A Journeyman Electrician makes an average of $32.50 an hour or around $70,000 per year BEFORE overtime & Benefits. The average salary for a person with a college degree is $48,000. The AVERAGE Electrical engineer makes around $65,000. The average Business degree holder makes around $52,000.
Perhaps the good legislator is on to something?!
I'm a Journeyman w/7 years experience in the Power Industry and I make just over twice that much at this point, once overtime and benefits are factored in. I made just under $155K during my best year, and that was after turning down at least $7K worth of even more overtime I could have worked over the course of that same year.
One or two guys I work with flirt with nearly $200K/yr., but they live to work overtime. That's all they do.
Not only that, but in various government related jobs an electrician is often the highest paid employee. In 2016 the employee with the most pay, $217,000, at the MBTA in Boston was an electrician. A number of other trades are also represented at the top of payroll stats.
You need to read your WE salary source more carefully.
These guys learn to come to work on time, not mouth off to the super, work hard and best of all- get a steady paycheck.Many never have had a stable income before and after 2 or 3 checks they decide hey! it's good to be civilized. One starts as a laborer for $12 an hour and if he keeps his nose clean and works diligently after a year or three he will be asked to take training as a carpenter or electrician or welder or painter, whatever is needed at the time. Income immediately goes up $3 an hour and increases as the skill increase. If he sticks at that for another ,say, 3 years he can go to another shipyard in Louisiana or Texas and get 50 per cent more to start.
I worked there as a security guard for 3 years and watched it all happening. Perhaps 5% of new hires don't make it- take a punch at a supervisor or get caught with drugs or something, but the rest do. Those without ability to acquire skills can stay as laborers and their pay will increase with longevity.
One fellow said to me, hey, it beats hell out of dealing drugs. "All that easy money was pretty small and you was poor in between."
Reminds me of the old Frazier episode in which the former high-school bully, now reformed and a successful plumber, is called in to repair Frazier’s toilet. He’s just upgraded to a better car model than Frazier drives.