How To Become A Rough Carpenter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a rough carpenter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a rough carpenter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.87 an hour? That's $41,325 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 20,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreRough CarpenterUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $41,325

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.6

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.03%

Asian 1.61%

Black or African American 7.19%

Hispanic or Latino 23.32%

Unknown 4.60%

White 62.26%

Gender

female 4.69%

male 95.31%

Age - 41

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 - 41

Stress Level

7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.3

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a rough carpenter

Explore rough carpenter education requirements

Most common rough carpenter degrees

High School Diploma

35.4 %

Bachelor's

21.7 %

Associate

19.9 %

Start to develop specific rough carpenter skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	43.20%
OSHA	15.17%
Construction Projects	10.30%
Power Saws	6.98%
Tape Measure	5.38%

Complete relevant rough carpenter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New rough carpenters 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 a rough carpenter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real rough carpenter resumes.

Research rough carpenter duties and responsibilities

Experience with an assortment of power and air tools OSHA safety standards.
Frame and insulate walls-Completed demo work-instal cabinets, flooring, and new trim-Made and finish trim-Constructed stairway
Advance knowledge of architectural millwork.

Prepare your rough carpenter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your rough carpenter 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 a rough carpenter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Rough Carpenter Resume templates

Build a professional Rough Carpenter 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 Rough Carpenter resume.

Apply for rough carpenter jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a rough carpenter 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

How Did You Land Your First Rough Carpenter Job

Ameli Amegnibo

Rough Carpenter, Best Buy

When I was little, I usually make tents for people and myself without attending the Carpentry apprenticeship so I have the idea of the work before venturing into it. After some years, I went o my brother who was a carpenter and I stayed with him for a year. After that, I friend of mine introduced me to construction manager who was looking for a rough carpenter in 2011 . By then I did not really have the experience of the work but I was employed and I was paid the salary of laborer but I didn't complain since I know I was there to learn. And after a period of year, I have acquired the basic knowledge of the carpentry trade and I left a apply for another company in 2012. This new company have a lot of works to do and we did so many works like: forming bases for pillars which will be berried before forming pillars, fixing lintels, building returning walls using panels, building deckings using peri, plywoods an stair cases. And after a year period I also joined another company called Dori construction with which I have worked for two years. After that I started working with another company called Michelitti, and after I have worked with CNQC international and Amandi investment Co.
From 2022 till date, I did no more work with construction company, I am now working on my own.

How do rough carpenters rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Rough Carpenter reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023

Cons

Some days are hot, some days are cold

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023

Pros

Seeing the finished product

Cons

I am a master carpenter. It’s hard sometimes waiting on materials to finish a job

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023

Pros

Livable wage

Cons

Travel expenses, working away from home, working in bad conditions

What is a rough carpenter and how to become one

Rough Carpenter career paths

Key steps to become a rough carpenter

Explore rough carpenter education requirements

Most common rough carpenter degrees

Start to develop specific rough carpenter skills

Complete relevant rough carpenter training and internships

Research rough carpenter duties and responsibilities

Prepare your rough carpenter resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Rough Carpenter Resume templates

Apply for rough carpenter jobs

How Did You Land Your First Rough Carpenter Job

Average rough carpenter salary

How do rough carpenters rate their job?

Rough Carpenter reviews