Compare A Electrical Apprentice ↔ B Solar Energy Installation Manager

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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 Solar PV Installer: license depends on the work (Texas: wiring a PV system on a building or premises is electrical work needing a TDLR electrician license (Apprentice or higher); TDLR lists no solar exemption. Mounting without wiring: not addressed).
Move 2, to Solar Energy Installation Manager: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Electrical Apprentice to Solar PV Installer
- Skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.89 (one of the 3 most similar occupations, r >= 0.6).
- Gates: license depends on the work (Texas: wiring a PV system on a building or premises is electrical work needing a TDLR electrician license (Apprentice or higher); TDLR lists no solar exemption. Mounting without wiring: not addressed).
Move 2 Transfer move to the side
Solar PV Installer to Solar Energy Installation Manager
- O*NET lists Solar Energy Installation Managers as a related occupation (Primary-Short); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.76.
- Gates checked: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
- Skills to build: Management of Personnel Resources, Negotiation, Instructing

Side by side

Solar Energy Installation Manager: 62% work more than 40 hours a week, about 1.8 times the share for Electrical Apprentice (35%).

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$74,520

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 +10.0% Texas, 8,780 openings a year

Over 40 h a week

35%+27 pts62%

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

4.1 / 5-0.83.3 / 5

Bending or twisting-1.78Bending or twisting: A 4.68, B 2.9
Keeping balance-1.52Keeping balance: A 3.85, B 2.33
Cramped space-1.49Cramped space: A 4.4, B 2.91
Climbing ladders-1.41Climbing ladders: A 4.2, B 2.79
Walking or running-1.05Walking or running: A 4.23, B 3.18

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: 6% do).

License

A Texas: Electrical Apprentice license (TDLR) before doing any electrical work. No experience or exam; $20 online application, renewed yearly.

B No license for this solar supervision title at TDLR; the installing company needs a TDLR Electrical Contractor license, and anyone doing the PV wiring needs a TDLR electrician license.

Experience

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

B Most common related work experience: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (O*NET: 26%).

Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5

You likely have: 6

Speaking
Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Judgment and Decision Making
Complex Problem Solving
Quality Control Analysis

To build: 6

Management of Personnel Resources +0.87
Negotiation +0.87
Time Management +0.75
Coordination +0.63
Monitoring +0.63
Reading Comprehension +0.50

Make this your goal

Save Electrical Apprentice to Solar Energy Installation Manager 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.