Photo: photo taken by flickr user rick (CC BY 2.0)
Job description
Work usually starts with measuring and marking where pipes, fixtures, and passage holes need to go, then installing pipe assemblies, valves, and fixtures like sinks, toilets, and water heaters with hand and power tools. Plumbers often direct helpers on cutting and preassembly, anchor steel supports to hold pipes in place, and increasingly install green plumbing fixtures such as tankless water heaters and low-flow toilets. The trade is learned through an apprenticeship or vocational program, and the work is physical, done mostly on your feet and often in tight or awkward spaces.
Pros
- Strong pay ceiling above $108k with just vocational training or an apprenticeship required
- Faster than average projected growth (4.5%) in a large field of 44,000 jobs
- Growing exposure to green building work, installing water-efficient and tankless equipment
Cons
- Physically demanding, on your feet in tight spaces that aren't always climate-controlled
- Fast-paced, deadline-driven work with regular exposure to hazardous equipment and heights
- Often involves directing helpers, adding supervisory responsibility beyond the hands-on trade work
A typical day
The van rolls out by 7am, stocked the night before for the first job: roughing in supply and drain lines for a bathroom remodel, measuring and marking where pipe runs will pass through studs before cutting and joining. A mid-morning call reroutes the day — a restaurant with a failed water heater takes priority, and the afternoon becomes diagnosis, a parts run, and a careful install with gas line and venting checks. Between jobs there's quoting, ordering, and directing an apprentice on prepping fittings. The day ends back at the shop, restocking and logging hours against each job.
Tasks at the job
- Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
- Direct helpers engaged in pipe cutting, preassembly, or installation of plumbing systems or components.
- Install pipe assemblies, fittings, valves, appliances such as dishwashers or water heaters, or fixtures such as sinks or toilets, using hand or power tools.
- Anchor steel supports from ceiling joists to hold pipes in place.
- Keep records of work assignments.
- Install green plumbing equipment, such as faucet flow restrictors, dual-flush or pressure-assisted flush toilets, or tankless hot water heaters.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors, though not always in a climate-controlled space, and most of the day is spent on your feet, and you work in close physical proximity to coworkers or the public for much of the shift. Noise levels can be distracting or uncomfortable. The role involves regular exposure to hazardous equipment or conditions and contaminants and working at heights, and specialized protective equipment is standard.
The pace is often fast, with real time pressure to meet deadlines, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day.
Education necessary or common
Vocational training, apprenticeship, or associate's degree
Licenses & certifications
- State journeyman plumber license
- State master plumber license (later)
- OSHA 10 Construction
- Backflow prevention tester certification
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- Algebra & Geometry — pipe runs, slopes, and fitting angles are daily math
- Physics — water pressure, flow, and heat are the trade's core science
- Shop/Construction Trades — tool skills and blueprint reading
- Drafting or CAD — reading and sketching plumbing diagrams
- Chemistry — soldering, adhesives, and water chemistry all show up on the job
Clubs, activities & competitions
- SkillsUSA — plumbing is a direct competition category
- Habitat for Humanity builds — real construction site exposure
- Robotics or maker club — mechanical problem-solving reps
First steps you can take now
- Apply to your local UA (United Association) union apprenticeship — many accept applicants at 18 with a diploma
- Ask a local plumbing company about summer helper positions
- Fix something real: replace a faucet washer or toilet flapper at home with a video guide
- Take OSHA 10 online — cheap, quick, and shows employers you're serious
