Blacksmith
⚒️Forges metal by hand and under a power hammer: decorative railings, knives, ornaments, parts for restoration. Forge, anvil and a lot of physical work.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $49.8k a year on average
Miscellaneous metal workers & plastic workers, including multiple machine tool setters — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £36.7k median a year
Metal plate workers, smiths, moulders and related occupations — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
Industrial forging has long been automated, but artistic hand forging is a craft AI won't replace; the niche is narrow but alive.
Who it suits
Interests: 🔧 Making things by hand, 🎨 Drawing and design, ⚙️ Tech and engineering.
Key strengths: manual dexterity, strength and stamina, artistic taste.
Where to study
- Apprenticeship Metallbauer/in, Fachrichtung Metallgestaltung (Ausbildung, DE)
- Vocational FdA/BA Artist Blacksmithing (Hereford College of Arts, UK)
- Course Blacksmithing courses at craft schools and guilds (US/UK)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): Art & Design, PE.
🧗 Apprenticeship with a smith or a German Ausbildung in metal design; the UK has Artist Blacksmithing at Hereford. In the US, craft school courses. Usually self-employed, working to commission.
Things to know
🛢️ Dirt, noise, smells⚠️ Real danger to life
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