The California requirements are:
Must be 18 or older
High school grad
Have completed one full year (two full semesters)of Algebra in High School or one semester of Algebra in College or adult School with passing grade of "C" or better
Must pass a pre-employment drug/alcohol test
Then if excepted you take a three part written test which they give a tutor class for.
Then if you pass that, you get an oral interview, then you wait to find out if your excepted.
I started out making $17.60 then got a raise to $18.20 about two or three weeks later, Dec 1st I'll get my next raise to $20.48 and a raise every 6 months after that for the next five years as long as I keep passing the classes.
A Journeyman Inside Wireman makes $45.51 an hour
A Foreman makes even more
What kind of pay do they have back East?