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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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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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Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers

Next Step

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

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Star
Rating

Education
Requirement

Median
Annual Wage

Annual
Growth Rate

Avg. Annual
Openings

Industrial Machinery Mechanics

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$56,260

($27.05/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Very Strong Growth

2.3%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

1,810

Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics

Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$53,720

($25.83/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Very Strong Growth

1.6%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

690

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

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$60,220

($28.95/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

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

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$68,390

($32.88/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.0%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

2,223

Rail Car Repairers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$61,890

($29.76/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.0%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

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

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

All Other Plant and System Operators

Star Rating:

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$66,350

($31.90/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.8%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$61,340

($29.49/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.8%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

2,890

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$66,160

($31.81/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.7%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

480

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

Locomotive Engineers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$77,160

($37.10/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.6%

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

Boilermakers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$65,720

($31.60/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.2%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

Power Distributors and Dispatchers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$82,200

($39.52/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.5%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

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

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$120,080

($57.73/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-4.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

Median Annual Wage
Education
Experience Needed
Description

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers

$48,180($23.16/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

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

Industrial Machinery Mechanics

$56,260 ($27.05/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.

Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics

$53,720 ($25.83/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians, also called mechanics, inspect, maintain, and repair vehicles and machinery used in construction, farming, rail transportation, and other industries.

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.

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

$60,220 ($28.95/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers install, maintain, and fix elevators, escalators, moving walkways, and other lifts.

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.

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

$68,390 ($32.88/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

First-line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers directly supervise and coordinate the activities of mechanics, installers, and repairers. They can also advise customers on recommended services.

Rail Car Repairers

$61,890 ($29.76/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

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.

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.

All Other Plant and System Operators

$66,350 ($31.90/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Plant and System Operators control, operate, repair, and maintain entire processes or system of machines. This category includes all plant and system operators not contained somewhere else.

First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

$61,340 ($29.49/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

First-line Supervisors of Production and Operating workers directly supervise and coordinate the activities of production and operating workers, such as inspectors, precision workers, machine setters and operators, assemblers, fabricators, and plant and system operators. This category excludes team or work leaders.

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

$66,160 ($31.81/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Line installers and repairers, also known as line workers, install or repair electrical power systems and telecommunications cables, including fiber optics.

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.

Locomotive Engineers

$77,160 ($37.10/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Less than 5 years

Locomotive Engineers drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas-turbine-electric locomotives to carry passengers or freight. They interpret train orders, electronic or manual signals, and railroad rules and regulations.

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.

Boilermakers

$65,720 ($31.60/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Boilermakers assemble, install, maintain, and repair boilers, closed vats, and other large vessels or containers that hold liquids and gases.

Power Distributors and Dispatchers

$82,200 ($39.52/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

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

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.

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

$120,080 ($57.73/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators control nuclear reactors used in power generation plants.

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.