April 29, 2025 • 20 mins
Host Andrew Brown sits down with Jon Lock—a working electrician and trades advocate—to break down the real-world journey through the electrician apprenticeship program, what it’s like navigating the union vs non-union electrician landscape, and the often-overlooked realities of pursuing a skilled trades career path.
Whether you're curious about how to become an electrician, preparing for your electrical journeyman license requirements, or simply passionate about the future of the trades industry, this episode is packed with practical advice, honest reflection, and expert insights from someone who’s lived it.
IN THIS EPISODE:
(00:01) – The reality of starting out in the trades: Jon talks about attitude, attendance, and being coachable when entering an electrician apprenticeship program.
(08:42) – Union vs Non-Union: The insider’s take: What to expect from union vs non-union electrician routes, pay differences, and access to tools and training.
(15:36) – Getting into the trades without knowing anyone: Jon shares how he got into the skilled trades career path without prior connections—and how YouTube played a role.
(22:14) – The wages, the timeline, and what to expect: Breaking down the electrical journeyman license requirements and the pay scale from apprentice to journeyman.
(30:50) – Failing the test—then passing it: Jon opens up about failing the licensing exam twice and how he finally earned his license.
(39:05) – Advice for new tradespeople: His top 3 qualities for apprentice success—and how to stand out in today’s trades industry.
Key Takeaways:
Electrician apprenticeship programs are highly competitive—especially in the union system—so showing up, staying humble, and learning fast are key.
Understanding the pros and cons of union vs non-union electrician jobs can change your entire career trajectory.
The skilled trades career path offers solid pay, pride in your work, and long-term job security—but only if you're willing to put in the time.
To meet electrical journeyman license requirements, apprentices need 8,000 hours of work and often several attempts at the licensing test—persistence pays off.
About the Guest:
Jon Lock is a licensed electrician and content creator behind Daily Electrician, where he shares the day-to-day realities of the trade on YouTube and Instagram. With experience in both commercial and residential electrical work, Jon speaks from the front lines of the skilled trades industry—offering advice, mentorship, and career insight for those exploring how to become an electrician. He's passionate about craftsmanship, lifelong learning, and helping the next generation navigate their skilled trades career path.
Keywords:
electrician apprenticeship program, union vs non-union electrician, how to become an electrician, skilled trades career path, electrical journeyman license requirements, Skilled Trades, Trades Industry, Andrew Brown, Jon Lock, Toolfetch, Carpentry, HVAC, Electricians, Plumbers, Millwrights, Construction, Craftsmanship, Problem-solving, Creativity, Tradespeople, Advocacy, Trades Careers, Industry Experts, Contractors, Education, Skilled Trades Advisory Council
Resource Links:
- YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyElectrician
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DailyElectricianYT
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Attendance is huge, attitude is huge. Having a
positive mindset, being willing to learn. Obviously when you start out as an
apprentice, you don't know very much. So being open and
willing to learn and just hearing what people say, listening more than you're
talking, don't talk back, obviously, that's just like a huge red
flag.
(00:22):
Hi, I'm Andrew Brown. You're listening to the Lost Star of the Skilled Trades
podcast, a show that shines the spotlight on
careers in the skilled trades that are high paying, honorable,
rewarding and fulfilling. The trades are the backbone of the
economy that keep us running. And without them, our world
would cease to exist.
(00:49):
Today we have a special guest, Jon Locke.
Welcome, Jon, to the show. We need
80,000 electricians every single year up to
2030, and that's just to replace the electricians that
are leaving the industry. For every five that are leaving, only
two are coming in. Everything is being
(01:10):
electrified. But the problem is the younger generation
is not as excited to work with their
hands. What are we doing wrong? What do we need to do to fix this
shortage? I think we definitely need to promote the trade. Just know how
much they pay, take out the stigmatism of like what we do.
Like just show them exactly what we do through like videos or
(01:32):
going to like schools and just doing like presentations and stuff like that. Just
the rundown. I'm a big believer of that, getting in front
of kids and where they're at. Right. So whether it's school, whether it's
high school, whether it's a vocational school, it's about sharing the
benefits of what the trades is all about. Being an electrician
sort of yourself, are you seeing younger
(01:54):
guys, sort of, or men or women coming into the trades, are you still
seeing a shortage out there in your neck of the
woods? I see plenty of young people still coming in.
18, 19, 20, just coming in. Out here in the
Northwest, Washington, Oregon, there's no shortage of people
trying to get into the electrical trades. As far as union or non
(02:16):
union, they're maxed out every year.
Seems like there's hundreds if not thousands of people being turned down
every year that aren't be able to get in just because of the limited spots.
