Compare A Electrical Apprentice ↔ B Pipelayer

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Your route

2 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 Plumber Helper: Plumber's Apprentice registration (TSBPE) license, experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET, most common).
Move 2, to Pipelayer: license depends on the work (Texas: yard water lines and building sewers for 1-2 family homes are plumbing (TSBPE Residential Utilities Installer registration). Utility mains and most private site mains are exempt (1301.053, 1301.059)).

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Electrical Apprentice to Plumber Helper
- O*NET lists Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters as a related occupation (Primary-Short); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.86.
- Gates: Plumber's Apprentice registration (TSBPE) license, experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET, most common).
Move 2 Transfer move to the side
Plumber Helper to Pipelayer
- O*NET lists Pipelayers as a related occupation (Primary-Long); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.78.
- Gates: license depends on the work (Texas: yard water lines and building sewers for 1-2 family homes are plumbing (TSBPE Residential Utilities Installer registration). Utility mains and most private site mains are exempt (1301.053, 1301.059)).
- Skills to build: Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control

Side by side

Electrical Apprentice: 35% work more than 40 hours a week, about 2 times the share for Pipelayer (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

$58,570no difference shown$45,620

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.

Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation

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

B +0.2% Texas, 480 openings a year

Over 40 h a week

35%-18 pts17%

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

4.1 / 5-1.03.1 / 5

Hazardous conditions-2.45Hazardous conditions: A 4.59, B 2.14
High places-2.38High places: A 3.69, B 1.31
Keeping balance-1.72Keeping balance: A 3.85, B 2.13
Climbing ladders-1.63Climbing ladders: A 4.2, B 2.57
Cramped space-0.98Cramped space: A 4.4, B 3.42

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: yard water lines and building sewers for 1-2 family homes are plumbing (TSBPE Residential Utilities Installer registration). Utility mains and most private site mains are exempt (1301.053, 1301.059).

Experience

A To start: no experience and no exam for the Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license.

B Most common related work experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET: 19%).

Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5

You likely have: 6

Operation and Control
Active Listening
Coordination
Critical Thinking
Operations Monitoring
Quality Control Analysis

To build: 0

Make this your goal

Save Electrical Apprentice to Pipelayer 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. Free with an account.