How to Go a Plumber

LearnHowToBecome Team

Laura Leavitt

November 22, 2021

Plumbers work in various residential, commercial, and industrial settings with a focus on installing, repairing, or replacing pipes and fixtures. This normally involves in-depth cognition of building codes, the ability to create cost estimates, and the ability to utilize specialized tools and equipment to maintain water, gas, and waste material systems.

The boilerplate yearly pay for plumbers is substantial, at $61,100 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). People who enjoy working with their easily and learning on the chore can often go paid while becoming plumbers, since a high schoolhouse diploma or GED tin atomic number 82 to short plumbing trade school courses and so into a paid apprenticeship with an experienced plumber. Read on to learn how to go a plumber.

What Does a Plumber Do?

Career Nuts

Plumbers can work on virtually every organisation in your house that uses h2o. They analyze what is malfunctioning, decide the tools and materials needed, and ready the problem. Installing new systems, replacing former systems, and keeping the finished result up to regulatory standards are all parts of the task.

Steps to Becoming a Plumber

Step 1

Get a high school didactics or GED

If you're not working with a high school diploma all the same, the get-go step is to pass the GED, which may crave a refresher class in preparation.

Step 2

Take state-required plumbing merchandise school courses

If your country requires classroom education, technical and vocational schools oftentimes offer plumbing, pipefitting, and steamfitting coursework, as well as two-yr degrees that combine a diversity of these courses. Costs tin can range from only a couple of grand dollars for the most basic classes, upward to virtually $10,000 for an acquaintance's degree in plumbing technology.

Footstep iii

Find an apprenticeship

One of the options that may take longer merely cost less is to find an apprenticeship with a licensed plumber. During your apprenticeship, yous'll assist the plumber, earning a wage, while learning as much every bit possible from them.

When you lot've learned all the required skills, yous can accept your licensure test, but these apprenticeships are often four or five years long, compared to a school plan that could be two years or less. Talking to local plumbers or contacting a plumbers' union near you tin can help you find an apprenticeship.

Step 4

Accept your licensure test

When you're prepared, either through school or through an apprenticeship, you lot'll need to take a standardized exam to become a licensed plumber in most states. In others, the years you spent getting experience can assistance, but in many cases, there will exist an exam that takes you from apprentice to journeyman.

Stride 5

Go your first plumbing job

At present that you have your education, license, and enough feel, you tin can get hired as a plumber. Joining a plumbing wedlock might help with this, only you don't have to bring together a marriage to become employed.

Salaries and Job Growth

Data from the U.Due south. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Projections Primal

Superlative ten States With the Highest Chore Growth

  1. Nevada: 37.2%
  2. Utah: 33.3%
  3. Colorado: 31.viii%
  4. Arizona: nineteen.9%
  5. Oregon: 19.8%
  6. Idaho: 17.viii%
  7. Montana: 17.4%
  8. N Carolina: 17.2%
  9. Texas: xvi.6%
  10. Arkansas: 16.4%

Career Paths for Plumbers

You'll start out equally a plumbing amateur, working nether experienced plumbers to learn about the industry.

Once yous stay in your apprenticeship for long plenty (typically about four years), you lot can become a licensed plumber, or a journeyman.

Working your way through an apprenticeship or launching a career as a journeyman plumber after school is only the beginning of a plumbing career. From there, afterwards ii-7 years of additional experience and the acquisition of professional person references, you can go a main plumber.

In this role, y'all can supervise other plumbers, and work independently.

As a plumbing manager, you'd still work for a plumbing company, but in a part overseeing other journeymen and apprentices.

Equally the owner of a plumbing business, your later career may involve educating apprentices and journeymen and leading concern administration, though if you adopt to continue working hands-on with plumbing during that fourth dimension, that is also possible.

Pro Tips from a Plumber and Hiring Manager

Schwamb has 30 years of plumbing experience. He started his plumbing career at a immature age, working his manner up in a family business. In 2007, he ventured off to own and operate his own plumbing business, Order A Plumber, in Long Island, New York. Order A Plumber specializes in all phases of plumbing service and repair, including residential and commercial construction. Schwamb offered his advice for entry-level workers below.

How to Interview as a Plumber

As an owner, Schwamb takes part in the interviewing process for every prospective employee. When interviewing with plumbing companies, he says there are a few cardinal things your futurity employer volition wait for, and believe it or non, information technology's non your plumbing power.

According to Schwamb:

  • Time to come employers are looking for applicants who evidence up early to the interview. Not just on fourth dimension, early.
  • They are looking to run across that you are dressed professionally. This does non mean a three-piece conform, only they are looking to meet if yous put time into your appearance, so tuck in your shirt and rummage your pilus.
  • Prospective employers will also be looking for your resume. Even if you don't accept much to list, they want to know that you took the time to make one because if you did, chances are yous are looking to add to it.
  • Lastly, they are looking for you to be honest about what you want out of the plumbing field and your piece of work experience. Employers know y'all are entry-level earlier you sit down. What they desire is honesty, reliability, punctuality, and a good work ethic. Unproblematic!

What to Await When Y'all Get Hired

Here are Schwamb'south tips for afterwards you country the task:

  • Do yourself a favor and get some work boots. Inquire your employer what they recommend for the type of work you will be doing.
  • For tools, ask for a basic tool listing and go buy the basics. The basics, yes, I said that twice. No demand to become out and max out your credit carte on tools you do non know how to utilise and volition most likely lose in the first few months. Get a tool box, a tape mensurate, and nearly 7-eight other basic tools to start. Endeavour to purchase at least one new tool every week or so to add to your tool box.
  • Show up to your starting time day early and ready to work. Good Luck!

Components of a Successful Plumbing Career

You'll demand a strong agreement of what tends to make leaks or clogs occur in a plumbing arrangement, including the ability to trace a problem dorsum to its source and evaluate the best way to fix information technology.
You'll get familiar with scoping technology and the many ways that plumbing systems accept evolved over the years. As yous work on more and more than systems, y'all'll be able to recognize both the plumbing fixtures and materials and the patterns of problems that sally with detail systems.
You'll need to be able to use many mechanical tools that tin can fix loose or leaky fixtures and pipes, as well as electronic devices used to evaluate plumbing systems of all kinds.
You'll pursue either an apprenticeship or a plumbing trade schoolhouse plan that enables you to utilize for licensure equally a plumber in your state.

Getting Financial Assistance with Your Plumbing Programme

Scholarships for Plumbing Programs

Companies like Swan Heating and non-turn a profit organizations similar the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Careers Foundation offer scholarships that tin be used toward receiving a plumbing certificate.

Federal Grants for Plumbing Programs

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

  • Who qualifies: Low-income students applying for accredited school programs.
  • Honour amount: Between $100-$4,000 a year.
  • Borderline: June 30th before the Fall or semester when yous'd begin your program.
  • How to apply: Apply through the FAFSA, which may also yield Pell Grants.

Related Careers

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