I think it's on both sides as far as union and non union goes.
As far as people not being able to get into apprenticeships,
just I think there's like maybe 1, 2, 300 spots
(02:37):
maybe per year as far as new electrical apprentices
are being accepted in both programs. And I just feel like they're both
maxed out. If people can't get into the union. They're trying to get into the
non union. They're really just trying to get into either side just to get started
and get in the door. There's just not enough spots. What does somebody
do in that case that they don't get in? And for the limited amount of
(02:59):
seats and let's just say union for a minute and there's a lot of people
pro union and then there's some people who are not pro union. What
do you do in that case? Because I have an extended family member in
California. He wants to join the union. He was in the corporate world for
like 15 years and now he wants to be an electrician. He's in his mid-30s,
has a family and he tried to get in and
(03:21):
he got it didn't work. Should he reapply at that
point and if you can't get in then what, what's the next step
from there? Yeah, there's a few different options. I didn't go through the union
apprenticeship so it's not really my like most knowledge based on that.
But I know people do reapply. I think it's like maybe every
six months or something you can reapply, try to get a better ranking, but also
(03:43):
you can apply or get in, start as a material
handler, kind of get familiar with companies with the
process of like tools, products, kind of how the system works. Get
out in the field to get some work and then people will also like help
you ranking out. I believe as far as companies recognizing you and
stuff to get kind of like a resume going of work history.
(04:05):
And what sets somebody apart. So if somebody's applying to the unit, is
it all based on test scores? Is it the interview? Like what is it that
would set somebody apart? Where somebody might get it versus the next
person? Yeah, so I believe it's like a overall ranking which
goes from the interview. Test scores, various
two or three different things that you get a combined score of and then
(04:28):
that's just like your overall number and then that's how they rank you
from least to greatest. So number one being the best.
And how many of our people apply? 300 maybe would be the
lowest. Number one being the best would get picked first. Now
you said you didn't go the union route, did you go off on your own?
Is it open shop? What did you end up going with?
(04:50):
When I first joined the trades, I didn't even know there was a non union
versus union thing going on. So someone just offered me to work
at their company. Non union I went out and tried it out and I was
like, yeah, this is fun, I like to do this. So they hired me and
then like after like four days they told me that I needed to like join
an apprenticeship school and get my training and stuff like that. So that's what I
(05:10):
did. I went to a non union training trade school or. Yeah, just kind
of kept going every week and by the end of it then I got my
license. Is it for you, are you mostly commercial
residential or is it a mix of both? I've mostly only
done commercial. I know a lot of like residential
just because I've done like big scale like apartments or like assisted living
(05:32):
homes. So I'm very familiar with like the residential side of it as far as
like the wiring, the troubleshooting, all the devices and
installs, but mostly just on a commercial scale. More commercial
projects like dental offices, movie theaters,
airports, all of it. Where did the wages
fall? You know, especially for someone who's apprentice? You know, I get this a lot
(05:54):
online that I don't want to start in the trades because
I could make money doing something else and they need to
raise the wages. But it's understandable when you come into the trades
that obviously you don't have the experience yet, so you need to start somewhere.
But as you move on year after year that goes
up. But it seems to be that the younger generation, especially online, is just like,
(06:16):
I'm not doing this, I don't want to invest the time on it. What can
an apprentice expect to make in the first few years?
Just so people can understand a little bit about
what they can make and what they get to journeyman level. And from there
I haven't checked recently, I haven't memorized the numbers, but I know when I started
I was making like 1251 an hour and then
(06:39):
that was like 12 years ago. So that was like really far behind. But now
I believe out here in Washington, Oregon, I think we start out at
like 16 to $19 an hour and I think union starts at
$20 an hour. I know non union, you rank up every six months,
so you get like a two or three dollar an hour raise every six months.
And in the union it's kind of like every six months and then like
(07:00):
every year, year and a half after that it jumps up
pretty significantly. So I'd say you start around 18 to $20
an hour and then you jump up 23, $25
an hour within like the first six months. And then after the first year you're
probably making close to $30 an hour. So it takes a
little bit of time and a little bit of vested. And it's mostly. Would you
(07:23):
say it's about four years the apprentice, or is it five years?
If you go non union, it's four. If you go union, it's five. And then
from there, if you want to make journeyman status, what kind
of test do you have to take and what is the prep for something like
that? How many hours you need to work and put in for where
you are located? The test is basically
(07:45):
like 52 questions. I believe for non union, what we did was
the whole last year of our apprenticeship was just test prep for the
exam, studying the codebook and stuff like that, doing practice
tests once a week at school. So you
get a lot of practice in. So it's not that scary.
