Skilled trades
Get paid while you learn. Every trade from electrician to welder to crane operator.
84 careers
Construction
21BricklayerLay brick, block and stone into walls that outlast the people who built them.$62kTypical pay3 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandBuilding InspectorCheck that buildings are built to code, and sign off before people move in.$75kTypical pay2 to 6 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandCabinetmakerBuild kitchens, furniture and millwork out of wood, in a shop, with machines and your hands.$47kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandCarpenterFrame houses, build forms, hang doors and trim. You can be paid from your first week and never owe a dollar in tuition.$61kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandConcrete FinisherPlace and finish the concrete everything else is built on. Paid from your first day, no tuition.$57kTypical payup to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandConstruction EstimatorWork out what a building will cost before anybody breaks ground, and put the company's money behind the number.$79kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandCrane OperatorLift steel, concrete and machinery hundreds of feet in the air. Paid apprenticeship, no tuition, high stakes.$68kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandDrywall InstallerHang the boards that make a building into rooms. Often paid by the sheet, so speed counts.$59kTypical payup to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandFloor Covering InstallerCarpet, vinyl, laminate and hardwood, cut and fitted on your knees in somebody else's building.$50kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandGeneral ContractorYou do not swing every hammer. You price the job, hire the trades, hold the schedule, and carry the risk.$115kTypical pay4 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandGlazierCut, lift and set the glass in storefronts, skyscrapers and houses. Paid from your first day of training.$57kTypical pay3 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandHeavy Equipment OperatorRun excavators, dozers, loaders and graders. Paid to move earth to within an inch of where the drawing says it goes.$60kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandHome InspectorCrawl through a house before someone buys it, then write down everything wrong with it.$75kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandInsulatorWrap buildings and pipes so heat stays where it belongs. Little schooling, quick hiring, hard on the body.$49kTypical payup to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandIronworkerSteel is the skeleton of everything. You tie it, bolt it, weld it and hang it, usually outdoors and often high up.$59kTypical pay3 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandPainter and DecoratorPrepare and finish walls, buildings and steel. Easy to start, harder than it looks to be good at.$49kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandPlastererPut the skin on a building. Interior plaster, exterior stucco, and the decorative work machines cannot do.$58kTypical pay3 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandRooferTear off, dry in, shingle, flash. Hard money, earned outdoors, from your first week.$55kTypical payup to 3 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandScaffolderBuild the temporary structures every other trade stands on. First on site, last off.$47kTypical payup to 3 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandStonemasonCut and set natural stone into walls, steps and buildings that will still be standing in a hundred years.$57kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandTile SetterCut and set tile and stone on floors, walls and showers. Work that people look at every day for thirty years.$56kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
Electrical and energy
11ElectricianWire houses, factories and data centers. Get paid from your first week of training and never owe tuition.$63kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandElectronics Service TechnicianFind out why a machine full of electronics stopped working, and get it running again before the shift ends.$74kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandIndustrial ElectricianKeep the motors, controls and power systems of a factory or plant running, and get paid while you learn the trade.$63kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandInstrumentation TechnicianKeep the sensors, valves and control systems in a plant telling the truth. Two years of school, industrial pay.$68kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandPower Line WorkerBuild and repair the high voltage lines that carry electricity to everyone else. Outdoors, dangerous, and paid like it.$95kTypical pay3 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandSecurity Systems TechnicianInstall and fix alarms, cameras, card readers and fire detection. Low voltage, high responsibility.$60kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandSolar Panel InstallerRooftops, racking and wiring. The fastest trade on this site to get into, and the one most tied to policy.$53kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyVery highDemandStationary EngineerRun the boilers, chillers and pumps that keep a hospital, a campus or a factory alive. Learn most of it on the job.$79kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandTelecommunications TechnicianInstall and repair the cable and fiber that carry phone calls and internet. Paid from your first week, no degree needed.$74kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandWater Treatment OperatorRun the plant that makes tap water safe, or the one that cleans what goes down the drain. A licensed job you can start straight from high school.$60kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandWind Turbine TechnicianClimb 250 feet up a tower and fix the machine at the top. Growing much faster than average, and not for anyone afraid of heights.$64kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
Plumbing, pipes and HVAC
5GasfitterRun and test the gas piping behind every furnace, water heater and restaurant range. Get it wrong and a building comes down.$64kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandHVAC (Heating and Cooling) TechnicianInstall and fix the furnaces, air conditioners and refrigeration that every building depends on.$61kTypical pay1 to 5 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandPlumberInstall and repair the pipes that carry water, gas and waste. Paid from your first day of training.$64kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandSprinkler FitterYou install and test the pipes and sprinkler heads that stop a building fire spreading. Paid apprenticeship, no college debt.$64kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandSteamfitter and PipefitterBuild the high pressure pipe systems inside power plants, refineries and hospitals. Paid from your first day of training.$64kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
Metal and machining
8BoilermakerBuild and repair the huge steel vessels that hold steam and pressure, in power plants, refineries and shipyards.$76kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandCNC MachinistSet up and program CNC (computer numerical control) machines that cut metal parts to a thousandth of an inch.$59kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandMachinistCut metal to a thousandth of an inch and make the parts everything else is built from.$59kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandMetal FabricatorTurn flat steel and drawings into stairs, tanks, trailers and building frames. Cut it, bend it, fit it, weld it.$51kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandNon-Destructive TesterUse sound, X-rays and magnets to find cracks in pipelines, bridges and aircraft without cutting anything open. High school diploma in, six figures possible.$78kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandSheet Metal WorkerYou cut, form and hang the metal that moves air through every building. Paid to learn from the first week.$62kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandTool and Die MakerBuild the precision tools that stamp, cut and mold every mass-produced part in the country.$64kTypical pay2 to 5 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandWelderJoin metal to metal so it holds. A trade you can learn in under a year, tested by whether the weld passes, not by what you say.$54kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemand
