Leads large crews installing piping in refineries, power plants, and factories.
You run a crew of 40 pipefitters during a refinery shutdown, read isometric drawings, and make sure each weld passes X-ray inspection.
Overtime in refineries and power plants pays very well.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Apprenticeship, about 12 years after high school. Journeyman pipefitter plus 10+ years leading crews in plants and refineries.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Pipefitting Apprenticeship.
Growing about average. No separate BLS projection for this specialty; rating is an estimate based on industry trends.
Low risk for 10 years. Digital models and AI scheduling help plan, but leading big crews through welds, rigging and safety in a refinery stays human.
Classes: Algebra II, Welding CTE, Leadership or speech class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-1011.
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.