Lineman Schools In Texas - Become A Lineman Through An Apprenticeship Program

It may not seem like it, but the electrician field is currently in high demand. Not only in Texas but all states in the U.S. are currently demanding more and more electricians each year to take care of big electricity projects.

Unfortunately, the fact that there’s an increasing demand for electricians also means that there’s more competition. In that sense, it’s best to be as prepared as possible to be able to cater to the state’s needs.

Trade schools in Texas are an excellent way to start working on your journey as an electrician without having to spend four years in a standard college career. Overall, Texas trade schools are available for all aspiring electricians who may want to expand their knowledge.

If you were wondering how to become an electrician in Texas, the following article will guide you through these trade schools and how you can make the most of them. On the other hand, if you’re already convinced that you want to try out electrician trade schools in Texas, make sure to fill out the contact form below.

Once you fill out the necessary information, you'll get walked through more specific aspects of electrical trade schools in Texas, such as tuition, transportation, transfers between schools, and more!

Benefits Lineman Trade Schools Over Colleges

Several people may tell you that college is the best way to go to ensure an, overall, better studying journey. However, in some cases, studying for so many years can pose a disadvantage to some students. That’s where electrical lineman schools come in.

The first advantage of a trade school over college is that trade schools are condensed programs, meaning you’ll be able to enter the electrician job market much faster and gain money and experience.

Considering the fact that you’ll spend less time studying, it also means you’ll pay less in tuition, as well as fewer travel expenses, course materials, and more. This doesn’t mean that trade schools are ultimately better than colleges but rather that they’re an option worth considering.

Another vital thing about the trade school vs. college debate is the salary. Most people believe that a college degree will earn a person much more money than a trade school degree. While in some cases, this may be true, it isn’t always like that. There are several job positions for trade school graduates that offer much better pay rates.

In the case of electrician schools in Texas, for example, there’s a vast field of jobs to take in which you can make serious money.

Overall, tech schools in Texas may prove to be a rather interesting choice for those looking for more flexibility in their studying journey. Despite what many people think, a Texas trade school may prove more useful for some students than entire college careers!

What Can You Learn About in Lineman School?

What you will learn from these schools will ultimately depend on the institution. Regardless of the option, your goal is to be able to tackle any particular residential or commercial job with expertise and efficiency.

Some of the things you can expect to learn in technical schools include the following:

HVAC System Management
Electrical Fuses, Motors, and Wiring Systems
Transformers
Relays
Ballasts
Symbols

In some trade schools, you may even be able to choose particular job fields to practice in, so you’re better prepared for any job concerning that particular skill. If you want to learn more, filling out the contact form provided on this page will help you gain all the information you need to get started.

How to Become a Lineman in Texas

While the term “lineman” and “electrician” often get confused, they’re slightly different. While an electrician mostly works in residential or commercial jobs, which imply lower voltage systems and lower-risk jobs, a lineman goes a bit beyond.

Linemen construct or maintain electric transmission/distribution buildings. These buildings are responsible for delivering energy to residential, commercial, and industrial facilities. Overall, linemen are responsible for fixing electrical lines in cases of lighting, ice storms, or any other accident.

In essence, linemen work with higher-voltage systems. Now, does this mean that one is better than the other? Not necessarily. Both electricians and linemen have a wide range of jobs to take, and these come with good pay rates.

If you want to become an electrician or lineman in Texas, you must first go to a trade school that specializes in electrical technology. Once you complete your training and education, you may be able to take an apprenticeship, which will let you work under supervision once you’re approved by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Finally, once you finish your apprenticeship, you will be able to take your exam to become a journeyman. Keep in mind that the apprenticeship program in Texas is a particularly challenging one to get into, so getting into a trade school first to polish your knowledge could be an excellent option.

What Are the Different Licenses You Can Get?

The different licenses you can get as an electrician or lineman include the following:

Journeyman Electrician
Journeyman Sign Electrician
Journeyman Lineman
Maintenance Electrician
Residential Wireman

Other fewer common licenses include the residential appliance installer, which doesn’t require prior experience. If you’ve been a journeyman electrician for at least two years and have completed at least 12,000 hours of on-the-job training, you may be able to take the master electrician exam.

