Also called: Prototype Model Maker, Architectural Model Maker
Builds physical models and prototypes of products, buildings and vehicles by hand and with machines.
You use a CNC mill, 3D printers, sanders and paint to build a perfect foam-and-plastic model of a new car headlight for a design review. Next week you build a tiny scale model of a skyscraper for a sales pitch.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. Certificate or associate in machining, industrial design or model making; on-the-job training.
Ways in: Trade school, On-the-job training, 2-year college. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Model Making, Machining Technology, Industrial Design.
Growing slowly. 3D printing is changing this craft.
Medium risk for 10 years. 3D printers and CNC machines make many prototypes automatically; hand finishing and custom models stay human craft.
Classes: Shop or woodshop, Art or sculpture, CAD class, Geometry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4061.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.