Also called: Open-Die Forger, Hammersmith
Shapes huge pieces of glowing steel on open-die presses, the factory-scale version of an old-time blacksmith.
A crane lowers a glowing ingot the size of a car onto the anvil. You call signals to the press operator and use giant tongs to turn it between blows, stretching it into a shaft for a ship or power plant. It's one of the most dramatic jobs in any factory.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school plus years of on-the-job training.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Apprenticeship. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing slowly. Small niche; skilled smiths are hard to find.
Low risk for 10 years. Open-die forging of huge one-off parts relies on a skilled smith's eye; few machines can judge it.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at open-die forging plants or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Metals or shop class, Art or sculpture, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4022.
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.