Where a plumber can go next
12 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role a plumber already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.
Plumbers maintain and install water, gas and sewage systems. They inspect pipes and fixtures on a regular basis or make repairs as needed. They bend, cut, and install pipes. They test systems and make adjustments safely and following regulations. They place sanitary equipment.
Also known as domestic plumber, pipe worker, pipeworker, gasfitter, plummer, gas fitter, plumbber, plumbeer, commercial plumber.
Craft and related trades workers 43 skills on file 12 career moves 2 above 60% overlap Closest: plumbing supervisor, 63%
- 70% and above · short step
- 50 to 70% · real move
- Below 50% · substantial retraining
Table 1 · Within reach
- plumbing supervisor 63% covered · difficulty 42.8
- irrigation system installer 60% covered · difficulty 43
- kitchen unit installer 59% covered · difficulty 48.8
- sprinkler fitter 57% covered · difficulty 46.8
- bathroom fitter 57% covered · difficulty 52.9
- paperhanger 52% covered · difficulty 50.3
- ceiling installer 52% covered · difficulty 52.5
- carpet fitter 51% covered · difficulty 53.9
- resilient floor layer 50% covered · difficulty 52.7
- construction painter 50% covered · difficulty 54.6
Table 2 · A bigger jump
Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.
Table 3 · What the job itself asks for
A plumber needs 21 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.
- place sanitary equipment constructing
- clear out drains handling and moving
- replace faucets constructing
- attach PEX pipe constructing
- types of piping engineering, manufacturing and construction
- check water pressure working with machinery and specialised equipment
- prepare copper gas-lines pipes constructing
- install metal gas piping constructing
- plumbing tools engineering, manufacturing and construction
- install PVC piping constructing
Table 4 · Jobs that lead here
The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what a plumber does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.
Look up another occupation
Plumber is filed under Craft and related trades workers, ISCO major group 7. The full index lists all ten groups.
How these figures were compiled
Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of a plumber’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.