Am I stupid?

Electricians and sparky Apprentices of Florida, how is it like? I have an opportunity to move to Florida and want to come off the road and start an apprenticeship. But I've heard from like 2 guys that the pay for even Journeymen is kinda dogshit. I currently work on troubleshooting wind turbines and might start commissioning them soon, but I'm getting tired of travel. Should I give up my $23 hour wage for my Journeymans card in 5 years or am I smoking meth?

Also Electricians General I guess. Would like to hear about other sparkies in different states too.

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  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I'm not an electrician but I am from the south, and all I can say is that (as you will gather from reading anywhere online) wages for almost every type of job are extremely low in the southeast compared to population centers in the rest of the country.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Yeah, the more and more I read the less it sounds like it would be a smart move, unless I jump ship after to a different state once I get my J-card, it really sucks I want to be an electrician but how can somebody justify being paid peanuts for this type of work? When I compare the wage for Journeymen in a area like the suburbs west of Miami, its seems kinda on par with the cost of living in urban Washington state with the wages adjusted? Unless I've fricked up my math, which I prolly did. Anyone wanna chime in? Is there something im missing Florida bros?

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        I work near Denver, and a Commercial guy that had just moved here from Fort Lauderdale was b***hing that the pay was lower. Had to listen to him all fricking day.

        Take that for what it's worth, i guess. I've never been to Florida or worked there myself. however, in my experiences, Most construction trades vary less state to state than others unless you're looking at some crazy boom-town shit like South Dakota a few years ago. Even then, it's only good if you're early.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          florida is full. dont come here we dont need you here. we got enough job stealing b***hes coming here thinking florida is the fricking promise land! well it aint! shits mad expensive here due to florida being a major tourist destination. food, gas, and worse.. housing are all crazy expensive.

          It’s also a miserable, disgusting, dystopian, shit hole. No one with any real brains would go there to live. Take our near deads and sink into the fricking sea. And this is coming from someone in Akron.

          https://i.imgur.com/LhKCjZF.jpg

          For shits and giggles I stitched some random sites to compare the cost living in both states capitals using the cheapest options. Here is Albany, NY

          They also have an average sales tax of 8% and and the lowest average rent in some neighborhoods was $1,064

          https://i.imgur.com/Kp7iYq3.jpg

          And Tallahassee, FL

          They have an average sales tax of 7.5%% and and the lowest average rent in some neighborhoods was $1,064, I messed up, Albany has it at $1,054

          So Anons, I guess it would be unwise for me to give up my pretty well paying job to move in with some family in Florida and chase my Electricians Jcard. I guess I'll stick around the road a little more. I like the pacific northwest area a lot so I guess I'll just migrate there in a year. Hopefully I can get picked up to work in Antarctica next austral summer before I move. Thanks bros.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Wise choice. Florida is hurricane b8 and rapidly turning into New York.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            you need to be white to come to the PNW

      • 1 year ago
        KvD

        Florida is expensive to live in right now, it was more affordable outside of a couple hot spots but Covid lockdowns are scaring people out of New York and Chicago. I’m going to bet your graph is low because some of those are backwoods sparkies in the swamp and the rest of it is Cubans and Venezuelans without a green card undercutting wages. The union guys seem to do OK. I’d like to see more info on that chart, and maybe a 2022 version because I guarantee the Florida boom and a big drop in new construction can change that graph quickly, especially when one state has a hanful of $100/hr projects and the other state has a bunch of union guys sitting at home.

        My buddy is a sparky in the union working around Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, so 30min-60min north of Miami in an urban area, and he was making high $20s his first few years and I think he just hit whatever 5 year mark and took a test and he’s over $30/hr.

        He talks about how he could travel and make big money other places, but it’s like 6 month jobs here and there that need people real bad, and you could bank in any career if you move where the work is in super high demand.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          The graph above was from Bureau of Labor Statistics, here is the updated one. It looks like not much has changed for Floridians

          • 1 year ago
            KvD

            You gotta look at cost of living too. Florida has no state income tax so that’s an extra ~5% compared to NY or IL, plus a bunch of nickel and dime taxes like sales tax and car registration renewal. It could be the panhandle of FL driving shit down and Orlando before the boom. Property in Florida was relatively affordable until the boom as well.

