Career Tree | NC Careers.org

Career Plan Builder Landing Image NCcareers.org now offers you a personal career GPS! Map your path to success with our Career Plan Builder. This personalized platform assesses your unique skills and aspirations, providing a step-by-step roadmap to your dream career. Update your goals, track your progress, and access targeted resources - all in one place.

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Is it too early to think about careers?

Middle and High School is the perfect time to start thinking about careers. Learn about the advantages of thinking about careers at a young age.

Why should I see my Career Development Coordinator (CDC)?

Career development and Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses help you plan and gain skills for success in your future career. Learn about CTE, Internships, and more from your CDC.

Why should I see my school counselor?

Learn about the services and assistance your school counselor provides and how they can help you with your career planning.

What is Career and Technical Education (CTE)?

Gain skills and career experience through CTE. Learn about courses, clusters, work-based learning, student organizations (CTSOs), NTHS, industry credentials, free college courses and more.

Why should I see my NC Career Coach?

Learn about how these NC Community College staff members can help.

Can I talk to a career counselor if I’m not in school?

NCWorks has programs that can help with career planning and more…

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Start building your future career today.

By Education

Use your education as a starting point in your journey. Choose a type of education and search for a program to see which occupations best match your education. Click the add education button if you want to include additional education types.

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By Current Occupation

Use your current job or any occupation you desire as the starting point in your career journey. Type in an occupation name to learn what is next in line on your career journey.

By Goal Career

This tool can help you understand a potential pathway to a goal career. First start with your goal career. Next, add a starting education or occupation. Now start building. You'll then be presented below with jobs that have similar job skills or job duties to your dream job but typically pay less.

First Step

Your Journey Overview
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Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

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Drop here

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

Star Rating:

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$59,090

($28.41/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.4%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

Choose your next step from the list below.

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Star
Rating

Education
Requirement

Median
Annual Wage

Annual
Growth Rate

Avg. Annual
Openings

Earth Drillers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$46,820

($22.51/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Very Strong Growth

1.5%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Pile Driver Operators

Star Rating:

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$38,340

($18.44/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Very Strong Growth

1.5%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

Machinery Maintenance Workers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$49,980

($24.03/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Very Strong Growth

1.4%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

417

Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$49,670

($23.88/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

179

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$45,380

($21.82/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

1,855

Millwrights

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$49,600

($23.85/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$47,200

($22.69/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.0%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

1,763

Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics

Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$50,290

($24.18/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.0%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

1,171

Continuous Mining Machine Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: No formal educational credential

☆☆☆☆☆

No formal educational credential

Median Annual Wage

$48,550

($23.34/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.0%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

Riggers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$50,220

($24.14/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.9%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$47,220

($22.70/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.9%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

1,910

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$52,730

($25.35/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.9%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Helpers- Extraction Workers

Star Rating:

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$44,720

($21.50/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.9%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

Hazardous Materials Removal Workers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$38,000

($18.27/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.8%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

166

Carpenters

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$44,980

($21.63/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.7%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

2,339

Sheet Metal Workers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$46,860

($22.53/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.6%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

400

Rock Splitters, Quarry

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: No formal educational credential

☆☆☆☆☆

No formal educational credential

Median Annual Wage

$49,760

($23.93/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.5%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

Surface Mining Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$47,360

($22.77/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.5%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$48,950

($23.53/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.2%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

550

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$48,180

($23.16/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-1.6%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Underground Mining Loading and Moving Machine Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: No formal educational credential

☆☆☆☆☆

No formal educational credential

Median Annual Wage

$45,030

($21.65/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-1.6%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

Metal and Plastic Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$50,590

($24.32/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-1.6%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

Median Annual Wage
Education
Experience Needed
Description

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

$59,090($28.41/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials. They may perform specialized handling, storage, and accounting procedures.

Earth Drillers

$46,820 ($22.51/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Earth Drillers operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap subsurface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction.

