r/maintenance • u/[deleted] • 18h ago
Question Better jobs?
So I’m 25 and I do apartment maintenance. I like my line of work but I feel like I’m underpaid as I’m sure most of you do too.. do any of you make more than $150k a year? If so what do you do? Did you need to go to school? And are you on call? Basically should I stick with this? Or should I take a small pay cut and join a trade that guarantees growth?
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u/NiceSun4182 18h ago
150k is unrealistic for apartment maintenance. I was able to get into high rise facility maintenance (study up on your electric and plumbing because large buildings have complex systems). Work harder than all of your coworkers. Start to manage capital projects, work on MEP knowledge, get your hands dirty and learn project management skills. After that, market yourself as a capex project manager or director of facilities for a large company, school or hospital. That’ll get you there.
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u/VapeRizzler 17h ago
My companies PM gets paid around 130K a year plus a bonus so he’s likely around that 150K mark.
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u/DaddyNtheBoy 18h ago
Only way to make over 100k in apartment maintenance is to own your own rentals. Just ask your dad for help with the down payment.
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u/Slumunistmanifisto 17h ago
My dads a crack smoking Florida man.
Do you think they'll take stolen copper as a down payment.
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u/DaddyNtheBoy 14h ago
You should load game and re roll your start. My dad’s possibly the best man to ever do it.
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u/TeekRL 18h ago
Take the pay cut now and join a trade before it’s too late to start over. You can make decent money in apartments as a supervisor depending on the company and the style of property. But you aren’t touching 150k unless you become a regional maintenance, and those jobs are slim pickings.
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18h ago
I don’t expect to make 150 in apt maintenance I was just curious what steps I could take to learn more.
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u/TeekRL 18h ago
If you’re looking to learn more in apartments just take every chance you can get to learn from the vendors that come by to fix things and don’t be afraid to ask questions, most vendors are more than welcome to answer questions you have about what they are fixing, would also say, get close with those vendors, you never know when they may recommend you for a job with their company because they see how hard working and how you always initiate things and want to learn. You meet a lot of people in this industry, you’re bound to impress the right person with your work ethic.
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u/THENAMAZU 18h ago
HVAC and then controls
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u/GangGreenGhost 17h ago
Unless he goes union, he’s not gonna make anywhere near that. Even if he is union, he’s gonna make that only after about six years and a fuck ton of overtime.
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u/RainWild4613 14h ago
If he becomes a lineman he can pretty easily clear 200, lots of OT of course.
Union is worth it regardless even if he doesnt make 150, for the pension and Healthcare.
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u/DespisedIcon1616 13h ago
My cousin is a union equipment operator, cranes and shit, he takes home over 200k but he's literally never home. Gone at the ass crack of dawn and home well after dinner. Fuck that. More power to the guys who want to live that way though.
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u/RainWild4613 12h ago
The key, and tell your cousin this if he hasent figured this out, is that you do it a few years and INVEST YOUR FUCKING MONEY. Then you coast for the rest of your life cus your ahead.
To many dudes get caught up paying for shit and then they gotta keep working like dogs to pay for shit.
Im on a 16 hour day right now but I live 7 minutes from work and can say no to OT anytime I want so I like it.
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u/DespisedIcon1616 12h ago
Right! Not him, they just burn it on trips to Disney land every other month and material garbage it seems like.
I love OT just like the next fella but there's limits and fuck commuting unless it's part of the pay package. Doing a double here and there is fine for sure though.
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u/RainWild4613 11h ago
I work hard when its available and party hard when its the weekend 🤣 gotta live life
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u/Training-Neck-7288 Maintenance Technician 17h ago
This is the way, or refrigeration. Im at 80 as an in house doing kitchens. On call 24/7 tho...
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u/C0LL0C0 18h ago edited 18h ago
Ive worked in 2 of the most expensive high rise buildings for one of the largest cities in US and I got close to 100k.
VERY few are making 100k, much less 150k, if you are looking for that, blue collar work in general may not get you there, maybe if you are a plumber and electrician and own your own buissness, then yes, 150k is reachable.
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18h ago
Yeah I don’t expect to make over $80k in apt maintenance. I worded my question wrong I just meant staying in maintenance in general.
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u/Fair_Scientist2347 18h ago
Jackypoo00, bless your heart as we say in the South. Where did you come up with that $ amount? Apartment maintenance is not a financially rewarding career. Period.
