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Which career path in the skilled trades is right
for you? In this section, we will take a closer
look at some of the most notable jobs that
exist in each skilled trades category as well
as average salaries, future job prospects, and
education requirements for each of those
career paths. Most statistics listed here come
from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
unless otherwise noted.
BLS typically measures salaries not
by average (or mean) but based on
median. The median national wage for
a specific type of job is the point on
the wage scale where half of workers
in that profession earn more than
the cited amount and half earn less.
The numbers cited below are mostly
median wages as they stood in 2022.
For reference, the median annual salary
for all jobs in the U.S. as of 2022 was
$48,060.
CHAPTER 5
CAREERS IN
THE TRADES
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