After being laid off, a Ukrainian IT specialist said he was tired of looking for work in the industry, and asked electricians what salary they could expect and which specializations were currently in greatest demand.
After being laid off, a Ukrainian IT specialist said he was tired of looking for work in the industry, and asked electricians what salary they could expect and which specializations were currently in greatest demand.
«IT sucks. They laid off me, I’m burned out from looking for a job. 300 people for one vacancy — I’m tired of playing the Hunger Games,» he wrote in Threads.
According to the man, his primary education is as an electrician for repair and maintenance of electrical equipment and a 3rd-category electrician for linear structures. He has several years of experience in his profession, including abroad.
He currently works in IT as a frontend, backend, and full stack developer, but after being laid off, he is considering returning to working with electricity.
«Therefore, the question for electricians is: what salary can you realistically expect now? In which direction do they pay the most? Share your experience on how to get a job with a normal salary,» he addressed the users.
In the comments, he was offered several directions.
One user noted that for a typical installation — particularly in apartments and cottages — an assistant can earn about 25,000–35,000 UAH, while an experienced craftsman with sufficient work speed can earn the equivalent of $2,000 or more.
Another commentator said that he called an electrician to find the fault. For about three hours of work, the specialist received 6,000 UAH. Among the promising areas, he also mentioned the installation and configuration of inverters and battery systems.
Another piece of advice is to pay attention to auto electrics. The author of the post became interested in this area, noting that he had not thought about it before.
He was also advised to look into solar energy. One of the commentators, who works with the installation of solar power plants, said that he does not have time to close all his facilities. According to him, depending on the region, for such work you can count on 25,000–35,000 UAH «clean» officially.
Separately, users advised not to try to work independently right away, but to first become an assistant to refresh your skills, get your hands dirty, and assess the market.
«If you have direct hands and customer orientation, that’s a lot,» wrote one of the commentators. He noted that an electrician with experience in IT can use skills in working with customers, managing CRM, selecting materials, and customer support. The author of the post himself noted that he is good at communicating with customers, as he previously had experience working in trade.
Another user named the average salary of an electrician in Ukraine at around UAH 35,000, while others advised taking on private projects — houses and large apartments — where the price tag can start at the equivalent of $2,000.
At the same time, there were also those in the comments who did not consider the transition from IT necessary. One user suggested that the author try to return to development through AI, calling Full Stack a promising basis for the transition to artificial intelligence.
The IT specialist himself explained that he has enough savings to last him several years without work, but he doesn’t want to sit idle. «I’m the kind of person who can’t sit idle without work or study. Plus, I have a lot of dreams and ambitions,» he wrote.
The same topic was raised on LinkedIn by recruiter Veronika Legkova.
«I am closing vacancies for the production of electrical switchboard equipment and substations in Dnipro, there are almost no candidates 🫠 The company is ready to discuss salary expectations, provides reservations and is ready to fight for good specialists. That is, while in one profession a person competes with hundreds of candidates for a vacancy, in another — employers are literally hunting for specialists. Therefore, changing the career vector does not always mean 'starting all over again'. Sometimes it makes much more sense to return to the profession, education or skills that you have already received, 'refresh' them and see how much they are in demand in the market now. Especially if the alternative is to send resumes for another six months in an oversaturated market and gradually lose faith in your own professional value,» she noted and asked the community if there are those who have already returned to their first specialty, leaving IT.
In the comments, the discussion quickly went beyond electricity. Some IT professionals began talking about returning to other professions that are not related to office work. For example, one of the participants said that after working in IT, she returned to teaching. «That’s why I returned to teaching in full. Interaction with children and the opportunity to influence the future give me the most strength. I’m glad to be in this element again! And I don’t regret it a single bit.»
At the same time, Software Engineer Oleksandr Kazmirchuk questioned the thesis that Ukrainians do not want to work in blue-collar professions due to a lack of interest in them. «Write what salaries you offer to temporary electricians, what is the schedule, etc. I think after that it will become clear why so few people want to work for you,» he wrote. In his opinion, the situation in IT is indeed changing: the profession is becoming available primarily to those who are truly interested in it.
Another Full Stack Developer, Andriy Sertek, suggested changing the approach to professional courses. In his opinion, schools like GoIT and Mate could teach not only IT specialties, but also professions that have a shortage of personnel. «It would be better if all these GoITs and Mates offered courses in useful specialties: tilers, plumbers, freight forwarders, something else,» he wrote.
At the same time, he warned that short courses alone are not enough to work as an electrician. «An electrician needs education to earn a decent living, and a permit. There won’t be enough courses.»