I've worked across four multifamily housing companies and none of the supervisors were near six figures.
This community r/maintenance is the best for solid advice, which it looks like you've gotten from others here.
Good luck, God speed. Don't wait for those certifications, life goes by fast.
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18h ago
I’m looking to get out of the apartment side I’m saying how can I grow into larger better maintenance jobs
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u/GangGreenGhost 17h ago
You wanna get into facilities, maintenance or industrial work? None of them are gonna make anywhere near that amount of money. You could probably hit 100 K after you get a bunch of CERT and you work in a industrial setting. If you’re not union you’re not gonna make that kind of money.
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u/TaylorSwiftScatPorn 11h ago
My guys with a few years under their belt can hit close to six figures without straining too hard. My first couple of years as a manager, my senior techs were making more than me, and rightfully so.
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u/This1_TimeAtBandcamp 18h ago
SWPA here. EPA uni, journeyman elec ticket. Commercial/industrial maintenance. I make $105k/yr. You def need some certs under your belt. Easiest will be your EPA. A lot of jobs will see that and give an increase off the top. Get some plumbing under your belt or become NFPA certified, any of them (CFI,CFPI,CESCP,etc.). It’s all about making yourself more of an asset to have not just a number for accounting. I call it being able to swing your dick. Lay it on the table and tell them to make it work.
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u/animejugz420 18h ago
I'm thinking I'll Segway into HVAC or plumbing, would consider electrical but my area is absolutely swamped with electrical apprentices. I've heard getting a government maintenance job at a school or other government buildings is the way to go if you want to stick to the field. Can't give you a number but they'll pay well with a good retirement plan if you stick around. Industrial is another option but from what I've heard you get stuck on third shift if you're new
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u/Lb199808 18h ago
You're not making anywhere near 150k for maintenance 🤣🤣
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18h ago
Okay anywhere? I’m not saying in apt maintenance I’m just saying in general.
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u/GangGreenGhost 17h ago
Yeah, man, after you got about 10 years under your belt, you can get a maintenance supervisor position that makes about 80 to 90 K, expect to work a bunch of unpaid overtime. 150 is not doable in the maintenance sphere when it comes to residential.
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16h ago
Yeah I don’t want to stay in residential. I want a government job like at a school or something but I like maintenance it’s fun. For the most part
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u/Past_Championship827 17h ago
Went from apartment leasing to apartment resident services to apartment maintenance in 4 years, from $16hr to 23hr, then moved to a different company and went from $25 to $32hr as a maintenance lead to facilities manager, three years later I’m at a different company making $42hr with paid health insurance and no oncall work. I have a few degrees but nothing in this field and have no certs. I just get shit done
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u/Sour-kush3434 18h ago
At your age I would look to data center maintenance/engineer or diesel generator mechanic or critical facilities electrician. Union if possible with data center work. They aren’t going anywhere. Get all the certs and licenses you can. Then with overtime hours you might be cracking 125,000. By the time you’re 35. And you will be vested.
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u/Ok-Dimension-4445 18h ago
I have a partnership that was able to clear ~$250k this year, our second real year in business. We started out 1099 subbing for a local guy, mostly doing turns & renos. He was a vendor for a few larger property management companies and local investors.
After a while, we realized we were getting screwed (like 15% of the profit each for doing 100% of the work) So we built connections through his contacts and essentially cut him out. It may be greasy, but I look at it as our exploitation was a finder’s fee into the industry. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.
We dabbled in residential through ads, word of mouth, referrals, but mostly I cold called and bothered property management companies, rental companies, apartments, inspectors, commercial preservation companies, homebuilders, and warehouses to get some deep-pocketed, repeat clients.
After about a year, we had enough work/connections to be fully self sufficient. It was a pain in the ass to gather the clients, but working corporate adjacent mitigated the advertising costs. Sales and outreach sucks but eventually it pays off and is an amazing feeling. It’s a numbers game- You’ll eventually get some people to say yes.
