Thoughts on becoming an electrician?
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pyrealnova
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What are the working hours like for a typical electrician? I imagine it varies depending on what specific field you're in, but is there such thing as a 9 - 5 electrician?
huh, I guess I'll be the dissenting voice ITT, not that I mind. 
I'm an Electrical Engineer and I worked for an electrical contracting company for years after I graduated.
You said you made $14/hr at your last job, and depending where you live, that may be more that what you'll make as an electrician. Here in FL, the only electricans that make decent money are the Project Managers...and maybe the Foremans. The guys out in the field doing the manual labor are lucky if they earn $12/hr.
Depending on the project, the work can be very physical demanding. Hours can be long. Lots of traveling. Very little job security. Benefits can be laughably poor.
That's the contracting business. Work can be steady....until it isn't. And the guys out in the field are always the first to go.
I would advise against becoming an electrician unless you plan to become a Master Elctrican and/or Project Manager. That's where the money is.
I'm an Electrical Engineer and I worked for an electrical contracting company for years after I graduated. You said you made $14/hr at your last job, and depending where you live, that may be more that what you'll make as an electrician. Here in FL, the only electricans that make decent money are the Project Managers...and maybe the Foremans. The guys out in the field doing the manual labor are lucky if they earn $12/hr.
Depending on the project, the work can be very physical demanding. Hours can be long. Lots of traveling. Very little job security. Benefits can be laughably poor.
That's the contracting business. Work can be steady....until it isn't. And the guys out in the field are always the first to go.
I would advise against becoming an electrician unless you plan to become a Master Elctrican and/or Project Manager. That's where the money is.
Drifter_InA_Cage
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What's the difference between electricians and electrical engineers? (In terms of type of work, salary, job prospects, etc)
I'm an electrical engineering and I work in the telecommunication business. 32 years old... currently unhappy as hell and studying to get into medical school.
If you're unhappy go after what you think will make the switch. Good luck bro!
huh, I guess I'll be the dissenting voice ITT, not that I mind.
You said you made $14/hr at your last job, and depending where you live, that may be more that what you'll make as an electrician. Here in FL, the only electricans that make decent money are the Project Managers...and maybe the Foremans. The guys out in the field doing the manual labor are lucky if they earn $12/hr.
Depending on the project, the work can be very physical demanding. Hours can be long. Lots of traveling. Very little job security. Benefits can be laughably poor.
That's the contracting business. Work can be steady....until it isn't. And the guys out in the field are always the first to go.
I would advise against becoming an electrician unless you plan to become a Master Elctrican and/or Project Manager. That's where the money is.
Wait, you make that kind of money as an electrical engineer? What?? Are you talking apprentice wages or full? The average wage of one in Australia is $120,000 and average max is $220,000. Even a basic arse electrician gets on average $30/h and can be triple that after hours. How can a trade pay so little over there?
Engineers design the work. Electricians install the work. Job prospects are better for the engineer, but electricians are always in need, too. Salary ceiling is much higher for the engineer.
I was staying on topic and referring to electricians. Those wages aren't even close to what the average electrican makes in FL. Maybe it's different in other states, but I can't imagine it being too drastic of a difference.
Mechanized
Member
Someone mentioned Electrician as a potential job in a different thread here a few days ago and it made me start thinking about it. It really sounds like something I could do and be great at. I'll have to look into it more. Some technically minded, hard, honest work seems like something I really need in my life after coasting and doing shitty desk work/tech support for the majority of my life. I hope 33 isn't too old to start on something like this.
huh, I guess I'll be the dissenting voice ITT, not that I mind.
You said you made $14/hr at your last job, and depending where you live, that may be more that what you'll make as an electrician. Here in FL, the only electricans that make decent money are the Project Managers...and maybe the Foremans. The guys out in the field doing the manual labor are lucky if they earn $12/hr.
Depending on the project, the work can be very physical demanding. Hours can be long. Lots of traveling. Very little job security. Benefits can be laughably poor.
