Industrial Machinery Mechanics
Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems. May also install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans.
- Median pay
- $64,520
- Doing it now
- 446,900
- By 2035
- Up 17.8%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
a year
across the country
44,400 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Disassemble machinery or equipment to remove parts and make repairs.
- Repair or replace broken or malfunctioning components of machinery or equipment.
- Repair or maintain the operating condition of industrial production or processing machinery or equipment.
- Examine parts for defects, such as breakage or excessive wear.
- Reassemble equipment after completion of inspections, testing, or repairs.
- Observe and test the operation of machinery or equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using voltmeters or other testing devices.
- Operate newly repaired machinery or equipment to verify the adequacy of repairs.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/TechniciansSee 2 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $64,520 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.