| Important Core Job Duties (in order of importance) For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 97 (%) | Description: Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods. |
| Importance: 97 (%) | Description: Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage. |
| Importance: 91 (%) | Description: Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work. |
| Importance: 80 (%) | Description: Clean contaminated equipment or areas for reuse, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners. |
| Importance: 76 (%) | Description: Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers. |
| Importance: 74 (%) | Description: Record numbers of containers stored at disposal sites, specifying amounts or types of equipment or waste disposed. |
| Importance: 74 (%) | Description: Load or unload materials into containers or onto trucks, using hoists or forklifts. |
| Importance: 73 (%) | Description: Operate machines or equipment to remove, package, store, or transport loads of waste materials. |
| Importance: 72 (%) | Description: Clean mold-contaminated sites by removing damaged porous materials or thoroughly cleaning all contaminated nonporous materials. |
| Importance: 68 (%) | Description: Sort specialized hazardous waste at landfills or disposal centers, following proper disposal procedures. |
Associate Degree Careers and Jobs
Explore Careers and Jobs Predominantly Filled by Those with an Associate's Degree or Less - All On One Page.
Sorted by median annual U.S. salary and including percentage of job holders with Associate's Degree or less.
An associate's degree can open doors to skilled technical, healthcare, and business support roles without the time commitment of a four-year degree. For people who want a faster, more affordable path into a stable career. Compare careers ranked by salary, review degree-holder and experience percentages, and access preparation resources for each role.
Here is a short Helper Video 
.
This page will take you through 4 steps, relative to an Associate's Degree, to (1) Select a career, (2) Find active job listings, (3) Prepare for the career you chose, and (4) Provide web resources specific to the career you chose.
Step 1: Select a Career: You will be presented with a listing of Associate's Degree careers. The list may be quite long. There are two ways you might like to use this list:
1) Filter - As you enter a word, you will filter (limit) the list of careers below
2) Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply browse the list of careers. There may be many that you might never have considered. This may help you to discover careers that might be of interest.
Once you have identified a career of interest, simply click on it.
Step 2: Find a Job: After you have selected a career/job title above, you will see a form asking for your location. You will see several radio selection choices to utilize the job search site of your choice.
Step 3: Prepare For a Career: In this section you will gain access to detailed information to help you prepare for the career you selected. Information includes core and supplemental duties, general and specific work activities, knowledge required, essential and transferable skills required, day-in-the-life summaries, knowledge required, software skills required, preparation required, educational requirements, training and work experience required, local salary information, certifications, professional associations, current job listings for the job selected along with multiple similar job titles, and related careers (related to what they do, what they know, and what they're called).
Step 4: Career-Specific Resources (detailed and constantly updated): Continue to scroll down the page and you will find tabs that will provide detailed (updated) links to occupational information specific to the career you selected. This information includes:
Videos: Provides a listing of video links related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes: Sources for resume materials and techniques. This can help to get you started.
Job Description: Sources that provide job descriptions, which are vital to resume and interview preparation.
Interviews: Provides links that can help you to prepare for and successfully complete the job interview.
Step by Step: Provides links to resources that can help to organize the career search process.
LinkedIn: One of the best professional social media sites that provides links, opportunities, and networking specifically for careers and career development.
Step 1 of 4: Select a Career
Leading Books About Associate Degree Jobs
What jobs can you get with an Associate's Degree? Scroll through the picklist (below). These are careers related to the Associate's Degree level, with at least 30% of job holders having an Associate's Degree. - 484 specific careers are listed, with matching jobs currently available. Select those careers that may be of interest - you will then get links to matching active job listings, and detailed resources to help you prepare.
You can use this form two ways:
1) Enter a Keyword - As you enter a keyword, you will filter (limit) the listing to those careers that contain the keyword entered
2) Browse the list (Don't enter a keyword) - You can simply browse the list of careers. There may be many that you might never have considered. This may help you to discover jobs that might be of interest.
