Compare A Ironworker ↔ B Electrical Foreman

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Your route

3 moves · +$22,280 a year, Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels

Gates on this route

Move 1, to Plumber: Journeyman Plumber (TSBPE), Tradesman Plumber-Limited (TSBPE) license, experience: over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (O*NET, most common).
Move 2, to Journeyman Electrician: Journeyman Electrician (TDLR) license.
Move 3, to Electrical Foreman: experience: over 10 years (O*NET, most common).

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Ironworker to Plumber +$7,600 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters as a related occupation (Supplemental); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.86.
- Gates: Journeyman Plumber (TSBPE), Tradesman Plumber-Limited (TSBPE) license, experience: over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (O*NET, most common).
- Skills to build: Repairing, Troubleshooting, Critical Thinking
Move 2 Transfer move to the side
Plumber to Journeyman Electrician -$1,270 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Electricians as a related occupation (Supplemental); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.82 (O*NET related occupation beyond the 6 drawn laterals).
- Gates: Journeyman Electrician (TDLR) license.
Move 3 B1 step up on Construction electrical
Journeyman Electrician to Electrical Foreman +$15,950 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- Next rung on 'Construction electrical' (Skilled to Lead).
- Gates: experience: over 10 years (O*NET, most common).
- Skills to build: Coordination, Negotiation, Management of Personnel Resources

Side by side

All First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers: Texas median $74,520, $22,280 more a year than all Structural Iron and Steel Workers ($52,240), every experience level.

Electrical Foreman: 63% work more than 40 hours a week, about 1.9 times the share for Ironworker (34%).

This level's pay

A No headline record for this level

B $42.79/h Houston union minimum (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

$52,240+$22,280$74,520

Gates on the route: Plumber: Journeyman Plumber (TSBPE), Tradesman Plumber-Limited (TSBPE) license, experience: over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (O*NET, most common); Journeyman Electrician: Journeyman Electrician (TDLR) license; Electrical Foreman: experience: over 10 years (O*NET, most common).

Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation

A +3.6% Texas, 850 openings a year

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

Over 40 h a week

34%+29 pts63%

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

3.4 / 5-0.43.0 / 5

Outdoors, all weather+1.56Outdoors, all weather: A 2.87, B 4.43
Bending or twisting-1.47Bending or twisting: A 4.13, B 2.66
Climbing ladders-1.05Climbing ladders: A 3.07, B 2.02
Kneeling or crawling-0.99Kneeling or crawling: A 3.38, B 2.39
High places-0.90High places: A 3.74, B 2.84

Degree

A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 7% do).

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

License

A No license for this job title at the 8 Texas and federal licensing agencies read on 2026-10-03 (TDLR, TSBPE, TCEQ, TCFP, TEA, TBPELS, NRC and EPA).

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

Experience

A Most common related work experience: none (O*NET: 57%).

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

Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5

You likely have: 4

Judgment and Decision Making
Complex Problem Solving
Active Learning
Quality Control Analysis

To build: 6

Management of Personnel Resources +1.24
Negotiation +1.00
Writing +1.00
Persuasion +0.88
Speaking +0.87
Active Listening +0.75

Make this your goal

Save Ironworker to Electrical Foreman 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.