As long as you get your studying in and like
(08:07):
know the code book, it's not too bad. The union does a better job
of training people for the test. And I'm not sure if
their whole last fifth year is test prep as well for
the test, but I'm sure that it is. But yeah, you just go.
What I did because I got my hours after I got all my
schooling hours. So I went to a local college and they had the electrical test
(08:29):
there. Just go and sit at a computer and take your test,
bring in your code book or materials that you're using and then
they mail you your test results. Which was painful to wait like three
or four weeks to see what your test results were after that. So if you
have all your work hours, which is 8,000 hours, four or five
years, that divides out into. So once you get your work hours
(08:52):
and your school hours, then you're eligible for the test. And most people take that
test either at school. Someone comes in, brings the test in and
then you take your test and then they pretty much tell you on the spot.
So do you remember when you passed the test, what was it like? Oh yeah,
I do. I will never forget that moment. For me, I already like
failed the test twice. I feel like we didn't have enough like preparation in
(09:14):
the non union. Some of the subjects weren't covered. So I
definitely felt like I was guessing on like the last 20% of the test. So
I was always like right on the edge of passing. So I was on the
website, the Oregon license website, just kind of like checking out to see if
my name was on the list. My name was finally on the list, which meant
that I knew that I passed. And I, I was on the phone with My
best friend at the time, this is the loudest I've ever screamed in my entire
(09:37):
life. And he always joked about like he was gonna go deaf from that
moment. Yeah, that's gotta be super excited. Cause the prep work that you have to
put in, and like you said, you didn't pass the first few times. And then
now it's the third time that you passed. And once you pass, then
you have your journeyman license at that point. Yep. That's the whole test
is just giving you your license. So from there, once you get
(09:58):
your journeyman status from being apprentice, where does the pay go from
there? At the time non union, I was making, I
think I was at like $28 an hour at my last term of my
apprenticeship. As soon as I got my journeyman license, I got like a $5 raise,
I believe. And that's something that the union versus non union,
which is bad for the non union. You have to negotiate your own wages.
(10:21):
So I negotiated for a $5 raise when I got my license. If I was
in the union, that would have been automatic. I wouldn't even
have to talk to anyone. I would have just automatically gotten the raise. Or for
union. Right now, I think you get like 40 or $50 an hour at the
last term of an apprentice. And then when you get your journeyman license, you get
like 10 or 15 raise. It's crazy. So union is definitely a
(10:43):
better route as far as higher wages go. I think a lot of people do
want to go union and like you said, they're either being shut out, there's not
enough space in there. And some people say they need to
know somebody to get in. And it's. You hear all different stories,
but once you're in, you're in. And those wages are solid. I
assume that the amount of work that you get through the union, it's solid. On
(11:05):
top of the pension that you're getting is great. And it's just
you're a part of the. Obviously the brotherhood as well, which is great.
Not everybody can get in. And it's. I guess it could be a little bit
frustrating if, you know, you applied a couple of times. Can you keep
applying to the union or is there like a point like three, four times,
you can't really apply again. Is there like a cutoff? I have never heard that
(11:27):
there's a cutoff, but I know like, as an apprentice, you can like try to
get in or switch over if you haven't started. You can try to
apply for the union, but like kind of once you're in the non union, you
probably just want to stay and finish it. It's going to be easier just not
to switch over and like retake classes or whatnot. But once you have
your journeyman license, once you pass your test as a journeyman, then
you can just automatically switch over to the union. You don't have to do anything.
(11:50):
I always thought there was like, oh, you have to take a test, you have
to do all this stuff. To get into the union. All I had to do
was I just emailed the people and within a week they accepted me and I
was already like started working and stuff. So it was a really easy
process. Just a lot of things I didn't know that I would have switched
over a long time ago if I had known. We bring up a good point.
(12:10):
There is a lot of unknown there, you know, especially if you're
just not around other people who are in the union or just people who
have been electricians for years and it. I always find that with the career
exploration, like people who are interested in the trade, whether it's
electricians or welders or carpenters, there's like this unknown,
you know, you're not learning it in school, it's not like you're in high school
(12:31):
and someone's teaching you like if you want to work with your hands some, maybe
you have a shop teacher of some sort. But I find it's very difficult to
get that information of the right path. And some people,
they get analysis paralysis. It's almost like it's. I don't know what to do
and I give up and maybe I'll just go to college. I feel like there's
a lot of that because what you said, like you didn't know,
(12:53):
maybe you just, you know, were around, so does people who were in that
world. I didn't know anyone, I wasn't friends with anyone that was part of the
union really until my electrician came along and he found me on
YouTube and he's a local guy that lives around here and he
gave me some information and stuff so became friends with him.
