Compare A Electrical Foreman ↔ B Pipelayer

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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 Plumber Helper: Plumber's Apprentice registration (TSBPE) license, experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET, most common).
Move 3, 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 Foreman to Electrical Apprentice
- O*NET lists Helpers--Electricians as a related occupation (Supplemental); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.70 (O*NET related occupation beyond the 6 drawn laterals).
- Gates: Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license.
Move 2 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 3 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

All Pipelayers: Texas median $45,620, $28,900 less a year than all First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers ($74,520), every experience level.

Electrical Foreman: 63% work more than 40 hours a week, about 3.6 times the share for Pipelayer (17%).

This level's pay

A $42.79/h Houston union minimum (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

$74,520-$28,900$45,620

Gates on the route: Electrical Apprentice: Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license; Plumber Helper: Plumber's Apprentice registration (TSBPE) license, experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET, most common); 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)).

Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation

A +10.0% Texas, 8,780 openings a year

B +0.2% Texas, 480 openings a year

Over 40 h a week

63%-45 pts17%

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

3.0 / 5+0.13.1 / 5

High places-1.53High places: A 2.84, B 1.31
Bending or twisting+1.11Bending or twisting: A 2.66, B 3.77
Cramped space+1.01Cramped space: A 2.41, B 3.42
Hazardous equipment-1.00Hazardous equipment: A 4.18, B 3.18
Hazardous conditions-0.81Hazardous conditions: A 2.95, B 2.14

Degree

A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 10% do).

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

License

A Usually holds the TDLR Journeyman Electrician license from the previous rung; TDLR has no separate foreman license (license list checked).

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 Most common related work experience: over 10 years (O*NET: 30%).

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 Foreman 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.