Question for electricians or those in the electric-related field

The entry level test here is all algebra. Electrical work has a lot of it in there. Anything from bending conduit, sizing wire, sizing services and transformers, amp loads, etc ....... Pretty much everything you do. If you are not good at math then you won't excell.

Also the IEC classes here count as part time schooling. So for the 4 years of school it can count as 2 years towards college credits. Electrical engineering is a different form of electrical work though. Through my experience, engineers that have had previous experience in the field are much better at doing plans because things that may seem like they work on paper rarely ever work in real life.

I made just under 60 last year and have been doin electrical work for 8 years now. At a non union company, wages widely vary. At a union they are set to minimum pay rates with the opportunity for the employer to pay you higher. Rate for an entry level journeyman here is $25 an hour with on the job foreman making at least $32. I also live in one of the lowest paid parts of the country. Many cities pay between $30-$50 for entry level journeyman all the way up to $70 an hour in certain places. Also union benefits are very good

 

Come here to Houston, electrical jobs are a dime a dozen for all levels of apprenticeships. I will throw in my 2 cents though, residential electrical work will teach you a lot about the basics, but the pay is terrible. Commercial will teach you about different voltages, amp draw, etc and you will bust your ass from when you get there til you leave, and again the pay is meh. Industrial work will pay you a hefty amount and the work isn't harder (IMO) than commercial, it's more dangerous, per say, but with the risks you get paid more. There are also more opportunities for industrial work than commercial and residential (depending on where you are). I've been doing Industrial electrial work for about 9 years now and in the past few years I've been getting in to instrumentation and I am liking it quite a bit. It's a lot more challenging than electrical, and not as much as the grunt work that goes in to it.

 

Thanks for the insight. I think I'd really like to gear more towards the industrial side or power company side. For whatever reason, residential doesn't really jump out at me. The one link I had attached was geared towards electrical construction worker, which has me somewhat iffy, because I know construction has its ups and downs and want to have a stable career.

 

Yeah I jumped in industrial work because of what Large is saying. And of coarse you can do complicated work sometimes and easy work the next. Instrumentation is something that is a must to know at my company cause we do so much of it. But we also do everything else from running pipe to digging ditches. It's all part of electrical work unless you get a job doing a very specific thing. Only downfall is you will only be good at a very select few things. But if you are really good at those few things and enjoy doing them then you should have no problem with work