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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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Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

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Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$36,960

($17.77/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.8%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

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Star
Rating

Education
Requirement

Median
Annual Wage

Annual
Growth Rate

Avg. Annual
Openings

Floor Layers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: No formal educational credential

☆☆☆☆☆

No formal educational credential

Median Annual Wage

$43,460

($20.90/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Very Strong Growth

1.7%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Tile and Stone Setters

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: No formal educational credential

☆☆☆☆☆

No formal educational credential

Median Annual Wage

$43,930

($21.12/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Very Strong Growth

1.5%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

121

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

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: No formal educational credential

☆☆☆☆☆

No formal educational credential

Median Annual Wage

$41,550

($19.98/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.2%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

194

Upholsterers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$44,370

($21.33/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

751

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

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$41,150

($19.79/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.0%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

687

Brickmasons and Blockmasons

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$46,350

($22.28/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.0%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

256

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

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

Plasterers and Stucco Masons

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: No formal educational credential

☆☆☆☆☆

No formal educational credential

Median Annual Wage

$43,840

($21.08/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.8%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

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

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

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: No formal educational credential

☆☆☆☆☆

No formal educational credential

Median Annual Wage

$44,860

($21.57/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.3%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

635

Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$43,180

($20.76/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

260

Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$41,030

($19.73/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.2%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

Synthetic and Glass Fibers Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$43,720

($21.02/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.2%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

273

Engine and Other Machine Assemblers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$41,890

($20.14/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.4%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

142

Metal and Plastic Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$41,950

($20.17/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.5%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Metal and Plastic Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$41,130

($19.77/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.6%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$40,750

($19.59/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-1.2%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

162

Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$51,940

($24.97/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-1.4%

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

Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

$36,960($17.77/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators laminate layers of fiberglass on molds to form boat decks and hulls, bodies for golf carts, automobiles, or other products.

Floor Layers

$43,460 ($20.90/hr)

No formal educational credential

None

Floor Layers apply blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing, sound-deadening, or decorative coverings to floors.

Tile and Stone Setters

$43,930 ($21.12/hr)

No formal educational credential

None

Tile and Stone Setters apply hard tile, marble, and wood tile to walls, floors, ceilings, and roof decks.

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.

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

$41,550 ($19.98/hr)

No formal educational credential

None

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers hang wallboard and install ceiling tile inside buildings. Many also install and tape wallboard.

Upholsterers

$44,370 ($21.33/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Upholsterers make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles.

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.

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

$41,150 ($19.79/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders set up, operate, or tend machines to coat or paint products like glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials.

Brickmasons and Blockmasons

$46,350 ($22.28/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Brickmasons and Blockmasons (or, simply, masons) use bricks and concrete blocks to build fences, walkways, walls, and other structures.

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

$47,200 ($22.69/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

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.

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.

Plasterers and Stucco Masons

$43,840 ($21.08/hr)

No formal educational credential

None

Plasterers and Stucco Masons apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials. They may also set ornamental plaster.

Carpenters

$44,980 ($21.63/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

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

None

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

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.

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

$44,860 ($21.57/hr)

No formal educational credential

None

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers pour, smooth, and finish concrete floors, sidewalks, roads, and curbs. They use a variety of hand and power tools.

Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

$43,180 ($20.76/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Metal and Plastic Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

$41,030 ($19.73/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders set up, operate, or tend welding, soldering, or brazing machines or robots that weld, braze, solder, or heat treat metal products, components, or assemblies.

Synthetic and Glass Fibers Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

$43,720 ($21.02/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Synthetic and Glass Fiber Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders set up, operate, or tend machines that extrude and form continuous filaments from synthetic materials, such as liquid polymer, rayon, and fiberglass.

Engine and Other Machine Assemblers

$41,890 ($20.14/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Engine and Other Machine Assemblers construct, assemble, or rebuild machines such as engines, turbines, and similar equipment used in industries like construction, extraction, textiles, and paper manufacturing.

Metal and Plastic Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders

$41,950 ($20.17/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Metal and Plastic Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders set up, operate, or tend heating equipment such as heat-treating furnaces, flame-hardening machines, induction machines, soaking pits, or vacuum equipment to temper, harden, or heat-treat metal or plastic objects.

Metal and Plastic Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

$41,130 ($19.77/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Metal and Plastic Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic. This process forms bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate or flattens, tempers, or reduces gauge of material.

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

$40,750 ($19.59/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.

Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers

$51,940 ($24.97/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers wind wire coils used in electrical components, such as resistors and transformers, and in electrical equipment and instruments like field cores, bobbins, electrical motors, generators, and control equipment.

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.