What a plumber really does
You plan where water and waste go, find out why they are not going there, and fix it so it passes inspection.
FieldSkilled trades
Preparation (O*NET Job Zone)Medium preparation needed
What the work involves
What fills a typical week for plumbers, built from O*NET occupation data.
- Read plans and code requirements, then mark where pipes, drains and fixtures will go.
- Pick pipe sizes and materials, and cut, fit and assemble piping on site.
- Test new lines with water or air pressure and watch the gauges for leaks before inspection.
- Run service calls: clogged drains, leaks, no hot water, running toilets.
- Estimate time and materials for jobs and keep records of the work done.
- Work on your feet, on your knees and in tight spaces most of the day.
- As an apprentice, you work beside a licensed plumber who signs off on your work.
What the days are like
What people in the job know
- You almost never sit down at work. Spend Time Sitting: 64% never; Spend Time Standing: 75% continually or almost continually (O*NET Work Context)
- Dirty and tight conditions are routine, not rare. Exposed to Contaminants: 56% every day; Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling: 40% more than half the time (O*NET Work Context)
- You make your own calls on the job much of the time. Freedom to Make Decisions: 61% a lot of freedom; Frequency of Decision Making: 65% every day (O*NET Work Context)
- Competition for work is real, so how you quote and treat customers matters. Level of Competition: 59% highly competitive (O*NET Work Context)
- Hours are fairly standard for a trade, though emergencies happen. Duration of Typical Work Week: 73% 40 hours; Work Schedules: 61% regular (O*NET Work Context)
How people get into it
O*NET places this in Job Zone 3. Respondents report 43% of roles need a post secondary certificate, 35% a high school diploma and 9% an associate's degree. Most plumbers learn through a multi year paid apprenticeship and then take a state or local license exam.
The Firstday trial, easy to hard
Three simulated tasks with AI coworkers who message you, react to your work and coach with questions. Nobody scores you.
What the trial can't show: This trial does not simulate any hands on plumbing: cutting, threading, soldering or gluing pipe, working in crawl spaces and trenches, handling heavy fixtures, gas work, or the smells and mess of real service calls. It is not instruction for doing plumbing work. It also cannot show the physical toll or the years of apprenticeship. You act as an apprentice whose work is checked by a licensed plumber, and readings, homes and people are fictional.
Reading about it is one thing.
Find out how the work feels to you before you spend on a degree, course or job change. Your first trial is free.
Other careers you can try
Job details on this page are built from O*NET OnLine, 47-2152.00. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.