That's the contracting business. Work can be steady....until it isn't. And the guys out in the field are always the first to go.
I would advise against becoming an electrician unless you plan to become a Master Elctrican and/or Project Manager. That's where the money is.
This website says the average salary in my city for an "Electrician I" is about 41k. Electrician III is 56k. Apparently Electrician I means 0-2 years experience, Electrician III is 5 years experience, both without completing an apprenticeship supposedly. It's not really clear on that though. I currently make a little under 29k.
http://www1.salary.com/WI/Madison/Electrician-I-salary.html
Jason's Ultimatum
Member
What about communication jobs, like working for cable companies?
Orbis Tabula
Member
You're already a Gaffer. May as well become a gaffer.
I wish you the best of luck reaching those wages without any certs/apprenticeships. That certainly is not the norm here in FL.
I have friends who are electricians, plumbers and HVAC mechanics and theyall love what they do.
The electricians I know are split between 'data' wiring and electrical, both work for private companies but are treated well and do good.
My plumber friend is in the union and loves the benefits (it's also almost impossible to get fired.)
My HVAC friend has tried many diffrent companies but he loves the work alot.
They've all tried their hand in service vs new construction and service brings the joys of the trips from call to call, and the interesting stories, but frustration of not knowing what you're getting into. New construction is clean and 'easy' but you're in the same spot for months, and for electrical you're in unfinished skyscrapers (very high up) alot of the time.
Goodluck!
The electricians I know are split between 'data' wiring and electrical, both work for private companies but are treated well and do good.
My plumber friend is in the union and loves the benefits (it's also almost impossible to get fired.)
My HVAC friend has tried many diffrent companies but he loves the work alot.
They've all tried their hand in service vs new construction and service brings the joys of the trips from call to call, and the interesting stories, but frustration of not knowing what you're getting into. New construction is clean and 'easy' but you're in the same spot for months, and for electrical you're in unfinished skyscrapers (very high up) alot of the time.
Goodluck!
Thanks, I'm just looking at statistics here, I don't know about Florida.
How long have they been at it and do you know what kind of salaries they have?
I checked that website's stats for here in Orlando, and the wages are basically the same. All I can tell you is that very few electricians here in FL are pulling in $50k+ after only 5yrs in the industry. The only way I could see it happening is by becoming a Master Electrician, but that process takes 7yrs.
But I guess it all depends on how many hours you're working.
I am an electrifcal engineer and the field is vast. I mean it really is huge.
You can work on designing electrical cars, working on generators, control systems, energy policy, motor optimization, computer vision, robotics, wiring layout, aerospace, power electronics, telecom, satellites, sales at a instrumentation or design company, digiral signal processing, microchips, etc...
There are literally thousands of jobs that employ electrical engineers. Salaries depend on your area of expertise and level of education. My friends that have graduated from my PhD program start at around 125-150k.
TAJ
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
huh, I guess I'll be the dissenting voice ITT, not that I mind.
You said you made $14/hr at your last job, and depending where you live, that may be more that what you'll make as an electrician. Here in FL, the only electricans that make decent money are the Project Managers...and maybe the Foremans. The guys out in the field doing the manual labor are lucky if they earn $12/hr.
Depending on the project, the work can be very physical demanding. Hours can be long. Lots of traveling. Very little job security. Benefits can be laughably poor.
That's the contracting business. Work can be steady....until it isn't. And the guys out in the field are always the first to go.
I would advise against becoming an electrician unless you plan to become a Master Elctrican and/or Project Manager. That's where the money is.
