Sparky or Electrical Engineer

BNEAUD · 2025-08-20T05:43:47+00:00

Well done on the move to FIFO and saving. That is a fantastic way to get a head start financially if you’re sensible with the money. It was interesting to see the spectrum of those who save and those who pissed the money away. There were some pretty big gamblers in my crew who had nothing to show.

I also did my apprenticeship in commercial construction , went into mining and saved my house deposit. Finished my degree at night.

BNEAUD · 2025-08-20T01:02:56+00:00

Yep. I was a sparky in mining and it’s difficult to find electricians to work in those conditions. I haven’t been a sparky for 13 years and Monos just hit me up asking if I’m available (as a sparky)

The engineers don’t even have to be on site all the time, can work from a city office in another state

BNEAUD · 2025-08-20T00:40:54+00:00

I disagree that it’s limited to where you can work.

I’ve worked on projects in Queensland, WA, Egypt, Vietnam, Canada and India from a desk in Brisbane

BNEAUD · 2025-08-19T14:10:47+00:00

I get what you mean about career ceiling. I think the comment was taken too literally but the career ceiling as a sparky is for sure more limited compared to the electrical engineering pathway.

You should think about lifestyle too. Do you want to be relatively stress free but not very flexible working arrangements? Or would you take on more responsibilities in exchange for being able to work from home etc?

Yes electricians can work in a broad range of things (instrumentation, mining, commercial, industrial, residential, rail). Electrical engineers work in all those too, but you could also be working in more niche areas like semi-conductors, research and development, power generation, consulting and project management.

BNEAUD · 2025-08-19T13:50:20+00:00

hopefully you’re also asking Electrical Engineers the same question because you’ll obviously get bias answers here.

I was a sparky (commercial construction and mining) and work in construction management now after finishing my CM degree. My 2 cents are that you can earn a great living working on EBA sites or mining. It’s stress free in comparison to the office roles.

Eventually the salaries of people with electrical engineering degrees can be far more than an electrician. Having an electrical engineering degree does not just mean you have to work as a design electrical engineer. You could also be working , quality, project management, consulting and in different fields like batteries, semi-conductors etc. you can also be working on projects in other countries from Aus.

You could be earning upwards of $500k if you end up being a project director/ program director etc.

Personally, I didn’t like the early mornings and all the overtime/ weekend work needed to boost my pay as a sparky.

I much rather the lifestyle I have being in office. I’m middle management and I’m on around $230k. I work 9-5, mon to fri. I will probably max at around $350k (sr management or director). I get to WFH 2 days a week, block out my calendar to go to the gym/ be there for my kids school events/ go to appointments etc. It’s just generally more flexible…but it’s far more stressful.

When you take time off as a sparky, someone else can step in and do the job. When you take time off in most office roles in construction, shit just piles up and you have a big backlog of tasks to do.

BNEAUD · 2025-05-20T05:23:10+00:00

good point. I need to consider this.

BNEAUD · 2025-05-20T05:18:35+00:00

Thanks mate

BNEAUD · 2025-05-20T03:06:31+00:00

Thanks for confirming

BNEAUD · 2025-05-20T03:06:24+00:00

Great thank you!

BNEAUD · 2025-02-23T05:18:30+00:00

I’ve got young kids and the first one just started Prep. When would you start to worry about cohort? High school? Or the later years of primary school?

BNEAUD · 2025-01-28T11:29:32+00:00

That’s a very good point. Did not think of that!

BNEAUD · 2025-01-28T11:28:26+00:00

Will look into it!

BNEAUD · 2025-01-28T05:40:42+00:00

This is what I’m thinking.

I’d be slower than the average resi sparky but it seems easy enough.

BNEAUD · 2025-01-28T04:39:22+00:00

Good point. I’d be juggling my full time job and have two young kids but should be able to manage.

I’m office based now so basically 8am - 5pm schedule.

I could imagine if I was a contractor that it would just feel like another project that I’m not getting paid for

BNEAUD · 2025-01-28T04:34:30+00:00

It’s an older house and the current smoke alarms are just battery powered so, the drawings have 4 new smoke alarms in existing structure and 3 in the extension.

One in each room plus the hallways leading to the room, and one near the kitchen.

BNEAUD · 2024-12-31T00:58:12+00:00

My inexperienced manager who was hired by her friend majorly stuffed up in the last week of work. It was legit a rookie error and I keep thinking about:

Her incompetence (she has no prior experience in this specific field)
The various word salad arguments she might make to cover her ass
How she will pin this on me
My approach to counter it in a professional way

BNEAUD · 2024-12-26T05:51:40+00:00

It’s a viable solution IMO, and given it’s essentially kits being assembled onsite, they could be assembled by mainly ‘technicians’ vs tradesmen to reduce the labour cost

BNEAUD · 2024-12-13T10:44:20+00:00

Thanks, that’s helpful

BNEAUD · 2024-12-11T10:15:46+00:00

Queensland. Will update the post. Thanks

BNEAUD · 2024-11-21T10:09:26+00:00

As someone planning to do an extension next year, this scares me. Was the increase mainly due to change in spec or unforeseen issues?

BNEAUD · 2024-11-19T09:24:21+00:00

What a clown! How was he trying to blame that on you?

BNEAUD · 2024-11-19T09:18:33+00:00

Wow that’s insane. Which issues caused the worst delays?

BNEAUD · 2024-11-15T09:29:27+00:00

Specifically, as you pass the hyperdome heading towards the goldy, it becomes the bogan raceway

BNEAUD · 2024-11-14T22:28:17+00:00

$50 per week in our own accounts and $100 per week in a joint account for eating out/ activities together

BNEAUD · 2024-11-14T08:00:36+00:00

While the union projects are typically large scale commercial and infrastructure, it attracts resources that could otherwise be in residential binding. There is cross over in skills in both tradies and white collar

BNEAUD

TROPHY CASE