Where’s the money

P

Pinnie

Senior Member
Location
Ohio
Occupation
Commercial Electrician
Currently I make 30/hr and I have a company truck and gas card as a 4th year commercial electrician. I started at 13/hr in 2021. I have my fire alarm license and 4th year NCCER cert (pretty much useless, but I’m in Ohio so it’s all we got).

I believe I am very blessed. I am very grateful for what I have been given The company I work for has seen my value, and always paid me what I ask (which has always been more than they originally offer) during yearly reviews.

Something I’m wresting with is more so the industry. Looking around at job offering just to see market value, and it seems I’m closing in on the wage cap rapidly. Most I see out there are 35-40/hr. I think we are underpaid. Other trades get paid the same but seem to require less knowledge (I am open to being wrong just my layman observation).

I see a few options as the industry stands. Start your own company (likely the route I’ll go) or join the union (if I have to I will, I just don’t know if I want to die in the field), or specialize.

It doesn’t appear that you can make as much money as you should as a high level, nose in the NEC, non-union field electrician as the effort to become one entails. Where is the industry motivation for electricians to strive for the top. Am I missing the mark on these observations? Location obviously plays a part. All the contractors I see online have to eat service changes for breakfast to make good money (that’s residential so that changes things but still).
 
I agree, a critical niche specialization is typically needed to leverage journey-level rates beyond the norm.
Temporary labor mills, with payroll services, saturate everything else.
 
ramsy said:
I agree, a critical niche specialization is typically needed to leverage journey-level rates beyond the norm.
Temporary labor mills, with payroll services, saturate everything else.
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What routes do you see that have the best effort to cash return? Is contractor the worst option? I don’t even think when I get my EC license I will receive as large of a pay bump as I should ( if any)
 
Some people like to start and run their own company. I tried it for 7 years and it was ok but it wore me out. Your working, billing estimating it doesn't leave you any off time. You get tied up in insurance, workmens comp, payroll, trucks, tools and everything else that eats cash and brings in 0 dollars. If you have employees it goes to another level. When you get above 6 employees or so you take off the tools. If you have someone to do billing and payables that would help.

For me I was better off working for someone else but that is JMHO.

Certain contractors are better at finding niche jobs and niche clients that pay better. Its hard to gain doing run of the mill work all the time. Maybe look for a contractor that does HVAC controls, fire alarms etc
 
What is your benefits package worth? That's something to factor in if you try to go it on your own. Plus, what does your employer have to pay on your behalf that you don't see (unemployment, Workman's comp, the other half your FICA, plus here in Seattle it would be family leave, long term care, and a host of others).

Is there a way to get closer to union rates without being union, such as a staff electrician at some large industrial fabrication company like an auto or tire plant, a hospital, a server farm, etc?

But overall I agree that electricians are under paid. I was over paid I thought compared to other trades as an engineer (but I didn't refuse any of the money...). I don't know how we fix the wage disparity in this country. Everyone wants everything for free or provided by someone who makes 1/4 of what they do.
 
Eddie702 said:
Some people like to start and run their own company. I tried it for 7 years and it was ok but it wore me out.
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I feel like I lucked into the worst trade to start your own company. So much liability and non of the financial gain. I hope I’m wrong and there’s a golden age for use coming up.
 
suemarkp said:
What is your benefits package worth?
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My company provides very low quality benefits.
suemarkp said:
Plus, what does your employer have to pay on your behalf that you don't see (unemployment, Workman's comp, the other half your FICA, plus here in Seattle it would be family leave, long term care, and a host of others).
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Very true. I’m sure I cost them every bit of 45$/hr out the door
suemarkp said:
Is there a way to get closer to union rates without being union, such as a staff electrician at some large industrial fabrication company like an auto or tire plant, a hospital, a server farm, etc?
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Yes but to feel competent enough to apply for such position would take either nuts of steel for a 26 year old or the knowledge to do it (which takes grinding the NEC to pretty much engineer levels.)
suemarkp said:
But overall I agree that electricians are under paid. I was over paid I thought compared to other trades as an engineer (but I didn't refuse any of the money...). I don't know how we fix the wage disparity in this country. Everyone wants everything for free or provided by someone who makes 1/4 of what they do.
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For a contractor I feel like you could make more money more easily doing concrete or something with wayyyyy less things to memorize.
 
Currently I’m grinding the NEC studying for my EC license when I can take it (in Ohio after 5 years). I don’t really think I want to specialize. I would like to have a company so my sons (I have 2) could come learn how to work hard, but I’m also wrestling with the juice not being worth the squeeze, and the self doubt that I could even be capable of it.
 
The issue of working for somebody else, or yourself, is if you work for someone, something goes bad, and you get fired, you can usually get a new job the next day. If you work for yourself, you have a chance of making good money, but a job gone bad, can cost you a lot. Be sure to have insurance.
 
hillbilly1 said:
The issue of working for somebody else, or yourself, is if you work for someone, something goes bad, and you get fired, you can usually get a new job the next day. If you work for yourself, you have a chance of making good money, but a job gone bad, can cost you a lot. Be sure to have insurance.
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That goes for our trade more than the rest too.
 
Pinnie said:
For a contractor I feel like you could make more money more easily doing concrete or something with wayyyyy less things to memorize.
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There is nothing easy about flat work, forming, or finishing concrete. I know. I started in concrete for about a year and a half. Too hard on the joints and back
 
Pinnie said:
I don’t really think I want to specialize.
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Everybody does to an extent (only residential, only new commercial, oil field equipment, etc) so start with that sort of direction - what sort of work do you want to do, or not want to do? Since you have an FA license, are there other related licenses you could get? You can specialize without hyper-focusing on a single piece of equipment, for instance learn and handle complex FA systems, or motor & pump controls, or ATSs and generators (the bigger ones), etc.

Consider the saying "Jack of all trades, master of none." - don't be one of those.
 
"Jack of all trades, master of none." - don't be one of those.

Different parts of the country are vastly different apparently.

My 60 YO son pulls in $85 an hour as 'handyman' on Vashon Is WA as a 2nd job to his art business. He does everything EXCEPT electrical, even calls me for anything needed on his own house, but does everything else from drywall to minor plumbing.
Pretty sure regular plumbers and electricians pull in more than the $85 ==price of housing on Vashon probably 4 or 5X what that is in Ohio though?
 
I can bend pipe, make ups panels, I’ve run a trencher, set poles with a law, run a tugger, unload skids with a bobcat, trouble shoot and install complex fire alarm systems (aside from programming), wire timeclocks and contactors, wire kitchen hoods, rough device trim, conduit fill, derate. Hand me a print and walk away. Only thing I wouldn’t do without guidance is size and set a transformer (never had to do one), but I could figure it out.
zbang said:
Everybody does to an extent (only residential, only new commercial, oil field equipment, etc) so start with that sort of direction
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Very true. I guess I don’t want to specialize into fire alarm or elevators or something where I’m doing the same thing everyday.
 
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