If you have ever heard of MacGyver from the '80s or Bob the Builder, then you would know what a handyman really is. A jack of all trades. A resourceful individual that can use the tools around him to fix things and solve problems.
The primary role of a handyman is performing maintenance and repair activities, which can involve areas such as carpentry, plumbing, and electrical. Duties include conducting appliance installation, undertaking equipment maintenance, and assembling work supplies. Besides that, they also offer personalized service and troubleshoot any mechanical issues.
Employers require handymen to possess relevant work expertise in at least one area such as plumbing, carpentry, or even painting. Most handymen follow a pathway of on-the-job apprenticeships and normally have a minimum high school diploma. They earn an average of $18 per hour.
There are certain skills that many handymen have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed customer-service skills, dexterity and troubleshooting skills.
If you're interested in becoming a handyman, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 21.4% of handymen have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.6% of handymen have master's degrees. Even though some handymen have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of maintenance technician you might progress to a role such as foreman eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title project superintendent.
What Am I Worth?
There are several types of handyman, including:
A maintenance technician mainly focuses their time on making repairs to equipment and property structures. When the HVAC unit stops working on the hottest day of the year, the maintenance technicians are the ones who will be called on to save the day.
Generally, maintenance technicians only need a high school diploma to get by in their career, although higher positions in the maintenance technician field may require a two-year program of some sort.
You know how we said that maintenance technicians may be called upon in emergency situations? Well, that may mean you'll be working outside of your normal hours. For the most part, you'll work a normal, full-time schedule. But emergencies may get you out of bed or interrupt your weekend. Just be prepared for those emergencies.
A maintenance worker, aka the handy-man, takes on the noble and constant struggle against decay. Working indoors or outdoors; on one site, such as a school, hospital, or office building, or at several locations; such as different buildings of a college campus, a maintenance worker's vigilant gaze will notice any sign of impairment and fix what is damaged.
Whether the problem is a broken window, faulty wiring, a burned-out lightbulb, peeling paint, or leaks, maintenance workers will be there to take care of it. They clean windows, mow the lawn, collect trash, and will be expected to perform preventive maintenance as well. They repair machines and mechanical equipment, too, so you might find yourself working at a manufacturing site or factory taking on this position.
According to statistical data, this is a position primarily filled by men, although this is not meant as a discouragement to all the aspiring handy-ladies out there. As housing prices increase and people tend to opt for remodeling rather than buying new, the demand for maintenance workers is growing as well.
As a Repair Technician, you will assess device problems or damages. Along with this, you will also implement solutions in order for the device to function once again. You will troubleshoot, provide technical support, write and install programs, and perform other related tasks.
As a Repair Technician, you need to have dexterity. You will be using your hands most of the time, so you really need to be skilled when it comes to physical activity. Next is troubleshooting skills. This was mentioned earlier, and you need to have a systematic approach when faced with challenges and problems. Lastly, customer service skills are essential as a Repair Technician. This is because you need to understand the needs of your clients and communicate your thoughts efficiently.
You can earn around $37,064 as a Repair Technician. With a job growth rate of 6%, you also have the chance to further your career and explore other roles. You can be a Technician, a Team Leader, an Operations Manager, and a Plant Manager.
Mouse over a state to see the number of active handyman jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where handymen earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 47 | $42,528 |
| 2 | Florida | 46 | $37,056 |
| 3 | Texas | 39 | $42,236 |
| 4 | New York | 37 | $49,211 |
| 5 | Virginia | 33 | $49,267 |
| 6 | Ohio | 28 | $43,657 |
| 7 | New Jersey | 27 | $49,393 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 24 | $39,581 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 22 | $45,983 |
| 10 | Georgia | 21 | $39,925 |
| 11 | Illinois | 19 | $43,901 |
| 12 | Michigan | 16 | $42,364 |
| 13 | Iowa | 15 | $45,512 |
| 14 | Tennessee | 14 | $39,142 |
| 15 | Minnesota | 13 | $49,698 |
| 16 | Kentucky | 13 | $39,174 |
| 17 | Colorado | 13 | $36,709 |
| 18 | Massachusetts | 12 | $58,590 |
| 19 | Kansas | 12 | $43,724 |
| 20 | Arizona | 12 | $45,638 |
| 21 | Alabama | 12 | $37,070 |
| 22 | Indiana | 11 | $41,993 |
| 23 | Louisiana | 11 | $37,116 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 10 | $41,815 |
| 25 | North Dakota | 9 | $46,396 |
| 26 | South Dakota | 9 | $40,314 |
| 27 | Montana | 9 | $39,954 |
| 28 | Wyoming | 9 | $37,560 |
| 29 | South Carolina | 9 | $41,017 |
| 30 | Alaska | 8 | $58,994 |
| 31 | Nevada | 8 | $44,998 |
| 32 | Nebraska | 8 | $40,798 |
| 33 | Utah | 8 | $40,079 |
| 34 | Oregon | 8 | $42,698 |
| 35 | Hawaii | 7 | $55,120 |
| 36 | West Virginia | 7 | $40,387 |
| 37 | Washington | 7 | $43,231 |
| 38 | Vermont | 6 | $46,383 |
| 39 | Maryland | 6 | $52,225 |
| 40 | Missouri | 6 | $46,381 |
| 41 | New Mexico | 6 | $39,647 |
| 42 | Arkansas | 6 | $32,427 |
| 43 | Idaho | 5 | $37,438 |
| 44 | Mississippi | 5 | $35,624 |
| 45 | Delaware | 4 | $45,176 |
| 46 | Connecticut | 4 | $46,148 |
| 47 | Maine | 4 | $39,594 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | 4 | $34,648 |
| 49 | New Hampshire | 3 | $49,151 |
| 50 | Rhode Island | 1 | $53,045 |
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 23.7% of handymen listed plumbing on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and dexterity are important as well.
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Handyman templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Handyman resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
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3. Maintenance Management Basics
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Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a handyman. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Rhode Island. Handymen make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $58,994. Whereas in Massachusetts and Hawaii, they would average $58,590 and $55,120, respectively. While handymen would only make an average of $53,045 in Rhode Island, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
$58,994
Avg. Salary
2. North Dakota
$46,396
Avg. Salary
3. Hawaii
$55,120
Avg. Salary
Helping people get things figured out that they would not . Some claim to be able to do a job but fake and rig things instead of fixing the underlying issue and repairing it correctly. Most of my people are elderly and I feel its my duty to help .
fixing others messed up jobs . People that act like im trying to get over on them
I love fixing things.
when something need to be fix and owner don't want to repair.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Independent Contractor | $47,401 | $22.79 | 19 |
| 2 | Homes.com | $46,200 | $22.21 | 14 |
| 3 | USBestRepairs | $45,848 | $22.04 | 21 |
| 4 | Handyman Connection | $45,698 | $21.97 | 72 |
| 5 | Arrow Exterminators | $44,202 | $21.25 | 12 |
| 6 | ABCO Maintenance | $43,664 | $20.99 | 21 |
| 7 | Guardian Service Industries | $43,603 | $20.96 | 13 |
| 8 | *n/a* | $43,558 | $20.94 | 33 |
| 9 | Kellermeyer Bergensons Services | $43,366 | $20.85 | 26 |
| 10 | Opportunity International | $43,054 | $20.70 | 11 |
It takes 4 years of professional experience to become a handyman. That is the time it takes to learn specific handyman skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.
