How Much Do Electricians Make?

Observations on the train.

An elderly man from my hometown works as an electrician in Guangzhou. He currently manages the electrical systems for a residential community and collaborates with the foreman of a construction crew. On top of his regular salary, he handles replacement, maintenance, and installation for households across various compounds—basically everyone relies on him. Each service call brings him several hundred yuan. When people no longer need their air conditioners, they give them straight to him, along with all sorts of central systems and equipment. On this trip back home, he brought dozens of security cameras. The items were heavy and came in several large bags—he couldn’t carry them all himself.

The electrical wiring and equipment for his entire village were installed and set up by him. He’s extremely frugal with his own spending, yet offers his services to neighbors and other villages for free. Even returning to his hometown is a struggle for him financially. His two apartments back home sit empty and unclaimed, so he takes care of them himself whenever he visits.

Through this approach, he’s built a career spanning decades. He bought two apartments in Luoyang for his two children (though his kids don’t want the two properties back in his hometown). Meanwhile, his mentor—who also makes money trading equipment outside of his core business—has already purchased eight apartments in Shanghai.