Also called: Brick Kiln Operator, Tunnel Kiln Operator
Runs the long tunnel kilns that slowly bake soft clay bricks at nearly 2,000 °F into hard, colorful building bricks.
Cars stacked with thousands of raw bricks creep through a kiln longer than a football field. You watch temperatures in each zone, adjust the burners, and pull sample bricks to check color and strength. A small change in air or heat can turn a whole day's bricks the wrong shade.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0.5 years after high school. High school; trained on the job.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing about average. Steady, tied to home building.
Medium risk for 10 years. Kiln controls are automated, but judging brick color and fixing problems stays human.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at brick plants or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Chemistry, Art (ceramics), Algebra, Shop class.
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.