Also called: Fitter, Steel Fabricator
Reads blueprints and lines up steel beams, plates and pipes so they can be welded into bridges, towers and heavy machines.
You lay out steel plates with a tape and soapstone, use clamps and a crane to position a heavy beam, and tack it in place so the welder can finish it. Fitting is about getting everything square before anything is permanent.
BLS figures for structural metal fabricators and fitters; approximate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. High school plus on-the-job training or a welding/fabrication program.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Trade school, Apprenticeship. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Welding & Fabrication (trade school).
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years).
Medium risk for 10 years. CNC cutting and robotic fit-up help big shops, but reading drawings and fitting heavy steel stay hands-on.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at steel fabrication shops (ask for fitter helper jobs) or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Welding or metals CTE, Geometry, Blueprint reading.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-2041.
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.