Once you become a journeyman plumber and you are not satisfied with this level of education and this title, you can proceed to advance your knowledge and skills by becoming a master plumber.
You can become a master plumber only if your skills, experience, and expertise exceed that of a journeyman plumber.
Master plumbers are individuals who have usually completed apprenticeships or college postsecondary training programs related to plumbing, and their further training and experience usually earn them the title of master.
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Essential Information
Master plumbers are actually journeyman plumbers who have continued their advancement in terms of skills and knowledge.
They achieved a master title after a period of classroom and on-the-job training and only once they passed their state’s master plumber’s examination.
Besides having completed a basic plumbing training program, they are also supposed to go through a union apprenticeship, or through a certificate or associate’s degree program.
Once they gain experience, they are allowed to take the journeyman plumber’s examination and begin gaining the knowledge and experience needed to qualify for the master plumber examination.
Plumber’s training involves the following courses: building codes, blueprint reading, safety, and physics, which are combined with extensive on-the-job practice.
Education Requirements for a Career as a Master Plumber
In the majority of cases, master plumbers begin their careers as apprentices.
They can start an apprenticeship either through a plumbers’ union apprenticeship program that includes classroom work, or they sometimes enroll in a community college certificate program or an associate degree program in plumbing and heating, plumbing technology, or a related field.
Some of the things they learn during the apprenticeship and education at schools are how to read and draft blueprints, basic physics and chemistry, workplace safety, and building codes.
They are required to have hands-on work during which they learn how to identify tools and materials, installation, maintenance, servicing components, and repairing water pipes.
The completion of their chosen program is not the end of their education.
Actually, they need to have several years of supervised work experience before plumbers are allowed to sit for their state’s required journeyman plumber licensing exam.
This is not the moment where their education finishes, as master plumbers are supposed to have additional on-the-job experience under the direction of a master plumber and additional classroom learning so that they can sit for the master plumber exam.
There are even some states that require continuing education for master plumbers, usually on new codes and regulations or energy efficiency.
Master Plumber Career Overview
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters can expect a 14% increase in job prospects due to new construction, renovation, or maintenance of existing structures and the increased use of energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly plumbing materials.
When their salary is in question, plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters currently earn an average annual salary of $58,150 according to the BLS.
Furthermore, master plumbers, who have typically worked as plumbers for a number of years and, through a combination of experience, formal schooling, and state licensure, know more than a journeyman plumber about the business, can always expect to earn more and can even start their own businesses so as to have even greater income.
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