Becoming an electrician in the state of Virginia can be as involving as learning to be a dentist or some other highly prized trade. This is because VA electrical license have to go through four years of schooling and fairly intense training to be able to work on wires. This makes sense, considering that anything other than the lowest level of household wires tend to carry current at very high voltages.
It also makes sense that the state would want to protect its investment in power infrastructure. After all, the electrical grid was expensive to install and represents the money of both the government and private electricity producers that might be attached to the public interest. A lot of people depend on electricity from any single line, and a serious mistake by anybody could cripple the power line for hundreds or thousands of people.
A mistake with high voltage could cost you your life and could potentially damage power grid equipment to the effect that other people loose power. To protect everyone involved, all electricians have to be as highly trained as realistically possible. Even after graduating from training and completing the final examination, trained repairmen typically receive even more training and apprenticeship from the company who hires them.
Some people choose to work as independents, effectively working on the wiring of other people’s houses, but people straight out of school might be better off working for someone else in order to learn the industry. This is definitely a career where training needs to be comprehensive in order to support work as an independent. Not only it is competitive, but the work is dangerous and requires precision.
The good news is that someone who passes their exam and completes schooling with good marks both morally and academically is likely to be rewarded with an elite career. There are so many interesting things to do with electricity that the future career paths are many. It does pay to get real good in one or two fields in order to be competitive, but the pay can only go up for someone with in demand skills.
Check with schools that have an electrical program. See if they can help pass a Journeyman VA electrical license exam. Certification comes in ranks, and it takes full certification to work on the wires of a house without a supervisor. It might take even more certifications in order to work on lines for the power company. There is a lot of interest parties involved, so do your best and conquer that might mountain for a rewarding lifelong career.