Pile Driver Operators

$38,340 ($18.44/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Pile-driver Operators use large machines mounted on skids, barges, or cranes to hammer long, heavy beams of concrete, wood, or steel into the ground to support retaining walls, bridges, piers, or building foundations.

Machinery Maintenance Workers

$49,980 ($24.03/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Industrial machinery mechanics and machinery maintenance workers maintain and repair factory equipment and other industrial machinery, such as conveying systems, production machinery, and packaging equipment. Millwrights install, dismantle, repair, reassemble, and move machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites.

Structural Iron and Steel Workers

$49,670 ($23.88/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Structural Iron and Steel Workers install structural iron and steel to form and support bridges, roads, and other structures.

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

$45,380 ($21.82/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators use construction equipment like bulldozers and front-end loaders to dig, move, and grade earth; erect structures; or pour concrete. Among other duties, they may repair and maintain equipment.

Millwrights

$49,600 ($23.85/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

$47,200 ($22.69/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers use hand-held or remotely controlled equipment to join or cut metal parts. They also fill holes, indentations, or seams in metal products.

Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

$50,290 ($24.18/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Diesel service technicians and mechanics (also known as diesel technicians) inspect, repair, or overhaul buses and trucks, or maintain and repair any type of diesel engine.

Continuous Mining Machine Operators

$48,550 ($23.34/hr)

No formal educational credential

Less than 5 years

Continuous Mining Machine Operators use self-propelled mining machines that rip coal, metal and nonmetal ores, rock, stone, or sand from the mine face and load it onto conveyors, shuttle cars, or trucks, in a continuous operation.

Riggers

$50,220 ($24.14/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Riggers set up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry.

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

$47,220 ($22.70/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters install and repair piping fixtures and systems.

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

$52,730 ($25.35/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators control stationary engines, boilers, or other mechanical equipment to provide utilities for buildings or for industrial purposes.

Helpers- Extraction Workers

$44,720 ($21.50/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Extraction Workers Helpers support extraction craft workers, such as earth drillers, blasters and explosives workers, derrick operators, and mining machine operators, by performing duties requiring less skill. Their duties include supplying equipment and cleaning their work area.

Hazardous Materials Removal Workers

$38,000 ($18.27/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Hazardous Materials (hazmat) Removal Workers identify and dispose of harmful substances, such as asbestos, lead, mold, and radioactive waste. They also neutralize and clean up materials that are flammable, corrosive, or toxic.

Carpenters

$44,980 ($21.63/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Carpenters construct, repair, and install building frameworks and structures made from wood and other materials.

Sheet Metal Workers

$46,860 ($22.53/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Sheet Metal Workers fabricate or install products that are made from thin metal sheets, such as ducts used in heating and air conditioning systems.

Rock Splitters, Quarry

$49,760 ($23.93/hr)

No formal educational credential

Less than 5 years

Quarry Rock Splitters separate blocks of rough dimension stone from quarry mass using jackhammers, wedges, or chop saws.

Surface Mining Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators

$47,360 ($22.77/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Surface Mining Excavating Machine, Loading Machine, and Dragline Operators handle or tend machinery at surface mining sites. They use vehicles and tools equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets to excavate and load loose materials.

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders

$48,950 ($23.53/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders operate or tend equipment to control chemical changes or reactions in the processing of industrial or consumer products. The equipment that they use can include devulcanizers, steam-jacketed kettles, and reactor vessels.

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers

$48,180 ($23.16/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems assemblers fit, fasten, and install parts of airplanes, space vehicles, or missiles.

Underground Mining Loading and Moving Machine Operators

$45,030 ($21.65/hr)

No formal educational credential

Less than 5 years

Underground Mining Loading and Moving Machine Operators use underground loading or moving machines to load or move coal, ore, or rock using shuttle or mine car or conveyors. Their equipment may include power shovels, hoisting engines equipped with cable-drawn scraper or scoop, or machines equipped with gathering arms and conveyor.

Metal and Plastic Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

$50,590 ($24.32/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Metal and Plastic Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.

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