Plumber

Plumbers are in demand and one of the highest paid professions in the industry today. A plumber who is fresh off his apprenticeship training can expect to make anywhere from $13.50 to $25.00 an hour depending on his skills and experience. For those guys who specialized in an area like pipefitting or steamfitting during their training, the starting rate is on average about $50,000 a year. It’s the experienced master plumber with the degree level that qualifies him to oversee, supervise and teach on important plumbing jobs that command the largest plumber salary. They can make in excess of up to $80,000 a year.

Basically a plumbers salary depends on a few distinct factors, his experience level, whether or not he belongs to a union and the setting he is working in. If a plumber is hired by a commercial contractor or franchise he can expect to make a little bit more. An independent on-call plumber who charges his own rates also makes a pretty penny to resolve your plumbing emergencies, especially after hours! Remember he can demand a flat rate just for coming out to assess the problem and then charge anywhere from $15.00 to $40.00 an hour thereafter.

Becoming A Plumber

Becoming a plumber today takes someone who is actually interested in the field of plumbing with an aptitude for mechanics and a “go with the flow” kind of attitude. Understand, this is the type of job where you can expect to have to squeeze into a lot of extremely tight places and definitely get your hands dirty!

Knowing this is the career path you want while still in high school can aid you in taking the necessary pre-requisite courses to prepare you for this particular field. A plumber needs to have a strong background in both math and problem solving skills. He can acquire these skills by taking advanced math courses, physics, computers and various sciences and a course in technical drafting in order to be able to effectively read blue prints. Many high schools will offer students the option to attend some type of vocational training to kind of give them a jump start on their future.

Attending a trade school for plumbing or a local community college that offers a certificate in plumbing is the next step toward becoming a plumber. Once you get your plumbing certificate, there are various unions that offer apprenticeship programs to “newbies” in order for them to gain the hands on experience they need to get their license along with the latest certification required by the PHCCA in water and energy conservation. These apprenticeship programs are there to train new plumbers to earn their top plumber salary. These programs take about five years, however they teach plumbers the local plumbing codes, primary installation and repair and maintenance skills needed to obtain licensing. Training also involves choosing the proper materials for the job, how to identify the various grades of pipe and the use of the tools required to complete the job.

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