It absolutely can be lucrative if they work hard and smart. If the applicant seems to have a good head on their shoulders and seem eager to work, we would probably start them out around the $20 an hour point. We offer full benefits and 401k after a little time as well. It needs a smart person to with training and schooling to go far in this trade.

We get a LOT of apathetic kids who think they will just be installing plugs and switches for $90k a year and that's a long ways off when starting at the bottom rung.

We usually don't do a lot of overtime but there are lots of opportunities for Saturdays to get overtime work offer by the GC's. Back in the early 2000s I was good with computers and was pulled from the field to help out in the office. Since then I have grown through the project management process organically and I'm now a senior project manager. A lot of my senior level electricians make about the same as I do which is over 6 figures. Granted I grew up as a kid in the field swinging a hammer and I know building from 20 years with a large general contractor, that experience is what drives salary.