Should I be a carpenter? 🪚

Do you instantly know how to fix things? Do enjoy working with your hands? Do you like the smell of wood?

Photo by Ryno Marais on Unsplash

Carpentry is in high demand! If you enjoy working with your hands and building things, this might be the job for you.

A carpenter is anyone who builds objects with timber. They're involved throughout the building process, starting with the basic layout and ending with finishing touches on houses or commercial buildings.

Carpenters:

• cut and shape wood and other construction materials

• use hand tools or machines and power saws to build frameworks and structures

• install foundations, walls, floors, ceilings, and roofs

• fit and install windows and doors

• build/repair cabinets, frameworks, floors, doors, windows, etc.

Other responsibilities may include:

• Cleaning up worksite debris

• Studying building plans to prepare project layout

• Removing damaged sections of structures

• Repairing or replacing sections of structures using hand tools

Consider the people below:

A. Elise likes to keep her hands clean at all times.

B. John enjoys taking stuff apart and putting them back together.

C. Tamara gets excited when she uses a saw.

D. Patrick likes to drive his pickup truck.

Hammers

Circular and table saws

Power sanders

Power drills

Tape measures

Glue guns

The average yearly salary for carpenters in the USA is $59,866.

The average yearly salary for carpenters in Canada is $67,737.

1. Complete a 3 or 4-year apprenticeship that includes technical and paid on-the-job training.

2. Enter a training program offered by a contractor.

3. Work as a helper to an experienced carpenter.

Photo by Annie Gray on Unsplash

You need to get a license if you want to work on your own. The length of experience and license requirements are different for each country/state.

Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash

Have you decided that carpentry might be the right career for you?