add a second bulb in series and again in parallel. Write down what changes in brightness and why.

  4. Stand under one light fixture in your house and trace on paper where you think the wire runs back to the panel. Notice whether that kind of puzzle bugs you or pulls you in.

Questions to ask somebody who does it

  • What did you spend most of today actually doing?
  • How did you get into your apprenticeship, and how many people applied?
  • Residential, commercial or industrial: which do you like and why?
  • What is the closest call you have had, and what did it teach you?
  • What does your body feel like at the end of a week?
  • Is it worth getting the contractor license, or are you happy working for someone else?

Can you own one?

Yes. To contract commercial electrical work in Ohio you need the OCILB contractor license, which means five years in the trade (or other experience the board accepts), passing the exam, and carrying liability insurance in one company's name. For residential work, check the local building department, which may have its own registration or require the state license. Then the hard parts are pricing jobs, finding customers and getting paid.

Thinking about it? How to start a business in Ohio and the free Business 101 course are the place to begin.

Questions

Quick answers

How much does a electrician make in Ohio?
The median pay for a electrician in Ohio is $64,700 a year ($31.11 an hour), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025. Most people earn between $40,750 and $99,280.
How do you become a electrician in Ohio?
Finish high school with as much math as you can stand. Get into a registered apprenticeship. Know what Ohio licenses and what it does not. Work toward the contractor license if you want to run jobs.
Can you own your own business as a electrician in Ohio?
Yes. To contract commercial electrical work in Ohio you need the OCILB contractor license, which means five years in the trade (or other experience the board accepts), passing the exam, and carrying liability insurance in one company's name. For residential work, check the local building department, which may have its own registration or require the state license. Then the hard parts are pricing jobs, finding customers and getting paid.

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