What do they do?
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.
Also known as:
Erector, Fitter, Iron Worker, Ironworker, Steel Erector, Steel Fabricator, Steel Worker, Structural Steel Erector, Tower Hand
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Ranks #25 in job growth rate290Job Openings
Ranks #7 in net job growth
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- High school diploma equivalent (47%)
- Some college, no degree (25%)
- Less than high school diploma (15%)
- Associate's degree (7%)
- Bachelor's degree (6%)
- Master's degree (<1%)
- Doctorate or Professional Degree (<1%)
Most Popular Majors that prepare Structural Iron and Steel Workers
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#1
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Degrees Granted
428
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Female Students
41
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Male Students
387
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Median Starting Salary
$55,200
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#2
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Degrees Granted
111
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Female Students
6
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Male Students
105
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Median Starting Salary
$47,900
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#3
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Degrees Granted
25
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Female Students
0
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Male Students
25
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Median Starting Salary
$55,200
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#4
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Degrees Granted
21
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Female Students
3
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Male Students
18
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Median Starting Salary
$55,200
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#5
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Degrees Granted
5
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Female Students
0
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Male Students
5
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Median Starting Salary
$55,200
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People in this career often have these skills:
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
People in this career often know a lot about:
- Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
- Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
People in this career often have talent in:
- Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Static Strength - The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Trunk Strength - The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Extent Flexibility - The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Gross Body Equilibrium - The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Depth Perception - The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Dynamic Strength - The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
- Rate Control - The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Stamina - The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
People in this career often do these activities:
- Review blueprints or specifications to determine work requirements.
- Install metal structural components.
- Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
- Signal equipment operators to indicate proper equipment positioning.
- Verify alignment of structures or equipment.
- Cut metal components for installation.
- Weld metal components.
- Position structural components.
- Load or unload materials used in construction or extraction.
- Assemble temporary equipment or structures.
- Fabricate parts or components.
- Dismantle equipment or temporary structures.
- Assist skilled construction or extraction personnel.
- Install insulation in equipment or structures.
- Install gauges or controls.
- Install electrical components, equipment, or systems.
- Position safety or support equipment.
- Rivet metal components.
This page includes data from:
Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database
by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA
Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics
Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development
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