For veterans, transitioning service members, Guard and Reserve
From military service to a skilled trade, with the numbers to back it up
Plain-English career guides built on federal data: what each trade pays at every level, where the jobs are, which military jobs map over, and how the GI Bill pays you while you train.
Career guides
Each guide uses BLS May 2025 wage data, the BLS 2025–35 projections, and the O*NET military crosswalk[1][2]. Every page is written around the question that matters most for that trade.
Electrician
$63,190 median, May 2025Apprenticeship credit for military electrical work, and the license ladder.
HVAC technician
$61,010 median, May 2025The fastest projected growth of the trades we track, and the EPA refrigerant card.
Welder
$53,750 median, May 2025A narrow pay band, and how welders move up by changing the kind of work.
Plumber and pipefitter
$63,800 median, May 2025A license ladder where most training is paid on the job.
Electrical lineworker
$95,320 median, May 2025The highest median pay we track, behind physical tests and a CDL.
Twelve trades at a glance
We track national data for twelve trades that veterans commonly move into. Five have full guides so far; the others are shown here for comparison. Pay is for wage-and-salary workers[1]. Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35.
| Trade | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Growth 2025–35 | Openings / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | $42,640 | $63,190 | $108,510 | 9% | 72,700 |
| HVAC technician | $40,050 | $61,010 | $95,210 | 11% | 40,600 |
| Welder | $39,240 | $53,750 | $77,530 | 2% | 40,300 |
| Plumber and pipefitter | $44,150 | $63,800 | $108,420 | 7% | 42,000 |
| CDL truck driver | $40,140 | $58,640 | $79,380 | 4% | 214,500 |
| Diesel mechanic | $44,530 | $61,770 | $88,740 | 4% | 24,400 |
| Aircraft mechanic | $48,780 | $79,870 | $128,890 | 6% | 13,100 |
| Heavy equipment operator | $42,190 | $59,850 | $101,090 | 4% | 42,500 |
| Carpenter | $40,410 | $60,580 | $99,910 | 4% | 62,800 |
| Ironworker | $44,580 | $62,780 | $108,260 | 1% | 6,800 |
| Brickmason and blockmason | $44,820 | $62,120 | $100,010 | 1% | 18,400 |
| Electrical lineworker | $51,470 | $95,320 | $128,690 | 10% | 10,900 |
Wages from BLS OEWS May 2025. Projections from each trade's BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile. The masonry projection covers BLS's wider masonry-workers group, and the ironworker and masonry figures were read from indexed copies of BLS pages; see methodology. Truck drivers: for GI Bill-approved CDL training, see our sister site Veteran Trade Schools.
Getting paid while you learn
Two programs do most of the work. In your last 180 days of service, SkillBridge can let you train with a civilian employer while the military keeps paying you[3]. After you separate, a VA-approved apprenticeship or on-the-job training program can pay you a GI Bill housing payment on top of your wage[4]. Our GI Bill and SkillBridge guide explains both.
Sources
- BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national file (oesm25nat.zip). https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm
- O*NET OnLine, Military Crosswalk Search (DMDC MOC crosswalk plus O*NET supplements). https://www.onetonline.org/crosswalk/MOC
- Department of War SkillBridge, Program Overview. https://skillbridge.osd.mil/programoverview
- VA, On-the-job training and apprenticeships (last updated Feb 4, 2025). https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-use-benefits/on-the-job-training-apprenticeships/
Retrieved and checked October 30, 2026. Figures are reproduced as published; where we did arithmetic (ranges, ratios, shares), the inputs are the cited figures.