Compare A Technical Director ↔ B Electrical Apprentice

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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 Power System Dispatcher: license depends on the work (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).
Move 2, to Hydroelectric Plant Operator: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
Move 3, to Electrical Apprentice: Electrical Apprentice (TDLR) license.

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Technical Director to Power System Dispatcher
- Skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.77 (one of the 3 most similar occupations, r >= 0.6).
- Gates: license depends on the work (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).
Move 2 Transfer move to the side
Power System Dispatcher to Hydroelectric Plant Operator
- O*NET lists Hydroelectric Plant Technicians as a related occupation (Primary-Short); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.71.
- Gates checked: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
- Skills to build: Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Troubleshooting
Move 3 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

Technical Director: 77% 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

$71,710no 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 +7.1% Texas, 620 openings a year

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

Over 40 h a week

77%-42 pts35%

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

1.8 / 5+2.34.1 / 5

Cramped space+2.95Cramped space: A 1.45, B 4.4
Climbing ladders+2.76Climbing ladders: A 1.44, B 4.2
Hazardous conditions+2.73Hazardous conditions: A 1.86, B 4.59
Bending or twisting+2.57Bending or twisting: A 2.11, B 4.68
Hazardous equipment+2.44Hazardous equipment: A 1.6, B 4.04

Degree

A Most people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher (O*NET: 92%).

B Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 1% 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 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 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET: 49%).

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
Active Learning
Judgment and Decision Making
Quality Control Analysis

To build: 6

Installation +2.25
Troubleshooting +2.00
Repairing +1.62
Equipment Maintenance +1.00
Mathematics +0.88
Equipment Selection +0.50

Make this your goal

Save Technical Director 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.