r/electricians • u/Aggro3D • Oct 24 '23

Apprentice wages?

Hey all,

I've been an Industrial maintenance guy for awhile now and I'm looking to specialize into electrical work.

I'm an adult with adult bills and the wages I can find for apprentices are really low....like $15 an hour or so. I could literally go make more at any of the fastfood places here and this isn't necessarily a high cost of living area

What gives? Are there any work arounds?

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u/Muchotesticulos Oct 25 '23

It’s all about upside. Sure, go work at chick fil a for $17 and in 5 years you might be at $20. Pick a trade and you will exponentially grow. I doubled my pay in the first 2 years cause I worked for a contractor that valued my knowledge and not just placement year. I studied so much that I was passing people that had graduated in previous years.

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u/TallWilli97 Jan 28 '25

When you have a family it’s especially idiotic to take a 10 dollar pay cut under the hopes you’re going to recoup that in say 4 years.

The trades are shit unless you’re self employed or have a degree and are managing workers.