Story · age 17 · Oregon

Tom

A high school junior in rural Oregon, deciding what to do after graduation

The situation

Tom is a junior at a rural high school in central Oregon. He is good with his hands. His shop teacher would say he is good with his head too.

His older sister came home from a 4-year college with $68,000 in student debt and a job she could have gotten without the degree. The plan, from where Tom is sitting, has a hole in it.

His family has never had a tradesperson. His dad works at the county assessor's office. His mom is a dental hygienist. Nobody handed him a tool belt and said this is the way.

What got his attention

He found his way to the trades the way his generation finds most things. A YouTube channel. A young electrician in Seattle posting day-in-the-life content, showing his paycheck, explaining what it took to get there.

The number that stuck was a viewer comment. Someone wrote that they were 26 and had just bought their first house. Tom is 17. He can do math.

What he actually needs

Tom does not need motivation. He has it. He needs a map.

What does an electrician apprenticeship look like in Oregon. How long does it take. What does it pay while he is learning. Can he start before he graduates. What is the difference between a union apprenticeship and a trade school.

What the public record says

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) registers apprenticeship programs in the state. Both union (IBEW JATC) and non-union (IEC, ABC) programs exist. Each program publishes its own application window, wage schedule, and OJT requirement. Tom can compare them directly before he applies.

BLS Occupational Employment Statistics reported a national median annual wage of $62,350 for electricians in May 2024. Top 10% above $104,180. Oregon-specific wages vary by metro and are published in the same dataset.

BLS Occupational Outlook projections for electricians are published in the OOH page linked below. Local demand in Oregon depends on construction cycles and the data center buildout in Hillsboro and Prineville.

Apprenticeship pay starts low and steps up on a posted schedule. The Oregon JATC publishes its current first-period wage on its program page. It is below journeyman wage and includes health and pension contributions.

What he does next on the site

Tom starts at the Trade Explorer page for electrician. He reads the day-in-the-life, the physical demands, and the union vs. open-shop comparison.

He moves to the Apprenticeship Finder. Oregon is not yet in the v1 pilot, so he pulls up the Washington results to see the format and bookmarks the Apprenticeship.gov directory for Oregon programs in the meantime.

He saves 3 programs to a list. Later, when Oregon coverage lands, the dashboard will surface application-window dates as they open.

What is on the table

BLS projects continued employment for electricians through 2033 in the linked OOH page. Apprenticeship completion is not a guaranteed job, and wages vary by metro. Tom will read the same wage schedule any apprentice sees and decide based on real numbers, not viral comments.

If he applies, gets in, and finishes, he is on track to be a licensed journeyman electrician with no school debt. If he changes his mind in year 2, he is out the time and not the tuition. That is the actual trade-off.

Start your own path

See electrician trade details →Browse apprenticeships →

Sources cited in this story