Air Force · 2A7X1
Your Aircraft Metals Technology experience maps to civilian jobs like Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers and Machinists—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 2A7X1, 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 Aircraft Metals Technology experience already fits, and build toward the rest.
$48,940/yr mediantypical $37k–$73k~422K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.
Why it fits: A direct Department of Labor match—your Aircraft Metals Technology work maps straight onto the manufacturing & production side of this role.
$50,840/yr mediantypical $37k–$76k~291K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal.
Why it fits: A direct Department of Labor match—your Aircraft Metals Technology work maps straight onto the manufacturing & production side of this role.
$45,350/yr mediantypical $35k–$63k~33K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Set up, operate, or tend welding, soldering, or brazing machines or robots that weld, braze, solder, or heat treat metal products, components, or assemblies.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Metals Technology occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
$48,480/yr mediantypical $36k–$67k~58K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Metals Technology occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
$71,140/yr mediantypical $50k–$102k~11K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Metals Technology occupations on the construction & skilled trades side—a natural next step.
$61,240/yr mediantypical $40k–$93k~30K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Assemble, fit, fasten, and install parts of airplanes, space vehicles, or missiles, such as tails, wings, fuselage, bulkheads, stabilizers, landing gear, rigging and control equipment, or heating…
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Metals Technology occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
$50,270/yr mediantypical $36k–$72k~48K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Construct, assemble, or rebuild machines, such as engines, turbines, and similar equipment used in such industries as construction, extraction, textiles, and paper manufacturing.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Metals Technology occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Assemble or modify electrical or electronic equipment, such as computers, test equipment telemetering systems, electric motors, and batteries.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Metals Technology 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 Aircraft Metals Technology experience into evidence a civilian hiring manager can act on.
List the systems, vehicles, equipment, and tools you personally operated as Aircraft Metals Technology—plus qualifications, certifications, and the recurring high-stakes tasks you owned.
Airmen 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 “2A7X1.” Search job boards by the equipment, skills, and outcomes above as much as by “Aircraft Metals Technology.”
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.
Registered apprenticeships in the skilled trades—your discipline is the prerequisite.
Maintenance, logistics, and operations pathways that actively recruit veterans.
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.