How To Become An Ironworker-Machine Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is an ironworker-machine operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an ironworker-machine operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.7 an hour? That's $30,566 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreIronworker-Machine OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,566

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.5

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 1.68%

Black or African American 7.93%

Hispanic or Latino 13.41%

Unknown 4.36%

White 71.84%

Gender

female 3.03%

male 96.97%

Age - 48

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 - 48

Stress level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an ironworker-machine operator

Explore ironworker-machine operator education requirements

Most common ironworker-machine operator degrees

High School Diploma

40.0 %

Associate

40.0 %

Diploma

10.0 %

Start to develop specific ironworker-machine operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	85.13%
Cranes	14.87%

Complete relevant ironworker-machine operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New ironworker-machine operators 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 an ironworker-machine operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real ironworker-machine operator resumes.

Research ironworker-machine operator duties and responsibilities

Work with assort cranes from 40 ton to 120 ton.
Program, operate, and trainer on CNC base machines (i.e.
Record statistics on ISO documentation, and coordinate with machine technicians and electrical technicians to keep machines operating at maximum efficiency.
Move completed product via forklift to warehouse.

Prepare your ironworker-machine operator resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable ironworker-machine operator resume templates

Build a professional ironworker-machine operator 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 ironworker-machine operator resume.