Compare A Boilermaker ↔ B Master Electrician

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Your route

3 moves

No pay difference shown for this route: electrical Apprentice: All Electricians (47-2111) at every experience level, the occupation apprentices are counted in (SOC Classification Principle 7). Mostly journeyman-level workers, so it is not apprentice pay and is never subtracted.

Gates on this route

Move 1, to Electrical Apprentice: Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license.
Move 2, to Journeyman Electrician: Journeyman Electrician (TDLR) license, 8,000 h on the job (7,000 h to sit the exam).
Move 3, to Master Electrician: Master Electrician (TDLR) license.

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Boilermaker to Electrical Apprentice
- O*NET lists Helpers--Electricians as a related occupation (Supplemental); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.63 (O*NET related occupation beyond the 6 drawn laterals).
- Gates: Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license.
Move 2 B1 step up on Construction electrical
Electrical Apprentice to Journeyman Electrician
- Next rung on 'Construction electrical' (Start to Skilled). Texas: 8,000 hours to the license.
- Gates: Journeyman Electrician (TDLR) license, 8,000 h on the job (7,000 h to sit the exam).
- TDLR Journeyman application (by mail, non-refundable) $30 · PSI exam, both parts $78
  TDLR, PSI
  - TDLR: Apply for a New Journeyman Electrician License, read 2026-10-01
  - PSI candidate information bulletin for TDLR electricians (updated September 15, 2026), read 2026-10-01
Move 3 B2 step up on Texas electrical license track
Journeyman Electrician to Master Electrician
- Next rung on 'Texas electrical license track' (Skilled to Lead).
- Gates: Master Electrician (TDLR) license.

Side by side

All Electricians: Texas median $58,570, $17,180 less a year than all Boilermakers ($75,750), every experience level.

Boilermaker: 80% work more than 40 hours a week, about 2.3 times the share for Master Electrician (35%).

This level's pay

A No headline record for this level

B $32.23 to $40.29/h City of Austin (incl. Austin Energy) pay range, 2025

No published schedule lists both jobs, so no level-specific difference is shown.

Occupation-wide pay all experience levels, not this level's pay; Texas median, base pay, $0 to $300k

$75,750-$17,180$58,570

Gates on the route: Electrical Apprentice: Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license; Journeyman Electrician: Journeyman Electrician (TDLR) license, 8,000 h on the job (7,000 h to sit the exam); Master Electrician: Master Electrician (TDLR) license.

Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation

A +4.0% Texas, 220 openings a year

B +14.4% Texas, 8,100 openings a year

Over 40 h a week

80%-44 pts35%

Physical load our index from O*NET, 1 to 5; A B; largest differences first

3.3 / 5+0.94.1 / 5

Bending or twisting+1.82Bending or twisting: A 2.86, B 4.68
Hazardous conditions+1.41Hazardous conditions: A 3.18, B 4.59
Climbing ladders+1.37Climbing ladders: A 2.83, B 4.2
Keeping balance+1.22Keeping balance: A 2.63, B 3.85
Cramped space+1.03Cramped space: A 3.37, B 4.4

Degree

A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 0% do).

B Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 1% do).

License

A No license for this job found at TDLR electricians, A/C or TSBPE; TDLR's Boiler Safety program was not checked in this round.

B Texas: Master Electrician license (TDLR): 2 years as a licensed Journeyman, 12,000 hours under a Texas Master Electrician, and a TDLR exam.

Experience

A Most common related work experience: over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (O*NET: 40%).

B Most common related work experience: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (O*NET: 28%).

Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5

You likely have: 6

Critical Thinking
Active Learning
Judgment and Decision Making
Quality Control Analysis
Complex Problem Solving
Coordination

To build: 6

Installation +1.25
Persuasion +1.00
Mathematics +0.88
Systems Analysis +0.88
Troubleshooting +0.88
Service Orientation +0.50

Make this your goal

Save Boilermaker to Master Electrician as your goal. Each step then shows the hours you have logged toward it, your exam practice and your license, with the one thing to do next and the 6 skills to build as a checklist. Free with an account.