And another one of my non union co workers was kind of telling
(13:15):
me that I should switch the union and stuff like that. That was about the
only information that I ever had. So what's been the most exciting job
that you've ever worked on in the last couple years? It could even be
obviously recent. What's the most exciting thing that you've ever worked on? Yeah, I
think the most exciting definitely was the Portland airport that I just worked
at for the last year. Being a part of like some
(13:37):
major upgrade that's like making news all
around the world. And it was like a huge deal to us because we haven't
had an airport upgrade in a really long time. So being a part of that
was just like amazing. And everybody, like all my friends know that I work at
it. So every time they go to the airport they're like looks good or whatever.
So it's always cool. It is that feeling of accomplishment. I always
(13:59):
say this with people in the trades when they, somebody who's worked on a bridge
and they cross the bridge, they'd like to talk about the bridge that they built
or the building they built or the elevator they put in or
electrical work that they've done. There's something about that proud moment. And
every time I do a post on something like that on social, they light
up and there is that feeling that you were like you said you doing
(14:19):
airport work, which is highly, highly important and it's something
to be proud of. Yeah, absolutely. I definitely can relate to that.
Like every time I go past the building like oh, I worked at that building
and then like sharing stories and it's always fun to look back at the things
that you've done and worked on. So and for you when it comes
to. And I also find what's a little bit difficult too when somebody's just starting
(14:41):
out, they need the tools. How does someone afford
those tools? Is it something that you just over time you
just, you get a little bit of money, you put it towards some of the
additional tools that you need for your day to day stuff. How does that work
typically for you? Yeah. So in the non union might
depend on the company. I know some companies do give you a full set of
(15:02):
tools right from the get go, which is nice. In the union I believe they
give you all your hand tools as well. So the non union is
like some companies will do it, some companies will and then the union will cover
all your hand tools. So it's really nice, you know, especially. Like you said non
union and I see this because I'm in the tool business for about 24 years.
So I see it firsthand. I know how expensive it is, you know, to get
(15:23):
top quality manufacturers. And it just seems to be a sticking point for
some people. It's like I don't have the money to pay for this stuff and
I needed to get the work done. But I can understand on the union side
obviously or even some companies that will allow you,
they'll pay for the Tools or they have the tools or the union will give
you the tools. But for the ones that don't, it's really hard to acquire that
(15:44):
if you're not making that much money up front. Yeah. And sometimes
like when you start out, you're kind of just like the grunt
sometimes. So you'll be just maybe moving material around a lot
so you won't really need tools like right off the get go sometimes. So you
can kind of build up a few paychecks and buy some tools as you go.
So I know there's definitely always a way. But yeah, for some people can
(16:05):
definitely be a tough spot in that situation. Some people in
the trades want to own their own business one day. Is there anything for
you in, in the future that maybe one day that you'll have your
own shop or place or something? That doesn't
really interest me unless like the right opportunity came along. Maybe like
working with a friend or something. I don't have any plans of having a company
(16:27):
or anything like that. There's nothing wrong with that. It is not for everybody. If
you find the right place or the you're in the union or if you find,
you know, an open shop and you're happy there, you could still do very
well. It just depends which how far you want to take it. I know that
there's so many opportunities out there. I always feel when I
talked about the shortage, I know you had said that in your area that people
(16:49):
are waiting sort of to get in. But overall there is still a
massive shortage in every single trade. So I know that those opportunities
are available. And especially in the next couple years
with all the infrastructure work that we're doing and all the.
Obviously when it comes to EVs or electrical work or appliances,
there's just more and more need on the overall
(17:10):
infrastructure. So the opportunities are definitely out there for
a young person who's interested in working with their hands. Yeah,
totally.
Now, the tools of the trade. This
has been an amazing conversation. But before we
leave the studio, we always ask the guests their tools
(17:33):
of the trade. What are your top three
qualities that you feel that a new apprentice needs to
be successful in the electrical trade?
Top three, I would just say showing up to work on time,
that's a huge one. If you don't show up to work, some companies will give
you like a few days. Some people don't tolerate it at all. So
(17:55):
if you are late or have a bad attendance,
you're pretty much gone pretty quickly. So attendance is
huge. Attitude is huge. Having a positive
mindset being willing to learn. Obviously, when you start out as an
apprentice, you don't know very much. So being open and
willing to learn and just hearing what people say, listening more than you're
(18:16):
talking, don't talk back, obviously, that's just like a huge red
flag. The third one I would say, I don't know, just
being willing to admit your mistakes and
being willing to ask questions and making it seem like you want
to be there and that you want to know what you're doing and do the
right work. So you don't realize that just showing up on time,
(18:38):
it makes a huge impression sometimes. Some people say the
younger generation, that it's a little bit different, they're a little bit loose, they're on
their phone and sometimes they show up late. And those are
basic things that really show somebody who's has their own company
and somebody comes in, you're new, that you want to be there. Like,
don't be on your phone, don't be late. If you have to stay late, stay
(19:00):
late and be a sponge and just be open to learn.
