What they do
Grind, sand, or polish, using hand tools or hand-held power tools, a variety of metal, wood, stone, clay, plastic, or glass objects. Includes chippers, buffers, and finishers.
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Also called: |
Buffer, Casting Finisher, Chipper, Finisher, Grinder, Jewelry Polisher, Knife Grinder, Metal Finisher, Polisher, Stand Grinder
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Wages
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Vermont - 2023 |
Percentile1 | Hourly | Yearly |
10% |
$ 17.06 |
$35,480 |
25% |
$ 17.52 |
$36,440 |
Median |
$ 17.52 |
$36,440 |
75% |
$ 24.81 |
$51,600 |
90% |
$ 32.23 |
$67,050 |
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Average |
$ 21.06 |
$43,810 |
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More at CareerOneStop |
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Industries of Employment
United States - 2020 |
Industry | Percent of total |
- Administrative and support services
| 30% |
- Fabricated metal product manufacturing
| 16% |
- Transportation equipment manufacturing
| 10% |
- Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing
| 7% |
- Primary metal manufacturing
| 7% |
More at BLS |
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Knowledge
People in this career often know a lot about: |
- Production and Processing
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
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- Mechanical
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
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- English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
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Skills
People in this career often have these skills: |
- Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
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- Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
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- Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
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- Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
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- Repairing
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
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Interests
People in this career often prefer these work environments: |
- Realistic
Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
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- Conventional
Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
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What are your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler |
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Work Styles
People in this career will do well at jobs that need: |
- Attention to Detail
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
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- Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
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- Integrity
Job requires being honest and ethical.
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- Independence
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
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- Stress Tolerance
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
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More at O*NET |
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Tasks
On the job, you would: |
- Verify quality of finished workpieces by inspecting them, comparing them to templates, measuring their dimensions, or testing them in working machinery.
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- Grind, sand, clean, or polish objects or parts to correct defects or to prepare surfaces for further finishing, using hand tools and power tools.
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- Measure and mark equipment, objects, or parts to ensure grinding and polishing standards are met.
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- Trim, scrape, or deburr objects or parts, using chisels, scrapers, and other hand tools and equipment.
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- Mark defects, such as knotholes, cracks, and splits, for repair.
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More at O*NET |
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Related Occupations
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Projected Employment
Projected employment not available for Vermont but may be for the nation and other states at CareerOneStop |
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Education and Experience:
- Typical education needed for entry
No formal educational credential
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- Work experience in a related occupation
None
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- Typical on-the-job training needed to attain competency
Moderate-term on-the-job training
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Based on BLS Education and Training Classifications |
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Physical Work Activity
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. |
- Physical activity is Extremely Important
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- Level of activity is Extremely High
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Low | | High |
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Compare Occupations at O*NET |
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Job Zone
Some Preparation Needed |
- Specific Vocational Preparation Range
(4.0 to < 6.0) - A typical worker will require
over 3 months up to and including 1 year
of training to achieve average performance in this occupation.
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Based on O*Net Job Zones and SVP |
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Education Level
How much education do most people in this career have? |
Education level | | Percent of U.S. Workers |
Doctoral or professional degree or post-MA certificate | | 0% |
Master's degree or post-BA certificate | | 0% |
Bachelor's degree | | 0% |
Associate's degree | | 0% |
Certificate or some college, no degree | | 36% |
High school diploma or equivalent | | 37% |
Less than high school diploma | | 27% |
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Abilities
People in this career often have talent in: |
- 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.
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- Control Precision
The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
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- Finger Dexterity
The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
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- Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
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- 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.
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More at O*NET |
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Work Activities
In general, what you might do: |
- 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.
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- Handling and Moving Objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
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- Controlling Machines and Processes
Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
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- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
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- Thinking Creatively
Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
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More at O*NET |
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Detailed Work Activities
What you might do in a day: |
- Compare physical characteristics of materials or products to specifications or standards.
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- Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
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- Clean workpieces or finished products.
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- Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products.
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- Smooth metal surfaces or edges.
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More at O*NET |
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Other Resources
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- CareerOneStop
resource for job seekers, students, businessess and career professionals
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- O*NET Online
nation's primary source of occupational information
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