‘My life is a million times better’: A man who quit his desk job to be an electrician shares his takeaways from the switch

Dustin Snyder is a low voltage electrician.

If your Sunday evenings are tainted by the thought of clocking into work the next morning, you’re not alone.

Dustin Snyder used to be one of those people. He worked a slew of jobs but wasn’t satisfied with any of them.

“I worked in retail for quite a while,” Snyder told B-17. “Then I ended up working in a call center for a big cellphone company.” There, he climbed the ladder until he became a corporate account manager, supervising business projects for large clients.

The office environment became tedious to Snyder. He disliked the formal dress code and the inability to unplug from work. He switched jobs, this time to an e-commerce startup. However, Snyder still wasn’t satisfied with the work, which felt incredibly similar to his previous job. Snyder was taking his laptop on vacation, and his phone was constantly blown up with emails.

That was until Snyder talked to a friend of a friend who happened to be an electrician. Snyder, now 43 years old, has been an electrician for the last six years, and he’s never looked back.

“As a union electrician, my life is a million times better,” he said. “Six years in, and I’m still learning all the time, making more than I did before, and often have fun at work.”

If you’ve experienced a similar situation and are contemplating making the white-to-blue-collar leap, Snyder shared the following advice and observations.

It’s not hard to break in

Snyder had no previous trade training before his career switch, but he didn’t find the transition particularly difficult.

He started with an entry-level position as a low-voltage installer to get some on-site training. After nine months, Snyder applied and was accepted for an apprenticeship, which combined classroom training with on-the-job experience. Snyder was an apprentice for three years, working and going to night classes once a week. After finishing his apprenticeship and receiving the proper certification, Snyder officially became a low-voltage electrician.

The training doesn’t break the bank, either. “You pay a little for the schooling, but you’re also working while you’re going to school, so basically you’re learning and getting paid at the same time,” Snyder said.

A four-year college degree isn’t necessary. “if someone came out of high school and went into being a commercial electrician, they could potentially be making $73 an hour at age 22 with zero debt,” he added.

Electricians are a fast-growing job category, so there’s definitely no shortage of jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the profession is projected to grow 11% in the next decade — well above the 4% average growth for all occupations.

There’s more diversity in the trades than you’d expect

“A lot of people might think it’s all people with jacked-up trucks and camo hats and jackets, and it’s not as many as you would think,” Snyder said.

His coworkers include people of different genders, sexual orientations, and ethnic backgrounds. While the majority of blue-collar jobs are held by men, the trades are indeed becoming more diverse. According to the AFL-CIO, the share of women in construction jobs increased by over 60% between 2013 and 2023, from 2.6% to 4.3%.

There are also a lot of blue-collar jobs out there, and an electrician is just one of them. You could be a plumber, a machinist, a painter, an HVAC technician — the list goes on. Even within the electrician label, there are different specializations, such as low voltage, commercial, and marine.

“Those are all good jobs, and any of them might appeal to somebody who’s interested in doing something with their hands,” Snyder said.

You will work unconventional hours

If you like to sleep in, a blue-collar job might not be for you. Snyder works from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

“A start time between 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. is pretty much the norm for most trades,” Snyder said.

For electricians or construction workers, it’s important to start before peak traffic hours and maximize daylight.

On an average day, Snyder wakes up between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. He specializes in audiovisual equipment, so his day-to-day tasks may involve repairing or upgrading conference rooms in commercial buildings or college classrooms. After leaving work and running errands, Snyder’s usually in bed by 7 p.m.

The lifestyle can interfere with your social life. “I can meet for happy hour, but that’s about it,” Snyder said.

Being part of a union has its perks

Snyder is a member of a labor union called the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). The union provides benefits, job security, collective bargaining, and a sense of community.

“Excellent,” was Snyder’s response when asked to describe his pay and benefits as a union member. Based in Seattle, he makes just over $48 an hour, accrues another $3 an hour for his 401(k), and also has a pension. That’s well above the median electrician hourly wage of $29.61 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

His health insurance is through the union, not his employer, so Snyder isn’t worried about losing coverage if he switches jobs. If he’s on the hunt for a new job, Snyder doesn’t have to apply individually and interview — the union helps facilitate matching available jobs to union members looking for work.

For Snyder, being an electrician provides him with engaging work and great benefits. Six years after making the switch, Snyder’s confident that he made the right choice.

“I’m finally actually happy with what I’m doing,” Snyder said.