Three RoutesCompare · Ontario figures · updated 2 November 2026
Trade ticket → your own contracting company vs Electrician
Same columns, no opinion about which is better for you. On typical Ontario figures, Trade ticket → your own contracting company is ahead by year 10 ($738k against $602k), because it pays more per year once you are working. The gap is before tax, rent and loan interest, which hit both routes. Electrician costs $1,000 less to get into. Job Bank rates demand higher for Trade ticket → your own contracting company in Ontario right now.
| Measure | Trade ticket → your own contracting company | Electrician |
|---|---|---|
| Route | Start something | Apprenticeship |
| Credential | Certificate of Qualification, then a registered company | Certificate of Qualification (309A) |
| Years to finish | 5 | 5 |
| First real paycheque | Month one | Month one |
| Cost (tuition and fees) | $3,000 | $2,000 |
| Typical debt if you borrow | $0 | $0 |
| Earnings, first years | $40,000 | $39,000 |
| Earnings by year 5 | $85,000 | $66,000 |
| Net by year 10 (typical) | $738k | $602k |
| Demand in Ontario | High | Steady |
| Time in a classroom | 15% | 15% |
Earnings by year, roughly
Before tax. Years in school show as "school". Medians rise from the starting figure to the year-5 figure, then stay flat.
Trade ticket → your own contracting company
A day looks like: Years 1–5: apprentice, earning. Year 6 on: quoting, jobs, hiring, chasing payments. Six-figure incomes are common for owners with a crew.
What stops people: Getting the ticket. The business part is the easy half once you can do the work.
Downside: You become the estimator, bookkeeper and collections department. Many good tradespeople dislike running a company.
Electrician
A day looks like: You spend roughly four days a week on site with a journeyperson and eight weeks a year in trade school, paid throughout. Work ranges from wiring new houses to industrial panels.
What stops people: Finding an employer to sponsor you. The schooling is the easy part.
Downside: Two to six months of job-hunting before you start is normal. Construction work is cyclical and the first year is a lot of carrying things.
Quick answers
Which pays more, trade ticket → your own contracting company or electrician?
By year five, Trade ticket → your own contracting company is about $85,000 and Electrician about $66,000 (Ontario medians, before tax). By year ten, counting what each cost, Trade ticket → your own contracting company nets roughly $738k and Electrician roughly $602k.
Which is faster to a real paycheque?
Trade ticket → your own contracting company: month one. Electrician: month one.
What does each cost?
Trade ticket → your own contracting company: $3,000 in tuition and fees, typical debt $0. Electrician: $2,000, typical debt $0.
What is the downside of each?
Trade ticket → your own contracting company: You become the estimator, bookkeeper and collections department. Many good tradespeople dislike running a company. Electrician: Two to six months of job-hunting before you start is normal. Construction work is cyclical and the first year is a lot of carrying things.
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Figures are Ontario medians and typical costs from Job Bank, Statistics Canada, Skilled Trades Ontario and institution fee pages; the data page lists every source and date. Switch province on either pathway page for BC, Alberta or Quebec figures.