Painter
Apply coatings and finishes to protect and beautify interior and exterior surfaces
About the profession
Painters apply paint, stain, and coatings to buildings, bridges, and other structures. They prepare surfaces, mix colors, and apply finishes for both protection and aesthetics. While entry barriers are low, skilled painters who master specialty finishes, commercial painting, and business operations can earn strong incomes as contractors.
How to Get Started
Take a personality test to see if Painter fits your profile
Career Match Test →Explore the Career Path section to see progression from junior to senior
Jump to Career Path →Start learning — check the Learning Path for free courses
Jump to Learning Path →Personality Fit
Based on the Painter 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
Not sure if these types match you? Take the full RIASEC assessment (12-15 min) to discover your personality profile and see how it aligns with hundreds of careers.
Career Path
Your career progression roadmap with salary growth at each level
Career Ladder
Apprentice Painter → Painter → Senior Painter → Painting Foreman → Painting Contractor
Where are you on this career path?
Click a level below to set your current position
Salary Growth
5
Levels
100K
Top Salary
10+
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
Base: $28,000 - $34,000/year Base: $34,000 - $42,000/year Base: $42,000 - $52,000/year Base: $52,000 - $65,000/year Base: $65,000 - $100,000/year
Skills used in this career
Click any skill to see how to learn it and what salary boost it gives
Learning Path 0 → Junior
Step-by-step plan from zero to first job
Enter painting apprenticeship or on-the-job training Learn surface preparation, primer application, and coating systems Develop safety practices and equipment operation skills…
Market 2026–2030
Trends, AI impact, prospects
Growth Rate: Below average through 2030 Remote Trend: Primarily on-site Top Industries: Painting contractors, construction, property management Geographic Hotspots: All regions,…
💰 Salary Range
BLS OEWS, May 2023Half of U.S. workers in this occupation earn more than this, half earn less.
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Create Free AccountPersonality types that fit this career
Based on career-match data from our Result Library:
The % is JobCannon’s editorial fit rating (0-100) for how well a result suits this career — not a statistical prediction. How we rate each test’s validity →
🎯 Is Painter right for you?
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Related Reading
Related Holland / RIASEC Types