Talk to your school counselor about programs and classes like woodworking that are offered at your school so you can start learning skills that will get you started in this field.

Find a class to jump-start your construction skills.

Look into training and apprenticeship programs to help you gain experience in this trade career. Check out OPCMIA or research training programs in your area.

Research cement mason apprenticeship programs.

Search online for how-to videos to see how hard this work is to master--and whether it's something you think you'd like. Does seeing this kind of work in action make you more interested in trying it?

Watch tutorials on how to do this kind of work.

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.

The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

Smooth and finish surfaces of poured concrete, such as floors, walks, sidewalks, roads, or curbs using a variety of hand and power tools. Align forms for sidewalks, curbs, or gutters; patch voids; and use saws to cut expansion joints.

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Job Zone One: Little or No Preparation Needed

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Cement Masons, Concrete Finishers, and Terrazzo Workers

Construction and Extraction Occupations

Construction Trades Workers

Check the forms that hold the concrete to see that they are properly constructed.

Set the forms that hold concrete to the desired pitch and depth, and align them.

Spread, level, and smooth concrete, using rake, shovel, hand or power trowel, hand or power screed, and float.

Monitor how the wind, heat, or cold affect the curing of the concrete throughout the entire process.

Mold expansion joints and edges, using edging tools, jointers, and straightedge.

Signal truck driver to position truck to facilitate pouring concrete, and move chute to direct concrete on forms.

Direct the casting of the concrete and supervise laborers who use shovels or special tools to spread it.

Produce rough concrete surface, using broom.

Apply hardening and sealing compounds to cure surface of concrete, and waterproof or restore surface.

Operate power vibrator to compact concrete.

Hard Dollar HD Project Estimating

Maxwell Systems Quest Estimator

National Concrete & Masonry Estimator

Tradesman's Software Master Estimator

ADAPT-Modeler

HIPERPAV

LogicSphere Firstmix

Shilstone seeMIX

Sirus GT Construction Accounting

ACT Contractors Forms

Brick jointers

Low rider power trowels

Tuck-pointing trowels

Walk-behind power trowels

Concrete floats

Rubber floats

Spreaders

Wood floats

Double-beam screeders

Roller tube finishers

Walk-behind laser screeds

Wet screeds

Center discharge floor hoppers

Collection hoppers

Round-gate concrete buckets

Slump buckets

Chain saws

Concrete saws

Multipurpose saws

Ride-on saws

Form liners

Form tubes

Steel forms

Wooden forms

D handle shovels

Long handle shovels

Round point shovels

Square point shovels

Masons levels

Spirit levels

Torpedo levels

Abrasive blades

Diamond blades

Power troweler blades

Bump cutters

Edging trowels

Groovers

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.

How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls

Continually or almost continually

More than half the time

How often does this job require working outdoors, exposed to all weather conditions?

Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions

Every day

Once a week or more but not every day

How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)?

How much does this job require making repetitive motions?

How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?

Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable

How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Extremely important

Important

To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks physically close to other people?

Very close (near touching)

Moderately close (at arm's length)

How often does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats or life-jackets?

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets

Never

How important is it to this job that the pace is determined by the speed of equipment or machinery? (This does not refer to keeping busy at all times on this job.)

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

Overview

Career

What Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers Do

Other Job Titles Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

Overview

Career

What Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers Do

Other Job Titles Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

Majors Related to Career

Related Careers

Related Leaders