Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair. Duties may involve pipe fitting; HVAC maintenance; insulating; welding; machining; carpentry; repairing electrical or mechanical equipment; installing, aligning, and balancing new equipment; and repairing buildings, floors, or stairs.

What you'd actually do

• Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
• Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.
• Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges.
• Repair machines, equipment, or structures, using tools such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, wrenches, or equipment such as precision measuring instruments or electrical or electronic testing devices.
• Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers.
• Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the work happens outdoors; you're around people constantly. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 1.1% of maintenance and repair workers, general are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.

Related careers

• Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers
• Industrial Machinery Mechanics
• Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
• Millwrights
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
• Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

Quick questions

How much does a maintenance and repair workers, general make?

The median pay is $23.84 per hour — roughly $49,500 a year, with the real range running from about $17.00/hr (10th percentile) to $37.11/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a maintenance and repair workers, general?

The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

What does a maintenance and repair workers, general actually do all day?

Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions. Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions. Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges.