Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators: Similar Median Pay, Different Work

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators: what changes?

Consider Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders if you want to set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper…. Consider Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators if you would rather laminate layers of fiberglass on molds to form boat decks and hulls, bodies for golf carts, automobiles, or other products. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders and Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

National median pay (2025): $48,250
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Dispose of hazardous waste in an appropriate manner.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 15,300

Know before you choose

The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.

See the full Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders brief

Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

National median pay (2025): $46,880
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Release air bubbles and smooth seams, using rollers.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,700

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (16,300 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators brief

How the national numbers differ

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on annual openings

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is at 15,300 annual openings, compared with 1,700 annual openings for Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators.

Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators has the edge on projected growth

Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators is at 4.6% projected growth, compared with 2.5% projected growth for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on median pay

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is at $48,250, compared with $46,880 for Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators.

53.7/ 100

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

44.6/ 100

Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

Dimension	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators
Median pay (2025)	$48,250	$46,880
Pay percentile	27.6 percentile	23.1 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	2.5%	4.6%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	15,300	1,700
2025 employment	164,800	16,300
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders brief Read Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators brief

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

How the national numbers differ

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on annual openings

Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators has the edge on projected growth

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on median pay

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

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