What Does an Electrician Do? A Comprehensive Guide

Electricians are responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing electrical power systems in homes, businesses, and factories. Learn more about what an electrician does in this comprehensive guide.

What Does an Electrician Do? A Comprehensive Guide

Electricians are the modern superheroes of electricity, responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing electrical power, communications, lighting, and control systems in homes, businesses, and factories. They are constantly working on projects such as rewiring equipment or accessories, inspecting electrical components for safety, installing wiring and lighting, and troubleshooting electrical problems. Electricians must ensure that the electrical wiring works properly and repair any breakdowns or malfunctions. The most common pathway to becoming an electrician is through an apprenticeship program that consists of 144 hours of technical training and 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training.

This usually takes 4-5 years to complete, after which a license is usually required according to each state's regulations. An accredited technical school may also be acceptable and have internship courses in safety, circuits, basic electricity, math readings, and blueprints. Business owners can also be the license holder by assigning their own license to their company as “Master Electrician of Record” if they meet the exemption criteria in full. Electricians must carefully follow building regulations to ensure safety, especially when directing or training other workers.

They must also have good color vision because workers often need to identify electrical cables by color. Critical thinking and attention to detail are essential skills for electricians as they are often asked to consider the reasons why an electrical component does not work. There are many special types of electricians, including residential electricians who install wiring and solve electrical problems in homes and in-house electricians who maintain and repair control systems, motors, and electrical equipment in enterprises and factories. With enough experience, electricians can start their own business, hire a team of electricians, and sign larger electrical contracts for large public and private corporations.

Electricians should have numerical and technical aptitude as they need to be comfortable working with numbers and interpreting technical plans. For example, the average salary of electricians in Jaipur, Rajasthan is ₹19,866 per month - one of the highest in the entire country.

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