Making $105,000 a year as a plumber in San Antonio

As a plumber for Bluefrog Plumbing + Drain, Richard Armendariz is able to support his family of four. The father of two previously worked as a pool cleaner making $12/hour, or roughly $25,000 a year with no overtime.

Though Richard's teachers and peers urged him to get a college degree, he's proud of how far he's come without one. Richard's father is a plumber, which helped Richard break into an apprenticeship program.

Since age 20, he has risen in the ranks, all the way up to a journeyman plumber. In his decade of plumbing experience, he's endured six inches of sewage in an apartment complex, the February 2021 Texas freeze, and countless long days without a lunch breaks.