How long does it take to become a journeyman electrician?

Most people need about 4 years, the time it takes to log roughly 8,000 hours of on-the-job training at about 2,000 hours a year. Texas requires 8,000 hours under a master electrician and lets you take the exam at 7,000 hours, according to TDLR. Other states set their own hours, so check with your state's licensing board.

A residential wireman license takes 4,000 hours, or an approved career and technology education program, and covers single-family and multifamily dwellings up to four stories. Graduates of a TDLR-approved accelerated journeyman program get 4,000 hours of credit toward a journeyman license and can take the exam right away. They still need 8,000 total hours before the journeyman license is issued.

TDLR requires 12,000 hours of on-the-job training under a master electrician and at least two years holding a journeyman license. At a full-time pace, that's about six years from your first day as an apprentice.

Yes. Apprenticeships are built for beginners, and you earn a paycheck as you learn the trade. In Texas, the apprentice license has no experience or exam requirement, so you can apply online and start logging hours once a contractor hires you.

Yes, apprentices earn wages from their first day. The BLS says apprentices typically get about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training each year, plus technical instruction in subjects like electrical theory, code requirements and safety.