Electrician Career Assessment
Wiring homes, businesses, and industry
Welcome
Electricians install and repair the wiring, lights, and power systems in homes, businesses, farms, and industrial sites.
This is one of the biggest and fastest-growing trades in North Dakota. You will explore whether it fits you.
This takes about 15 minutes.
What is a Electrician?
An electrician reads blueprints, installs wiring and electrical equipment, and troubleshoots problems. They follow the electrical code to keep people safe from shocks and fires. In ND, electricians must be licensed.
The Reality: Electricity can injure or kill. Safety comes first, every time. You will work in cold buildings under construction, crawl spaces, attics, and on ladders.
Your Responsibilities:
- Read blueprints and plans
- Install wiring, outlets, switches, and lights
- Install electrical panels and equipment
- Troubleshoot problems with testers
- Follow the National Electrical Code
- Work safely around live power
- Install wiring on farms and in industrial sites
- Work with other trades on job sites
You bring power to where people live and work.
A Day in the Life
7:00 AM — Arrive at a new house being built. Review the plans with your journeyman.
7:30 AM — Pull wire through the walls to each outlet box.
10:00 AM — Install boxes for lights and switches.
12:00 PM — Lunch in the truck (it is cold out).
12:30 PM — Drive to a business with a problem: breakers keep tripping.
1:30 PM — Use a meter to find an overloaded circuit. Fix it.
3:30 PM — Back to the house to finish wiring the kitchen.
5:00 PM — Log your apprentice hours.
Active, hands-on work at different job sites.
Training in North Dakota
North Dakota requires registration and a license. Most electricians learn through a registered apprenticeship, earning a paycheck while they learn. A 2-year college program can count toward your hours.
Training Pathways:
- Apprenticeship (about 4 years): 8,000 hours of paid work under a licensed electrician plus 576 hours of classes. Earn while you learn.
- College first (2 years): An electrical degree, then 6,000 hours of work. NDSCS graduates get 2,000 hours of credit.
- Union apprenticeship (IBEW): Dakotas Area Electrical JATC trains in Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck, Minot, and Williston, with pay raises every 6 months.
Where to Train in North Dakota:
- ND State College of Science (Wahpeton) — Electrical Technology, AAS (Construction, Industrial, or Master Technician options); graduates get 2,000 hours of apprenticeship credit
- Bismarck State College (Bismarck) — Electrician Technician, AAS
- Dakotas Area Electrical JATC (IBEW) — paid union apprenticeship (dakotasjatc.org)
- Associated Builders & Contractors of MN & ND and many ND electrical contractors — registered apprenticeships
Before You Start: High school diploma or GED. Algebra helps. Must register as an apprentice with the ND State Electrical Board within 6 months of starting work. A valid driver's license.
Tip: Start with financial aid, scholarships, and any help an employer offers — that is where the money starts. After that, ask a career counselor or Job Service North Dakota whether WIOA or other programs can help with what is left over, like training, tools, work boots, or exam fees. What can be paid for depends on the program and on your own situation, so ask before you sign up rather than after. Registered apprenticeships let you earn a paycheck while you learn — see jobsnd.com/job-seeker/apprenticeships for ND programs.
Certification & Licensing
North Dakota licensing is required. The ND State Electrical Board registers apprentices and licenses electricians.
License Levels in ND:
- Apprentice registration — renewed every year by January 31; unregistered hours do not count
- Journeyman — after 8,000 hours as a registered apprentice (at least 3 years) and passing the exam
- Master — after at least 1 year and 2,000 hours as a journeyman
- Class B — farm and home wiring in small towns, after 3,000 hours
The Exams: Each license exam has a closed-book part and an open-book part. You need 70% to pass.
Cost: Journeyman license about $25 a year; master about $50 a year. Ask the board for exam fees.
Keeping It Current: Licenses renew yearly and require continuing education on the electrical code.
Salary & Job Outlook
North Dakota Electrician Pay (May 2025):
- Starting out (bottom 10–25%): $22.33–$27.36/hour ($46,440–$56,920/year)
- Middle (median — half earn more, half earn less): $31.59/hour ($65,710/year)
- Experienced (top 25–10%): $38.71–$48.57/hour ($80,510–$101,020/year)
What that means: Apprentices earn a percentage of journeyman pay that rises as they progress. Licensed journeymen and masters earn at the middle and top.
Jobs in North Dakota: About 3,270 people do this work in ND today. By 2034, that should be about 3,780 (about 15% growth). Expect about 350 job openings every year in ND from growth and people retiring or changing jobs. Across the U.S., the change is about 10% growth — much faster than average.
Outlook: Excellent. About 350 openings a year in ND, one of the largest numbers in the trades.
Who Hires in ND: Electrical contractors, construction companies, utilities and co-ops, industrial plants, and oil field electrical companies.
Work Setting: Construction sites, homes, businesses, farms, and plants. Often cold or unheated buildings. Travel between sites, especially in western ND.
Physical Demands: High. Standing, climbing ladders, crawling in tight spaces, lifting, and working in cold weather. Good color vision helps (wires are color-coded).
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Dakota, May 2025 (SOC 47-2111); North Dakota and U.S. long-term employment projections 2024–2034, via O*NET OnLine. Numbers are rounded.
Where This Leads
Path 1: Journeyman Electrician — Work on your own.
Path 2: Master Electrician — Plan and supervise electrical work.
Path 3: Electrical Contractor — Run your own business.
Path 4: Industrial Electrician — Work in plants and refineries.
Path 5: Estimator or Project Manager — Plan projects and bids.
Path 6: Inspector — Check work for code safety.
The Real Talk
What's Great:
- Earn while you learn
- Lots of jobs statewide
- Strong pay after licensing
- Can run your own business
- Every day is different
- Respected, skilled trade
What's Hard:
- Safety risks with electricity
- About 4 years to become a journeyman
- Cold job sites
- Physical work in tight spaces
- Must keep up with code changes
- Travel between sites
Be Honest: Are you careful about safety? Can you commit to about 4 years of apprenticeship? Can you handle cold job sites and physical work?