Career Advice on How to Become a Drywall InstallerGeneral Career Information |
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Nothing says a good time like hanging a bunch of heavy drywall. If you are interested in learning how many real friends you have, just tell them you have to move and need help carrying boxes. Or better yet, tell them that you need them to help you hang drywall. Believe it or not, working with drywall isn’t most people’s idea of a good time. Yes, it is shocking, but carrying around sections of a wall and trying to fit them perfectly into place isn’t viewed by most people as a “great way to spend a Saturday,” or any other day.
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Career Facts: |
Most drywall installers learn their trade on the job and usually begin as helpers, which, not surprisingly, means carrying all that fun and delightful drywall. If you don’t like the idea of hauling around, lifting and holding heavy pieces of wall in place, this might not be the job for you. Of course, that is only one aspect of being a drywall installer. Drywall installers are also used to fit different sections of drywall together and fill the gaps with a joint compound. Like all construction jobs, drywall installers are vulnerable to downturns in the economy or housing sector. |
Career Opportunities and Job Outlook-Fair: |
| The typical drywall installer can expect to earn about $18 per hour, and the job growth in the field could be considered average at seven percent. In 2006, there were 240,000 drywall installers. In 2016, that number is expected to increase to about 258,000. |
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A Day in The Life: |
| They might try and sell you on the glamour and glitzy side of the drywall game, but don’t fall for it! A day in the life of a drywall installer usually means showing up at a construction site for a day of serious physical labor. Drywall doesn’t magically transport itself, which means that drywall installers and would-be drywall installers have to carry their needed drywall into place. After that the drywall is cut to fit the space needed and is fixed into place. A joint compound is placed between the drywall sections and this process is repeated thousands of times throughout one’s career. But it’s not as exciting as it may seem. |
Average Salary: |
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While the average drywall installer can earn $18 per hour, the top-ten percent worker can earn up to $31 per hour. Be warned, however, this is not a job for those with a weak back. The average drywall installer works their body fairly hard.
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$36k - $60k |
Career Training and Qualifications: |
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Training can begin while in high school and apprenticeships are common. Most drywall installers learn the trade while on the job working for contractors.
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