Careers in Manufacturing & Skilled Trades
Two hundred and sixty careers across machining, fabrication, electrical and mechanical trades, plant operations, quality control, and the hands-on work that produces and maintains physical goods. Each card below carries the typical preparation path, the salary range from entry to senior level, and a short read on what the work actually involves day to day. You are looking at page 4 of 6 for Manufacturing & Skilled Trades.
260 careers in Manufacturing & Skilled Trades, page 4 of 6
Materials Specialist (Footwear)
Bachelor's Degree · $95,000
Develop, select, evaluate, and source materials for footwear products, ensuring optimal performance, quality, and…
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
Less than High School · $37,700
Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.
Mechanic Helper
High school diploma or equivalent · $38,000
Assists mechanics in repairing and maintaining vehicles, machinery, or mechanical equipment. Performs basic tasks such…
Mechanical Assembler
High School Diploma · $48,000
Assembles mechanical components and subassemblies according to blueprints, specifications, and other instructions.…
Mechanical Door Repairers
High School Diploma · $51,050
Install, service, or repair automatic door mechanisms and hydraulic doors. Includes garage door mechanics.
Mechanical Engineering Technicians
Associate's degree · $60,000
Assist mechanical engineers in research, design, development, testing, and manufacture of mechanical components,…
Medical Appliance Technicians
Associate's Degree · $47,060
Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices such as braces, orthotics and prosthetic devices, joints,…
Medical Equipment Repairers
Associate's Degree · $62,630
Test, adjust, or repair biomedical or electromedical equipment.
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
High School Diploma · $46,060
Set up, operate, or tend more than one type of cutting or forming machine tool or robot.
Metal Fabricator
Certificate or Vocational Training · $50,000
Metal fabricators shape, cut, and assemble metal components to create structures, products, or parts. They interpret…
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders
High School Diploma · $55,770
Operate or tend furnaces, such as gas, oil, coal, electric-arc or electric induction, open-hearth, or oxygen furnaces,…
Metallurgist Technician
Associate's Degree · $60,000
Assists metallurgists and materials scientists in testing and analyzing metals, alloys, and other materials. Conducts…
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
High School Diploma · $48,310
Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work…
Millwrights
High School Diploma · $65,170
Install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to layout plans, blueprints, or other drawings.
Mine Foreman
High School Diploma or GED; some college or vocational training preferred · $85,000
Supervises and coordinates activities of workers engaged in mining operations, ensuring safety, efficiency, and…
Mining Assistant
High School Diploma · $55,000
Assists mining engineers and other personnel with various tasks, including equipment operation, site maintenance, and…
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
High School Diploma · $47,680
Set up, operate, or tend machines to mix or blend materials, such as chemicals, tobacco, liquids, color pigments, or…
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
Post-Secondary Certificate · $63,980
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul mobile mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment, such as cranes,…
Mobile Home Service Technician
High school diploma or equivalent; vocational training or apprenticeship preferred · $50,000
Installs, maintains, and repairs mobile homes and prefabricated buildings. This includes tasks such as plumbing,…
Model Makers, Metal and Plastic
High School Diploma · $62,700
Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, milling and engraving machines, and jig borers to make working models of…
Model Makers, Wood
Post-Secondary Certificate · $51,850
Construct full-size and scale wooden precision models of products. Includes wood jig builders and loft workers.
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
High school diploma or equivalent · $45,690
Mold, shape, form, cast, or carve products such as food products, figurines, tile, pipes, and candles consisting of…
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
High School Diploma · $41,230
Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or…
Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians
Post-Secondary Certificate · $54,950
Repair and adjust electrical and mechanical equipment of inboard or inboard-outboard boat engines.
Motorcycle Mechanics
Post-Secondary Certificate · $47,200
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, dirt bikes, or similar motorized vehicles.
Motorcycle Parts Specialist
High School Diploma · $45,000
Assists customers with identifying, locating, and ordering motorcycle parts and accessories. Manages inventory,…
Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Post-Secondary Certificate · $45,320
Repair percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments. May specialize in one area, such as piano tuning.
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
High School Diploma · $122,610
Operate or control nuclear reactors. Move control rods, start and stop equipment, monitor and adjust controls, and…
NVH Technical Specialist
Bachelor's degree · $95,000
Analyze, diagnose, and resolve noise, vibration, and harshness issues in products within the automotive or aerospace…
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
High School Diploma · $38,420
Cut, grind, and polish eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other precision optical elements. Assemble and mount lenses into…
Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics
High School Diploma · $46,560
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul small engines used to power lawn mowers, chain saws, recreational sporting…
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
High School Diploma · $40,900
Operate or tend machines to prepare industrial or consumer products for storage or shipment. Includes cannery workers…
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
Less than High School · $40,860
Paint, coat, or decorate articles, such as furniture, glass, plateware, pottery, jewelry, toys, books, or leather.
Patternmaker, Wood
Vocational school training, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree · $49,630
Plan, lay out, and construct wooden unit or sectional patterns used in forming sand molds for castings. This involves…
Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
Some College · $54,540
Lay out, machine, fit, and assemble castings and parts to metal or plastic foundry patterns, core boxes, or match…
Patternmakers, Wood
High School Diploma · $52,520
Plan, lay out, and construct wooden unit or sectional patterns used in forming sand molds for castings.
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
High School Diploma · $97,540
Operate or control petroleum refining or processing units. May specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems,…
Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Less than High School · $41,600
Set up, operate, or tend plating machines to coat metal or plastic products with chromium, zinc, copper, cadmium,…
Potters, Manufacturing
Some College · $45,210
Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter's wheel to process clay in manufacture of…
Pourers and Casters, Metal
High School Diploma · $48,940
Operate hand-controlled mechanisms to pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds to produce castings or…
Power Distributors and Dispatchers
Post-Secondary Certificate · $107,240
Coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.
Power Plant Operators
High School Diploma · $99,670
Control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Includes auxiliary equipment operators.
Prepress Technicians and Workers
High School Diploma · $47,300
Format and proof text and images submitted by designers and clients into finished pages that can be printed. Includes…
Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
Less than High School · $33,880
Press or shape articles by hand or machine.
Print Binding and Finishing Workers
High School Diploma · $39,820
Bind books and other publications or finish printed products by hand or machine. May set up binding and finishing…
Print Production Assistant
High School Diploma or GED · $49,000
Assists in the production of printed materials by performing various tasks such as operating printing equipment,…
Printing Press Operators
High School Diploma · $45,160
Set up and operate digital, letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, or other printing machines. Includes…
Process Chemist
Bachelor's Degree · $85,000
Optimize and troubleshoot chemical processes in manufacturing to enhance efficiency, safety, and product quality…
Process Development Engineer
Bachelor's Degree · $100,000
Designs, develops, optimizes, and scales manufacturing processes to improve efficiency, reduce costs, enhance product…
Process Engineer (Semiconductor)
Bachelor's degree · $105,000
Develop and optimize manufacturing processes for semiconductor devices. This includes designing, testing, and…