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Career Journey Builder

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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.

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Hazardous Materials Removal Workers

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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

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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

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

Transportation Inspectors

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$73,640

($35.41/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.2%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

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

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$58,450

($28.10/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Mechanical Insulation Workers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$47,170

($22.68/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

198

Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$73,810

($35.49/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.0%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

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

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

Roofers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: No formal educational credential

☆☆☆☆☆

No formal educational credential

Median Annual Wage

$43,130

($20.74/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.9%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

321

First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$62,450

($30.03/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.9%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

3,906

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

Crane and Tower Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$55,260

($26.57/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.8%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

134

Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$66,910

($32.17/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.6%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

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

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$61,580

($29.61/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.5%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

156

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

Chemical Plant and System Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$65,870

($31.67/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.3%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Construction and Building Inspectors

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$62,440

($30.02/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

709

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$45,930

($22.08/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.2%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

322

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

Gas Plant Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$61,070

($29.36/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-1.0%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

Power Plant Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$76,820

($36.93/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-1.5%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

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

Median Annual Wage
Education
Experience Needed
Description

Hazardous Materials Removal Workers

$38,000($18.27/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

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.

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.

Machinery Maintenance Workers

$49,980 ($24.03/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

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.

Transportation Inspectors

$73,640 ($35.41/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Transportation Inspectors review equipment or goods in connection with the safe transport of cargo or people. This category includes rail transportation inspectors, such as freight inspectors, rail inspectors, and all other inspectors of transportation vehicles not elsewhere classified.

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

$45,380 ($21.82/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

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

None

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

$58,450 ($28.10/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians collect data on, analyze, and design improvements to many types of work environments and procedures. Technicians work with specialists to implement and evaluate programs aimed at mitigating risks to workers, property, the environment, and the public.

Mechanical Insulation Workers

$47,170 ($22.68/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Insulation workers, also called insulators, install and replace the materials used to insulate mechanical systems.

Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers

$73,810 ($35.49/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers operate or control petroleum refining or processing units. They may specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems, gauging or testing oil in storage tanks, or regulating the flow of oil into pipelines.

Continuous Mining Machine Operators

$48,550 ($23.34/hr)

No formal educational credential

None

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.

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

$47,220 ($22.70/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

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

Roofers

$43,130 ($20.74/hr)

No formal educational credential

None

Roofers replace, repair, and install the roofs of buildings, using a variety of materials, including shingles, bitumen, and metal.

First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers

$62,450 ($30.03/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

5 years or more

First-line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers directly supervise and coordinate activities of construction or extraction workers.

Helpers- Extraction Workers

$44,720 ($21.50/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

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.

Crane and Tower Operators

$55,260 ($26.57/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Crane and Tower Operators operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

$66,910 ($32.17/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Rail-track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators install, repair, and maintain track for standard or narrow-gauge railroad equipment used in regular railroad service or in plant yards, quarries, sand and gravel pits, and mines.

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.

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers

$61,580 ($29.61/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Control and valve installers and repairers install, repair, and maintain mechanical regulating and controlling devices, such as electric meters, gas regulators, thermostats, safety and flow valves, and other mechanical governors.

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

$59,090 ($28.41/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

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.

Chemical Plant and System Operators

$65,870 ($31.67/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Chemical Plant and System Operators control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.

Construction and Building Inspectors

$62,440 ($30.02/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

5 years or more

Construction and Building Inspectors ensure that construction meets local and national building codes and ordinances, zoning regulations, and contract specifications.

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

$45,930 ($22.08/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators manage a system of machines, often through the use of control boards, to transfer or treat water or wastewater.

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders

$48,950 ($23.53/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

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.

Gas Plant Operators

$61,070 ($29.36/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Gas Plant Operators distribute or process gas for utility companies and others by controlling compressors to maintain specified pressures on main pipelines.

Power Plant Operators

$76,820 ($36.93/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Power Plant Operators, Distributors, and Dispatchers control the systems that generate and distribute electric power.

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers

$48,180 ($23.16/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

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

First Step

Find out what's next in line on your career journey, or find our where to start your new journey.

This tool can help you understand a potential pathway to a goal career. The circle at the top right represents your goal job. The circles on the left are jobs that have similar job skills or job duties to your dream job but typically pay less. They may also require lower educational attainment or skills.