Patternmaker, Wood
Impact: Indirect
Plan, lay out, and construct wooden unit or sectional patterns used in forming sand molds for castings. This involves reading blueprints, assembling wood parts, laying out patterns, trimming and shaping surfaces, and verifying dimensions.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Minimal
- Team vs solo
- 60
- Client facing
- Rarely
- Impact visibility
- Low
- Travel
- None
- Schedule flexibility
- Rigid
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $49,630
- Entry-level
- $35,000
- Senior
- $75,000
- Growth by 2033
- Decline (-1% or lower)
- Demand
- Declining
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- Moderate
- Typical student debt
- $15,000 - $25,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Blueprint Reading
- Woodworking
- CAD Software
- CAM Software
- Measurement
Soft skills
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Critical Thinking
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Vocational school training, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 5
- Years to senior
- 10
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Patternmaker
- Senior Patternmaker
- Shop Supervisor
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- High
- AI disruption risk
- Moderate
- Demand trend
- Declining
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.5/10
- Meaning
- 3.5/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.5/10
- Prestige
- 5.5/10
- Social perception
- Moderate