Compare A Electrical Apprentice ↔ B HVAC Technician
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1 move
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 HVAC Technician: Texas: TDLR A/C Technician registration ($20, age 16+) to work under a licensed A/C contractor; contractor license after 48 months. Federal EPA 608 certification to handle refrigerant.
Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Electrical Apprentice to HVAC Technician
- Skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.86 (one of the 3 most similar occupations, r >= 0.6).
- Gates: Texas: TDLR A/C Technician registration ($20, age 16+) to work under a licensed A/C contractor; contractor license after 48 months. Federal EPA 608 certification to handle refrigerant.
Side by side
Electrical Apprentice: 35% work more than 40 hours a week, about 2.1 times the share for HVAC Technician (17%).
This level's pay
A $18.34 to $34.64/h Houston apprenticeship scale (IBEW 716), 2026
B No headline record for this level
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
Electrical Apprentice uses the Electricians data, where apprentices are counted (SOC Classification Principle 7); that occupation's median is mostly journeyman pay, so it is not compared.
Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation
A +14.4% Texas, 8,100 openings a year
B +13.0% Texas, 3,350 openings a year
Over 40 h a week
Physical load our index from O*NET, 1 to 5; A B; largest differences first
4.1 / 5-1.03.2 / 5
- Kneeling or crawling-2.00Kneeling or crawling: A 3.75, B 1.75
- Walking or running-1.78Walking or running: A 4.23, B 2.45
- Cramped space-1.72Cramped space: A 4.4, B 2.68
- Climbing ladders-1.33Climbing ladders: A 4.2, B 2.87
- Bending or twisting-1.23Bending or twisting: A 4.68, B 3.45
Degree
A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 1% do).
B Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 0% do).
License
A Texas: Electrical Apprentice license (TDLR) before doing any electrical work. No experience or exam; $20 online application, renewed yearly.
B Texas: TDLR A/C Technician registration ($20, age 16+) to work under a licensed A/C contractor; contractor license after 48 months. Federal EPA 608 certification to handle refrigerant.
Experience
A To start: no experience and no exam for the Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license.
B Most common related work experience: over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (O*NET: 39%).
Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5
You likely have: 6
- Troubleshooting
- Critical Thinking
- Repairing
- Equipment Maintenance
- Installation
- Reading Comprehension
To build: 1
- Operations Monitoring +0.63
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Save Electrical Apprentice to HVAC Technician 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 1 skills to build as a checklist. Free with an account.
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