Dustin Snyder was dissatisfied with his office job and felt he did not have a work-life balance. He made the decision to become an electrician and has no regrets. Snyder shares his top 4 takeaways after switching from a white collar to a blue collar job.
If your Sunday evenings are tainted by the thought of showing up to work the next morning, you’re not alone.
Dustin Snyder used to be one of those people. He worked a large number of jobs but was not satisfied with any of them.
“I’ve been in retail for a long time,” Snyder told Business Insider. “Then I ended up working in a call center for a large cell phone company.” There, he moved up the ladder to become a corporate account manager, where he oversaw commercial projects for major clients.
The office environment has become slow for Snyder. He did not like the formal dress code and the inability to disconnect from work. He changed jobs, this time to an e-commerce startup. However, Snyder was still unhappy with the work, which seemed incredibly similar to his previous job. Snyder would take his laptop on vacation, and his phone was constantly filled with emails.
That was until Snyder talked to a friend of a friend who happened to be an electrician. Snyder, now 43, has been an electrician for the past six years, and has never looked back.
“As a union electrician, my life is a million times better,” he said. “Six years later, I’m still learning all the time, earning more than I did before, and often having fun at work.”
If you’ve been in a similar situation and are considering moving from a white collar to a blue collar job, Snyder shared the following tips and feedback.
It’s not hard to break into
Snyder had no prior business training before his career shift, 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. Nine months later, Snyder applied for and was accepted for an apprenticeship, which combines classroom training with practical experience. Snyder was an apprentice for three years, working and going to night classes once a week. After completing his apprenticeship and obtaining the appropriate certification, Snyder officially became a low-voltage electrician.
Training doesn’t break the bank either. “You’re paying a little bit for your education, but you’re also working while you’re going to school, so you’re learning and getting paid at the same time,” Snyder said.
It is not necessary to have a four-year college degree. “If someone came out of high school and became a commercial electrician, they could potentially be making $73 an hour at age 22 with no debt,” he added.
Electricians are a fast-growing job category, so there is certainly no shortage of jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupation is expected to grow by 11% in the next decade — much higher than the average growth of 4% for all occupations.
There is more variety in deals than you might expect
“A lot of people might think it’s all people wearing jacked up trucks and camouflage hats and jackets, and they’re not as many as you think,” Snyder said.
His coworkers include people of various races, sexual orientations, and ethnic backgrounds. While the majority of labor jobs are held by men, occupations are already becoming more diverse. According to the AFL-CIO, the share of women in construction jobs increased by more than 60% between 2013 and 2023, from 2.6% to 4.3%.
There are also a lot of labor jobs, and electrician is just one of them. You could be a plumber, a mechanic, a painter, an HVAC technician – the list goes on. Even within the category of electrician, there are different specializations, such as low voltage, commercial, and marine.
“These are all good jobs, and any of them might appeal to someone interested in doing something with their hands,” Snyder said.
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You will work non-traditional hours
If you like to sleep, a blue collar job may not be for you. Snyder works from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m
“A start time between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. is the norm for most trades,” Snyder said.
For electricians or construction workers, it is important to start before peak traffic hours and maximize daylight.
On a typical day, Snyder wakes up between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. He specializes in audio-visual equipment, so his daily tasks might include repairing or updating meeting rooms in commercial buildings or university classrooms. After leaving work and running errands, Snyder is usually in bed by 7 p.m
The lifestyle can interfere with your social life. “I can meet at happy hour, but that’s about it,” Snyder said.
Being part of a guild has its advantages
Snyder is a member of a labor union called the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). A union provides benefits, job security, collective bargaining, and a sense of community.
“Excellent,” was Snyder’s response when asked to describe his salary and benefits as a union member. He resides in Seattle, makes just over $48 an hour, accumulates another $3 an hour toward his 401(k), and also has a pension. This is significantly higher than the average hourly wage of an electrician of $29.61 per 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 changes jobs. If he’s looking for a new job, Snyder doesn’t have to apply individually and go through an interview — the union helps make it easier to match available jobs to union members looking for work.
For Snyder, being an electrician offers attractive work and great benefits. Six years after making the switch, Snyder is confident he made the right decision.
“Finally, I’m really happy with what I’m doing,” Snyder said.
Do you have an unconventional career story you’d like to share? Feel free to contact Christine at cji@businessinsider.com.