Industrial and mechanical
7Appliance Repair TechnicianFix fridges, washers and ovens in people's homes. Almost no school, and you can own the business by 30.$51kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandElevator MechanicBuild and maintain the machines that move millions of people a day, for the highest median pay of any construction trade.$110kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandLocksmithOpen what is stuck, secure what is not, and learn a trade you can run out of a van.$51kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandMillwrightInstall, align and repair the heavy machinery that factories and power plants run on, to tolerances measured in thousandths of an inch.$66kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandPest Control TechnicianFind what is chewing, biting or nesting, then get rid of it. A licensed trade you can enter straight out of high school.$45kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandPrinting Press OperatorRun the machines that print packaging, labels, books and signs. Learn it on the payroll, not in a lecture hall.$46kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandSmall Engine MechanicMowers, chainsaws, generators, snow blowers and outboards. Short training, fast hands, steady work.$48kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemand
Vehicles and equipment
13Agricultural Equipment TechnicianKeep tractors, combines and sprayers running. Two years of training, a laptop in one hand and a wrench in the other.$57kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandAircraft MechanicTwo years of school, a federal certificate, and your signature is what puts a plane back in the air.$80kTypical pay2 to 3 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandAuto Body RepairerPut wrecked cars back to straight and paint them so nobody can tell. Under a year of school, tools are the real cost.$55kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandAuto Glass TechnicianCut out a cracked windshield, bond in a new one, and leave the car as strong as it was before.$48kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyGoodDemandAutomotive Service TechnicianDiagnose it, fix it, prove it works. About 825,800 people in the United States do this work.$51kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandAvionics TechnicianThe electronics inside an aircraft: radios, radar, navigation and autopilots. A median of $82,280 a year after a short path.$82kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandBicycle MechanicKeep bikes safe and running. Low pay, real craft, and a trade you can start the week you leave school.$43kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyLimitedDemandDiesel MechanicKeep trucks, buses and heavy engines running. Learn in a program or on the job as a paid helper, with roughly 24,400 openings a year.$62kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandHeavy Equipment MechanicKeep excavators, dozers and loaders running. Half diesel engine, half hydraulics, and a laptop plugged into a machine the size of a house.$66kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandMarine MechanicFix boat engines, outboards and everything wired into them. About a year of training, then work at a marina or your own service truck.$58kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandMotorcycle MechanicFix bikes, scooters, quads and snowmobiles. No degree, no license in most states, and you can be earning inside a year.$49kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandParts TechnicianFind, order and supply the exact component a mechanic needs. The job that keeps every shop moving.$39kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandRecreation Vehicle TechnicianA motorhome is a house, a truck and a boat's plumbing in one box. You fix all of it.$52kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
Personal, food and outdoor trades
16ArboristClimb, prune and take down trees for a living. You can start the week after high school and learn on a rope.$51kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandBakerEarly mornings, flour to the elbows, and a product that has to be right before the doors open.$37kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandBarberA licensed trade you can finish in under a year, with your own chair and your own clients at the end of it.$38kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandButcherBreak down whole animals into cuts people cook. Learn it on the job, paid, from week one.$40kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandEstheticianFacials, peels and hair removal. Licensed in under a year, then you build a client list.$45kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandFarrierTrim hooves and shape shoes for horses. No license anywhere in the country, and almost everyone works for themselves.$35kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandFloristDesign with flowers for weddings, funerals and ordinary Tuesdays. Low pay, real craft, early mornings.$37kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandHairstylistCut, color and style hair for a living. Licensed in every state, and the people who do well build a book of regulars they keep for years.$36kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandJewelerTiny work with gold, stones and fire. Nearly everything you make is for the biggest day of somebody's life.$53kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandLandscape HorticulturistBuild and keep the planted world: lawns, gardens, ball fields and street trees. You can start the week after high school.$39kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandMakeup ArtistPaint faces for camera, stage, weddings and counters. The film and television side runs through union rosters, and getting in takes years of logged days.$97kTypical pay1 to 5 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandNail TechnicianManicures, pedicures and nail art. A few hundred hours of school, a state license, then you build a client list.$36kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyVery highDemandPet GroomerBathe, clip and style dogs and cats all day. No license anywhere in the country, and your hands do the talking.$35kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandTailorCut, fit and alter clothes so they sit right on a real body. A hand skill you learn by doing.$42kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandTattoo ArtistDraw on skin for a living. An apprenticeship, a license in most states, and a portfolio that has to be good.$71kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandUpholstererStrip a chair to its frame and rebuild it. A small trade where the good ones are never short of work.$46kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemand
Mining, oil and gas
3Driller and BlasterDrill the holes, load the explosives, move the rock. One of the few jobs where a mistake is final.$61kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandOil Rig WorkerHard physical work on a drilling or well service rig, two weeks on and two weeks off. No degree needed, and the risk is real.$58kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyLimitedDemandUnderground MinerRun loaders and shuttle cars a mile underground. Good money, no degree, real danger.$75kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyLimitedDemand