He could start earning about $42,000 in his first year while taking classes just two nights a week at his local IBEW chapter in Newport News, Va. By the time he graduates as a journeyman this summer, he expects to make around $71,000\u2014and, as he puts it, spend his days in a job that feels like he\u2019s playing with \u201cadult Legos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bowman, now 22, is part of a growing wave of Gen Z workers reconsidering jobs once treated as not even worth their consideration: electrical work, HVAC, plumbing, and other skilled trades. Part of that shift is cultural\u2014there\u2019s less stigma, more TikTok visibility, and more open talk about student debt and wages. But part of it is economic: Many entry-level white-collar jobs are feeling more like pits than ladders. Companies have been rethinking their hiring practices as questions around the future of work spiral in the wake of the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
What feels like a lifeline for 20-somethings like Bowman\u2014an affordable path to a stable career\u2014has become what the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) calls a \u201clife-or-death\u201d situation for companies like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft. And without an army of electricians to build out data centers, the future of U.S. economic growth could be in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
More than 300,000 new electricians are projected to be needed over the next decade to meet the AI-driven demand, even as a large share of today\u2019s workforce is approaching retirement. Nearly 30% of union electricians are between 50 and 70; about 20,000 electricians are expected to retire each year, or roughly 200,000 over the next decade.<\/p>\n
That means that to meet the lofty expectations around AI, the country needs hundreds of thousands of Nicholas Bowmans. And Big Tech and local electricians unions are pulling out all the stops to find and train them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The data center boom hits a speed bump<\/h2>\n
Data centers\u2014warehouse-sized facilities packed with servers, power gear, and cooling equipment that provide the computing power\u2014are nothing new. They\u2019ve been spreading across the world since the early 1990s, powering everything from your iPhone\u2019s camera roll to international financial markets.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s changed in recent years is the speed and the scale at which they\u2019re being built. McKinsey estimates data center investment could reach a cumulative $6.7 trillion globally by 2030 to meet AI-driven demand\u2014triggering a wave of construction unlike anything the industry has seen.<\/p>\n Genaro Molina\/Los Angeles Times\u2014Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n A single large data center can be 40% to 50% larger than the average Walmart Supercenter and require up to 1,500 workers during peak construction. And as companies race to build ever-more powerful AI models, those facilities are getting bigger still. Meta\u2019s Hyperion AI data center project, for example, is expected to scale four times the size of Central Park.<\/p>\n But building at that pace isn\u2019t just a matter of writing bigger checks. From Silicon Valley to Washington D.C., leaders are grappling with how to add capacity fast enough while navigating permitting delays, water constraints, and community pushback.<\/p>\n Amid all the complexity, one constraint outweighs them all: There are not enough workers.<\/p>\n The Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade association of skilled trade workers, estimates the construction industry will need to attract an estimated 349,000 net new workers in 2026 alone to meet demand for its services. But for data centers, electrical work isn\u2019t just one trade among many\u2014it\u2019s the spine of the project.<\/p>\n Electrical work accounts for 45% to 70% of total data center construction costs, according to IBEW\u2014a troublesome constraint considering the supply and demand imbalances.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe electrician shortage is quite dire,\u201d Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute\u2019s Center for Technology Innovation, told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cThose people are in short supply all across the country, and this has become a leading barrier to data center construction.\u201d<\/p>\n For their part, tech companies are increasingly sounding the alarm on this need. A lack of electricians \u201cmay constrain America\u2019s ability to build the infrastructure needed to support AI,\u201d according to a Google policy report. Microsoft has gone even further, with President Brad Smith identifying electrical talent shortages as the No. 1 problem slowing their data center expansion in the U.S.<\/p>\n The impacts are already showing up in logistical puzzles and construction delays. Smith said Microsoft is employing electricians who are commuting from as far as 75 miles away from their job sites\u2014or even temporarily relocating to fill roles. Oracle, which is building out data centers for OpenAI, had to shift construction completion dates from 2027 to 2028 due in part to labor shortages, according to Bloomberg<\/em>. In a statement to Fortune, Oracle disputed that report and said its projects remain \u201con schedule and on plan,\u201d and that it intends to invest in local workforce training programs to help residents step into those jobs.<\/p>\n Google has made similar moves. Last year it pledged $15 million and formed a partnership with the electrical training ALLIANCE (etA) to expand the pipeline of electrical workers.<\/p>\n The irony is hard to miss: The same companies remaking white-collar career paths with AI are discovering that their own growth may hinge on the very generation feeling the most economic whiplash from it.<\/p>\n The demand for electricians is colliding with a moment of deep uncertainty for young workers. Among the class of 2023 college graduates, more than half were working in jobs that didn\u2019t require a degree a year after graduation. Unemployment among recent college graduates has also slowly climbed, to 5.6%\u2014the highest in over a decade, not including the pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n For years, the prevailing assumption was that college was the safest route to stability\u2014even as tuition climbed and outcomes grew less curtain. A 2012 Pew Research Center survey found that 94% of parents expected their child to attend college, regardless of whether the economic payoff was clear.<\/p>\n That mindset, industry leaders said, helped sideline the skilled trades.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the good intentions that may have given birth to that philosophy 50 years ago that everybody had to go to college or you\u2019re completely doomed\u2014they treated the trades as a consolation prize,\u201d said Brian Huff, the founder and CEO of for-profit training organization Midwest Technical Institute.<\/p>\n Now, the math is shifting.<\/p>\n Enrollment in electrical programs across Huff\u2019s four campuses in Illinois and Missouri has surged more than 400% the last four years, from less than 100 students to nearly 400 students. The average attendee isn\u2019t fresh out of high school, he said, but in their mid-to-late 20s\u2014someone who tried other paths first and is now looking for something more reliable.