OR - leave blank and scroll through the choices:
Select a Job Title - Sorted by Annual Salary -(scroll and Select) :
Legend: Career Title Link / (% having Associate's Degree or less) / (Median Annual U.S. Salary)
Step 2 of 4: Find a Job
Job Listings for: Hazardous Materials Removal Workers.
Step 3 of 4: Prepare For a Career
Prepare for the "Hazardous Materials Removal Workers" Career
The details below will provide a pathway to your specific job goal and help you to identify an appropriate career ladder.
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
Description: Identify, remove, pack, transport, or dispose of hazardous materials, including asbestos, lead-based paint, waste oil, fuel, transmission fluid, radioactive materials, or contaminated soil. Specialized training and certification in hazardous materials handling or a confined entry permit are generally required. May operate earth-moving equipment or trucks.
Please click on a section below to expand and see detailed occupational information related to "Hazardous Materials Removal Workers":
U.S. Total Employment (2023):
44,500U.S. Total Employment (2033 est.):
47,400
Employment Change (2023-2033 est.):
2,900 (6.6%) Average Annual Job Openings (2023-2033 est.):
5,800
Core Duties
Supplemental Duties
| Important Supplemental Job Duties (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Process e-waste, such as computer components containing lead or mercury. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Remove or limit contamination following emergencies involving hazardous substances. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices. |
| Importance: 56 (%) | Description: Drive trucks or other heavy equipment to convey contaminated waste to designated sea or ground locations. |
| Importance: 55 (%) | Description: Identify or separate waste products or materials for recycling or reuse. |
| Importance: 43 (%) | Description: Organize or track the locations of hazardous items in landfills. |
| Importance: 36 (%) | Description: Apply bioremediation techniques to hazardous wastes to allow naturally occurring bacteria to break down toxic substances. |
| Importance: 30 (%) | Description: Operate cranes to move or load baskets, casks, or canisters. |
| Importance: 26 (%) | Description: Mix or pour concrete into forms to encase waste material for disposal. |
Work Activities
| Important General Work Activities (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 82 (%) | Description: Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Importance: 76 (%) | Description: Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
| Importance: 75 (%) | Description: Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| Importance: 74 (%) | Description: Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
| Importance: 72 (%) | Description: Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. |
| Importance: 72 (%) | Description: Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: Performing General Physical Activities: 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. |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks. |
| Importance: 63 (%) | Description: Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. |
| Importance: 62 (%) | Description: Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others. |
Specific Work Activities
| Important Specific Work Activities
How can you begin to build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. Specific Work Activities appear below: |
|
| Apply new technologies to improve work processes. | |
| Assemble temporary equipment or structures. | |
| Decontaminate equipment or sites to remove hazardous or toxic substances. | |
| Drive trucks or truck-mounted equipment. | |
| Inspect work sites to identify potential environmental or safety hazards. | |
| Load or unload materials used in construction or extraction. | |
| Mix substances or compounds needed for work activities. | |
| Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment. | |
| Pour materials into or on designated areas. | |
| Prepare hazardous waste for processing or disposal. | |
| Record operational or environmental data. | |
Knowledge Required
| Knowledge Required (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 76 (%) | Description: Public Safety and Security: 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. |
| Importance: 75 (%) | Description: Customer and Personal Service: 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. |
| Importance: 71 (%) | Description: Administration and Management: 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. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Education and Training: Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Transportation: Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits. |
| Importance: 63 (%) | Description: Chemistry: Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods. |
| Importance: 62 (%) | Description: Law and Government: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Mechanical: Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance. |
| Importance: 60 (%) | Description: Administrative: Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology. |
| Importance: 60 (%) | Description: Building and Construction: Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads. |
| Importance: 59 (%) | Description: Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. |
Essential Skills
| Essential Skills (in order of importance)
These are the foundational skills most central to success in this occupation. For the Top 5 most important, how can you begin building experience and confidence using these skills now? |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 58 (%) | Description: Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. |
| Importance: 54 (%) | Description: Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems. |
