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Electrical Contractor
Skilled TradesYou stopped working for someone else and started bidding your own jobs. Now you're an electrician AND a business owner, which means you spend half your time doing the work you love and the other half chasing payments, managing employees, and wondering why you ever thought running a business would be easier than pulling wire. The ceiling is much higher, but so is the stress.
Salary Range
Low
$90k
Median
$140k
High
$200k
10-Year Growth
11%
US Workers
739K
Education
Contractor license + master electrician license + business registration
Environment
mixed
Tools & Technical Skills
- ▸Job estimating & bidding
- ▸Business management & accounting
- ▸Contractor licensing & insurance
- ▸Project scheduling & coordination
- ▸Employee management & payroll
- ▸Permit processes & code compliance
People & Mindset Skills
- ▸Leadership
- ▸Negotiation
- ▸Business acumen
- ▸Client relationship management
- ▸Risk management
- ▸Time management
Learn the skills
Courses and certifications to get you job-ready
Business management & accounting
Employee management & payroll
What you'll actually do
- 01Bid on jobs and pray your estimate is accurate enough to make money but low enough to win
- 02Manage a crew of electricians who all think they know better than you
- 03Chase down payments from clients who suddenly forgot how to return phone calls
- 04Handle payroll, insurance, permits, and taxes — the glamorous side of being your own boss
- 05Drive between job sites putting out fires (hopefully not literal ones)
- 06Quote a simple job that turns into a nightmare the second you open the wall
Related Shifts
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