Also called: Transformer Field Technician, Substation Transformer Technician
Tests, dries out, refills and repairs the house-sized transformers in substations that step electricity up and down for the grid.
A 100-ton transformer just arrived at a substation, so your crew vacuums the air out of it for two days, then fills it with filtered oil. You run tests to check the windings inside are healthy and sample the oil for gases that warn of hidden damage. Next week you're on the road to another state.
Estimated from transformer service company postings; travel pay and overtime add more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate degree in electrical technology, or military electrical experience.
Ways in: 2-year college, Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Technology, Electrical Power Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology.
Growing faster than average. Transformers are in short supply and the grid is aging, so service crews are busy.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps read test results, but filling, testing and fixing giant transformers on site stays hands-on.
Classes: Physics, Electronics CTE, Algebra 2.
Official data: O*NET occupation 49-2095.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.