Are IT Opportunities Worth Leaving the Electrical Union For? #ITcareers #ElectricalUnion #CCNA #networking #careerchange
Wondering if switching from the electrical union to IT is the right move for you? Hear from someone in a similar position:
Family man, 35, faced with leaving the electrical union for IT
– Recently acquired CCNA
– Strong IT job offer vs. Union benefits
– Struggling with the decision to leave networking
In need of advice on whether to pursue a lifelong career in IT or continue in the electrical union? Read on to learn more about the dilemma and weigh in on what’s best for your future.
It is a dumpster fire atm
there’s just a lot of salt here right now, especially since IT was sold as a low effort, remote email click job for the last 5 years.
Depends. A lot of people who post on here complaining would have a better time working your union job. It’s a pretty sweet gig and your father in law knows what’s up. I’ve met retired union people collecting $10k+ in pensions. Which isn’t bad compared to whatever those people doing support for decades have.
But if you’re actually ambitious about the field, clever, hungry, and self sufficient.. you’re better off in the industry.
Honestly, the pay and benefits you’re getting offered at your old job is what a lot of folks go into IT to try and land.
If you enjoy IT more than your old job, then do it. Just make sure you can give your kids a good life.
How many other people under 40 are in the union?
You’re not crazy, but low-voltage contractors work in the datacenters a LOT. So do high-voltage electricians.
Do, what you want to do, what exactly is your problem? It’s your life, and you have to get along with it in the best way possible, only for you. What’s your personal issue with „these others“?
In your case, you seem to have a very fruitful work-life balance. Who am I to tell you to leave IT? If you can make it, good for you!
I personally do not like this industry because when certain companies needs ours services, they complain and cry about cost and wonder why we are there in the first place; hence the lack of job security. Also its really going through the hiring process that I have a huge issue with.
They’ve been saying that for decades. I read it also on dice forums in 2010s
“I’d never let my kid get into IT”
66,000k after tax is a lot of money for an IT guy where i live on the other side of the globe, like boss level pay. I’m happy that I make half of that.
You should follow your heart i think. You already seem to know that you might have a good economical future as an electrician.
Yeah it depends. There must be a career that combines both the lineman knowledge and networking. Like… who plans all the layouts, hubs, etc? I feel like if you found out what that is you could do both of them. I’m certain there is some giga high paying job that involves big picture linework/networking
Frankly I wouldn’t swap personallly
Lol dude if you wanna do networking then just get another networking job. Seems like you have already decided and are looking for confirmation. I personally wouldn’t want to do electrical for 200k a year
What does the upward mobility look like for both?
Lol its just cause this field attracts the laziest fucks looking for an ezpz job that pays well
Judging by the fact that you’re going back to your old job means you left for a reason. Maybe they’ve solved it with this package. And at least the old job is an “evil you know”. Usually when people switch jobs they have no idea what they’re getting into so there’s that!
I have a pension but it’s because I work for state government. I’m a network admin that makes around a 100k.
Government can sort of be the best of both worlds as far as benefits and stability. Of course, people usually don’t make a crazy high salary in government. Although I’ve seen 250-350k in my department..
I also have a brother and father in the “elevator and escalator” union which is comparable with the electrical union and I went to school for electrical engineering and I’ve thought about the electrical union. They both make 250k plus a year but it also has the second highest mortality rate of all unions and it’s brutal on their bodies. However, my father works maintenance and not construction which is easier on your body. You know you!
No, you are not crazy. IBEW may lead you to networking eventually, but working in IT related jobs will get you there more quickly.
We’re you previously an electrician? Did you land a union job paying 90k with no relevant experience?
Am I missing something?
Former IBEW brother here so I can definitely give you a couple cents. IBEW perks are benefits and retirement. Simple as that. Everything else is taxing. Whether it’s dealing with the IBEW political shitshow, dealing with shitty formans/journeymen/GC, to dealing with the degrading body from all the physical work. Not even accounting for all the other crazy shit that can kill too or hurt you while on a job site. I moved over to IT during Covid to get in IT and I haven’t looked back once. I actually am making about the same pay scale now vs electrical journeymen. Union is good but your growth is limited.
There’s power in that union. IT is gonna dance around layoffs for the next few years.
Having some solid electrical knowledge along with decent IT knowledge would position you really well for SCADA/OT. You always get paid more if you are directly touching the part of the biz that makes the revenue generating product . The c suite places more value on manufacturing lines being operational than they do sharepoint maintenance.(usually)
Senior IT Systems Engineer here… I have great pay and benefits, and I absolutely rock at my career, but sometimes I just want something simple. I guess my advice would be to think about what is going to provide for your family and provide the least stressful environment for yourself and then decide.
I think what you need to to is ask yourself what do you want to do?
Do you want to do IT, or do you want to do construction?
Networking and electrician does have overlap, particularly in the setup of a building, heck I learned how to run an ethernet wire through an already built wall (with dry wall up) from an electrician. There is the thing though, there are two sides to this, there is running the wire and replacing the wire, then there is maintain the equipment and working the software on it. I don’t know about electrician but honestly, if you have a degree and certs and also are a certified electrician, I don’t see why you can’t be a foremen. You also have that job offer back at that hospital to seriously consider, and it sounds like they need you, and you can pull a steady paycheck from there.
Again though, you have 2 viable paths, its up to you which one you want to go down (forget what others have said as well, you must make this choice not them).
Is that offer still on the table? The industry (at least where I live) seems to be suffering. I’ve noticed in the last 9 months, a lot of positions haven’t been filled, and oddly those positions were taken down and have had their salaries reduced by 10-30%. I’ve been following salaries very closely and tracking a bunch of positions that I’ve been interested in. It really sucked, because I was recently offered a really good job, but the salary decrease would have been massive.
Sounds like a sick job you have, in that three years get that electrician license too, with the networking certs, you’ll be built for many potential future job markets.
I have been in industrial maintenance for most of my adult life and have had the pleasure to work with a few union electricians. Most liked what they did, a few hated it but besides that, if they are offering you a license id take it. That can open a ton of doors for you to start your own business. You can always get a it job, but an apprenticeship is rare.
That said, I am tired of my field and want something new.
Good luck either way
I have no advice its just always funny to see how we all have opposites. I have been in IT for two years and am now looking at doing electrical apprenticeships. I think youll be fine with either but a union is something that I want bad in a job.
I left electrical to go IT (in entry now) but man, I make so much less money but I’m happier and enjoy the people I work with
Take the job you like more ! It would be make you happier!
IT big salaries are given to those who are specialist in fields in fields like Networking or Cy Sec.
Gov tech still pays well but the honest truth is alot of these newer guys don’t have the skills or the patience to get better at their craft to be marketable.
Covid money and salaries are gone
Remote is mythical at this point
FAANG got their wishes and more.
If you have a CCNA you should be exploring how to adapt that to the cloud and beyond that CISSP and CISM.
Certs beat out degrees 9/10 times because they require existing knowledge.
IT is still a great field but it’s still learning on the go and on your spare time but also picking a path you’re comfortable with and enjoy doing. Money can’t be the only option