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never been brighter than this,\u201d Huff, who started his own career as a welder, said. \u201cThe job prospects for anybody getting into this are going to be good. They were good before, but they\u2019re even better now.\u201d<\/p>\n The surge isn\u2019t limited to private programs. According to the National Electrical Contractors Association, applications for inside commercial apprenticeships increased by more than 70% nationwide between 2022 and 2024, from roughly 70,000 to 120,000\u2014far more than the number of available positions<\/p>\n Ian Andrews, vice president of labor relations and large contractors at NECA, said the scale of demand tied to data centers has sparked a blue-collar boom the electrical field has waited decades to see.<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t a single path to becoming an electrician, but the most common route is an apprenticeship that typically lasts four to five years. Unlike college students, apprentices earn money from day one when completing classroom instruction, often taking classes at night or in short blocks throughout the year. By the time they finish, many have years of experience\u2014and little to no student debt.<\/p>\n Bowman said that trade-off wasn\u2019t always obvious to his family and peers.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people were open-minded when I explained it, but naturally, high school pushes college,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s not much exposure to careers that let you start working right out of high school. I think more people could benefit from that awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n The financial upside can be significant\u2014especially in regions experiencing a surge in data center construction.<\/p>\n At IBEW Local 26 near Washington D.C., which sits at the heart of the data center capital of the world\u2014northern Virginia\u2014membership has doubled since 2018 to more than 14,700 electricians. Apprentices start at roughly $26 an hour. By the time they complete their training, journeyman electricians earn about $59.50 an hour\u2014more than $120,000 a year\u2014plus benefits that often include health insurance and a pension. Add in overtime hours, or being a foreman, and electricians can make closer to $200,000 a year.<\/p>\n Other students begin at community colleges or trade-focused institutions, taking classes full- or part-time before being hired by a contractor. Those programs can serve as on-ramps for students who want exposure before committing to a union apprenticeship or who are transitioning from another field.<\/p>\n \u201cData centers are going to be the new oil field,\u201d said Nathan Hall, vice chancellor of external affairs and public relations at Delta Community College in Monroe, La. The jobs, he added, are reshaping the local economy\u2014bringing steady income to families and expanding apprenticeship pipelines in communities that have long been overlooked.<\/p>\n On paper, becoming an electrician right now can look, as Bowman found, like a no-brainer: earn while you learn, avoid massive student debt, step into strong wages, and work at the center of the AI infrastructure boom.<\/p>\n But it won\u2019t be for everyone. The work can be physically demanding, with long hours on your feet. Some days you might be inside in the air conditioning, and other days, you might be down in a muddy ditch pulling cable.\u00a0<\/p>\n The lifestyle can be just as arduous. Add tight construction timelines, and overtime can become a norm. Work also often follows the project\u2014not the other way around.<\/p>\n Watchara Phomicinda\/MediaNews Group\/The Press-Enterprise\u2014Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n Managing the AI-data center growth is \u201clike eating an elephant,\u201d according to Jason Dedon, business manager for IBEW Local 995 in Baton Rouge, La.\u2014just three hours south of Meta\u2019s massive data center project.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first, that elephant tastes good, but pretty soon you\u2019re sick of it, but it\u2019s endless. Every time you open your mouth to breathe, there\u2019s more elephant,\u201d Dedon said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Data centers need huge crews during construction\u2014and far fewer workers once they\u2019re up and running. There will be maintenance, retrofits, and expansions, but not at the same scale as the initial build-outs. For workers, that can mean moving on when a project wraps, or facing periods without a job lined up. During the 2008 recession, for example, nearly one in four of IBEW\u2019s construction members were out of work.<\/p>\n As Dedon put it: \u201cSick as you are of eating it, even the biggest elephant ends. Then what are you going to eat?\u201d<\/p>\n For many electricians, that\u2019s always been the trade off; long commutes or even weeks away from home might be tough, but it can bring higher-paying salaries.<\/p>\n But one added cushion for the electrician shortage is that the demand is not limited to data centers. The same skills can be transferred to other locations, like power plants, hospitals, and military bases\u2014all of which are often undergoing new waves of electrification.<\/p>\n That portability is why John Mielke, senior director of apprenticeship at the Associated Builders and Contractors, calls the skilled trades one of the fastest paths to entrepreneurship. Experienced electricians often branch out into their own contracting businesses\u2014an outcome that aligns with Gen Z\u2019s growing interest in working for themselves.<\/p>\n For Bowman, the trade-offs are clear\u2014the dirt, the hours, the uncertainty between projects. But so is the payoff: steady pay, in-demand skills, and work that can\u2019t be automated away. \u201cThe fortunate thing is AI hasn\u2019t found a way to turn the wrench yet,\u201d Bowman said. For now, that feels like a bet worth taking.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have historically referred to apprenticeship in this country as one of the best kept secrets,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cAnd I would proclaim that it is no longer a secret. It is an open invitation to explore this career.\u201d<\/p>\n For more on how to train to become an electrician, see this resource from the etA. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n #data #center #boom #creating #dire #electrician #shortage #opportunity #Gen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When Nicholas Bowman was in hi… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[850,542,1671,2863,686,1059,811,8358,14841,304,300,2971,7308,1624],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26158"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"An](\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/img-assets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2172265843-e1772110491999.jpg?format=webp&w=1440&q=100\"\/)
<\/div>AI has disrupted Gen Z\u2019s career paths<\/h2>\n
Long hours in ditches: Being an electrician isn\u2019t for everyone<\/h2>\n
![\"Electricians](\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/img-assets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-1233999509-e1772196906363.jpg?format=webp&w=1440&q=100\"\/)
<\/div>