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These AI-Skilled 20-Somethings Are Making Hundreds of Thousands a Year

William Attardi on August 28, 2025

It’s a tough time to be a young person looking for a job—unless you’re in artificial intelligence. While AI is part of the reason for the doldrums, there is a bright spot when it comes to workers with actual experience in machine learning. They’re in their early 20s, they have AI know-how, and a bunch of them are making $1 million a year.  Base salaries for nonmanagerial workers in AI with zero to three years experience grew by around 12% from 2024 to 2025, the largest gain of any experience group, according to a new report by the AI staffing firm Burtch Works, which analyzed the compensation of thousands of AI and data-science candidates. The report also found that people with AI experience are being promoted to management roles roughly twice as fast as their counterparts in other technology fields. They’re jumping the ladder as a result of their skills and impact instead of their years on the job. These AI-Skilled 20-Somethings Are Making Hundreds of Thousands a Year – WSJ

The Digital Nervous System: The Internet of Things Is Becoming the Internet of Everything By Jeff Beavers

William Attardi on August 13, 2025

When we think of the internet of things(IoT), it’s easy to picture smart buildings, energy-efficient thermostats and intelligent lighting systems. But IoT is so much more than that. From connected power grids to emergency services, transportation and water infrastructure, IoT is becoming the digital nervous system of the real world. The number of IoT devices is projected to reach 32.1 billion globally by 2030. This is almost double the number of devices in 2023, which was 15.9 billion. Some reports also suggest a slightly higher figure of 40 billion by 2030. The “things” in the internet of things include the devices in our personal area network (watches, smart thermoses, tablets and phones), the devices in our homes (computers, smart TVs, streaming devices, Wi-Fi-enabled pet feeders, smart appliances), those in our buildings (IT and OT) and outside (cameras, intelligent traffic control systems, planes, trains and automobiles)—any device, object or person that uses sensors or devices and communication technologies to collect, transmit and manage data. These are the “things.” IoT is rapidly being redefined as the “internet of everything.” The only questions that remain are which objects will be connected and what the rate of adoption of new technologies will be. The Digital Nervous System: The internet of things is becoming the internet of everything – Electrical Contractor Magazine

Lighting Trends in the Health Care Space by Patricia Rizzo

William Attardi on August 9, 2025

 Contractors must track emerging technologies if they want to thrive in this market. Health care environments are complex. The requirements for lighting a patient room, an operating room, an MRI suite, or a behavioral health dayroom vary significantly. Across all disciplines, however, lighting dedicated to the health and well-being of those occupying and working in each of these spaces is paramount. A growing understanding of the effects of light on human biology, as well as the importance of lighting to create healing environments, has fostered interest in lighting systems that provide choices beyond static, traditional white light. With a focus on both patient and staff wellness, the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry and health care facility managers are looking for easy-to-install and maintain lighting systems that promote healing, while balancing visual and circadian needs. By better understanding the nuances of the healthcare lighting market and its related technologies, contractors position themselves as true solutions providers. Lighting Trends in the Health Care Space | EC&M

Implementing AI in Electrical Applications— Part 2 by Michael Morris

William Attardi on August 9, 2025

From the EC&M e-books library: How the industry is responding to data center challenges, influx in electrical grid demand, and artificial intelligence. For this e-book, we’ve collected a selection of articles that further explores different ways artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting the electrical industry. This article looks at how new technology, specifically AI, will increase demands on data centers and how electrical engineers are working to ensure data centers can meet these demands. Building off that theme, the next articles look at the relationship between data centers, AI, and the electrical grid. Implementing AI in Electrical Applications— Part 2 | EC&M  Part 1: Implementing AI in Electrical Applications— Part 1 | EC&M

 

Is Waymo Ahead of the Curve? by Sam Klebanov

William Attardi on July 27, 2025

The Alphabet-owned company (Goggle) has 1,500 robotaxis ferrying passengers around Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta, with plans to roll into new locales. It quietly ramped up to provide over 250,000 weekly paid trips in the US, and beat Lyft’s market share in San Francisco, making it the clear front-runner in the quest to scale rides without a driver. Several companies have hit potholes while chasing the driverless taxi prize. Uber abandoned its internal efforts to develop an autonomous vehicle in 2020 and partnered with Waymo in 2024.  Amazon has yet to launch a paid service, but it is testing a couple dozen of its Zoox futuristic driverless cabs—described by some riders as a “toaster on wheels.” It plans to start giving rides to the public in Las Vegas later this year.  Tesla launched a robotaxi pilot service in Austin last month and one in San Francisco this weekend. Meanwhile, abroad…the roads are getting dominated by Chinese startups like Pony.ai and tech behemoth Baidu, which are operating or testing driverless taxis in China, the Middle East, and Europe.  The stakes are high: The global rideshare market will nearly quadruple from $123 billion in 2024 to $480 billion in 2032, Fortune Business Insights projects.  Is Waymo ahead of the curve?

