Overview
Responsibilities
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Education
Income & Employability
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Description

Raise, place, and unite iron or steel girders, columns, and other structural members to form completed structures or structural frameworks. May erect metal storage tanks and assemble prefabricated metal buildings.

Interests

  • Realistic
  • Conventional

Learn More about Interests

Work Values

  • Support
  • Relationships
  • Working Conditions

Learn More about Work Values

Work Styles

  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Self-Control
  • Cooperation
  • Initiative

Learn More about Work Styles

Tasks

  • Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required.
  • Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts, following blueprints and instructions from supervisors.
  • Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place.
  • Fasten structural steel members to hoist cables, using chains, cables, or rope.
  • Hoist steel beams, girders, or columns into place, using cranes or signaling hoisting equipment operators to lift and position structural steel members.

Work Activities

  • Handling and Moving Objects
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
  • Performing General Physical Activities
  • Getting Information
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Detailed Work Activities

  • Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Performing General Physical Activities - Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
  • Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment - Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
  • Controlling Machines and Processes - Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Technology Skills

  • Electronic mail software
  • Project management software
  • Accounting software
  • Inventory management software
  • Computer aided design CAD software

Skills

  • Coordination
  • Operation and Control
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking

Knowledge

  • Building and Construction
  • Mechanical
  • Mathematics
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Administration and Management

Most Common Education Level

The “Most Common Education Level” refers to the level of education held by the majority of workers in a given occupation. For example, if the highest percentage of workers in a role have an Associate’s Degree, that suggests this is the typical educational requirement. Knowing this helps you plan how many years of education you may need to pursue that career.

Certificates

Certifying Organization

International Association Of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental And Reinforcing Iron Workers

Type

Advanced

Certificate name

Industrial Ironworker

Certifying Organization

National Center for Construction Education and Research

Type

Core

Certifying Organization

National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying

Type

Advanced

Certifying Organization

International Code Council

Type

Advanced

Income Percentile

The income percentiles show how earnings are distributed within a profession. The 10th percentile means that 10% of workers earned less than that amount. The median (50th percentile) indicates that half of workers earned more, and half earned less. The 90th percentile reflects what the top 10% of earners in the field make.

Income PercentileIncome
Low (10%)$NaN
Median (50%)$NaN
High (90%)$NaN

Income by Experience

This table shows how income typically grows with experience—from entry level (0–2 years), to mid-level (3–7 years), to senior level (8+ years).

ExperienceIncome
Entry Level$50,000
Mid Level$100,000
Senior Level$150,000

Employability

There are currently 66,100 jobs in this career path. Over the next 10 years, that number is expected to increase to 68,900 positions, reflecting a projected growth of 4%.

The Projected Job Growth figure refers to the expected increase or decrease in employment within a specific career field over a certain period of time.

Projected Job Growth of 4%

The career information and data on this site incorporates information from O*NET Web Services by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), with ONET® being a registered trademark of USDOL/ETA. Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA; CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED); and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

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