How To Become A Carpenter/Painter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a carpenter/painter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a carpenter/painter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.85 an hour? That's $37,134 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 20,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCarpenter/PainterUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,134

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.13%

Asian 1.48%

Black or African American 6.22%

Hispanic or Latino 20.43%

Unknown 3.94%

White 66.81%

Gender

female 8.06%

male 91.94%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a carpenter/painter

Explore carpenter/painter education requirements

Most common carpenter/painter degrees

High School Diploma

40.0 %

Bachelor's

21.4 %

Associate

18.6 %

Start to develop specific carpenter/painter skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	14.77%
Install Windows	10.67%
Plumbing	9.56%
General Maintenance	8.43%
Drywall Repair	6.27%

Complete relevant carpenter/painter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New carpenter/painters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a carpenter/painter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real carpenter/painter resumes.

Research carpenter/painter duties and responsibilities

Repair surfaces to be paint including plastering and sheetrock finishing.
Install through the wall and window HVAC units.
Job includes anywhere from caulking to texturing and framing to installing trim.
Operate and maintain metal framing, sheet rocking, taping, plastering and woodworking.

Prepare your carpenter/painter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your carpenter/painter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a carpenter/painter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable carpenter/painter resume templates

Build a professional carpenter/painter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your carpenter/painter resume.