Also called: Heat Treater
Runs furnaces that heat and cool metal parts to make them harder or tougher.
You load gears into a glowing furnace, follow a precise heating recipe, quench them in oil, and test their hardness.
Based on heat treating equipment operators.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma; trained on the job.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Manufacturing Technology.
Shrinking (about -2% over 10 years).
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Automated furnaces with sensors run recipes on their own; far fewer hands-on operators needed.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to heat treating shops and metal plants for furnace operator trainee jobs
Classes: Chemistry, Metalshop CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4191.
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.