Reasons to Become an Electrician | Where You Can Thrive as an Electrician in Texas

One of the most exciting things about the electrician field is that there’s a high demand for electricians in both residential and commercial projects. If you’re looking to make money as an electrician, the state of Texas has several big projects where you can start working once you finish your training.

Here’s a wider overview of where you can thrive as an electrician:

Oil Fields and Agriculture

Some of the biggest industries in Texas at the moment are oil/petroleum and agriculture. First, Texas has the largest number of cattle nationwide, specifically 16 million heads of cattle, making this state the leading manufacturer of cattle products.

The revenues from agriculture are valued at several billions today. You may think to yourself: why would you work as an electrician in the agriculture field? Today, agricultural fields use high-tech electrical facilities to make the process of manufacturing easier. If these facilities don’t work correctly, these companies risk not producing at a decent rate.

On the other hand, oil and petroleum also play a big part in the leading industries. Currently, petroleum deposits account for 1/3^rd of all the petroleum supply in the country. Moreover, several major oil corporations have their headquarters in Texas, including ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, and others.

As with agriculture, working in oil fields as an electrician will ensure that all the electrical appliances used to work with petroleum are performing as expected. Considering the increasing demand for electricians in the state, this could pose a great earning opportunity for aspiring electricians.

Tourism

Tourism is another major industry in Texas. According to statistics, many tourists each year come from Mexico, Canada, Australia, China, Brazil, Japan, Germany, and the UK. Considering how important tourism is for the Texan economy, there’s no doubt that there’s an increasing demand for electricians in the state to work on commercial projects for the state.

Entertainment

Did you know that Texas is currently one of the top filmmaking states in the U.S.? Several billion have been spent on film and television productions in the state, which provides you a huge earning opportunity as an electrician since this industry relies on electric equipment to produce most of the content.

As an example, iHeartMedia is located in San Antonio and is one of the biggest entertainment channels in the entire country.

Texas Population Growth Statistics

Texas’ population statistics are excellent news for those who are looking for jobs as electricians. In 2020, the population was at 29.14 million, according to the U.S. Census for that year. As of 2022, the population in Texas is estimated to reach 29.9 million, making it the second-most populous state in the U.S. after California.

As you can see, there’s an increasing population tendency each year, meaning there will be several new residential or commercial job opportunities you may be able to take. Once you’ve finished your training in trade schools, you will notice the many job opportunities available.

Texas is also considered the number one in population growth within the last year, which is also excellent news for anyone looking for jobs as electricians or linemen.

Potential Major Building Projects

Several exciting projects are coming to Texas over the following years, and they could pose a great opportunity for new electricians to work. Those include:

Texas Medical Center Research Complex
City of Austin’s Project Connect
Aktina Solar Power Project
I-35 Capital Express Project
DGD Grassroots Diesel Plant Project
Fields West Mixed-Use Project

All of those projects are in demand for electricians to work in particular areas, especially in the case of Aktina’s solar power project, which involves the installation of roughly 1.4 million bifacial solar panels to boost power production. Once that project gets completed, the electricity generated will run into the grid through a 345kV power transmission line.

Salaries

As with several other factors in the electrician field, the salary mostly depends on the type of work you decide to take as an electrician or lineman in Texas. On average, the salary for an electrician is $25.72 per hour and $8,875 in overtime per year.

Bottom Line

Working as an electrician in Texas may be one of the best decisions to make if you’re planning on finding work fast. Thankfully, Texas is currently one of the states with the highest population growth over the past few years. Moreover, the need for electricians in that state is currently high considering all the projects currently ongoing.

If you want to make the most out of your career as an electrician, finding the right trade schools in Texas could be an excellent way to start. If you want to learn more, make sure to fill out the registration form here to help you with some of the following areas:

Tuition Costs
School Location and Transportation
Textbook Requirements
Transferability Between Schools (if needed)
Potential Job Opportunities Upon Graduating

We've gone into further detail on how you can thrive as an electrician in each of these cities: