Cody Cole is a 25-year-old electrical field superintendent making over $40 an hour without a college degree.
Courtesy of Nox Group
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cody Cole, 25, an Arizona-based electrical field superintendent with Corbins, an industrial electrical contractor. The following has been edited for length and clarity.I started in the electrical field in 2019 at 18 years old, shortly after getting out of high school. At first, I wasn't particularly thrilled about doing electrical work. But my brother, dad, uncle, and grandpa all worked with their hands, and I'm very similar to them, so I thought I'd give it a try.As I immersed myself more and saw all the positive career opportunities that arose, I found that I began to like my role.Now, seven years later, I'm a superintendent making over $40 an hour with 45 people who report to me. It's helped relieve the financial stress my wife and I have from everyday life, as we raise three kids and give them the best upbringing we can.I didn't want to pay for a traditional educationI've never been amazing at school; it wasn't something I looked forward to. My parents taught me to pay my own way and earn my own money — something I greatly appreciate — so paying for a traditional college education wasn't something I wanted to do.With a career in industrial electrical work, I knew I was able to start making good money right out of high school.The AI boom also changed my perspective on my career in electrical. I've seen firsthand that there's going to continue to be a need for skilled tradesmen; at my company, Corbins, we specialize in data centers, which are going to be needed with the expansion of AI.
