Field Notes
Sourced, dated notes on getting into the licensed trades — pay, licensing, and what the data center boom actually means for the people wiring it.
A union HVAC tradesman, 14-hour shifts, six or seven days on and four off, and one goal — a house. The real schedule behind a $200k year, and the math of it.
A Texas apprentice license lasts one year and renews for $20 plus 4 CE hours — or no CE if you're in a registered program. Late fees and journeyman rules.
The aptitude test is a gate, not a score. Your rank comes from a 10–15 minute committee interview on eight published criteria — and two levers you control.
Free IBEW aptitude test practice: 16 algebra and functions problems plus 2 reading passages with 6 questions — every answer worked step by step, in the test's style.
Electrician apprenticeship applications open in short windows on each JATC's own schedule. How windows work, how to find yours, what to prepare before it opens, and the mistakes that cost people a year.
IBEW union vs open-shop electrician pay, pensions, dues, health coverage and apprenticeship costs — with sourced numbers and the real downsides of both.
The average construction apprentice is 29, and 63% are over 25. The honest math on starting at 35, 40, or 45 — including the year-one pay cut.
What's on the IBEW aptitude test (Test 160): algebra and reading, no trade knowledge. Most locals qualify you at 4 out of 9, then rank you by interview. Free 4-week plan + 22 practice problems.
Entry, median, senior, and traveling data center electrician pay in 2026 — with sources, and an honest accounting of what the $200k stories really cost.