Picked the IT job over the electrical apprenticeship 8 years ago and I still wonder

Back in 2016 I had two offers on the table. One was a junior electrician gig with a union crew in Cleveland starting at $18 an hour and the other was a help desk job for a small insurance company at $15. I took the help desk because it had health insurance and a desk with my name on it. Eight years later I make decent money as a network admin but my buddy who took the electrical route is pulling $45 an hour as a foreman with zero student debt. He owns a house and I still rent. I don't hate my job but I catch myself thinking about that other path every time my back hurts from sitting in this chair. Anyone else make a decision that looked smart at the time but turned out different?

3 comments

3 Comments

webb.hannah8h ago

Man, I hear you. A buddy of mine did the same thing with welding vs. an office job, and he's been kicking himself watching the trades guys buy houses while he's still renting. Best practical move I can give you is to start looking into side work that uses your IT skills outside the 9 to 5 like managing networks for small local businesses. That extra cash can go straight toward a down payment on a house, and it'll remind you why you took that help desk gig in the first place. Your body won't be wrecked at 50 like some of those foreman guys, but you gotta make the numbers work on your end too.

taylor_wells27m ago

Feels like everyone's got that one friend who made it big in the trades while the rest of us are still figuring things out. But @webb.hannah, is it really that grim? I know a few guys who went the college route and they're doing just fine, bought houses in their early 30s without wrecking their backs. The side work idea is solid though, I've seen guys pull in an extra grand a month just fixing home routers for old folks.

gray3147h ago

Buddy of mine picked welding over college and now has three rentals while I'm still splitting a duplex.