Yeah, absolutely. Those are the basic things that can make you
truly, truly successful in the trades. If people want to find out
more about you, where would they find you? On social.
Yeah, so my main platform would be YouTube, which is just Daily
Electrician for Instagram. It's Daily Electrician
(19:22):
yt pretty much my main two platforms is just YouTube
and Instagram. So yeah, definitely check out Jon and what he's doing out
there. Keep up the great work. We need more
electricians. Jon, thanks for being on the show. Yeah, absolutely.
Thanks for having me. I appreciate it and thank you to our listeners. If you're
looking for a dynamic keynote speaker to elevate your next event, head over to
(19:43):
andrewbrown.net and view some of my speaking topics. Trades
awareness, career exploration, advocacy and addressing the trade
shortage. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you never
miss another episode. We'll see you next time.
Thanks for listening to the lost art of the skilled trade. Visit
(20:04):
us@AndrewBrown.net for more resources and tips.
Join us next time for real stories and meaningful initiatives
as we celebrate our. Men and women in the skilled trades and shape
the future together.
Attendance is huge, attitude is huge. Having a
positive mindset, being willing to learn. Obviously when you start out as an
apprentice, you don't know very much. So being open and
willing to learn and just hearing what people say, listening more than you're
talking, don't talk back, obviously, that's just like a huge red
flag.
(00:22):
Hi, I'm Andrew Brown. You're listening to the Lost Star of the Skilled Trades
podcast, a show that shines the spotlight on
careers in the skilled trades that are high paying, honorable,
rewarding and fulfilling. The trades are the backbone of the
economy that keep us running. And without them, our world
would cease to exist.
(00:49):
Today we have a special guest, Jon Locke.
Welcome, Jon, to the show. We need
80,000 electricians every single year up to
2030, and that's just to replace the electricians that
are leaving the industry. For every five that are leaving, only
two are coming in. Everything is being
(01:10):
electrified. But the problem is the younger generation
is not as excited to work with their
hands. What are we doing wrong? What do we need to do to fix this
shortage? I think we definitely need to promote the trade. Just know how
much they pay, take out the stigmatism of like what we do.
Like just show them exactly what we do through like videos or
(01:32):
going to like schools and just doing like presentations and stuff like that. Just
the rundown. I'm a big believer of that, getting in front
of kids and where they're at. Right. So whether it's school, whether it's
high school, whether it's a vocational school, it's about sharing the
benefits of what the trades is all about. Being an electrician
sort of yourself, are you seeing younger
(01:54):
guys, sort of, or men or women coming into the trades, are you still
seeing a shortage out there in your neck of the
woods? I see plenty of young people still coming in.
18, 19, 20, just coming in. Out here in the
Northwest, Washington, Oregon, there's no shortage of people
trying to get into the electrical trades. As far as union or non
(02:16):
union, they're maxed out every year.
Seems like there's hundreds if not thousands of people being turned down
every year that aren't be able to get in just because of the limited spots.
I think it's on both sides as far as union and non union goes.
As far as people not being able to get into apprenticeships,
just I think there's like maybe 1, 2, 300 spots
(02:37):
maybe per year as far as new electrical apprentices
are being accepted in both programs. And I just feel like they're both
maxed out. If people can't get into the union. They're trying to get into the
non union. They're really just trying to get into either side just to get started
and get in the door. There's just not enough spots. What does somebody
do in that case that they don't get in? And for the limited amount of
(02:59):
seats and let's just say union for a minute and there's a lot of people
pro union and then there's some people who are not pro union. What
do you do in that case? Because I have an extended family member in
California. He wants to join the union. He was in the corporate world for
like 15 years and now he wants to be an electrician. He's in his mid-30s,
has a family and he tried to get in and
(03:21):
he got it didn't work. Should he reapply at that
point and if you can't get in then what, what's the next step
from there? Yeah, there's a few different options. I didn't go through the union
apprenticeship so it's not really my like most knowledge based on that.
But I know people do reapply. I think it's like maybe every
six months or something you can reapply, try to get a better ranking, but also
(03:43):
you can apply or get in, start as a material
handler, kind of get familiar with companies with the
process of like tools, products, kind of how the system works. Get
out in the field to get some work and then people will also like help
you ranking out. I believe as far as companies recognizing you and
stuff to get kind of like a resume going of work history.
