Carpenter: Salary, Qualifications, & More

Most people don’t understand what a carpenter does. If you ask them, they will claim a carpenter is a person who makes wooden chairs and tables for a commission. This is true to some extent. However, did you know there is more to carpentry like a carpentry education that guarantees you a good carpenter salary?

Before we discuss the duties of a carpenter, we must first understand who a carpenter really is. We will later go into detail about the career opportunities available for students who prefer to be carpenters. Yes! There is a carpenter salary so do not worry as you will have a steady flow of income.

A carpenter is a skilled individual able to create wooden products in the form of sculptures, furniture, doors, artwork and wooden windows. A carpenter must learn to work within deadlines as most of a carpenter’s clients will want different woodwork on a short notice. An independent carpenter will ask for a commission as he/she does not have a carpenter salary.

There are two ways that one can become a carpenter. The first is by going to school and attaining a diploma in carpentry. The second is where people become carpenters because they have associated themselves with carpenters who have taught them all they need to know about Carpentry.

Whether you become a carpenter by going to school or through apprenticeship, it is mandatory to have crucial skills such as the ability to read blueprints and the ability to use your hands efficiently. As a carpenter, you will operate in a workshop, and you need to be physically fit as you will carry heavy wood, stand for long hours and walk a lot.

As a carpenter, you will need to have more than your tools of the trade. A driving license will be very beneficial as you will have to travel a lot in search of the right materials needed opportunities. As competition in the industry is fierce, you will need to show that you are well skilled and the best way you can do this is creating an impressive portfolio. The better you market yourself, the better for you as you will earn a higher carpenter salary.

Apart from using woodwork to create unique sculptures, Carpenters have the following duties;

Yes, just like any other profession there is always some level of specialization. Depending on the specialization and demand for your skill, the carpenter salary will vary. The different carpenter specializations include;

Carpentry is a versatile career, and it will mainly depend on your preference. There are a lot of tools that are used by a carpenter. The main tools used by a carpenter include chisels, squares, and levels. Other tools include nail guns, sanders, and circular saws.

To become a carpenter and earn a carpenter salary you will need to be good at maths and mechanical drawing. If you have any vocational and technical training, you are at an advantaged compared to your peers. There are institutions that offer associate degrees in this field. In an associate degree program, you will learn basic concepts on carpentry and specialized concepts.

Most carpenters learned their skill by observing and learning from their peers. Apprenticeships play a key role in the proper use of carpentry equipment. To start as a carpenter, learn basic designs and advance to more complex designs as your experience level grows. Your journey as an amateur carpenter will have to be guided by a more qualified carpenter who earns a better carpenter salary than you. Your ‘teacher’ will start with basic carpentry concepts such a measuring the right piece of wood and cutting it as required.

As your knowledge increases, you will be educated on how to build complex wooden structures, and also how to read blueprints so you can work with companies that pay a higher carpenter salary.

Apprenticeship programs are hard to find if you do not know where to look.  The best place to get this program is through contractor associations and unions. To pass the apprenticeship program, you must complete not less than 144 technical hours. The good part of all this is that you will also have to spend 2,000 hours on a carpenter salary but as an apprentice.

These programs are beneficial to all prospective carpenters as you learn crucial skills such as safety and first aid, building code requirements,  mathematics and blueprint reading. These skills all play a key role in helping you to negotiate for a better carpenter salary. Other specialized training you will enjoy include setting concrete forms, welding, and rigging. All this will play a crucial role in your career when you concentrate on any of the above.

OSHA stands for occupation safety and health administration. This is a course that every carpenter must pass. It will take you a minimum of 10 hours to a maximum of 30 hours to learn this course. Without it, you will be like a doctor without a known certificate to prove it.

This concept is not new and has been around for thousands of years. Many laborers who work in construction sites learn how to become a carpenter by seeing what is being done by an experienced carpenter. This has been the norm as casual laborers learn by helping a carpenter to hold a plank of wood in place. As a result, they are motivated by an attractive carpenter salary and eventually the trade is passed down to them.

Yes, as stated earlier, a carpenter will need a driver’s license to move around the city or town in search of new opportunities and also to search for needed materials. Though this job doesn’t really need any certification, those with apprenticeship certificates are more advantaged in the job market. One important certificate you must have is PACT {Pre-apprenticeship certificate training } you can get other certificates from associations such as the National Association Of Remodeling Industry. This certificates increase client confidence in you and also goes a long way in enabling you to negotiate for a better carpenter salary.

Since different carpenters will be paid differently, it is wise for us to examine first from the average wage perspective before we divulge into further classification.

The average annual wage measures the wage that at least half of American carpenters earn. This is both from a higher point of view and a lower point of view. Half of the Carpenters in America earned $ 43,600 dollars a year. 10% of those who earned below the average wage earned at least $27,070 dollars.
On the higher side, carpenters who boasted of years of experience and lots of relevant certificates to their name earned at least $79,480 dollars.

The annual wage is determined by a number of factors, these are;

This is where carpenters who have specialized in different sectors get to earn more based on the demand of their skill and experience.

The top niche industries include;

The above top industries pay different annual average wages. Nonresidential building construction carpenters are paid an annual wage of $48,110, while in the residential building construction industry, the workers are paid $42,090 dollars annually. Other lucrative sectors in this industry are the Building and finishing contractors and the Building exterior contractors. The annual wage is $44,300 and $40,080 respectively.

Yes! This can be seen from a recent survey where employment opportunities in this industry are expected to grow by not less than 8% over ten years. Carpenters depend on other factors such as economic growth where economic growth results in increased construction activities.
Carpenters are also expected to enjoy population growth in America as this means there will be more construction taking place.

Carpentry is a profession that is mostly undertaken because of passion. People slowly learn the skills that are needed and they go out to professionalize them by taking professional courses. This is a good earning profession, and with an expected 8% growth rate, numerous job opportunities will exist.