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              For shits and giggles I stitched some random sites to compare the cost living in both states capitals using the cheapest options. Here is Albany, NY

              They also have an average sales tax of 8% and and the lowest average rent in some neighborhoods was $1,064

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                And Tallahassee, FL

                They have an average sales tax of 7.5%% and and the lowest average rent in some neighborhoods was $1,064, I messed up, Albany has it at $1,054

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      and the only jobs available are walmart and dollar general!!!

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    florida is full. dont come here we dont need you here. we got enough job stealing b***hes coming here thinking florida is the fricking promise land! well it aint! shits mad expensive here due to florida being a major tourist destination. food, gas, and worse.. housing are all crazy expensive.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      It’s also a miserable, disgusting, dystopian, shit hole. No one with any real brains would go there to live. Take our near deads and sink into the fricking sea. And this is coming from someone in Akron.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Well don't hate the player, hate the game for not wanting to pay you a decent living wage, and offering money only a central American on a work visa would take. I don't get why you guys keep blaming shit workers when it's your bosses that keep hiring them.

      If you don't hire them, they won't come, simple as.

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    so its okay to cross states for better job/quality of life, but its not okay for a mexican to cross counties for a batter job/quality of life?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Yes

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Exclusivity protects those who exclude. The purpose of having your own country is not to give it away any more than the purpose of having land and property.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      It’s also okay to cross state lines to commit murder

  4. 1 year ago
    sw FL anon

    The term "journeyman" means nothing in Florida. Electrician is an official occupational title here. If you have a state-issued license, you are an Electrician. If you do not hold a state-issued license, you are a helper. That being said, a good helper can make $23/hr in Florida IF you are intelligent, at work every day on time, never complain, and do as you're told.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Is the bar really so low that a person can make $23 and hour to do the bare minimum that they should be doing anyway? What counts as "Intelligent"?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      So a guy who has been doing electrical work for ten years without a license and can lead an entire house remodel is just a helper?

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        he's as an unlicensed electrician. That's like an unprofessional engineer or an unlicensed doctor.

        If you think that being able to wire a house is a noteworthy accomplishment to be lauded and respected, then you just might be a chud

      • 1 year ago
        sw FL anon

        If you can't be pass the state issued exam, then you are not considered an Electrician.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          Technically. But practically I'd consider someone one if they specialize on electric work.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        he's as an unlicensed electrician. That's like an unprofessional engineer or an unlicensed doctor.

        If you think that being able to wire a house is a noteworthy accomplishment to be lauded and respected, then you just might be a chud

        If you can't be pass the state issued exam, then you are not considered an Electrician.

        Depends on the state. In Illinois, you don't need a license to do electrical work unless you're the one pulling the permit.

        • 1 year ago
          sw FL anon

          No one is saying that. Helpers can do electrical work under the supervision of an Electrician. That is how helpers learn. But an unlicensed helper, regardless of experience, is NOT an Electrician.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Why even become a journeyman in Florida if all you need to do is pass a state test and skip 5 years of b***hwork? How the hell does IBEW even exist in that state?

            • 1 year ago
              sw FL anon

              You have to apply and be accepted to take the test. The test is quite difficult. There is no such thing as a journeyman in Florida. Your either a licensed Electrician, or you are a helper. Which one are you?

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            So like 95% of people in the field in Illinois, including those with decades of experience, are not electricians?

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              it doesn't matter if they've got decades of experience in Illinois; they are NOT a licensed electrician in the state of Florida if they haven't become licensed in the state of Florida
              Why are you struggling to understand this? The title of "electrician" means something specific in many states, just like the title of "engineer" or "medical doctor". If you're not licensed, then you're not any of those in the state of Florida

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Are you a lawyer or something?

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Engineer is not a specific title in the US and any chucklefrick can call himself one. Professional Engineer is legally protected and requires a license.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                You can call yourself a doctor too, but practising medicine as a doctor without a license is against the law.
                Regardless, that guy is still an electricians laborer/helper or maybe a technician. If he's not a licensed electrician and he can't pull permits or work on his own, then he's not an electrician.

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              Being a pedantic cretin suits you.

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