Also called: Pharma Operator, Production Technician (Pharma)
Runs machines that make pills, capsules, creams and injectable medicines in tightly controlled factories.
You set up a tablet press that punches out thousands of pills a minute, check weights and hardness every 15 minutes, and sign each step in the batch record. You change into clean gowns and follow strict procedures, because the product goes into people's bodies.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school plus on-the-job training; biotech or pharma certificates help.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification, 2-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (certificate), Biotechnology.
Growing faster than average. Drug-production investment is rising in the US.
Medium risk for 10 years. Drug plants automate fast but stay heavily regulated; techs shift to monitoring, cleaning, setups and records.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at drug and vitamin manufacturers or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Biology, Chemistry, Algebra.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-9199.
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.