ELECTRICIAN

To become an electrician, you can learn the trade informally by helping an experienced electrician, or you can enroll in an apprenticeship program. As an electrician's assistant, you'll learn safety practices, which are very important. You'll also learn to install and connect wires. As you learn more, you'll be given more responsibility.

Apprenticeship programs work much differently. This training is very comprehensive and will teach you all you need to know to practice the trade in four to five years. Participating in one of these programs will also increase your chances of finding a job because employers know that the trainees will be knowledgeable.

You can start obtaining the skills you'll need to become an electrician right now. Science classes are helpful, as are shop classes. You have to have an understanding of the way electricity works to be able to safely perform your job. You'll also need to read blueprints, so those math classes will definitely come in handy.

Most states require a person to get a license before he or she can officially become an electrician. A test is usually given, with questions ranging from safety precautions to electrical theory.