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Brick, block & stone
Mason
Building things that outlast everyone who built them.
Typical pay
$45k-$90k
How you get in
3-4 year apprenticeship
Outlook
Steady; aging workforce and few entrants
Masons lay brick, block and stone for structures and hardscape. It is old, precise, heavy craft work where the finished wall is judged for decades and speed only counts if the line is true.
A day in the life
- 6:00aSet up scaffolding, mix the first mud
- 7:00aRun the line, lay the lead corners
- 10:00aFill the courses, keep the tender loaded
- 12:00pLunch
- 12:30pTool the joints before the mortar sets
- 3:30pClean tools, cover the wall if rain is coming
How to get in
Union apprenticeship
Duration
3-4 years
Cost
$0 — paid while you train
Credential
Journeyman mason
- Apply to a bricklayers local when they open applications
- Work as an apprentice while attending classes
- Learn brick, block and eventually stone
- Finish with a journeyman card and benefits
Tender to mason
Duration
2-4 years
Cost
$0
Credential
None — the wall is the credential
- Start as a tender mixing mud and stocking material
- Watch the line and practice on your own time
- Take a trowel when a mason lets you
- Prove speed and accuracy to move onto the wall full time
Restoration and historic specialty
Duration
2-5 years after journeyman
Cost
$500-$5,000 in specialty training
Credential
Journeyman plus historic preservation training
- Master standard brick and block first
- Learn lime mortar and historic pointing techniques
- Work with preservation contractors on landmark buildings
- A small, well-paid niche with very little competition
What people love
- · Genuine craft with visible permanence
- · Strong union scale in many regions
- · Restoration work is specialized and well paid
- · Fewer young masons means leverage
What wears people down
- · Heaviest sustained lifting in the trades
- · Weather dependent — mortar will not cure in the cold
- · Hard on hands, back and knees
- · Seasonal layoffs in cold climates