(04:05):
And what sets somebody apart. So if somebody's applying to the unit, is
it all based on test scores? Is it the interview? Like what is it that
would set somebody apart? Where somebody might get it versus the next
person? Yeah, so I believe it's like a overall ranking which
goes from the interview. Test scores, various
two or three different things that you get a combined score of and then
(04:28):
that's just like your overall number and then that's how they rank you
from least to greatest. So number one being the best.
And how many of our people apply? 300 maybe would be the
lowest. Number one being the best would get picked first. Now
you said you didn't go the union route, did you go off on your own?
Is it open shop? What did you end up going with?
(04:50):
When I first joined the trades, I didn't even know there was a non union
versus union thing going on. So someone just offered me to work
at their company. Non union I went out and tried it out and I was
like, yeah, this is fun, I like to do this. So they hired me and
then like after like four days they told me that I needed to like join
an apprenticeship school and get my training and stuff like that. So that's what I
(05:10):
did. I went to a non union training trade school or. Yeah, just kind
of kept going every week and by the end of it then I got my
license. Is it for you, are you mostly commercial
residential or is it a mix of both? I've mostly only
done commercial. I know a lot of like residential
just because I've done like big scale like apartments or like assisted living
(05:32):
homes. So I'm very familiar with like the residential side of it as far as
like the wiring, the troubleshooting, all the devices and
installs, but mostly just on a commercial scale. More commercial
projects like dental offices, movie theaters,
airports, all of it. Where did the wages
fall? You know, especially for someone who's apprentice? You know, I get this a lot
(05:54):
online that I don't want to start in the trades because
I could make money doing something else and they need to
raise the wages. But it's understandable when you come into the trades
that obviously you don't have the experience yet, so you need to start somewhere.
But as you move on year after year that goes
up. But it seems to be that the younger generation, especially online, is just like,
(06:16):
I'm not doing this, I don't want to invest the time on it. What can
an apprentice expect to make in the first few years?
Just so people can understand a little bit about
what they can make and what they get to journeyman level. And from there
I haven't checked recently, I haven't memorized the numbers, but I know when I started
I was making like 1251 an hour and then
(06:39):
that was like 12 years ago. So that was like really far behind. But now
I believe out here in Washington, Oregon, I think we start out at
like 16 to $19 an hour and I think union starts at
$20 an hour. I know non union, you rank up every six months,
so you get like a two or three dollar an hour raise every six months.
And in the union it's kind of like every six months and then like
(07:00):
every year, year and a half after that it jumps up
pretty significantly. So I'd say you start around 18 to $20
an hour and then you jump up 23, $25
an hour within like the first six months. And then after the first year you're
probably making close to $30 an hour. So it takes a
little bit of time and a little bit of vested. And it's mostly. Would you
(07:23):
say it's about four years the apprentice, or is it five years?
If you go non union, it's four. If you go union, it's five. And then
from there, if you want to make journeyman status, what kind
of test do you have to take and what is the prep for something like
that? How many hours you need to work and put in for where
you are located? The test is basically
(07:45):
like 52 questions. I believe for non union, what we did was
the whole last year of our apprenticeship was just test prep for the
exam, studying the codebook and stuff like that, doing practice
tests once a week at school. So you
get a lot of practice in. So it's not that scary.
As long as you get your studying in and like
(08:07):
know the code book, it's not too bad. The union does a better job
of training people for the test. And I'm not sure if
their whole last fifth year is test prep as well for
the test, but I'm sure that it is. But yeah, you just go.
What I did because I got my hours after I got all my
schooling hours. So I went to a local college and they had the electrical test
(08:29):
there. Just go and sit at a computer and take your test,
bring in your code book or materials that you're using and then
they mail you your test results. Which was painful to wait like three
or four weeks to see what your test results were after that. So if you
have all your work hours, which is 8,000 hours, four or five
years, that divides out into. So once you get your work hours
(08:52):
and your school hours, then you're eligible for the test. And most people take that
test either at school. Someone comes in, brings the test in and
then you take your test and then they pretty much tell you on the spot.
So do you remember when you passed the test, what was it like? Oh yeah,
I do. I will never forget that moment. For me, I already like
failed the test twice. I feel like we didn't have enough like preparation in
(09:14):
the non union. Some of the subjects weren't covered. So I
definitely felt like I was guessing on like the last 20% of the test. So
I was always like right on the edge of passing. So I was on the
website, the Oregon license website, just kind of like checking out to see if
my name was on the list. My name was finally on the list, which meant
that I knew that I passed. And I, I was on the phone with My
best friend at the time, this is the loudest I've ever screamed in my entire
(09:37):
life. And he always joked about like he was gonna go deaf from that
moment. Yeah, that's gotta be super excited. Cause the prep work that you have to
put in, and like you said, you didn't pass the first few times. And then
now it's the third time that you passed. And once you pass, then
you have your journeyman license at that point. Yep. That's the whole test
is just giving you your license. So from there, once you get
(09:58):
your journeyman status from being apprentice, where does the pay go from
there? At the time non union, I was making, I
think I was at like $28 an hour at my last term of my
apprenticeship. As soon as I got my journeyman license, I got like a $5 raise,
I believe. And that's something that the union versus non union,
which is bad for the non union. You have to negotiate your own wages.
