Also called: Crystal Puller Operator, Ingot Grower
Grows giant single crystals of ultra-pure silicon, the raw material that every chip starts as.
You watch through a furnace window as a seed crystal dips into molten silicon at 2,500°F and slowly pulls up, growing into a shining cylinder taller than you. It takes days, and you watch temperatures and speeds so it doesn't break.
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.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing about average. Niche; tied to wafer plant investment.
Medium risk for 10 years. Crystal pullers are computer-controlled; operators still watch, load and react to problems over long growth runs.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at silicon wafer plants or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Chemistry, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-9141.
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.