Job Overview The structures we live in like our houses and buildings, and the parts of these like the windows and doors and some furniture will not be possible without the carpernters. Carpenters are skilled workers who are employed by the different construction companies as well as some furniture companies. Most of the time, we see them cutting shaping, leveling and fastening together pieces of wood and several materials used in cosntruction such as plywood, iron sheets, wallboard and insulation sheets. Many carpenters get their projects from constructing, doing remodeling or renovations as well as repairing houses and other kind of edifices. There are other carpenters who work in several construction sites such as bridges, tunnels and road. They may also acquire a certain specialization such as the finish carpenters. As finish carpenters, they focus on doing finishing details of the structures like the trim around the windows and doors as well as staircases.
Education, Knowledge and Trainings Required
There is no specific educational requirement to be a carpenter. More than the high school diploma, which most of the contractors nowadays require, equally important are the skills in carpentry that are honed through training. A background from a vocational school and shop classes should include carpentry and woodworking courses as well as blueprint reading and mechanical drawing subjects.
Skills and Abilities
Mechanical and technical skills are the most imporatnt skills needed to become a carpenter. The use of the different carpentry tools and a wide knowledge on the material being used are cruicial in performing their everyday tasks. They should be able to follow instructions from the engineers and serior or supervising carpenters for the specifications of the structures that they create, cut, shape, level and install.Good health and physical strength is a must as the work involved many heavy tasks such as lifting and the use of heavy tools and equipment.
Duties
Within the construction companies or building trades, the carpenters remain the largest group of workers. In fact, in the United States alone, there are approximately 1.3 million carpenters already. Majority are employed by building contractors doing construction, renovation and remodelling of the building itself and the structures within it. Carpenters may either do rough carpentry as well as finish carpentry.
Rough carpenters are those that we see doing construction and installation of the temporary structures and support and the wooden structures and frames and those parts of the buildings that are not anymore seen upon finishing the buildings. They do the scaffolds, chutes, channels for the concretes, rafters wall sheaths and subfloorings to name a few. Finish carpenters on the other hand are responisble in tasks involving installations of the floorings, staircases, cabinets trims on the doors as well as on windows.They make the building look finished and almost complete.
Job Outlook and Earnings
The range of salary for a carpenter starts off from 21,940 U.S. dollars to around 35,000 U.S dollars per annum. Those who have specialized in doing high quality finishing within the building structures may earn as high as 60,910 U.S. dollars annually depending on the projects available in a year.The job opportunity and employment rate moves as fast as the average for the other professions.
Paula Hiz is a researcher and a human resource specialist who helps newly graduates, job applicants and post graduate professionals be aware of their job opportunities and available trainings for skills and practice upgrading.