How To Become A Finishing Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a finishing technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Finishing Technicians are a broader career category of Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders. They set up, operate, or tend welding, soldering, or brazing machines or robots that weld, braze, solder, or heat treat metal goods, elements, or assemblies.

Typically, you need to possess a diploma or bachelor's degree in civil or mechanical engineering to become Finishing Technicians. However, it would be great if you were certified to operate a different machine and skills with a couple of years of experience.

The graduates who work in this field end up laying claim to annual earnings at $30,826. The current median pay for a Finishing Technician ranges from $24,798 to $33,828 in the U.S. However, this figure can vary significantly depending upon your experience and skills.

ScoreFinishing TechnicianUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $35,050

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.54%

Asian 8.38%

Black or African American 8.44%

Hispanic or Latino 15.63%

Unknown 3.84%

White 63.17%

Gender

female 31.64%

male 68.36%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a finishing technician

Explore finishing technician education requirements

Most common finishing technician degrees

High School Diploma

38.5 %

Bachelor's

20.5 %

Associate

19.9 %

Start to develop specific finishing technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	21.77%
Grinders	9.70%
Pallets	7.40%
Dexterity	6.13%
Safety Procedures	5.66%

Complete relevant finishing technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New finishing technicians 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 finishing technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real finishing technician resumes.

Research finishing technician duties and responsibilities

Manage the receipt and tracking of control substances as well as the DEA biennial inspection.
Know methods and types of chemical evaporation: reactive sputtering, e-beam coating, coating for longer wavelengths.
De-Package lenses using proper usage of manual dexterity and safety precautions.
Touch up the pcb after tape and mask are removed from the pcb.

Prepare your finishing technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your finishing technician 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 finishing technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable finishing technician resume templates

Build a professional finishing technician 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 finishing technician resume.