Compare A Power Plant Operator ↔ B Electrical Apprentice

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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 Hydroelectric Plant Operator: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
Move 2, to Electrical Apprentice: Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license.

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Power Plant Operator to Hydroelectric Plant Operator
- O*NET lists Hydroelectric Plant Technicians as a related occupation (Primary-Short); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.79.
- Gates checked: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
- Skills to build: Mathematics, Equipment Maintenance, Repairing
Move 2 Transfer move to the side
Hydroelectric Plant Operator to Electrical Apprentice
- Skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.85 (one of the 3 most similar occupations, r >= 0.6).
- Gates: Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license.

Side by side

Power Plant Operator: 78% work more than 40 hours a week, about 2.2 times the share for Electrical Apprentice (35%).

This level's pay

A No headline record for this level

B $18.34 to $34.64/h Houston apprenticeship scale (IBEW 716), 2026

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

$102,510no difference shown$58,570

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 -13.2% Texas, 150 openings a year

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

Over 40 h a week

78%-43 pts35%

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

3.2 / 5+0.94.1 / 5

Bending or twisting+2.28Bending or twisting: A 2.4, B 4.68
Keeping balance+1.97Keeping balance: A 1.88, B 3.85
Climbing ladders+1.78Climbing ladders: A 2.42, B 4.2
Kneeling or crawling+1.65Kneeling or crawling: A 2.1, B 3.75
Cramped space+1.44Cramped space: A 2.96, B 4.4

Degree

A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 13% do).

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

License

A Texas: no state electrician license for work on equipment controlled by an electric utility, co-op or power generation company (1305.003(a)(5)); the same work for a contractor needs a TDLR license.

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

Experience

A Most common related work experience: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (O*NET: 47%).

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

Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5

You likely have: 6

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

To build: 6

Installation +1.63
Mathematics +1.00
Troubleshooting +1.00
Instructing +0.88
Persuasion +0.88
Learning Strategies +0.62

Make this your goal

Save Power Plant Operator to Electrical Apprentice 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.