Sounds like carpentry. There's no money in it unless you're building sets or on federal property. I didn't meet a single framer who started in the '70s or later and owned their own home. (In SoCal.)
ph1l0z0ph3r
Member
I've actually at a similar crossroads but I was looking at taking Civil Engineering Technology or Electrical Engineering Technology courses at my local college instead of going the trade route way. Any suggestions?
i'm 31 now and i was in a similar circumstance to you, I got hired on by a small residential service plumbing company, and Have been a trainee for the last 2 years. Don't know how it works in electrical, but plumbing is Very hard to get into a union for. Its all on the job training, and I take online classes as well, though its not required. Has many downsides, but job stability isn't one of them, and I like how much more handy i've become, and I get to see some amazing houses and meet some cool ass people. Got 1 client that works at valve.
BlitzerRadic
Member
I work for a residential property management company in CA and deal with lots of contractors. Licensed electricians charge us a minimum of $100/hr. I know right now we are using an electrician for a job to repair/upgrade wiring in an old building. I know for a fact we are paying him at least 50k for this job. And this is just one electrician who runs his own business.
Plumbers make a ton of money too. We pay a plumbing company a minimum of 4k a month.. thats just for simple stuff like fixing clogged drains and toilets. And we're not their only client.
If you want to make lots of money in trades, you need a good base of property management companies as clients. There's always work and the limiting factor is the contractor.
Plumbers make a ton of money too. We pay a plumbing company a minimum of 4k a month.. thats just for simple stuff like fixing clogged drains and toilets. And we're not their only client.
If you want to make lots of money in trades, you need a good base of property management companies as clients. There's always work and the limiting factor is the contractor.
Trades jobs can be demanding, (I'm a plumber who works on new construction) however, electricians have it pretty easy in comparison to some other trades. If you do new construction, the hardest part is climbing stairs and pulling conduit but you won't risk being shocked (unless you're doing finish work I suppose?) due to when you're roughing in units in, say, an apartment, the wires aren't live. The apprenticeship program isn't bad. It has its positives and negatives. Positives being you can get grants for completing training (depending where you live. I received $1000 for completing A block plumbing), pay raises come more frequently than some jobs, you aren't expected to do a shit ton of hard stuff starting out as you will typically work under a journeyman and he will do most of the thinking. Negatives being low paying, 3-4 years of schooling, doing bitch work. If you're coming into the field with no previous experience with tools, you will be in for a culture shock in a way but you get used to things pretty quick.
"Low" pay I can deal with as long as I'm not starting off making less than I am now...from what I've read that may not be an issue but I'll see. I don't mind doing schooling along the way and it seems like the apprenticeships around here pay for virtually all of it.
I think it would be a bit of a 'culture shock' coming from where I cam now, sitting at a computer all day answering phones, but I hate where I am now, so there's that...
Yeah, I mean, I started at $2 above minimum wage which made me happy because that's the most I've made but I've gotten 3 raises since so it can build up quickly. But yeah, it feels good being able to do stuff with your hands that a lot of people have no idea/can't do. Like I said, the culture shock is there at first but it goes relatively quickly. I also want you to be warned about some peoples attitude in the field and how they will act. A big chunk of trades men/women have bad mouths, like to swear, smoke, do drugs, etc. (In construction at least.) So hopefully you can deal with that at times. It isn't constant but it is an issue. I swear quite a bit but that's my only negative.
GillianSeed79
Member
So after being unceremoniously fired from my job of 12 years two weeks ago by a boss I despised and right after learning that my girlfriend/soon-to-be fiancé is pregnant, I decided to go for it. I researched apprenticeships in my area and visited a local construction school to find out how to apply. Not only did the admissions director say that they don't turn anybody away, she pointed me to a contactor in town who was hiring. I went in off the street the next day and got hired. The apprenticeship classes don't start for another six months or so, but I have a job as just a general helper right now. The only bad part is right now I will be making about $1 less an hour than I was making, but once the apprenticeship program starts, I should be making more than I was making within a year and double what I was making when the program is over. I could fail spectacularly at this and have zero experience in outside construction, but this could be the start of a great-paying career, especially with a baby on the way. Wish me luck.
StalkerUKCG
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Make sure to go the industrial route for the real money. House bashing is shit
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