Not everyone goes into college, university, high school, or technical school knowing exactly what they want to study. If a student is really lucky (or just really ahead of the game), they’ll know what they want to do after they finish their 2+ years of school.

Going to school to eventually work in manufacturing can be accomplished a number of ways—students can go straight out of high school, go to a technical or community college, or attend a four-year university. But after learning all there is to know (well, mostly) about manufacturing, what’s next?

Today, more and more manufacturers in America have become the biggest source for employment. The leading employers in relevant industries are General Electric, Toyota, and Boeing, along with many, many others.

The describes manufacturing jobs as those that create new products directly from raw materials or from components. We usually see these jobs in factories, mills, or plants. You could even stretch so far as to call bakeries or floral shops manufacturing jobs, because bakeries make pastries and florists make arrangements out of components.

But the Census Bureau breaks manufacturing jobs into different categories, all of which together can help you get a better idea of just how much career freedom you have in the manufacturing industry:

• Food, beverage, tobacco
  Transforming livestock and agriculture into products for final consumption, as well as beverage and tobacco products.
• Textiles, leather, and apparel
  Textiles and apparel industries usually deal with cutting and sewing textiles and apparels.
• Wood, paper, and printing
  Cutting wood, making paper and paper products, and printing newspapers, books, and other materials.
• Petroleum, coal, chemicals, plastics, and rubber
  Transforming crude material and coal into usable products; transforming organic and inorganic materials by a chemical process.
• Nonmetallic mineral
  Transforming mined and quarried nonmetallic materials–such as sand, gravel, and stone–into product for final use.
• Primary metal, fabricated metal, and machinery
  Transforming metal into a final product for use.
• Computer and electronics
  Manufacturing computer equipment and electronic parts.
• Electrical equipment, appliances, and components
  Manufacturing products that use or generate power.
• Transportation
  Producing equipment that transports people and goods.

No matter what you went into school thinking you’d do, or if you know for sure whether you want to work in the manufacturing field, there are plenty of jobs out there that cover a wide range of interests just within manufacturing itself.

Want to learn more about what you can do as a career when you study manufacturing-related skills? Use our website to contact a manufacturer!

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photo credit: via