Career profile for Carpenter Assistant

What does a Carpenter Assistant do?

Carpenter Assistants help carpenters by performing duties requiring less skill.

In addition, Carpenter Assistants duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.

What kind of tasks does a Carpenter Assistant perform regularly?

Carpenter Assistants are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Clean work areas, machines, or equipment, to maintain a clean and safe job site.
Fasten timbers or lumber with glue, screws, pegs, or nails and install hardware.
Perform tie spacing layout and measure, mark, drill or cut.
Select tools, equipment, or materials from storage and transport items to work site.
Drill holes in timbers or lumber.
Cut timbers, lumber, or paneling to specified dimensions.
Position and hold timbers, lumber, or paneling in place for fastening or cutting.
Align, straighten, plumb, or square forms for installation.
Hold plumb bobs, sighting rods, or other equipment to aid in establishing reference points and lines.
Erect scaffolding, shoring, or braces.
Install handrails under the direction of a carpenter.
Construct forms and assist in raising them to the required elevation.
Glue and clamp edges or joints of assembled parts.
Smooth or sand surfaces to remove ridges, tool marks, glue, or caulking.
Secure stakes to grids for constructions of footings, nail scabs to footing forms, and vibrate and float concrete.
Cut and install insulating or sound-absorbing material.

The above responsibilities are specific to Carpenter Assistants. More generally, Carpenter Assistants are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Performing General Physical Activities		Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
Handling and Moving Objects		Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials		Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems		Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Performing General Physical Activities

Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Handling and Moving Objects

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

What is a Carpenter Assistant salary?

The median salary for a Carpenter Assistant is $34,280, and the average salary is $35,360. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Carpenter Assistant salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Carpenter Assistants earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Carpenter Assistants earn less than $23,850 per year, 25% earn less than $28,290, 75% earn less than $40,490, and 90% earn less than $49,950.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Carpenter Assistants is expected to change by 0.6%, and there should be roughly 3,700 open positions for Carpenter Assistants every year.

Median annual salary: $34,280
Typical salary range: $23,850 - $49,950
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 0.6%

What personality traits are common among Carpenter Assistants?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Carpenter Assistant are usually higher in their Realistic and Conventional interests.

Carpenter Assistants typically have very strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Also, Carpenter Assistants typically have moderate Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Carpenter Assistant tend to value Relationships, Support, and Independence.

Most importantly, Carpenter Assistants moderately value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, Carpenter Assistants moderately value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Lastly, Carpenter Assistants somewhat value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Carpenter Assistants must consistently demonstrate qualities such as initiative, cooperation, and attention to detail.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Carpenter Assistants, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Initiative		Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Cooperation		Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Persistence		Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Innovation		Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

Initiative

Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Cooperation

Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Persistence

Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

Innovation

Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

What education and training do Carpenter Assistants need?

Working as a Carpenter Assistant usually requires a high school diploma.

Carpenter Assistants need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Carpenter Assistants

34.3% did not complete high school or secondary school
38.8% completed high school or secondary school
16.6% completed some college coursework
4.1% earned a Associate's degree
5.0% earned a Bachelor's degree
1.0% earned a Master's degree
0.1% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Carpenter Assistants

Carpenter Assistants may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as building and construction, mechanical, or mathematics knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Carpenter Assistants might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Building and Construction		Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Mechanical		Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Mathematics		Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Transportation		Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Building and Construction

Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

Mechanical

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Mathematics

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Transportation

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Important Abilities needed by Carpenter Assistants

Carpenter Assistants must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Carpenter Assistants need abilities such as near vision, arm-hand steadiness, and manual dexterity in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Carpenter Assistants, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Near Vision		The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Arm-Hand Steadiness		The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Manual Dexterity		The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Problem Sensitivity		The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Multilimb Coordination		The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.

Near Vision

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Arm-Hand Steadiness

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Manual Dexterity

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Multilimb Coordination

The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.

Critical Skills needed by Carpenter Assistants

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Carpenter Assistants frequently use skills like active listening, speaking, and critical thinking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Carpenter Assistants, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring		Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness		Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Social Perceptiveness

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Carpenter Assistant

Carpenter Assistant

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