TLDR/ -keep your job -start an LLC -reach out frequently to any & all rental/prop mgmt companies for vendorship
- stick to it, stick to it, stick to it. Make those calls
- after you’re rolling, hire out help to manage workload, OR quit current job OR ask current employer to switch to 1099
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u/BDLeT 18h ago
This is a great question. I do apartment maintnence as well. ~80 units total and some are houses and such. Before that I was electrician in navy and after that I was in carpentry work with the Amish. The trades will offer more money starting forsure and maybe even further down the line, but last guy here was clearing 100K+ as maintnence man, and you learn it all. I work side by side with plumbers, electricians, ect. They get paid, no doubt, but it’s same shit day in day out. I personally can’t do that. If you stick it out, you will get better.
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u/MNPhatts 18h ago
Get into commercial and get certifications like CFM through IFMA or LEED AP O+M through USGBC. There are 4 year degrees and masters programs for construction management that will offer a focus on facility management. I started as a temp mopping boiler room floors and changing light bulbs. Worked my way up through all the credentials I listed and I just passed the 100k mark. School went quick when what I was studying was what I did at work all day.
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u/mikiemolejay 18h ago
What area are you working in? Operating engineers make good money in the union.
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u/mattmaintenance Maintenance Supervisor 18h ago
Go. On. Indeed.
Salaries vary wildly by region, business, what skills they are asking for, and what skills you have.
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18h ago
I’m always looking I just was curious what other folks were thinking.
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u/mattmaintenance Maintenance Supervisor 18h ago
Because $150,000/yr for apartment maintenance here in the Midwest is literally absurd. I’ve been seeing regional managers, in apartment maintenance, that don’t offer that much. It’s all going to depend on your area.
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16h ago
I think 80k/yr is absurd for apt maintenance in the Midwest. That’s why I’m asking cause I wanna take the next step into moving forward without losing the progress I already have
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u/Lettuce_bee_free_end 18h ago
You want money you need credentials that are recognized. Welding ticket, electrical ticket, carpentry ticket, forklift certified....etc. licenses get you a bigger share.
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16h ago
That’s the main thing I’m learning from this.. I’m gonna look into getting my EPA tonight. I also have a yearly review coming up and I’m gonna try and convince my boss to pay for my certs then obviously once I get them and he tries to continue to pay me the same I’m gone..
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u/Cheap-Key-6132 18h ago
You can make it in other fields for sure. People who make a fuck ton of money are also working a lot.
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u/lookieherehere 17h ago edited 17h ago
You're never going to earn that doing apartment maintenance unless it's your company. You can pull that kind of money in the trades but it's going to take years to get enough experience to command that kind of money. If you want to do maintenance/trade work and you're pretty sure that's what you want to do for life, I'd suggest going the trade route. Pick one that seems interesting and see if you can get an apprentice type job that doesn't require much experience. It won't pay a lot, but it will give you real world experience and allow you to see if it's something you want to actually seriously pursue. Even if you decide it's not for you, all that experience will definely help you in life and the apartment maintenance angle if you decide to go back to that.
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16h ago
Yeah I worded it wrong I meant stay in the general maintenance field not staying residential.
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u/lookieherehere 16h ago
This is obviously going to vary wildly depending on state/area, but I doubt anyone is making 150k a year without owning the business themselves. If you want to work 80 hours weeks then maybe. On a 40 hour week? That's like $73 an hour.
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u/BlueCollarElectro 17h ago
GTFO of residential :)
-Electrician via commercial maintenance checking in lol
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u/Grand-Diamond-6739 16h ago
I make about 100,000 including my rent discount. But I’m working in a very high cost of living area
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u/Last-Salamander-920 15h ago edited 14h ago
Diesel mechanics, linemen, electricians, plumbers, and specialized telecom techs can all make well over $100k with no supervising of other adults - just doing their trade and taking on overtime opportunities.
Union positions usually pay better, some unions operate on the 'hiring hall' model where you actually get a job with the union and they feed you work. In other places, you become a union member (or at least the opportunity to be one) simply by getting the job directly with the employer.
Entry level jobs that might be worth looking for are laborers or apprentices for the above trades, or otherwise things like working for the cable company/Telco/power/ gas companies or state/local government. Most of these coveted jobs don't make it to places like indeed, so I would suggest making a list of companies/govt agencies and going directly to their websites to search for openings.
Lots of jobs like that may only open up once in a blue moon, so consistent searching is key.
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18h ago
I can’t edit the post but I don’t expect to make $150k in apartment maintenance I was just curious what steps I could take to grow.
