Sewing Machine Operators
Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.
About the profession
Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.
How to Get Started
Take a personality test to see if Sewing Machine Operators fits your profile
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Jump to Learning Path →Video
Occupation on screen: Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers (O*NET 51-6052.00). The Department of Labor publishes one film per occupation family, and this is the film it lists for Sewing Machine Operators (51-6031.00), which is how Sewing Machine Operators is classified. Closed captions in English and Spanish. CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration)
Personality Fit
Based on the Sewing Machine Operators role, here are the RIASEC personality types that tend to thrive in this career. While these alignments are common, individual success depends on motivation, skill development, and finding the right work environment.
Enterprising
Leading, persuading, business
Social
Helping, teaching, working with people
Conventional
Organizing, detail-oriented, structured
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Career Path
Your career progression roadmap with salary growth at each level
Career Ladder
Trainee Sewing Machine Operator → Technician Sewing Machine Operator → Senior Technician Sewing Machine Operator → Lead Technician Sewing Machine Operator
Where are you on this career path?
Click a level below to set your current position
Salary Growth
4
Levels
$45K
Top Salary
8+
Years
Learning Path
Skills you need to develop and courses to get there
🚀
Set your current level first
Go to the Career Path tab and select your current level to see your personalized learning plan.
Go to Career PathCareer levels
Timeline: 0-2 | Entry Level Base: $25,360 - $30,360/year With equity/bonuses: $27,896 - $36,432 Top markets (SF/NYC): $29,164 - $36,432 Execute core tasks using Monitoring under…
Skills used in this career
Click any skill to see how to learn it and what salary boost it gives
Day in Life
Junior vs Senior, daily schedule breakdown
9am, Examine and measure finished articles to verify conformance to standards, using rulers.
Income Dynamics
Conservative and aggressive scenarios for 10–15 years
Year 1: Entry level $17,752 - $27,324 Year 2-3: Junior level $30,360 - $33,592 Year 4-6: Mid level $33,592 - $36,421 Year 7-10: Senior level $36,421 - $42,378 Year 10+:…
Is this for me?
15 questions, answer honestly
You find the craft of a Sewing Machine Operator genuinely interesting, not just a paycheck You enjoy working with Monitoring and Active Listening You communicate clearly with…
💰 Salary Range
BLS OEWS, May 2023Half of U.S. workers in this occupation earn more than this, half earn less.
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Related Reading
Related Holland / RIASEC Types