Electrician

The recommended path for becoming an electrician in California is to start as an electrician trainee. To register as one, you have to submit an application, pay a $25 fee, and submit proof that you are enrolled in an approved school, like Summit College.  

While admissions requirements for electrician training programs vary from school to school, to apply at Summit College El Cajon, you need to: 

• Be 18 years or older 
• Provide an acceptable high school diploma, GED, or equivalent 
• Complete an interview with an Admissions Advisor 
• Meet the required level of proficiency with speaking, reading, writing, and understanding English 

Once you have completed your approved Electrician training program and are registered as a trainee, you will need to complete a certain number of hours of on-the-job experience, depending on the type of electrician you are looking to be:  

• General Electrician — 8000 hours of work for an electrical contractor installing, constructing or maintaining electrical systems covered by the National Electrical Code   
• Residential Electrician — 4800 hours of work for an electrical contractor installing, constructing or maintaining electrical systems covered by the National Electrical Code 
• Voice Data Video Technician — 4000 hours of work for an electrical contractor installing, constructing or maintaining electrical systems covered by the National Electrical Code 
• Fire/Life Safety Technician — 4000 hours of work for an electrical contractor installing, constructing or maintaining electrical systems covered by the National Electrical Code 
• Non-Residential Lighting Technician — 2000 hours of work for an electrical contractor installing, constructing or maintaining electrical systems covered by the National Electrical Code 

“Journeyman” or “journeyperson” is a term you might see pop up in the skilled trades field, and it’s worth taking a second to define what exactly it means. At the very beginning of your career, you’re generally considered an electrician apprentice, meaning that your work is supervised and overseen by an experienced technician.  

Becoming a journeyman electrician means that you have achieved enough training and experience that you can work with minimal supervision, and it puts you on the path to becoming a master electrician, who can manage teams, supervise apprentices, and oversee projects. 

Not every electrician job requires a certificate in California, but there is a notable exception: Any electrician who works for a class C-10 licensed contractor must be certified. C-10 is the electrical contractor license according to the California Code of Regulations: 

An electrical contractor places, installs, erects or connects any electrical wires, fixtures, appliances, apparatus, raceways, conduits, solar photovoltaic cells or any part thereof, which generate, transmit, transform or utilize electrical energy in any form or for any purpose. 

So, while you could technically work as an electrician without this certification, not getting it means your job options will be much more limited. 

This can honestly vary depending on the path you take and the program you enroll in. Electrician programs at community colleges can sometimes take a year or more to graduate, while electrician trade schools often offer short-term training designed to maximize your time. Summit College El Cajon’s Electrician program, for example, can be completed in just 36 weeks. 

Tuition costs can vary widely. The school’s cost per credit hour, the length of their program, their auxiliary fees — all of this can add up to different levels of financial burden for the student. Summit College El Cajon has designed our programs to be as efficient as possible so that your time and your budget are respected. We also have a number of different financial aid options to help support you in paying for your education.