Also called: Sheet Metal Worker (Shop)
Cuts, bends and assembles thin metal into ductwork, enclosures, kitchen equipment and vehicle panels.
You read a flat pattern drawing, cut sheets on a laser, fold them on a press brake and rivet or weld them into a box that will hold electrical equipment. It's like metal origami with strict measurements.
BLS figures for sheet metal workers; shop jobs often pay less than union construction work.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Apprenticeship, about 4 years after high school. Apprenticeship or trade school.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, Trade school, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Sheet Metal Technology (trade school).
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years).
Medium risk for 10 years. Laser cutting, auto-bending and robots take over repeat parts; custom and field fabrication stays hands-on.
Classes: Metals or shop class, Geometry, Drafting class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-2211.
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.