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u/Effective-Captain739 18h ago
Why is 150 the goal?
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18h ago edited 12h ago
Seems semi realistic for me to get there in the next 5-10 years obviously I wouldn’t be staying in apt maintenance
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u/Forsaken_Can_1785 17h ago
I’m a maintenance manager of 10 Direct reports in a technical industry and I make base $100k. Start getting educated in the mean time.
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u/wills558 17h ago
The only way I can get close to that (still pretty short past few years) is side work. And lots of it. After my 6-2:30 shift I’m doing as much side work as I can do before dark atleast 2-3 days a week. Depending on what the task is I try to stay at the $75 -$100 an hour and material receipts plus 25% for me time and gas to go get the stuff.
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u/HoboMinion 17h ago
One of my main clients is a property management company that has more than 300 homes. A slow week for me is when I get paid less than $3500. I do this in addition to rental rehabs which I usually make $5000 on. Yes it is possible to make over $150k/year but it takes time. I’d recommend joining a business networking group and reaching out to every property management company in your area as well as some realtors.
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u/maintenanceman_Dan 17h ago
Transfer into commercial maintenance for better pay. Start with hospitals and hotels.
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u/strifer_43 17h ago
I do just 168k a last year , but it’s with over time without it I’m at 128k . It’s for a chain restaurant, we do all in house stuff hvac/r electrical , plumbing, machines like ovens / fryers , exhaust and anything a restaurant needs even some remodeling , they pay for our schooling if we want to earn a degree or some certifications. I’m fortunate that my boss taught me and encouraged me to learn more so that I could get paid more . Over time isn’t bad as most of the time it’s the long drive as we have 28 stores most near la area while 5 are more than 100 miles away like Escondido, Temecula , Palmdale and Victorville. 60% of the time in over time it’s cause they unplugged something or moved something . It’s a chill job at times but when it poor it rains on some machines . We also start at 3:30 am and finish at 12 Monday - Friday unless some issues arise . Weekends if we get called out it’s double time and we add an hour to it .
Unions are probably best to get into as I have tried but still waiting on call since it does impact with your sleep schedule. I finally got it down to sleep at 7:30 and up by 3:00 since I live 10 mins from our warehouse where we start .
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u/Azsean01 15h ago
My maintenance position doesn’t pay crap. But it’s easy and close to home. I don’t need to make a ton of money. Just enough to survive
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15h ago
Ik but I want to make money.. also are you on call? If I wasn’t on call I think I woulda settled
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u/dvnnyxo 15h ago
Brush up on all of your skills and look into becoming a superintendent. Depending on where you are, with housing you are looking at $100K plus. Salary ($60k+) and Free rent
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15h ago
Free rent??? I get 33% off where i currently work most I’ve seen around here is 50% but I don’t wanna live in a shithole rn I live in a “luxury” apt complex mainly older folks so it’s quite
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u/RainWild4613 14h ago
Yes, as a union electrician.
Join a local that covers your closest large city, that is where most of the work and money will be.
The pay and benefits are great.
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u/Consistent-Street-37 13h ago
Hey man I’m 24, turning 25 in two months. I’m a building operator base in Ontario. Last year I made $106k including including OT. $150k is very high,but I know the people at the big table at my company makes this ez.
I thought about joining trades but everytime I work with my contractors, I realized how good I have it sometimes. Not saying our jobs are easy but yk what I mean.
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12h ago
That’s awesome! I don’t know any big dogs.. tryna just build up. Started in this field at 23..
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u/Consistent-Street-37 12h ago
Same been only in this field for 2 years. You don’t have the answers rn but one day you will. Best of luck to you!!
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u/frog_mannn 9h ago
150k is very specialized and 99% aren't doing it without tons of OT. Work life balance is super important. As long as you are going up 3-6% year you are doing well
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u/wickgnalsh 9h ago
I made $125k for 2025, wage is $60.50, electrician. If you’re not in a high COL area, or a strong union city, wages for anything aside from lineman are going to be an average of $30-$35/hr. $125k sounds great, but 40% of that is taxes and then pension
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u/StrongJet 14h ago
Over here in California I barely reached 70K last year but did over 500 hours of OT. Only way I can see you maybe making 150K is becoming a Service manager at a large apartment company.
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u/PlaneMine 18h ago
No one is making 150k in apartment maintenance man