The DLC’s Horticultural Lighting QPL- What You Need to Know by Kasey Holland

William Attardi on July 16, 2025

Valued at $7.8 billion last year, the global controlled environment agriculture (CEA) market is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 12.2% and expected to reach $22 billion by 2033, according to a recent market research report. With lighting as the largest operational cost in CEA facilities, opportunities abound for indoor growers to save energy and reduce expenses with the right lights. The average efficacy of listed products has increased by nearly 25% since the DLC launched its horticultural lighting qualified products list (QPL) in 2019. There are now over 1,375 products from nearly 150 manufacturers on the Horticultural QPL – a more than 54% increase in listed products since 2020. The DLC’s Horticultural QPL offers CEA lighting specifiers and contractors increasing product variety, and CEA growers ample opportunities for savings. The DLC’s Horticultural Lighting Program aims to accelerate widespread adoption of high performance, energy-saving LED technology in the horticultural lighting sector. The Horticultural QPL is a key tool in advancing that goal. Accessing the QPL is simple – just create a free My DLC account to start searching. The DLC’s Horticultural Lighting QPL- What you need to know | EC&M

 

Company Unveils Head-Turning EV Battery That Can Fully Charge in Under 20 Seconds — Here’s How It Could Impact the Future of Cars by Craig Gerard

William Attardi on July 16, 2025

Consumers are increasingly choosing electric vehicles for their next cars. In fact, some optimistic estimates forecast that electric cars could make up 50% of all vehicle sales in the United States by 2030.  There are many factors contributing to this massive surge in popularity, but rapidly developing technology is certainly helping. One such mind-blowing innovation was just announced in the field of electric car  A United Kingdom-based company, RML Group, just unveiled its VarEVolt battery pack, according to Interesting Engineering. Incredibly, the battery pack touts the ability to be fully charged in just 18 seconds. In even better news, the quickly charging battery pack also allows the cars to drive long ranges at high speeds. And this is only the latest incredible technological breakthrough in the field of electric vehicles and batteries. 24M Technologies recently unveiled a car battery that can provide 1,000 miles on a single charge. And researchers at the National University of Singapore are developing a battery that lasts 10 years longer than current ones. These types of technological innovations help take away some of the fears of switching to electric cars. Quick-charging batteries with long ranges operate just as good as traditional gas guzzlers without the negative effects.  Company unveils head-turning EV battery that can fully charge in under 20 seconds — here’s how it could impact the future of cars

A Fossil-Fuel Boom in the Americas by Walter Russell Mead

William Attardi on July 8, 2025

Of all the goals President Trump has set in his norm-shattering second term, the goal of restoring what he calls America’s “energy dominance” may be the closest to realization. More new oil and gas production is likely to come from Canada, Guyana, Argentina and Brazil than from the U.S. Energy abundance is headed our way. Mr. Trump wanted to derail the push against fossil fuels and enhance America’s influence in world energy markets. With unexpected support from Canada, Argentina, Guyana and Brazil, his chances of success look good. QwzGdRrdXTLzf9oJkIR2-WSJNewsPaper-7-8-2025.pdf

Gaining an AI Edge in Electrical Design by Ellen Parson

William Attardi on July 5, 2025

No longer a theoretical concept, AI is a practical tool that’s increasingly becoming embedded in the workflows of top consulting specifying engineers. Despite this momentum, AI’s rise in the electrical design realm — and the greater construction industry as a whole — remains somewhat tempered. From the research I’ve seen so far, AI is not poised to replace engineering expertise but rather to enhance and augment it, streamlining repetitive tasks, supporting design decisions/options, and enabling a range of capabilities that have yet to be discovered. Although the future of AI is obviously yet to be fully realized, let alone fully imagined, as adoption grows — and trust in the tools improves — I think we can expect broader and deeper integration into the full life cycle of electrical system design and delivery. Gaining an AI Edge in Electrical Design | EC&M

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Magazine Published Articles on Lighting

William Attardi on July 2, 2025

Lighting is a top money-maker for electrical contractors, and ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Magazine has you covered with news and monthly articles on lighting innovations and technology, LEDs, lighting design, lighting control, indoor and outdoor lamps and luminaires, new products and more. Recent articles on lighting are available online:

Subscription – Electrical Contractor Magazine

Why Use AI – 5 Reasons besides making us smarter:

  1. Efficiency and Automation: AI can automate repetitive tasks… saves time and reduces human effort
  2. Data Processing: AI excels at analyzing large datasets quickly… uncovers patterns and insights that humans might miss
  3. Scalability: AI systems can handle growing workloads… without a proportional increase in costs or resources
  4. Accuracy: AI can perform tasks with high precision… reducing errors in areas like diagnostics or forecasting
  5. 24/7 Availability: AI tools can operate continuously… improving productivity and customer support