Army · 12G
Your Quarrying Specialist experience maps to civilian jobs like Rock Splitters, Quarry—and well beyond. Explore the specific roles below, see what each pays and requires, and build from there.
These are the civilian jobs the U.S. Department of Labor maps to 12G, plus the roles most closely related to them—ordered from the closest match. Think of them as a floor, not a ceiling: see what each role involves and pays, start where your Quarrying Specialist experience already fits, and build toward the rest.
$46,530/yr mediantypical $32k–$64k~4K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Little prep — a few days to a few months of training
Separate blocks of rough dimension stone from quarry mass using jackhammers, wedges, or chop saws.
Why it fits: A direct Department of Labor match—your Quarrying Specialist work maps straight onto the construction & skilled trades side of this role.
$43,310/yr mediantypical $33k–$60k~38K U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Cut or carve stone according to diagrams and patterns.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Quarrying Specialist occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
$61,770/yr mediantypical $40k–$90k~12K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Set up or operate a variety of drills to remove underground oil and gas, or remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Quarrying Specialist occupations on the construction & skilled trades side—a natural next step.
$44,300/yr mediantypical $33k–$61k~12K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Make or form wax or sand cores or molds used in the production of metal castings in foundries.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Quarrying Specialist occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
$38,000/yr mediantypical $29k–$52k~44K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Set up, operate, or tend wood sawing machines. May operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment. Includes lead sawyers.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Quarrying Specialist occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
$56,660/yr mediantypical $41k–$82k~18K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap subsurface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the…
Why it fits: Closely related to your Quarrying Specialist occupations on the construction & skilled trades side—a natural next step.
$37,040/yr mediantypical $29k–$54k~7K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Little prep — a few days to a few months of training
Use hand tools or hand-held power tools to cut and trim a variety of manufactured items, such as carpet, fabric, stone, glass, or rubber.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Quarrying Specialist occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
Source: O*NET / DMDC Military Crosswalk and O*NET related-occupations data, August 2024. Pay is BLS OEWS (May 2023).
Use the level that reflects what you actually did—not rank alone. Two people with the same code and very different experience should not submit the same résumé.
Lead with hands-on tasks, tools, equipment, qualifications, safety discipline, and the conditions in which you performed. Do not inflate supervisory scope.
Add team leadership, training, inspections, work allocation, quality control, readiness, and the people or assets you directly supervised.
Emphasize multi-team operations, schedules, resource forecasting, safety systems, policy enforcement, advising leaders, and organization-level results.
A translated title isn't enough. These four moves turn Quarrying Specialist experience into evidence a civilian hiring manager can act on.
List the systems, vehicles, equipment, and tools you personally operated as Quarrying Specialist—plus qualifications, certifications, and the recurring high-stakes tasks you owned.
Soldiers led, dollar value of equipment you were accountable for, workload, readiness rates, and safety or quality outcomes. Scope beats adjectives.
For any target role, name the license, degree, or software it requires and start now—your GI Bill and credentialing assistance can cover most of it.
Recruiters rarely search “12G.” Search job boards by the equipment, skills, and outcomes above as much as by “Quarrying Specialist.”
You don't have to make this jump alone. These programs exist specifically to move service members into civilian careers—most are free, and several pay you while you train.
Train or intern with a civilian employer during your last ~180 days on active duty—at full military pay.
Earn a paycheck while you train for a trade or technical role; USMAP can credit the military training you already have.
Corporate fellowships and hiring events that place transitioning service members and military spouses.
Free career training and nationally recognized certifications for service members, veterans, and spouses.
VA-funded high-tech training (IT, cyber, data, software) that does not touch your GI Bill entitlement.
Free local career centers plus certification and state-by-state license finders for any field.
Free placement into registered apprenticeships across the building and construction trades.
How to use this: Treat these as targets, not limits. Your exact duties depend on your assignments, so lead with what you actually did—and remember that regulated careers require their own license, certification, or degree.