Plumber

• Installs pipes and fixtures.
• Studies blueprints and follows state and local building codes.
• Determines the amount of material and type of equipment needed.
• Inspects and tests installed pipe systems and pipelines.
• Troubleshoots and repairs systems that are not working.
• Replaces worn parts.

Plumber

• Installs and repairs water, drainage, and gas pipes in homes, businesses, and factories.  
• Installs and repairs large water lines, such as those that supply water to buildings, and smaller ones, including ones that supply water to refrigerators.
• Installs plumbing fixtures—bathtubs, showers, sinks, and toilets—and appliances such as dishwashers, garbage disposals, and water heaters.

Pipefitter

• Installs and maintains pipes that carry chemicals, acids, and gases. These pipes are mostly in manufacturing, commercial, and industrial settings.
• Installs and repairs pipe systems in power plants, as well as heating and cooling systems in large office buildings.
• Some pipefitters specialize:
  • Gasfitters install pipes that provide clean oxygen to patients in hospitals.
  • Sprinklerfitters install and repair fire sprinkler systems in businesses, factories, and residential buildings.
  • Steamfitters install pipe systems that move steam under high pressure. Most steamfitters work at campus and natural gas power plants where heat and electricity is generated, but others work in factories that use high-temperature steam pipes.

• Manual dexterity: good with your hands.
• Hand eye coordination
• Critical thinking and problem-solving: will encounter unexpected problems and you will have to figure them out in a timely fashion.
• Basic math: arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus and statistics.
• Computer: project planning, estimating software.
• Attention to detail
• Physical strength and stamina

• Must lift heavy materials, climb ladders, and work in tight spaces.
• Might travel to a variety of work sites every day.

• Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors: Range from mom and pop shop (4-8) to large shops (200+)
• Self-employed

• Dangerous: Have higher-than-average risk of injury and illness. Cuts from sharp tools, burns from hot pipes and soldering equipment, and falls from ladders are common injuries.
• Irregular hours: Might have to work on nights and weekends.

• Union negotiates competitive rates: For example) In SF Bay Area, over $35 per hour as journeyman which is the position after you are an apprentice.
• Full medical benefits (medical, dental, vision)
• Pension
• Annuity
• Access to better jobs and amazing opportunities

• Building and fixing things! : working with your hands
• Being outside in nature
• Sports
• Anything mechanical like working on cars

“Some of us we have more Neanderthal DNA than others. You’ve got to be able to express that in the best way possible. We all have a sense of creativity that can be shown and it’s finding that way to show that creativity. Some people they can do that behind a computer, other people it’s great to be able to build a building. It all comes into that sense of being of whatever makes you feel alive.” Robert Williams III, Business Rep, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 16, Northern California