| Importance: 52 (%) | Description: Active Listening: 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. |
Day-in-the-Life Summaries
| Day-in-the-Life Summaries These summaries show the main types of activities you are likely to perform on a regular basis in this occupation. How can you imagine your typical workday — using these examples to see if this type of work fits you? |
| Activity: Build structures. |
| Activity: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas. |
| Activity: Implement procedures or processes. |
| Activity: Inspect facilities or equipment. |
| Activity: Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing. |
| Activity: Maintain operational records. |
| Activity: Operate lifting or moving equipment. |
| Activity: Operate transportation equipment or vehicles. |
| Activity: Perform general construction or extraction activities. |
| Activity: Prepare industrial materials for processing or use. |
| Activity: Prepare mixtures or solutions. |
Software Skills
|
Software Skills These are examples of software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized from most to least important for your career preparation. How can you start learning or practicing the highest-priority tools so that you feel confident using them on the job? |
| Emerging Tech Skills |
| Electronic mail software: |
| Microsoft Outlook |
| Enterprise application integration software: |
| Jenkins CI |
| Enterprise resource planning ERP software: |
| SAP software |
| Office suite software: |
| Microsoft Office software |
| Presentation software: |
| Microsoft PowerPoint |
| Spreadsheet software: |
| Microsoft Excel |
| Word processing software: |
| Microsoft Word |
| General Software Tools |
| Data base user interface and query software: |
| Database software Xactware Xactimate |
| Facilities management software: |
| Computerized maintenance management system software CMMS |
| Inventory management software: |
| Inventory management systems |
Preparation Required
| Preparation Required - How much preparation is needed to obtain this type of job? |
| Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed |
| Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training. |
| Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. |
| Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. |
| These occupations involve following instructions and often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include dishwashers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, counter and rental clerks, dental laboratory technicians, and security guards. |
Training and Experience Required
| Training and Experience Required - by frequency of training and work experience attainment This section shows you how often different types of training and work experience are required for this occupation. How can you start gaining the kinds of experience and training that are most common for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience |
| Frequency of Attainment: 41.6 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: None |
| Frequency of Attainment: 19.8 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year |
| Frequency of Attainment: 18.2 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 11.5 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months |
| Frequency of Attainment: 9.1 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 10 years |
Local Salary Information
Select a State (scroll and Select) :
Please select a State to see State and National Salaries
Certifications
| Certifications These are examples of certifications that may be important for this occupation. How can you begin exploring which certifications fit your goals and what steps you would need to take to earn them? |
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Certified Dangerous Goods Trainer
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Student Certified Hazardous Materials Manager
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Professional Associations
| Professional Associations These associations connect people who work in this occupation or related fields. How can you start using these associations to learn more, build your network, or find mentoring opportunities? |
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Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM)
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Job Listings
Related Careers to Consider
Step 4 of 4: Career-Specific Resources (detailed and constantly updated)
This section contains detailed resources appropriate to "Hazardous Materials Removal Workers". Explore these resources to start learning more. Links are constantly updated, so bookmark this page.
Videos
Here is a listing of videos related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes
Here are resources that allow you to see example resumes for this occupation. It may be helpful to see examples from others who have this type of experience.
Job Description
Here are resources that provide job descriptions, which are vital for resume and interview preparation.
Interviews
There are many great resources that can help guide you through the interview process. These links provide help in preparing and performing an effective interview, specific to this occupation.
Step-by-Step
Here are links to help guide you, step-by-step, to become a(n): Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
LinkedIn®
Here are links to various posts and groups from LinkedIn ® that relate to this occupation. Great way to start building professional contacts in the field that might be most appropriate for you.
Developed by Dr. Ralph Jagodka, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus of Business Management at Mt. San Antonio College and author of the Harvard Business Impact article "What to Do When Students Ask You for Career Advice." - Full bio. © 2026 About This Page
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