(10:21):
So I negotiated for a $5 raise when I got my license. If I was
in the union, that would have been automatic. I wouldn't even
have to talk to anyone. I would have just automatically gotten the raise. Or for
union. Right now, I think you get like 40 or $50 an hour at the
last term of an apprentice. And then when you get your journeyman license, you get
like 10 or 15 raise. It's crazy. So union is definitely a
(10:43):
better route as far as higher wages go. I think a lot of people do
want to go union and like you said, they're either being shut out, there's not
enough space in there. And some people say they need to
know somebody to get in. And it's. You hear all different stories,
but once you're in, you're in. And those wages are solid. I
assume that the amount of work that you get through the union, it's solid. On
(11:05):
top of the pension that you're getting is great. And it's just
you're a part of the. Obviously the brotherhood as well, which is great.
Not everybody can get in. And it's. I guess it could be a little bit
frustrating if, you know, you applied a couple of times. Can you keep
applying to the union or is there like a point like three, four times,
you can't really apply again. Is there like a cutoff? I have never heard that
(11:27):
there's a cutoff, but I know like, as an apprentice, you can like try to
get in or switch over if you haven't started. You can try to
apply for the union, but like kind of once you're in the non union, you
probably just want to stay and finish it. It's going to be easier just not
to switch over and like retake classes or whatnot. But once you have
your journeyman license, once you pass your test as a journeyman, then
you can just automatically switch over to the union. You don't have to do anything.
(11:50):
I always thought there was like, oh, you have to take a test, you have
to do all this stuff. To get into the union. All I had to do
was I just emailed the people and within a week they accepted me and I
was already like started working and stuff. So it was a really easy
process. Just a lot of things I didn't know that I would have switched
over a long time ago if I had known. We bring up a good point.
(12:10):
There is a lot of unknown there, you know, especially if you're
just not around other people who are in the union or just people who
have been electricians for years and it. I always find that with the career
exploration, like people who are interested in the trade, whether it's
electricians or welders or carpenters, there's like this unknown,
you know, you're not learning it in school, it's not like you're in high school
(12:31):
and someone's teaching you like if you want to work with your hands some, maybe
you have a shop teacher of some sort. But I find it's very difficult to
get that information of the right path. And some people,
they get analysis paralysis. It's almost like it's. I don't know what to do
and I give up and maybe I'll just go to college. I feel like there's
a lot of that because what you said, like you didn't know,
(12:53):
maybe you just, you know, were around, so does people who were in that
world. I didn't know anyone, I wasn't friends with anyone that was part of the
union really until my electrician came along and he found me on
YouTube and he's a local guy that lives around here and he
gave me some information and stuff so became friends with him.
And another one of my non union co workers was kind of telling
(13:15):
me that I should switch the union and stuff like that. That was about the
only information that I ever had. So what's been the most exciting job
that you've ever worked on in the last couple years? It could even be
obviously recent. What's the most exciting thing that you've ever worked on? Yeah, I
think the most exciting definitely was the Portland airport that I just worked
at for the last year. Being a part of like some
(13:37):
major upgrade that's like making news all
around the world. And it was like a huge deal to us because we haven't
had an airport upgrade in a really long time. So being a part of that
was just like amazing. And everybody, like all my friends know that I work at
it. So every time they go to the airport they're like looks good or whatever.
So it's always cool. It is that feeling of accomplishment. I always
(13:59):
say this with people in the trades when they, somebody who's worked on a bridge
and they cross the bridge, they'd like to talk about the bridge that they built
or the building they built or the elevator they put in or
electrical work that they've done. There's something about that proud moment. And
every time I do a post on something like that on social, they light
up and there is that feeling that you were like you said you doing
(14:19):
airport work, which is highly, highly important and it's something
to be proud of. Yeah, absolutely. I definitely can relate to that.
