Matcher · Free
Trade Matcher
Answer twelve questions about how you want to work and see which trades actually fit.
Closest fit to your answers
Plumber84% fit
- PlumberWeakest match: on-call load
- 84%
- ElectricianWeakest match: travel and commute
- 84%
- CarpenterWeakest match: diagnostic depth
- 81%
All ten trades, ranked
- 1
Plumber
84% fit
Install and repair the water supply, drainage, gas and fixture systems that keep buildings habitable.
- Median pay:
- $61,550/yr
- Time to full scale:
- 4–5 years (roughly 8,000 on-the-job hours)
- Outlook:
- +6% through 2033
- Watch:
- On-call load
- 2
Electrician
84% fit
Install and maintain the power, lighting and control systems in homes, businesses and industrial plants.
- Median pay:
- $61,590/yr
- Time to full scale:
- 4–5 years (roughly 8,000 on-the-job hours)
- Outlook:
- +11% through 2033
- Watch:
- Travel and commute
- 3
Carpenter
81% fit
Frame, finish and build the structures and interiors of residential and commercial buildings.
- Median pay:
- $56,350/yr
- Time to full scale:
- 3–4 years
- Outlook:
- +4% through 2033
- Watch:
- Diagnostic depth
- 4
Automotive Technician
75% fit
Diagnose and repair the mechanical, electrical and electronic systems in cars and light trucks.
- Median pay:
- $47,770/yr
- Time to full scale:
- 2–4 years to reach full diagnostic capability
- Outlook:
- +3% through 2033
- Watch:
- Indoor vs. outdoor
- 5
Industrial Maintenance Technician
73% fit
Keep production equipment running by maintaining mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and control systems.
- Median pay:
- $61,170/yr
- Time to full scale:
- 4 years for millwright apprenticeships
- Outlook:
- +15% through 2033
- Watch:
- Indoor vs. outdoor
- 6
Machinist
69% fit
Produce precision metal parts using manual and CNC machine tools to engineering tolerances.
- Median pay:
- $50,840/yr
- Time to full scale:
- 4 years for tool and die
- Outlook:
- +2% through 2033
- Watch:
- Pay ceiling
- 7
HVAC Technician
67% fit
Install, service and troubleshoot the heating, cooling, ventilation and refrigeration systems buildings depend on.
- Median pay:
- $57,300/yr
- Time to full scale:
- 3–5 years
- Outlook:
- +9% through 2033
- Watch:
- Weather exposure
- 8
Welder
64% fit
Join metal for structures, pipelines, pressure vessels and manufactured goods to a qualified procedure.
- Median pay:
- $48,940/yr
- Time to full scale:
- 3–4 years for structural or pipe apprenticeships
- Outlook:
- +2% through 2033
- Watch:
- Pay ceiling
- 9
Heavy Equipment Operator
59% fit
Run excavators, dozers, loaders and cranes to move earth and place material on construction sites.
- Median pay:
- $56,160/yr
- Time to full scale:
- 3–4 years
- Outlook:
- +4% through 2033
- Watch:
- Weather exposure
- 10
Roofer
48% fit
Install and repair the roof systems that keep water out of residential and commercial buildings.
- Median pay:
- $50,030/yr
- Time to full scale:
- 3 years
- Outlook:
- +2% through 2033
- Watch:
- Diagnostic depth
This is a shortlist, not a verdict
What this assumes
- Scores reflect fit against your stated preferences, not aptitude or likelihood of success.
- Trade characteristics are drawn from BLS occupational data and typical industry practice.
- Regional demand, union presence and local pay vary enormously and are not modeled.
Important
No questionnaire can tell you whether you will like a trade. Treat the result as a shortlist to investigate — then go spend a day on a jobsite with someone who does the work.
Understanding the result
What actually predicts fit
People leave the trades over conditions far more than over the work itself: weather exposure, on-call rotations, travel, and physical wear. Those are the factors weighted most heavily here, because pay differences between trades are smaller than most people assume and conditions differences are larger.
The next step matters more than the result
A shortlist is only useful if you test it. Call a local apprenticeship coordinator, ask to shadow for a day, and talk to someone ten years into the trade rather than someone in year one. An afternoon on a jobsite tells you more than any assessment.
You may also need
The next decision usually follows directly from this one.
- ComparisonTrade School ROI CalculatorCompare the cost and payback of an apprenticeship, trade school or a four-year degree.
- CalculatorTrade Salary CalculatorEstimate earnings by trade, experience level, region and overtime.
- ChecklistApprenticeship Readiness CheckSee whether you meet typical apprenticeship requirements and what to fix before applying.
- PlannerApprentice Tool Kit CostBuild a first-year tool list for your trade and see what it costs at three quality tiers.