Also called: Plant Manager, Production Director
Runs a factory or production plant, making sure products get made safely, on time and on budget.
You start with a 7 a.m. meeting where each shift reports problems: a broken press, a late steel delivery, an injury near-miss. You walk the floor in safety glasses, approve overtime and meet engineers about a new robot line.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 8 years after high school. Bachelor's in engineering, business or industrial management plus years of plant experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Mechanical Engineering, Business Administration.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Steady; reshoring of US manufacturing creates openings.
Low risk for 10 years. More robots on the line change the team, but running a plant safely, on time and on budget stays human.
Classes: Physics, Engineering or manufacturing CTE, AP Statistics, Business elective.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-3051.
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