Like every time I go past the building like oh, I worked at that building
and then like sharing stories and it's always fun to look back at the things
that you've done and worked on. So and for you when it comes
to. And I also find what's a little bit difficult too when somebody's just starting
(14:41):
out, they need the tools. How does someone afford
those tools? Is it something that you just over time you
just, you get a little bit of money, you put it towards some of the
additional tools that you need for your day to day stuff. How does that work
typically for you? Yeah. So in the non union might
depend on the company. I know some companies do give you a full set of
(15:02):
tools right from the get go, which is nice. In the union I believe they
give you all your hand tools as well. So the non union is
like some companies will do it, some companies will and then the union will cover
all your hand tools. So it's really nice, you know, especially. Like you said non
union and I see this because I'm in the tool business for about 24 years.
So I see it firsthand. I know how expensive it is, you know, to get
(15:23):
top quality manufacturers. And it just seems to be a sticking point for
some people. It's like I don't have the money to pay for this stuff and
I needed to get the work done. But I can understand on the union side
obviously or even some companies that will allow you,
they'll pay for the Tools or they have the tools or the union will give
you the tools. But for the ones that don't, it's really hard to acquire that
(15:44):
if you're not making that much money up front. Yeah. And sometimes
like when you start out, you're kind of just like the grunt
sometimes. So you'll be just maybe moving material around a lot
so you won't really need tools like right off the get go sometimes. So you
can kind of build up a few paychecks and buy some tools as you go.
So I know there's definitely always a way. But yeah, for some people can
(16:05):
definitely be a tough spot in that situation. Some people in
the trades want to own their own business one day. Is there anything for
you in, in the future that maybe one day that you'll have your
own shop or place or something? That doesn't
really interest me unless like the right opportunity came along. Maybe like
working with a friend or something. I don't have any plans of having a company
(16:27):
or anything like that. There's nothing wrong with that. It is not for everybody. If
you find the right place or the you're in the union or if you find,
you know, an open shop and you're happy there, you could still do very
well. It just depends which how far you want to take it. I know that
there's so many opportunities out there. I always feel when I
talked about the shortage, I know you had said that in your area that people
(16:49):
are waiting sort of to get in. But overall there is still a
massive shortage in every single trade. So I know that those opportunities
are available. And especially in the next couple years
with all the infrastructure work that we're doing and all the.
Obviously when it comes to EVs or electrical work or appliances,
there's just more and more need on the overall
(17:10):
infrastructure. So the opportunities are definitely out there for
a young person who's interested in working with their hands. Yeah,
totally.
Now, the tools of the trade. This
has been an amazing conversation. But before we
leave the studio, we always ask the guests their tools
(17:33):
of the trade. What are your top three
qualities that you feel that a new apprentice needs to
be successful in the electrical trade?
Top three, I would just say showing up to work on time,
that's a huge one. If you don't show up to work, some companies will give
you like a few days. Some people don't tolerate it at all. So
(17:55):
if you are late or have a bad attendance,
you're pretty much gone pretty quickly. So attendance is
huge. Attitude is huge. Having a positive
mindset being willing to learn. Obviously, when you start out as an
apprentice, you don't know very much. So being open and
willing to learn and just hearing what people say, listening more than you're
(18:16):
talking, don't talk back, obviously, that's just like a huge red
flag. The third one I would say, I don't know, just
being willing to admit your mistakes and
being willing to ask questions and making it seem like you want
to be there and that you want to know what you're doing and do the
right work. So you don't realize that just showing up on time,
(18:38):
it makes a huge impression sometimes. Some people say the
younger generation, that it's a little bit different, they're a little bit loose, they're on
their phone and sometimes they show up late. And those are
basic things that really show somebody who's has their own company
and somebody comes in, you're new, that you want to be there. Like,
don't be on your phone, don't be late. If you have to stay late, stay
(19:00):
late and be a sponge and just be open to learn.
Yeah, absolutely. Those are the basic things that can make you
truly, truly successful in the trades. If people want to find out
more about you, where would they find you? On social.
Yeah, so my main platform would be YouTube, which is just Daily
Electrician for Instagram. It's Daily Electrician
(19:22):
yt pretty much my main two platforms is just YouTube
and Instagram. So yeah, definitely check out Jon and what he's doing out
there. Keep up the great work. We need more
electricians. Jon, thanks for being on the show. Yeah, absolutely.
Thanks for having me. I appreciate it and thank you to our listeners. If you're
looking for a dynamic keynote speaker to elevate your next event, head over to
(19:43):
andrewbrown.net and view some of my speaking topics. Trades
awareness, career exploration, advocacy and addressing the trade
shortage. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you never
miss another episode. We'll see you next time.
Thanks for listening to the lost art of the skilled trade. Visit
(20:04):
us@AndrewBrown.net for more resources and tips.
Join us next time for real stories and meaningful initiatives
as we celebrate our. Men and women in the skilled trades and shape
the future together.
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