Also called: Process Operator, Board Operator
Runs the control panels and equipment of a chemical plant or refinery, usually in 12-hour shifts.
From a control room full of screens you watch hundreds of temperatures and pressures. When an alarm goes off, you radio an outside operator to check a pump, and together you keep the unit running safely through the night.
Overtime and shift pay can push earnings much higher.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. High school plus process technology associate degree; long on-the-job training.
Ways in: 2-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Process Technology (2-year).
Shrinking. Automation is slowly reducing operator headcount.
Medium risk for 10 years. Advanced controls and AI run more of the plant, so fewer operators per unit; rounds, emergency response and hands-on fixes stay human.
Classes: Chemistry, Algebra, Physics, Process technology dual-enrollment.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-8091.
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.