How To Become An Instrument Maker: What It Is and Career Path

What is an instrument maker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an instrument maker. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.05 an hour? That's $41,702 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 3,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreInstrument MakerUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $41,702

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.8

Growth Rate 1%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 6.30%

Black or African American 3.94%

Hispanic or Latino 14.58%

Unknown 3.73%

White 70.94%

Gender

female 10.95%

male 89.05%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress Level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.3

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.7

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an instrument maker

Explore instrument maker education requirements

Most common instrument maker degrees

Bachelor's

37.3 %

Associate

25.5 %

High School Diploma

13.7 %

Start to develop specific instrument maker skills

Skills	Percentages
CNC	17.52%
Brazing	10.60%
CAD	9.35%
Grinders	8.75%
Calipers	7.16%

Complete relevant instrument maker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New instrument makers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an instrument maker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real instrument maker resumes.

Research instrument maker duties and responsibilities

Mount DCS and PLC cabinets and familiar with there systems.
Work safely along with all proper ppe, and with NEC, nfpa 70e, and osha standards.
Loop checking and control logic simulation from DCS panel to field instruments.
Perform instrument quality checks using gauges, micrometers, calipers, and other measuring equipment.

Prepare your instrument maker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your instrument maker resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an instrument maker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Instrument Maker Resume templates

Build a professional Instrument Maker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Instrument Maker resume.

Apply for instrument maker jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an instrument maker job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams